Course Syllabus

JOHN CABOT UNIVERSITY

COURSE CODE: "PH/RL 224-2"
COURSE NAME: "Living the Good Life: Religious and Philosophical Ethics"
SEMESTER & YEAR: Spring 2020

SYLLABUS

INSTRUCTOR: Annette Merle Bryson
EMAIL: [email protected]
HOURS: TTH 1:30 PM 2:45 PM
TOTAL NO. OF CONTACT HOURS: 45
CREDITS: 3
PREREQUISITES:
OFFICE HOURS:

COURSE DESCRIPTION:
What it is to do the right thing, or to be a good person? Where do ethical ideas and standards come from? And why should we be ethical at all? This course introduces students to ethical thinking by studying both concrete issues and more abstract theories, religious and non-religious. Students will explore ideas like “virtue”, “duty”, “conscience”, and “perfection,” philosophers like Plato, Aquinas, and Kant, and religious traditions like Christianity, Islam, and Buddhism, alongside concrete issues in areas such as medicine, war, sex, and the environment.

SUMMARY OF COURSE CONTENT:

This course offers a systematic introduction to moral theory, aimed at equipping students with the concepts and tools needed to analyze moral problems and develop their own moral thinking. We will explore some important moral philosophers and their views, we will explore the relation between morality and religion, and we will apply moral thinking to moral questions in our everyday lives.

LEARNING OUTCOMES:

By the end of this course, you will have gained:

• a better understanding of some of the moral issues of current relevance and the ways in which we might examine them;
• a better understanding of the basic questions of ethics, and of the range of philosophical answers that have been given;
• a better understanding of some of the moral issues of current relevance and the ways in which we might examine them;
• a better understanding of the shortcomings and strengths of these various approaches to answering these fundamental questions;
• a refinement of your own critical reasoning and argumentative skills;
• a refinement of your capacities to recognize and assess philosophical arguments;
• an enhancement of the conceptual tools we need to develop and defend our own philosophical views;
• a refinement of your abilities to defend and express philosophical positions in a clear, well-reasoning way through both writing and conversation;
• the (re)discovery of the joy of philosophical inquiry!

TEXTBOOK:

NONE

REQUIRED RESERVED READING:

NONE

RECOMMENDED RESERVED READING:

NONE

GRADING POLICY
-ASSESSMENT METHODS:

Assignment	Guidelines	Weight
Class Participation	You will receive a participation grade at the end of the semester reflecting your class attendance as well as your preparedness, contribution to in-class discussion, and participation in smaller group activities.	20%
Quizzes	You will be expected to take a quiz at least once a week. Some quizzes will be on Moodle and others will be in class. As unexpected events do occur, I will drop your two lowest quiz grades. There will be no opportunities to make up missed quizzes without a letter from the Dean’s office.	20%
First Written Assignment	This written assignment will be a “take-home” assignment of 900-1200 words, written in response to one of a selection of questions which I will provide.	20%
Second Written Assignment	This written assignment will be a “take-home” assignment of 900-1200 words, written in response to one of a selection of questions which I will provide.	20%
Final Exam	Any material discussed in readings or in class during the semester is eligible to appear on the exam.	20%

-ASSESSMENT CRITERIA:
AWork of this quality directly addresses the question or problem raised and provides a coherent argument displaying an extensive knowledge of relevant information or content. This type of work demonstrates the ability to critically evaluate concepts and theory and has an element of novelty and originality. There is clear evidence of a significant amount of reading beyond that required for the course.
BThis is highly competent level of performance and directly addresses the question or problem raised.There is a demonstration of some ability to critically evaluatetheory and concepts and relate them to practice. Discussions reflect the student’s own arguments and are not simply a repetition of standard lecture andreference material. The work does not suffer from any major errors or omissions and provides evidence of reading beyond the required assignments.
CThis is an acceptable level of performance and provides answers that are clear but limited, reflecting the information offered in the lectures and reference readings.
DThis level of performances demonstrates that the student lacks a coherent grasp of the material.Important information is omitted and irrelevant points included.In effect, the student has barely done enough to persuade the instructor that s/he should not fail.
FThis work fails to show any knowledge or understanding of the issues raised in the question. Most of the material in the answer is irrelevant.

-ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS:

You are expected to attend class.

ACADEMIC HONESTY
As stated in the university catalog, any student who commits an act of academic dishonesty will receive a failing grade on the work in which the dishonesty occurred. In addition, acts of academic dishonesty, irrespective of the weight of the assignment, may result in the student receiving a failing grade in the course. Instances of academic dishonesty will be reported to the Dean of Academic Affairs. A student who is reported twice for academic dishonesty is subject to summary dismissal from the University. In such a case, the Academic Council will then make a recommendation to the President, who will make the final decision.

STUDENTS WITH LEARNING OR OTHER DISABILITIES
John Cabot University does not discriminate on the basis of disability or handicap. Students with approved accommodations must inform their professors at the beginning of the term. Please see the website for the complete policy.

SCHEDULE

Session	Session Focus	Reading Assignment	Other Assignment
Week 1: Jan. 21 & 23	Introduction to the course and to philosophy; Understanding our own moral thought	T: No Reading Assigned; TH., “Introduction” by Russ Shafer-Landau (available on course Moodle site); Features of morality (Moodle)
Week 2: Jan. 28 & 30	Morality and a life worth living: The immoralist's challenge	T: Plato, Republic, Book II, excerpt (Moodle); TH: [Psychological and ethical egoism material]
Week 3: Feb. 4 & 6	Relating morality to religion	T: Plato, Euthyphro, excerpt; TH: Robert Merrihew Adams, "A New Divine Command Theory"
Week 4: Feb. 11 & 13	Moral Realism vs. Moral Skepticism	T: Plato, "Moral Forms," from The Republic, Bk. 6, 504d-510b (Moodle); TH: J.L. Mackie, "The Subjectivity of Value," from Ethics: Inventing Right and Wrong (ET 22 - 30)
Week 5: Feb. 18 & 20	Religious ethics & philosophical ethics	T, TH: William Lane Craig and Walter Sinnott-Armstrong, "God and Objective Morality: A Debate"; C. Stephen Layman, "God and the Moral Order"; Erik Wielenberg, "God and Morality"
Week 6: Feb. 25 & 27	Morality and the aim of life: Virtue as a life proper for humans	T: Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics, excerpt; TH: A contemporary virtue theory: Martha Nussbaum, “Non-Relative Virtues: An Aristotelian Approach”
Week 7: March 3 & 5	Writing a philosophy paper	T: How to write a philosophy paper; TH: Discussion of student papers	FIRST PAPER DUE (March 6)
March 9 - 13	No Classes: SPRING BREAK
Week 8: March 17 & 19	From virtue theory to consequentialism	T, TH: John Stuart Mill, Utilitarianism, excerpts
Week 9: March 24 & 26	Consequentialism and its critics	T: Robert Nozick, Extract from Anarchy, State, and Utopia; TH: W.D. Ross, The Right and the Good, excerpt
Week 10: Mar. 31 & Apr. 2	From consequentialism to deontology: Morality as practical rationality and consistency and respect for persons	T: Judith Jarvis Thomson, “Killing, Letting Die, and the Trolley Problem”, excerpt; TH: Immanuel Kant, Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals, excerpt
Week 11: Apr. 7 & 9	Morality as rational cooperation: Justice as a hypothetical contract	T, TH: John Rawls, A Theory of Justice, excerpts; Robert Nozick [reading to be announced].
Week 12: Apr. 14 & 16	Morality as grounded in duties of relations	T: W.D. Ross, The Right and the Good, excerpt; TH: Discussion of student papers	SECOND PAPER DUE (April 17)
Week 13: Apr. 21 & 23	Morality as grounded in special relations	T: Nell Noddings, “An Ethic of Caring”, excerpt (Moodle); TH: [Second reading to be announced]
Week 14: Apr. 28 & 30	Wrapping up and final reading; Final exam review	[To be announced.]
Week for Final Exams: May 4 - 8	FINAL EXAM		FINAL EXAM (date set by university administration)