Lesson Schedule:
Contemporary Moral Problems
Term : 2009 Spring
Course : PHL-216.01
Contemporary Moral Problems
Time : Monday,
Wednesday, and Friday 9:00 - 9:50 a.m.
Instructor : Dr.
Safro Kwame
|
Day |
Date |
Topic/Learning Opportunities/Learning Outcomes: Read
before class. |
|
Wed |
1/14/2009 |
Prologue. |
|
Fri |
1/16/2009 |
Gilbert Harman, from "Moral
Relativism," pp. 4-11. |
|
Mon |
1/19/2009 |
NO CLASS: M.L. King Day |
|
Wed |
1/21/2009 |
Lois Pojman, from "The Case
Against Moral Relativism," pp. 13-21. |
|
Fri |
1/23/2009 |
Stephen Layman, from The Shape
of the Good pp. 26-34. |
|
Mon |
1/26/2009 |
John Arthur, from
"Religion, Morality, and Conscience," pp. 35-44. |
|
Wed |
1/28/2009 |
Classwork 1: Quiz on Text and
Classes. |
|
Fri |
1/30/2009 |
Vincent C. Punzo, from
Reflective Naturalism pp. 88-93. |
|
Mon |
2/2/2009 |
Alan H. Goldman, from
"Plain Sex," pp. 94-100. |
|
Wed |
2/4/2009 |
Jonathan Rauch, from Gay
Marriage pp. 104-111. |
|
Fri |
2/6/2009 |
Jeff Jordan, from "Contra
Same-Sex Marriage," pp. 112-123. |
|
Mon |
2/9/2009 |
Classwork 2: Quiz on Text and
Classes. |
|
Wed |
2/11/2009 |
George J. Annas, from "Why
We Should Ban Human Cloning," pp. 130-135. |
|
Fri |
2/13/2009 |
John A. Robertson, from
"Human Cloning and the Challenge of Regulation," pp. 137-141. |
|
Mon |
2/16/2009 |
Autumn Fiester, from
"Creating Fido's Twin," pp. 148-155. |
|
Wed |
2/18/2009 |
Hilary Bok, from "Cloning
Companion Animals Is Wrong," pp. 158-162. |
|
Fri |
2/20/2009 |
Classwork 3: Quiz on Text and
Classes. |
|
Mon |
2/23/2009 |
Robert J. Cihak and Michael A.
Glueck, from "Should Congress Allow the Buying and Selling of Human
Organs? Yes" pp. 166-169. |
|
Wed |
2/25/2009 |
James F. Childress, from,
“Should Congress Allow the Buying and Selling of Human Organs? No,” pp.
170-173. |
|
Fri |
2/27/2009 |
Discussion |
|
Mon |
3/2/2009 |
Comprehensive Midterm Exam |
|
Wed |
3/4/2009 |
Discussion |
|
Fri |
3/6/2009 |
NO CLASS: Midterm Break |
|
Mon |
3/9/2009 |
David Boaz, from "A
Drug-Free America—or a Free America?" pp. 177-183. |
|
Wed |
3/11/2009 |
Drug Enforcement Administration,
from "Speaking Out Against Drug Legalization," pp. 184-194. |
|
Fri |
3/13/2009 |
Lisa Newton, from
"Gambling: A Preliminary Inquiry," pp. 199-206. |
|
Mon |
3/16/2009 |
Peter Collins, from “Is Gambling
Immoral? A Virtue Ethics Approach,” pp. 208-219. |
|
Wed |
3/18/2009 |
Classwork 4: Quiz on Text and
Classes. |
|
Fri |
3/20/2009 |
Albert G. Mosley, from
"Affirmative Action: Pro," pp. 223-232. |
|
Mon |
3/23/2009 |
Louis P. Pojman, from "The
Case Against Affirmative Action," pp. 235-243. |
|
Wed |
3/25/2009 |
Nicholas Dixon, from
"Handguns, Violent Crime, and Self-Defense," pp. 249-263. |
|
Fri |
3/27/2009 |
Daniel D. Polsby, from "The
False Promise of Gun Control," pp. 266-274. |
|
Mon |
3/30/2009 |
Classwork 5: Quiz on Text and
Classes. |
|
Wed |
4/1/2009 |
Michael Welch, from Punishment
in America pp. 279-288. |
|
Fri |
4/3/2009 |
Ernest van den Haag, from
"The Death Penalty Once More," pp. 292-301. |
|
Mon |
4/6/2009 |
Mirko Bagaric and Julie Clarke,
from "Not Enough Official Torture in the World?” pp. 307-315. |
|
Wed |
4/8/2009 |
Desmond Manderson, from
"Another Modest Proposal," pp. 316-324. |
|
Fri |
4/10/2009 |
NO CLASS: Easter Break |
|
Mon |
4/13/2009 |
Richard Doerflinger, from
"Assisted Suicide: Pro-Choice or Anti-Life?" pp. 328-334. |
|
Wed |
4/15/2009 |
David T. Watts and Timothy
Howell, from "Assisted Suicide Is not Voluntary Active Euthanasia,"
pp. 335-339. |
|
Fri |
4/17/2009 |
