Revision Date: 29-Sep-21

PHI-1040-VM01 - Introduction to Ethics Synonym: 207961 Location: Montpelier Credits: 3 (45 hours) Day/Times: Thursday, 08:30A - 11:15A Semester Dates: 09-09-2021 to 12-16-2021 Last day to drop without a grade: 09-27-2021 - Refund Policy Last day to withdraw (W grade): 11-08-2021 - Refund Policy Faculty: David White | View Faculty Credentials This course has started, please contact the offering academic center about registration Browse the Canvas Site for this class. Course Description: Examines personal and professional issues from an ethical point of view, emphasizing how we decide what is right and wrong in our daily lives. Issues might include: civil rights, health care, political concerns, business decisions, war, and the environment. Essential Objectives: The successful student will be able to: 1. Explain the basic concepts of classical and contemporary theories in ethics as they pertain to right and wrong, the individual and society, objectivity and subjectivity, happiness and suffering, free will, and fate. 2. Discuss the ideas of selected theorists, the methods they used to develop their ideas, and the cultural factors which influenced their theories. 3. Identify and describe the major influences in our society which shape our values. 4. Apply ethical theories of decision making and critical thinking skills to problems of social justice and propose just solutions. 5. Apply the basic concepts of classical and contemporary theories in ethics to the field of business and professional ethics. 6. Develop an ethical framework for defining and addressing issues in one's own life. 7. Describe his or her own decision-making process. Textbooks: Fall 2021 textbook data will be available on May 3. On that date a link will be available below that will take you to eCampus, CCV's bookstore. The information provided there will be for this course only. Please see this page for more information regarding the purchase of textbooks. Additional Instructor Pre-Assignments/Notes/Comments: PHI-1040-VM01 - Introduction to Ethics Synonym: 207961 Location: Montpelier Credits: 3 (45 hours) Day/Times: Thursdays, 8:30 – 11:15 a.m. Dates: September 9 to December 16, 2021 Instructor: David White This course fulfills the following General Education Requirement: Human Expression Course Description: Examines personal and professional issues from an ethical point of view, emphasizing how we decide what is right and wrong in our daily lives. Issues might include: civil rights, health care, political concerns, business decisions, war, and the environment. Essential Objectives: The successful student will be able to: 1. Explain the basic concepts of classical and contemporary theories in ethics as they pertain to right and wrong, the individual and society, objectivity and subjectivity, happiness and suffering, free will and fate. 2. Discuss the ideas of selected theorists, the methods they used to develop their ideas, and the cultural factors which influenced their theories. 3. Identify and describe the major influences in our society which shape our values. 4. Apply ethical theories of decision making and critical thinking skills to contemporary ethical issues. 5. Apply the basic concepts of classical and contemporary theories in ethics to the field of business and professional ethics. 6. Develop an ethical framework for defining and addressing issues in one's own life. 7. Describe his or her own decision-making process. Textbook Ethical Choices: An Introduction to Moral Philosophy with Cases, by Richard Burnor and Yvonne Raley, 2nd Edition Copyright © 2017 by Oxford University Press, ISBN: 978-0-19- 0464509 Faculty Contact Information: Email Address: david.white@ccv.edu Note: Never hesitate in contacting me if you have any questions. You can reach me at my e-mail address above or by telephone at (802) 839-9896. Please know that I will be sure to respond within 24 hours, and that you can expect to receive a return call from me between 6 – 9 p.m. weeknights and 1 – 9 p.m. weekends. As I check my e-mail throughout the day, that’s the best option for the swiftest response. Additional Instructor Pre-Assignments/Notes/Comments: Structure Each week you will have reading in your text book Ethical Choices: An Introduction to Moral Philosophy with Cases, by Richard Burnor and Yvonne Raley. Further, we will begin each class (with the exception of the first class) with a retention exercise where (2) terms or concepts that we have studied in the previous class will be written down on a quiz sheet and turned in to the instructor. Mid-term and final papers will be submitted at the end of the seventh and fifteenth academic weeks respectively. Weekly Topics I’ve divided the class into two units. The first unit will last 7 weeks (September 9 – October 21). The second unit will last 8 weeks (March 9 – May 4). Your mid-term and final paper will cap the end of each unit. Your central goal in this class is to demonstrate in the discussions, retention exercises, mid-term and final papers a clear knowledge of the Essential Objectives. Unit 1: Week 1: Welcome, introductions and expectations Week 2: Ethics and Values Week 3: Moral Relativism Week 4: Personal Autonomy and Moral Agency Week 5: Making Moral Judgments Week 6: Moral Psychology and Egoism Week 7: Consequentialist Ethics: Act Utilitarianism Your mid-term paper is due at the end of Week 7 Week 8: Consequentialist Ethics: Rule