Text: Ethical Theory, by L.P. Pojman (Required)
August:
30: Introduction
September:
01: What is Ethics? pp 1-5
03: Plato, pp 5-12
06: Labor Day
08: Aristotle, pp 293-302
10: Aristotle, pp 293-302 {Quiz}
13: Frankena, pp 305-310
15: MacIntyre, pp 320-333
17: Wolf, pp 333-344{Quiz}
20: Mill, pp 161-173
22: Library assignment
24: In class writing assignment {Quiz}
27: Mill, pp 173-180
29: Railton, pp 197-213
October:
01: Williams, pp 188-197 {Quiz}
04: Rawls, pp 214-223
06: Kant, 229-235
08: Kant, 235-247 {Quiz}
11: Kant, 248-252
13: Ross, 253-260
15: Foot, 273-279 {Quiz}
18: Nagel, 279-287
20: Herodotus, 19-20; & Benedict, 20-24
22: Pojman, 24-32 {Quiz}
25: Harman, 33-42
27: Brink, 42-55
29: Moore, 358-364 {Quiz}
November:
01: Ayer, 364-369
03: Stevenson, 370-379
05: Hare, 379-388 {Quiz}
08: Foot, 389-398
10: Warnock, 398-405
12: Hume, 554-557 {Quiz}
15: Nozick, 562-569
17: Nozick, 569-576
19: Rawls, 577-584 {Quiz}
22: Rawls, 584-589
24: Thanksgiving break
26: Thanksgiving break
29: Locke, 596-601
December:
01: Feinberg, 602-611
03: Dworkin, 611-623 {Quiz}
06: The Concept of Personhood (no readings)
08: Personhood continued
10: Personhood continued {Quiz}
13: Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 657-661
15: Review for Final Exam
19: Final exam: 10:20am-12:10pm (A final on a Sunday? See below)
Paper: A Term Paper is due Monday, 13 December, in class (6-10 pages, typed, double spaced, 1" margins all around).
You should consult with me on the topic of your paper. Topics are, strictly, up to you, with the proviso that they have to do with at least some of the readings we've done for the course. The paper needs to be critically reflective of its subject-matter, with your own considered opinion (rationally worked-out) comprising at least 40% of the text. You should make use of some standard reference source (e.g., The Chicago Manual of Style) for the formatting of footnotes or endnotes, direct quotations, length of quotations, bibliographies, et cetera. I strongly suggest that you make use of the pages on "Editing Notation", on reserve in the Library, when you write your paper.
Final: The final exam time is scheduled for 19 December, 12:10am--12:10pm. However, the final for this course will be take-home, and will consist of essay questions. I will give you 5 or 6 and you will write on 2 or 3. I will give you the questions on Wednesday, 15 December and your answers will be due Monday, 20 December, 1pm in Annex 106.
The paper and the final will each count for about one-third of your course grade. Tentative grading scale: 100-93 = A; 92-90 = A-; 89-87 = B+; 86-83 = B; 82-80 = B-; 79-77 = C+; 76-73 = C; 72-70 = C-; 69-67 = D+; 66-60 = D; 59-00 = F. This is a Credit/No Credit optional course; A through C- = Credit; D+ through F = No Credit. You wll need to inform the Office of Admissions & Records (by the 8th week of classes, I think) if you want to take the course for CR/NC rather than the traditional A-F grading.