Course Syllabus

Fall 2025 | PHI-1040-VN01 - Introduction to Ethics

In Person Class

Standard courses meet in person at CCV centers, typically once each week for the duration of the semester.

Faculty

Sean Dobbin
View Faculty Credentials
View Faculty Statement
Hiring Coordinator for this course: Heath Fuller

General Education Requirements

Humanistic Perspectives

Note

Many degree programs have specific general education recommendations. In order to avoid taking unnecessary classes, please consult with additional resources like your program evaluation, your academic program catalog year page, and your academic advisor.

Courses may only be used to meet one General Education Requirement.

Course Description

This course 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

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.

Required Technology

More information on general computer and internet recommendations is available on the CCV computer recommendations Support page.

Please see CCV's Digital Equity Statement (pg. 45) to learn more about CCV's commitment to supporting all students access the technology they need to successfully finish their courses.

Required Textbooks and Resources

*** This is a low cost ($50 or less) textbook or resource class. ***

This course uses one or more textbooks/books/simulations.

Fall 2025 textbook details will be available on 2025-05-19. On that date a link will be available below that will take you to eCampus, CCV's bookstore. The information provided there will be specific to this class. Please see this page for more information regarding the purchase of textbooks/books.

PHI-1040-VN01 Link to Textbooks for this course in eCampus.

The last day to use a Financial Aid Advance to purchase textbooks/books is the 3rd Tuesday of the semester. See your financial aid counselor at your academic center if you have any questions.

Artificial Intelligence(AI) Policy Statement

CCV recognizes that artificial intelligence (AI) and generative AI tools are widely available and becoming embedded in many online writing and creative applications.

Allowed: This course's generative AI policy acknowledges technology, including generative AI, plays a supportive role in learning and feedback. During our class, we may use AI writing tools such as ChatGPT in certain specific cases. You will be informed as to when, where, and how these tools are permitted to be used, along with guidance for attribution. Any use outside of these specific cases constitutes a violation of CCV's Academic Integrity Policy.

Use of AI to create your work for you -- or to modify the work of others to give the impression that it is your own -- is strictly prohibited. Any student found using AI in this manner will be subject to the repercussions outlined in CCV's Academic Integrity policy, which (depending on severity) may include a 0 on the assignment, failure of the course, or more serious discipline by the college itself.

Methods

More than anything, I like to think about this class as an ongoing conversation. We begin the class with an idea of where we're going (of course with some set and scheduled assignments and activities), but over time that journey will evolve and become unique to us. While we will cover many concepts, philosophers, and authors, I can promise that what happens in our class will not have been replicated before and will not be again!

As our conversation develops, the most common teaching methods that I will use will be:

- whole group discussion

- small group discussion

- direct instruction

- individual conferences (some scheduled, some as-needed)

- written feedback (extensive for major projects, and generally rubric-based for smaller assignments with conversation as-needed)

Evaluation Criteria

20% -- Participation & In-Class Activities

25% -- Weekly Assignments (Journals, Discussions, etc.)

10% -- Exam(s)

25% -- Final Paper

20% -- Debate Project

Grading Criteria

CCV Letter Grades as outlined in the Evaluation System Policy are assigned according to the following chart:

	High	Low
A+	100	98
A	Less than 98	93
A-	Less than 93	90
B+	Less than 90	88
B	Less than 88	83
B-	Less than 83	80
C+	Less than 80	78
C	Less than 78	73
C-	Less than 73	70
D+	Less than 70	68
D	Less than 68	63
D-	Less than 63	60
F	Less than 60
P	100	60
NP	Less than 60	0

Weekly Schedule

Attendance Policy

Regular attendance and participation in classes are essential for success in and are completion requirements for courses at CCV. A student's failure to meet attendance requirements as specified in course descriptions will normally result in a non-satisfactory grade.

• In general, missing more than 20% of a course due to absences, lateness or early departures may jeopardize a student's ability to earn a satisfactory final grade.
• Attending an on-ground or synchronous course means a student appeared in the live classroom for at least a meaningful portion of a given class meeting. Attending an online course means a student posted a discussion forum response, completed a quiz or attempted some other academically required activity. Simply viewing a course item or module does not count as attendance.
• Meeting the minimum attendance requirement for a course does not mean a student has satisfied the academic requirements for participation, which require students to go above and beyond simply attending a portion of the class. Faculty members will individually determine what constitutes participation in each course they teach and explain in their course descriptions how participation factors into a student's final grade.

Participation Expectations

Participating in class discussion and activities is an important aspect of college success. Therefore, I expect you to actively participate in all activities and discussions. This does not mean that you must always have something mind-blowingly brilliant to say or that you should always strive to be the leader of your group, but I do expect you to always be reading attentively, following assignment directions, making appropriate comments or asking questions when you have them, and helping your partner(s) when doing group work.

Missing & Late Work Policy

All deadlines for the work in this class are firm, with extremely rare exceptions. Work not submitted by the due date is given a grade of 0.

We are all on a schedule, and also have many assignments and activities that require timely participation by everyone in order for all students to get the full benefit. Please do not email me late work or ask to submit work after the assignment deadline is closed. This will not be allowed unless you have previously been granted an extension for a serious, unusual circumstance.

Again, all work not submitted by the due date (always 11:59pm on the due date unless otherwise noted) is given a grade of 0. For course discussions where you typically have a deadline for your initial post (usually Fridays at 11:59pm) and another for your reply posts (usually Monday at 11:59pm), late initial posts will be given no credit, and your overall grade for the discussion will be reduced accordingly.

Extensions are very rarely granted -- and only in the most serious circumstances. However, if you feel that you cannot complete an assignment by its due date, it is important that you communicate with me as soon as possible. Do not wait to email me the day the assignment is due. I am much more willing to work with you (and much more likely to have the time to work with you) if you show forethought and a genuine desire to talk to me about your work. As you will likely hear me say many times throughout this course, the most important thing you can do to assure your success in this course (and in college in general) is to communicate with your instructor.

Accessibility Services for Students with Disabilities:

1. Provide disability documentation to the Accessibility Coordinator at your academic center. https://ccv.edu/discover-resources/students-with-disabilities/
2. Request an appointment to meet with accessibility coordinator to discuss your request and create an accommodation plan.
3. Once created, students will share the accommodation plan with faculty. Please note, faculty cannot make disability accommodations outside of this process.

Academic Integrity

Apply Now for this semester.