Utilitarianism Week 9: Deontological Ethics Week 10: Natural Law Theory Week 11: Social Contracts and Rights Week 12: Virtue Ethics Week 13: Feminism and Care Ethics Week 14: Ethics and Religion Week 15: Ethical Pluralism Your final paper is due at the end of Week 15 Mid-term & Final Papers There will be two papers required for this course. For the 5 – 10-page mid-term paper due at the end of Week 7, choose an issue that interests you that has a strong moral or ethical component and write about it in the case study analysis format found in on pages 19 & 20 of our text, which follows: 1. Summarize the main problem and its setting, 2. List the possible ways of responding to the problem, 3. Identify those moral principles and theories that are most directly applicable to the case, 4. Identify and justify the one response that you think is morally best, 5. Explain why the other possible responses are not as acceptable. For your final paper—also 5 – 10 pages in the MLA format—you will choose a situation or event in your own life where you were forced to question or change the values or perception that you originally held. Yet more than just reflecting on this change, a good paper will include 1) the context of the situation you were involved in, witnessed, or became aware of 2) a consideration of your original beliefs when you experienced the situation, 3) what ethical ideas or dynamics that we have considered in this class were involved in altering your viewpoint, and 4) upon further reflection, what you consider to be both the valid and questionable aspects of not only your original perspective, but your current one. Finally, I want to say a word about writing. Just as it is unlikely that you came to this class as a scholar of ethics, it is also unlikely that you arrive as a writer of world renown. But just as the goal of this class is to ensure through our discussions, retention exercises, and mid-term & final writing assignments that you have increased your knowledge of ethics as outlined in the essential objectives, an excellent opportunity also exists to become a better writer. From the early idea & gathering of resources stages to the opening paragraph & outline, and then on to the to the final polished result, it is my hope that you will make use of the resources the Community College of Vermont makes available to you to grow. Writing clearly and effectively is a great skill that will serve you well throughout your lifetime, and I will be with you every step of the way as you develop the confidence that comes with improving these skills. Please note: In order to receive accommodations for disabilities in this course, students must make an appointment to see the Americans with Disabilities Coordinator in their site and bring documentation with them. Academic Honesty: CCV has a commitment to honesty and excellence in academic work and expects the same from all students. Academic dishonesty, or cheating, can occur whenever you present -as your own work- something that you did not do. You can also be guilty of cheating if you help someone else cheat. Being unaware of what constitutes academic dishonesty (such as knowing what plagiarism is) does not absolve a student of the responsibility to be honest in his/her academic work. Academic dishonesty is taken very seriously and may lead to dismissal from the College. Methods: Methods: • In class video presentations, lectures, and discussions • Weekly concept & definition retention exercises • Mid-term and Final paper assignments Evaluation Criteria: Evaluation Criteria: I will be grading your work based on a point system. This will take into account your attendance & participation in the class discussions, your completion of the weekly retention exercises, and your mid-term and final papers. The total point breakdown looks like this: · In Class Quizzes: 30% · Mid-term Paper: 20% · Final Paper: 20% · Class Participation: 30% Grading Criteria: Grading Criteria: A+ through A-: For any work to receive an "A," it must clearly be exceptional or outstanding work. It must demonstrate keen insight and original thinking. It must not only demonstrate full understanding of the topic or issues addressed, but it must also provide a critical analysis of these. In addition, an "A" grade reflects a student's ability to clearly and thoughtfully articulate his or her learning. B+ through B-: For any work to receive a "B," it must be good to excellent work. It must demonstrate strong originality, comprehension, critical thinking, and attention to detail. In addition, a "B" grade reflects a student's ability to clearly articulate his or her learning. C+ through C-: For any work to receive a "C," it must meet the expectations of the assignment. It must demonstrate solid comprehension, critical thinking, and attention to detail. In addition, a "C" grade reflects a student's ability to adequately articulate his or her learning. D+ through D-: For any work to receive a "D," it must marginally meet the expectations of the assignment. It demonstrates minimal comprehension, critical thinking, and attention to detail. In addition, a "D" grade may reflect a student's difficulty in articulating his or her learning. F: Work that receives an "F" grade does not meet the expectations or objectives of the assignment. It demonstrates consistent problems with comprehension, organization, critical thinking, and supporting details. In addition, an "F" grade reflects a student's inability to articulate his or her learning. Students are strongly urged to discuss this grade with their instructor and advisor. P: indicates satisfactory completion of course objectives (C- or better). NP: indicates failure to meet course objectives and/or failure to meet grading criteria for successful completion as described in the instructor's course description. Attendance Policy: Attendance Policy: Students are required to be punctual and attend every class meeting. Attendance will be recorded for each class and is directly related to class participation. If a student plans to be absent, it is the student’s responsibility to excuse himself or herself from class by notifying Professor White in advance of being absent and to contact another student in the course if there are any questions regarding the missed class. Because students are notified well in advance of any pending quiz, exam, assignment or project deadline, an absence will not have any effect on or amend that deadline. Contact Faculty: Email: David White Hiring Coordinator for this course: Jennifer Gundy Notes: Faculty Contact Information: Email Address: david.white@ccv.edu Note: Never hesitate in contacting me if you have any questions. You can reach me at my e-mail address above or by telephone at (802) 839-9896. Please know that I will be sure to respond within 24 hours, and that you can expect to receive a return call from me between 6 9 p.m. weeknights and 1 9 p.m. weekends. As I check my e-mail throughout the day, thats the best option for the swiftest response. Syllabus: Syllabus DATE LEARNING ACTIVITY ASSIGNED READING FOR THIS CLASS Class 1: 8:30 a.m. Thursday, September 9 Introductions and Expectations: Retention Exercise Readings for Week 1 will be covered in class. Class 2: 8:30 a.m. Thursday, September 16 Lecture, presentation, discussion, question period and Chapter 1 Quiz Read Chapter 1: Ethics and Values Class 3: 8:30 a.m. Thursday, September 23 Mid-term Paper Instructions Lecture, presentation, discussion, question and Chapter 2 Quiz Read Chapter 2: Moral Relativism Class 4: 8:30 a.m. Thursday, September 30 Lecture, presentation, discussion, and question period. Chapter 3 Quiz Read Chapter 3: Personal Autonomy and Moral Agency Class 5: 8:30 a.m. Thursday, October 7 Lecture, presentation, discussion and question period. Chapter 4 Quiz Read Chapter 4: Making Moral Judgments Class 6: 8:30 a.m. Thursday, October 14 Lecture, presentation, discussion, and question period. Chapter 5 Quiz. Read Chapter 5: Moral Psychology and Egoism Class 7: 8:30 a.m. Thursday, October 21 Lecture, presentation, discussion, and question period. Chapter 6 Quiz. Your mid-term paper is due by 11:59 p.m. Monday, October 25 Read Chapter 6: Consequentialist Ethics: Act Utilitarianism Class 8: 8:30 a.m. Thursday, October 28 Complete online Chapter 7 Quiz Read Chapter 7: Consequentialist Ethics: Rule Utilitarianism Class 9: 8:30 a.m. Thursday, November 4 Lecture, presentation, discussion, and question period. Chapter 8 Quiz Read Chapter 8: Deontological Ethics Class 10: 8:30 a.m. Thursday, November 11 Final Paper Instructions Lecture, presentation, discussion, and question period. Chapter 9 Quiz Read Chapter 9: Natural Law Theory Class 11: 8:30 a.m. Thursday, November 18 Lecture, presentation, discussion, and question period. Chapter 10 Quiz Read Chapter 10: Social Contracts and Rights Class 12: 8:30 a.m. Thursday, November 25 Lecture, presentation, discussion, question period. Chapter 11 Quiz Read Chapter 11: Virtue Ethics Class 13: 8:30 a.m. Thursday, December 2 Lecture, presentation, discussion, and question period. Chapter 12 Quiz Read Chapter 12: Feminism and Care Ethics Class 14: 8:30 a.m. Thursday, December 9 Lecture, presentation, discussion, and question period. Chapter 13 Quiz Read Chapter 13: Ethics and Religion Class 15: 8:30 a.m. Thursday, December 16 Lecture, presentation, discussion, and question period. Chapter 14 Quiz Your final paper is due by 11:59 p.m. Monday, December 20 Read Chapter 14: Pluralism in Theoretical and Applied Ethics Course description details subject to change. Please refer to this document frequently. Accessibility Services for Students with Disabilities: CCV strives to mitigate barriers to course access for students with documented disabilities. To request accommodations, please Provide disability documentation to the Accessibility Coordinator at your academic center. https://ccv.edu/discover-resources/students-with-disabilities/ Request an appointment to meet with accessibility coordinator to discuss your request and create an accommodation plan. Once created, students will share the accommodation plan with faculty. Please note, faculty cannot make disability accommodations outside of this process. Academic Honesty: CCV has a commitment to honesty and excellence in academic work and expects the same from all students. Academic dishonesty, or cheating, can occur whenever you present -as your own work- something that you did not do. You can also be guilty of cheating if you help someone else cheat. Being unaware of what constitutes academic dishonesty (such as knowing what plagiarism is) does not absolve a student of the responsibility to be honest in his/her academic work. Academic dishonesty is taken very seriously and may lead to dismissal from the College. Course description details subject to change. Please refer to this document frequently.