Jordan Curnutt, from "A New
Argument for Vegetarianism," pp. 348-356. |
|
T-F |
4/21-4/24 |
Final Exam may be on Friday 4/24/09 at 6 pm. See
Registrar’s Exam Schedule. You cannot take it earlier than scheduled or with
another class. |
PHL-216.01 Contemporary Moral Problems Syllabus
1. Name of the Department: Philosophy and Religion Department.
2. Course Number and Title: PHL-216.01 Contemporary Moral Problems. 3 Credits.
3. Semester: Spring 2009.
4. Name of the Professor: Dr. Safro Kwame.
5. Office Location/Room Number: Dickey Hall Room 217.
6. Conference Hours:
Mondays and Wednesdays
7. Office Extension: 7569. Tel: (484) 365-7569 Fax: (206) 309-0697 or (484) 365-8098.
8. E-Mail Address: kwame@lincoln.edu or kwame@mailshack.com (E-mail messages must have Philosophy in the subject line and, unless requested in other formats, attachments must be in plain text and not Microsoft Word.)
9. Course Description: An analysis of current ethical issues. This course examines a selection of contemporary moral issues in the following areas: abortion, euthanasia, suicide, sexual relations, terrorism, affirmative action, genetic engineering, treatment of animals, the environment, and capital punishment. Course Objective: (a) To familiarize the student with some of the current ethical issues & analyses, and (b) To foster deep & critical thinking about moral & current issues.
10. Course Pre-requisites: None.
11. Required Textbooks: Satris, S. 2008. Taking Sides: Clashing Views on Controversial Moral Issues 11th edition, Guilford, CT. Dushkin/McGraw-Hill (Required). Pojman, L. 2003. Moral Philosophy: A Reader 3rd ed., Indianapolis, Hackett Publishing Co. (Supplement: Not Required).
12. Required Materials: Textbook, notebook, pencil and pen.
13. Student/Learner Outcomes (Learning Outcome - What student should be able to do at the end of course.): Define ethics and contemporary moral problems; Distinguish between ethics, science and religion; Distinguish between consequential and deontological theories; Identify some of the famous ethicists; Apply ethical theories and techniques.
14. Learning Opportunities (and Course Assignments): See below for specific discussion topics and assignments.) Class presentation of readings; Class discussion of readings; Excerpts from texts; Identification of the arguments in the readings; Application of the readings.
15. Assessment
Tools/Grading Standards, including calculations of midterm and final grades
(include weights in percentages): Explain ethics to a child or novice;
Distinguish between different positions on an issue; Identify ethical issues in
the news; Present and evaluate ethical arguments; Write an ethics paper; Take a
comprehensive final examination. Course Evaluation: Mid-term grade will be determined by a
mid-term exam and semester grade determined by a final exam (80%) & a typed
paper comparing & evaluating the readings from 2 of the philosophers on our
syllabus (20%) minus absences or lack of attendance and/or poor participation
-- unless stated otherwise on supplementary details. If you like the classworks
and have no complaint against them, you may petition to substitute any 2
classworks for the mid-term exam and any 4 classworks for the final exam
provided you attend classes until the end of the semester. Unless you
officially withdraw or formally request an incomplete (in writing) and submit
appropriate documentation before the end of the semester, you will receive a
passing or failing grade based on performance and attendance.
