MLS 603 Ethics, Theory, and Practice

Second Session	Monday: 6:00 - 10:00PM      Begins: 7/12 Ends: 8/23
	Lowell Campus: Adult Learning Center 203
Instructor:	Dr. Paul Roebuck
	proebuck@regis.edu
Office Hours:	After class or  by appointment
Course Website:	http://www.roebuckclasses.com/ethics
'We are discussing no small matter, but how we ought to live' Socrates, from Plato's Republic, Book 1:352d

Course Description:

MLS 603 provides the beginning masters student with an insight into the history of moral philosophy from Athenian times to the present.  We will look at theories of virtue ethics that trace their ancestry to Aristotle, contractarian ethics in the Hobbesian mode, rights-based theories derived from Kant and theories based on the moral calculus of utilitarianism, among others.

Some questions we'll explore: 

What are good, bad, virtue, rights, justice, duty, morals, ethics, obligations, evil, values, character, and happiness? What are our obligations to our selves, others, and society? How can we make the world a better place? How can we live authentic, fulfilled, happy lives? What should our ultimate goal in life be? Is living morally most conducive to true happiness? What makes something right or wrong? Is it always possible for a good enough end to justify bad means, or do considerations of justice sometimes stand in the way of this? Does morality depend on the commands of God? Are there really objective facts about right or wrong, perhaps transcending differences across cultures and times, or is morality ultimately subjective and/or "relative"? Does anyone ever really act from unselfish motives?

How were these questions approached historically? How have attitudes and beliefs about them changed in different times and places? How can we use the philosophical investigations of these questions to clarify and deepen our understandings of our selves and worlds? How can we use these insights to resolve conflicts, find guidance in living our lives, and make the world a better place?

Why Study Moral Philosophy?

(beyond gaining core credit ... ) Studying moral philosophy provides a key to self-understanding, for our values are largely responsible for shaping who and what we are, both in our social and personal selves. By acquiring an understanding of the development moral thought, students acquire a richer appreciation of the present and possibilities for the future.

Intellectual growth entails the development of academic skills. Effective reading, writing, thinking; analysis and synthesis of concepts; and understanding of key events, ideas and forces that have shaped the world, all contribute to the education the University seeks to provide. Gaining insight into the development of ethics, students expand their basis for understanding themselves and shaping their worlds and a reference point for respecting the autonomous development of diverse elements of all cultures.

Moral philosophy is sometimes divided into metaethics and normative ethics. Normative ethics tackles the ethical questions we all face, such as "What has value?" and "What are our moral obligations?" Metaethics, on the other hand, asks philosophical questions about ethics, rather than ethical questions per se. "What is value?" rather than "What has value?" And "What can make it the case that we ought to do something?" rather than "What ought we to do?"

The term 'philosophical ethics' sometimes refers to the project of integrating metaethics and normative ethics in a systematic way, trying to gain insight into what is valuable and obligatory (normatively) by understanding what value and obligation are (metaethically). 

The great systematic ethical philosophies, such as those of Plato, Aristotle, Kant, and Mill, can all be read as examples of philosophical ethics. We will read them and consider their applicability to contemporary ethical problems.

Course Objectives:

In this course we will 

- examine a selection of classic ethical texts,

- consider commentary on ethical questions and discussions, 

- place ethical discussions in their geographical and historical contexts, and 

- apply insights from the foundations of moral philosophy to contemporary ethical situations.

Students should:

- Become familiar with a variety of ethical discussions - the questions asked and the answers offered

- Situate one's moral and ethical position relative to others

- Address personal ethical dilemmas honestly, thoughtfully, insightfully

- Be able to communicate one's ethical perspective as well as act on it

- Use one's understanding and insight into the variety of moral philosophies and ethical systems to resolve conflicts in situations where what is at issue are differing values and forms-of-life

- Formulate a professional ethical perspective, as an educator, leader, citizen and social scientist

- Get practice covering a large amount of material in a short period of time

- Gain experience leading discussion in a proseminar setting

- Hone synthesizing skills to produce graduate level analytic paper or other suitable project 

 

Classroom Procedures:

This course combines independent reading and research, in-class discussion and special assignments. Students are invited to ask questions at any time in class, by phone or via email. 

Success in this course depends on participation. Come to each class prepared to question and discuss the issues at hand. Assigned readings must be completed prior to class. Keep good notes - it is your responsibly to be able to argue pro and con on the major discussion points.

