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Academic Year 2000/2001


Introduction to Ethics
PHIL 212 FA

In this course we will engage in several approaches to thinking philosophically about ethical issues. First, we will be studying two of the major systematic traditions in modern ethical theorizing--utilitarianism and Kantianism. These theories of right and wrong action have their conceptual basis in premises about what is ethically significant in human life. As we will see, such premises and their associated theories shed different perspectives on current social issues such as multiculturalism, racial discrimination, international aid, and punishment. A further section of the course will be devoted to feminist challenges to these dominant strains of modern ethical theorizing. Finally, we will turn to consider aspects of ethical thinking that tend to be occluded by a preoccupation with theories of right action: namely, questions of what sorts of virtues or character traits are good to have, and what sorts of persons we should aspire to be. We will end the course by shifting from standard forms of philosophical prose to a text that intertwines ethical reflection with biographical narrative.

MAJOR READINGS

James Sterba, ed. ETHICS: THE BIG QUESTIONS (Blackwell, 1998)
Immanuel Kant, FOUNDATIONS OF THE METAPHYSICS OF MORALS, trans. Beck (Library of Liberal Arts)
Philip Hallie, TALES OF GOOD AND EVIL, HELP AND HARM (Harper, 1998)
A xerox packet of articles, available at The Mail Center, College St. at Main.

EXAMINATIONS AND ASSIGNMENTS

A two-page exposition paper, two five-page papers, an eight-page take-home final exam.

Unless preregistered students attend the first class meeting or communicate directly with the instructor prior to the first class, they will be dropped from the class list. NOTE: Students must still submit a completed Drop/Add form to the Registrar's Office.

COURSE FORMAT: Lecture/Discussion

REGISTRATION INFORMATION

Level: UGRD    Credit: 1    Gen Ed Area Dept: HA PHIL    Grading Mode: Student Option   

Prerequisites: NONE

SECTION 01

Instructor(s): Brender,Natalie Gail   
Times: ..T.T.. 10:00AM-11:20AM;     Location: PAC107
Reserved Seats:    (Total Limit: 50)
SR. major: 4   Jr. major: 4
SR. non-major: 11   Jr. non-major: 11   SO: 10   FR: 10

Special Attributes:
Curricular Renewal:    Ethical Reasoning
Links to Web Resources For This Course.

Last Updated on MAR-26-2001


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