Download Philosophy 319 Syllabus Spring term, 2010-2011

Philosophy 319 Syllabus
Spring term, 2010-2011
Gilbert Harman
Office: 118 1879 Hall
Office hours: Wednesday 1-2 pm and by appointment.
Phone and voice mail: 8-4301
Email: [email protected]
Eden Lin
Office: 111 1879 Hall
Office hours: Thursday 3:30-4:30 pm
Phone and voice mail: 8-4303
Email: [email protected]
Barry Maguire
Office: 126 1879 Hall
Office hours: Thursday 3-5 pm
Phone and voice mail: 8-1489
Email: [email protected]
Vanessa Schouten
Office: 110 1879 Hall
Office hours: Tuesday 12:30-1:30
Phone and voice mail: 8-4305
Email: [email protected]
Brief Course Description and Objectives
Normative ethics is concerned with the examination of one's views about what is right or wrong,
good or bad, just or unjust, etc. We will discuss a variety of moral issues including patriotism,
war, terrorism, capital punishment, abortion, euthanasia, justice, civil disobedience, liberty,
freedom of speech, equality, affirmative action, love and friendship, marriage and the family, in
the light of more or less general normative principles and conceptions of the nature of morality,
including utilitarianism, contract theories, and treating people as ends.
Requirements.
Lectures are Tuesdays and Thursdays, 11:00 to 11:50 AM, in Guyot 10. Precepts are in 119 1879
Hall. You are required to attend lectures and precepts, which will often take up issues not in the
readings. There will be a midterm on Thursday, March 10, at 11:00 AM (25% of grade) and a
final examination (40%), as well as two short papers (5% each) and a term paper (20%). All
papers are to be emailed to your preceptor. The first short paper is due by the beginning of class
on Thursday, February 24. The second is due by the beginning of class on Thursday, March 31.
The term paper is due no later than 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, May 10 (last day of reading period).
5% of the grade is for precept participation.
PHI 319 Syllabus, Spring 2010-2011 - page 1
Reading.
Indicated reading should be done before the lecture indicated (except the first lecture). All
reading for the course comes from John Arthur and Steven Scalet, editors, Morality and Moral
Controversies, 8th edition. You are strongly encouraged to consult the following online
resources to learn how to read philosophy books and articles and to write philosophy papers:
http://www.jimpryor.net/teaching/guidelines/reading.html
http://www.jimpryor.net/teaching/guidelines/writing.html
Schedule
BACKGROUND: THEORIES ABOUT THE NATURE OF MORALITY
Feb 1.
Session 1. Introduction. Self-interest, Religion, and Conscience.
Chapter 1: Hobbes, Brody, Arthur, Bennett
Feb 3.
Session 2. Sources and Grounds of Morality.
Chapter 2: Westermarck, Midgley, Shaw, Hume, Nagel
Feb 8.
Session 3. Theories of Morality.
Chapter 3: Aristotle, Kant, Mill.
Feb 10. Session 4. Contemporary Perspectives
Chapter 4: Ross, O'Neill, Brandt, Held.
MAIN PART OF COURSE: MORAL ISSUES
Feb 15. Session 5. War
Chapter 5: Wasserstrom, Ryan, Korematsu v. United States
Feb 17. Session 6. Terrorism.
Chapter 5: Scheffler, Steinhoff, Wolfendale
Feb 22. Session 7. Capital Punishment.
Chapter 6. Gregg v. Georgia, Perlmutter, van den Haag, Reiman.
Feb 24. Session 8. Animals.
Chapter 7: Singer, Steinbock, Baxter, Callicott, Turner.
First paper due at the beginning of class today.
Mar 1.
Session 9. Abortion.
Chapter 8: Roe v. Wade, Thomson, Warren, English, Marquis, Harris
Mar 3.
Session 10. Medicine and Deciding Who Should Live
Chapter 9: JFK Memorial Hospital v Heston, Godwin, Dyck, Rachels, Gonzales v.
Oregon, Brandt, Callahan, Harris.
Mar 8.
Session 11. Love and Sex.
Chapter 10: Kant, Finnis, Goldman, Mohr, Pineau, Paglia.
PHI 319 Syllabus, Spring 2010-2011 - page 2
Mar 10. MIDTERM EXAM.
Midterm Break: Mar 12-20.
Mar 22. Session 13. Family
Chapter 11. Wasserstrom, Joseph, Bennett and Sullivan, Steinbock.
Mar 24. Session 14. Parents and Children.
Chapter 11: LaFollette, Kupfer, Kristjánsson, English
Mar 29. Session 15. The Ideal State
Chapter 12: Locke, Machan, Mill, Mill, Rawls.
Mar 31. Session 16. Patriotism
Chapter 13: Texas v. Johnson, MacIntyre, Plato (follows, MacIntyre, but not listed in
contents)
Apr 5.
Session 17. Property
Chapter 14: Marx, Kelo v. City of New London, Walzer, Friedman, Mackey and
Friedman.
Apr 7.
Session 18. Justice.
Chapter 14: Hume, Nozick, Rawls.
Second paper due at the beginning of class today.
Apr 12. Session 19. Civil Disobedience and the Rule of Law
Chapter 13: Dworkin, Rawls, King, Fuller.
Apr 14
Session 20. Liberty: Drugs
Chapter 15: Szasz, Goodin, Shapiro.
Apr 19. Session 21. Liberty: Speech
Chapter 15: Mill, Village of Skokie v. National Socialist Party, Lawrence and Gunther,
Dershowitz, Longino, Wicclair, American Booksellers v. Hudnut.
Apr 21. Session 22. Equality.
Chapter 16: Brown v. Board of Education, Mill and Taylor, Kymlicka, Wasserstrom,
Young, Richards.
Apr 26. Session 23. Immigration and Multicultural Societies.
Chapter 17: Bader, Dwyer, Raz, Sen, Yoder.
Apr 28. Session 24. Summary, Review of Course.
May 2-10. READING PERIOD
May 10.
Term paper due.
Date to be announced: Final examination: place to be announced.
PHI 319 Syllabus, Spring 2010-2011 - page 3