To aide you in this, students will prepare discussion questions on reading assignments. These questions should highlight some of the important aspects of each topic keeping in mind our goal of understanding various ways of understanding ethics. Students will also submit short reading reaction papers. We may also work on cooperative learning exercises that involve group problem solving and presentations.

Late assignments, make-ups, retakes, and incomplete
If you have an emergency and cannot complete an assignment on time, discuss your need with the instructor (preferably in advance). In general, no late assignments or make-ups will be allowed. However, there are extenuating circumstances, so explain your situation. You must seek the approval of your instructor in advance for an incomplete, and justify your request with a validated medical emergency or a severe personal crisis. Incompletes are given if the student has completed the majority of the work for the course, has been unable to complete all of it for a valid reason, and will pass the course if they are given an opportunity to complete the required work within a specified time period.

Changing Grades
No one is perfect. Sometimes test questions are ambiguous or wrong. Graders make errors. I encourage you to challenge your grade on any assignment or test if you feel your efforts were graded incorrectly, but you must do so during office hours, before or after class within one week of an assignment's return date.

Academic Misconduct
Any student who engages in prohibited conduct which constitutes a major offense of the University's Standards of Conduct while in this course will receive an "F" in the course. Academic misconduct includes scholastic dishonesty or class misconduct. Scholastic dishonesty consists of cheating in assignments; plagiarizing (misrepresenting as one's own anything done by another); depriving another of necessary course materials; or sabotaging another's work. Class misconduct is disruptive or disrespectful behavior in class. Denigrating comments, intolerant or extremely rude behavior are examples of class misconduct. Either scholastic or class misconduct is grounds for dismissal from the course. Please avoid it.

Special Needs
If you have a learning or physical need, please let me know about any accommodations you would like me to make during the class period. 

Texts

Packet

Get the packet of readings from the library and duplicate those essays that are not available online.

WeeklyReadings
 

Assignments

You have freedom in the ways that you meet the objectives specified in this syllabus. Discuss modifications you wish to make with the instructor. 

Three activities are listed below. They provide the opportunity to explore areas of particular interest to you. These areas should be pursued in a manner that will fulfill all of the course objectives.

1. Turn in weekly reading reaction papers. These short essays may summarize content of the readings, however they should also include your reaction to and synthesis of the primary and supplemental material. Each paper should be double-spaced and follow the citation style appropriate to your sub-discipline (i.e. APA citation style is not appropriate for most social science journals).

2. As we speak, so we are. Engaging this material requires study, reflection and interpretation. The questions we ask are often more instructive than the answers given. 

The class will be a proseminar with students assigned to lead portions of the discussion at least once during the semester. 

Each week all students will submit discussion questions over that week's primary and supplementary reading. Submitted questions will be typed and cite the readings to which they refer. The purpose of these questions is both to stimulate classroom discussion but, even more importantly, to help you engage the material and think about it more deeply. You may be surprised at the perspectives expressed in the questions framed by your colleagues.

3. Choose ONE of the following:

3a. Scholarly paper (15-20 pages, citation style appropriate to your sub-discipline) showing critical thought, analysis and synthesis applying and or critiquing one (or more) theories of moral philosophy as they pertain to a current ethical moral dilemma. This ethical issue can be personal, social, or professional.

3b. Complete an individualized activity or project. The focus of this project should be one that is relevant to your educational goals and interests, acceptable to the instructor, and pertinent to the course objectives outlined above. This activity may take may take many forms; e.g. an article submitted for publication, documentation of the application of theory in a real-world conflict resolution, a field study in applied ethics, or a creative pursuit showing command and application of moral theory. 

Evaluation

Students will be evaluated on the extent to which their assignment and classroom work shows evidence of fulfilling the course objectives. Timeliness, accuracy of information, coherence, clarity of presentation, utilization of readings, critical thinking, comprehensiveness and creativity will be considered when evaluating superior performance. Additionally, the depth and breadth of knowledge gained and evidence of reflection thereon are important performance criteria.

 
Contribution of each activity to the total evaluation:

Reading Reaction Papers:   30% - 1 due each week

Discussion Questions:         30% - 1 set due each week

Discussion Facilitation:        10% - once during the semester

Scholarly Paper/Project:      30% - Due by end of semester