Grading Scale: A=100-90, B=89-80, C=79-70, D=69-60, F=59-0 or for difficult exams A=100-80%, B=70-60%, C=50-40%, D=30-20%, F=10-0%. (+/- determined by curve.)
16. Attendance Policy
(as printed in University Bulletin): Lincoln University uses the method of
teaching, which assumes that each student has something to contribute and
something to gain by attending class. It further assumes that there is much
more instruction absorbed in the classroom than can be tested on examinations.
Therefore, students are expected to attend all regularly scheduled class
meetings and should exhibit good faith in this regard. For the control of
absences, the faculty adopted the following regulations: 1. Four absences may
result in an automatic failure in the course. 2. Three tardy arrivals may be
counted as one absence. 3. Absences will be counted starting with whatever day
is specified by the instructor but not later than the deadline for adding or
dropping courses.
17. University Approved Integrity Statement: Students are responsible for proper conduct and integrity in all of their scholastic work. They must follow a professor's instructions when completing tests, homework, and laboratory reports, and must ask for clarification if the instructions are not clear. In general, students should not give or receive aid when taking exams, or exceed the time limitations specified by the professor. In seeking the truth, in learning to think critically, and in preparing for a life of constructive service, honesty is imperative. Honesty in the classroom and in the preparation of papers is therefore expected of all students. Each student has the responsibility to submit work that is uniquely his or her own. All of this work must be done in accordance with established principles of academic integrity. 1. Acts of Academic Dishonesty (Cheating): Specific violations of this responsibility include, but are not limited to, the following: * Copying, offering and/or receiving unauthorized assistance or information in examinations, tests, quizzes; in the writing of reports, assigned papers, or special assignments, as in computer programming; and in the preparation of creative works (i.e. music, studio work, art). * The fabrication or falsification of data, results, or sources for papers or reports. * The use of unauthorized materials and/or persons during testing. * The unauthorized possession of tests or examinations. * The physical theft, duplication, unauthorized distribution, use or sale of tests, examinations, papers, or computer programs. * Any action which destroys or alters the work of another student. * Tampering with grades, grade books or otherwise attempting to alter grades assigned by the instructor. * The multiple submission of the same paper or report for assignments in more than one course without the prior written permission of each instructor. 2. Plagiarism: If a student represents "another person's ideas or scholarship as his/her own," that student is committing an act of plagiarism. The most common form of plagiarism among college students is the unintentional use of others' published ideas in their own work, and representing these ideas as their own by neglecting to acknowledge the sources of such materials. Plagiarism includes downloads, copies and purchase of papers and essays from the internet. Students are expected to cite all sources used in the preparation of written work, including examinations. It is each student's responsibility to find out exactly what each of his/her professors expects in terms of acknowledging sources of information on papers, exams, and assignments. It is the responsibility of each faculty person to state clearly in the syllabus for the course all expectations pertaining to academic integrity and plagiarism. 3. Sanctions: A: Warning - A written notice that repetitions of misconduct will result in more severe disciplinary action. The warning becomes part of the student's file in the Office of the Registrar and, if there is no other example of misconduct, is removed at the time of graduation. B: Failure for project (exam, paper, experiment). C: Failure of course. For serious and repeat offenses, the University reserves the right to suspend or expel. Imposition of Sanctions: First Offense - A and/or B. Second and Subsequent offenses - B or C. Students failing a course because of an instance of academic dishonesty may not drop the course. The student may appeal a charge of academic dishonesty within ten days of receiving notice of same. The appeal will be heard by an Academic Hearing Board (AHB) consisting of the chairs of each division of study (or their designees). Files on violations of this academic integrity code will be kept in the Office of the Registrar.
