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Sample Syllabus: Contemporary Moral Issues1
1. Method & Course Description------------------------------To be in a position to determine the moral status of specific actionsor persons, one must understand ethical theories: general explanations of why, and guidelines for, what sorts of actions are morally permissible, morally required or morally impermissible. Is an action morally requiredbecause the outcome of that action is the greatest good for the greatestnumber? Or is an action morally permissible because it has a certain form common to all morally tolerable actions? Should we, on the other hand, useas our model for morally permissible actions the behavior of those we taketo be paragons of virtue?Only after we have understood the fundamental ethical theories can webegin to approach the contemporary moral issues which might be decided asconsequences of these theories. Even though the issues of pressingimportance often rouse the passions of proponents of particular views (andthe critics of those views), thought and discussion are most productive when passions and excitements have cooled. We can keep clear and cool headsin matters of contemporary issues by letting the ancient philosophical method of
dialectic 
and
argument
set the parameters for our investigation.When someone holds a particular view they take to be the correct one(perhaps in terms of a specific issue of morality) and that person wishesto convince someone else of the correctness of that view, the best methodis
not
an appeal to
emotion
, but rather an appeal to
reason
. An argument(philosophically speaking) is the clear and concise presentation of one of more starting points (or premises) from which, by the process of sound andcareful reasoning, one can come to a conclusion. The process of reasoningrepresented by an argument should be such that if the premises from whichone logically infers the conclusion are good ones, a rational person willaccept that conclusion. We test the strengths of premises and arguments byengaging in dialectic or
Socratic dialogue 
– the process of careful,dispassionate examination of premises and the steps by which we reason to aconclusion. Dialectic is most productive when the participants take eachother seriously, listen to one another carefully, think carefully about what is being said, think carefully before speaking in response, try tocriticize constructively every aspect of any position that is put forward,yet refrain from personal attacks or criticism of a person rather than aposition. We shall engage in dialogues of this sort in this class.2. Instructor Information-------------------------Dr. Jesse Butler<dept. info><contact info><office hour info> Appointments: Please set up an appointment if you're confusedabout something, need help getting started on an assignment or would like to receive feedback for what you've written.
 
Sample Syllabus: Contemporary Moral Issues2
3. Course Information--------------------- A. Meeting Places & Times-------------------------<MTWRF> <time> <place>B. Texts--------Required--------Daniel Bonevac Today’s Moral Issues: Classic and ContemporaryPerspectives (
TMI 
)Farhad Manjoo True Enough: Learning to Live in a Post-Fact Society (
TE 
)[These books are on reserve at the library -- visit the circulationdesk.]Recommended-----------Edward C. Banfield The Moral Basis of a Backward Society (
MBBS 
)Bill McKibben Deep Economy: The Wealth of Communities and the DurableFuture (
DE 
)Walter Benn Michaels The Trouble With Diversity (
TD 
)[These books are on reserve at the library -- visit the circulationdesk.]C. Grades---------Grades are assigned based on the number and length of written assignmentssuccessfully completed, performance on five surprise quizzes during thesemester and class attendance. Letter grades are assigned based on thenumber of “points” a student earns during the semester.i. Written Work---------------To receive credit for a written assignment a student must respond to aspecific prompt <more info>, and the response must(a) be written in clear, cohesive and grammatical English.(b) address, in a straightforward way, the issue raised by theprompt.(c) contain a bare minimum of quoted material (* AT MOST 10% * ofthe total number of words of the assignment can be quotation).
 
Sample Syllabus: Contemporary Moral Issues3
(d) be original work (not plagiarized).(e) <submission particulars stub>If a submitted assignment fails to satisfy all of (a)-(e) then nocredit will be given for that assignment. The submission will be marked ‘0’.ii. Points----------a. Points are awarded for each satisfactorily completed writtenassignment (hereafter 'response') according to the followingscheme:If the response is+ less than 100 words, zero (0) points are awarded.+ between 100 words and 199 words, 1 point is awarded.+ between 200 words and 299 words, 2 points are awarded.+ between 300 words and 399 words, 3 points are awarded.+ between 400 words and 499 words, 4 points are awarded.+ between 500 words and 599 words, 5 points are awarded.+ between 600 words and 699 words, 6 points are awarded.+ between 700 words and 799 words, 7 points are awarded.+ between 800 words and 899 words, 8 points are awarded.+ between 900 words and 999 words, 9 points are awarded.+ greater than 1000 words, 10 points are awarded.b. Points and attendance & punctuality.+ For each period a student attends, 1 point is awarded.+ For each period for which a student is late, no points areawarded or subtracted.+ For each period during which a student is absent, 1 pointis subtracted.c. Points and the five surprise quizzes.+ For each of the quizzes successfully completed, one 1 pointis awarded.iii. Final Grade Calculation----------------------------Points are then tallied and letter grades are assigned based on thenumber of total points in accord with the following table:90+ Points........A 85 - 89 Points........B+80 - 84 Points........B75 - 79 Points........C+70 - 74 Points........C60 - 69 Points........DLess that 60 Points...E
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