18. Schedule of Weekly Assignments: See below or attachment.
19. Miscellaneous Expectations: (a) Classwork consists of in-class quizzes for which there is no make-up. If your name is not printed in capital letters throughout or your cell phone rings or is used in class, half-a-point (5%) or more will be taken off your final grade or score. When graded, papers or quizzes will be distributed at the end (not the beginning) of class. You are required to save all your quizzes and papers. If your attendance and participation are excellent, you may petition to use your classworks in place of your final exam. If you leave in the middle of a quiz or exam, for whatever reason, you will have to answer a different set of questions when you return. (b) Papers: All papers should explain the main question and evaluate the arguments on all sides and be submitted in both electronic and hard copies (i.e. printed on paper and also sent as e-mail). Papers should be typed and accompanied by an abstract (summary of main points, facts and arguments) and bibliography. Use "Save As" to save you paper as plain text and attach it to your e-mail with Philosophy in the subject line. E-mail attachments (in Microsoft Word or Works or WordPerfect or compressed or zipped) which are not in plain text (i.e. txt format) are unacceptable. Late extra-credit papers won't be accepted. Late required papers will be dropped by 1 letter grade. (c) Attendance: Signing the attendance sheet for someone else or missing a class, for whatever reason, may cost you up to 5% on your final grade for each occurrence. According to University regulations, 4 absences may result in a failure and 3 tardy arrivals or departures may count as an absence. (d) Extra-Credit: Extra-credit papers, if permitted, should be on an assigned project (see website), due in class on the day of the last quiz, and count as one quiz. At best, 3 philosophy club meetings (you must participate and sign attendance) or a class-presentation (which is an oral critique of a reading/topic, not used for paper, with a written abstract), if permitted, will push 1 classwork up by 1 letter grade.
20. Class/Course Homepage: http://www.lincoln.edu/philosophy/kwame.html or http://philosophydepartment.tripod.com/ WebCT: http://webct41.lincoln.edu:8900 To check your grade on the computer or internet, go to any one of the websites listed above and follow the instructions there. Note that some of the websites may be down and not updated.
21. How to Check and Monitor Your Grade in Dr. Kwame’s Class
Your semester grade will be determined by the final examination minus absences or lack of attendance and/or poor participation. If a term paper is required for this course (check syllabus), your semester grade will be determined by the final exam (80%) and a typed paper as specified by your syllabus (20%), minus absences or lack of attendance and/or poor participation.
Note that students are expected to attend classes regularly and participate in class discussions. Hence, no special points are given for attendance or class participation. Points, however, are taken off for absences or lack of attendance and/or poor participation.
To estimate or
monitor your overall or semester grade, do the following:
1. Start with an “A” grade and a score of 100%. Later on, when you have 4 or more quizzes or you take the final examination or the semester ends, replace your starting grade and score with either your final exam grade and score or the average of 4 quiz grades and scores (i.e. add the scores or percentages from any 4 quizzes and divide by 4 and, then, use any one of the grading scales you like from the syllabus to convert your average score into a grade). If a term paper is required for this course, add your grade and score for your term paper to either your score on the final examination or average score from 4 quizzes and divide by 5 and, then, use any one of the grading scales you like from the syllabus to convert the resulting score into a grade.
2.
If
you have missed 4 or more classes, for reasons other than representing the
University in athletic events or other University sanctioned activities, deduct 100 points from your overall
score or average as calculated above or,
if you prefer, deduct 5 points for every absence (regardless of the reason
for your absence); then, use any one of the grading scales you like from the
syllabus to convert the resulting score into a grade. If you have missed 3 or fewer classes, skip this step: do not deduct
any points.
Your final or semester grade is roughly whatever grade results from following steps 1 and 2 above. Grades are determined by performance and not just given.
Extra-credits, if available for this particular class or course (check syllabus), are applied to your quiz grade or score i.e. added to your quiz grade or score and not your final examination grade or score.