Course Syllabus

Summer 2023 | PHI-1040-VO01 - Introduction to Ethics

Online Class

Online courses take place 100% online via Canvas, without required in-person or Zoom meetings.

Faculty

Mercedes Pour-Previti
View Faculty Credentials
View Faculty Statement
Hiring Coordinator for this course: Philip Crossman

Browse the Canvas Site for this class.

General Education Requirements

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 IT Support page. https://support.ccv.edu/general/computer-recommendations/

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 no cost textbook or resource class ***

This course only uses free Open Educational Resources (OER) and/or library materials. Browse the Canvas Site for this class.

Methods

As an online class, we will obviously gather virtually - but a lot of the work you do will be almost physical. You will need to read materials carefully, view streamed lectures and videos critically and carefully, write academic essays and posts, and keep notes of all this activity so that you are ready to share your insights with your peers. My responsibilities also include posting the following: "terms" of week so we all learn to use and understand a new vocabulary of ethics, mini-video introductions of each week's topic, frequent and timely response to both your work in discussion forums and your written assignments, and honest and constructive feedback on your writing and ideas.

In order to explore this topic we must first agree that this course will be a bit different than other courses. The topic demands your participation and your contributions. For that reason, your “presence” in the discussion forum is paramount to your success in this course, and I will use your participation in the discussion board to log your attendance. The community you create will be the best place to wrestle with different ideas, learn to handle opposite viewpoints, and perhaps find new ways of looking at complex issues.

As this is in an online course, expect the amount of personal work to be serious, but not overwhelming. You will be reading and writing every week and should really work to stay current if not ahead of the reading in order to be successful. You have all assignments outlined or planned below so should be able to plan around any significant busy times in your own lives. As this is an online course I need to be rather firm with deadlines – for both your benefit and mine. Any late written work (essays/exams) is automatically graded a full point lower for every day it is late and will not be accepted a week past the due date. Discussions forums are only counted if posted within the week; participation outside of week is not graded. However, since we are all adults and realize that life does happen, know that if you do have a personal emergency you can always email mebefore the work is due.

In terms of the actual methods we will use to explore this topic, you can expect:

· Weekly microlectures which may or may not include a powerpoint.

· Assigned reading/viewings almost every week (which I expect you to keep notes on).

· Discussion forums weekly (except in major assignment weeks).

· Writing posts, one independent presentation, and a few short quizzes (outlined below).

· Regular visits and interaction with the course and your peers through Canvas. I do expect everyone to be on the site and active at least three times a week for a total minimum of three hours.

· Interaction with your instructor either by email, Canvas message, or phone as you feel is needed.

I do reserve the right to shift this syllabus slightly as the course progresses if our class situation warrants so.

Evaluation Criteria

Please know that this course runs Tuesday - Monday night. Work must be posted before 12 am on Tuesday to be considered submitted in the week prior. However, in the forum below take note of the due dates of original posts and responses.

In anticipation of internet/computer/access issues please have a backup plan. Know where you can access a computer and/or internet in your community and utilize multiple backup options. Your local CCV and libraries are great resources. Extensions for computer issues do not exist.

35% Discussion Forum: Most weeks I will pose a question or questions on the week’s topic. In your response, I ask that you demonstrate that you have done the readings or the viewings, have thought critically about the issues at hand, and are attempting to share your experiences to further the group discussion. This is where I am looking for you to use the week's readings or viewings to inform your answers to posted questions or discussion topics. This forum is a bit more informal - though all writing should have a tone fitting for professional exchange (No "text-language" - though the occasional smiley face helps to alleviate any miscommunication in our online community). In order to earn full credit in this forum:

· the original post must be a minimum of a full paragraph piece 250-400 words

· you must have at least two responses to your peers which approach short paragraphs (simple affirmations will not earn full credit; you need to move the discussion forward.)

· you must use your peers' names when you respond to them

Discussions only count if posted within the week they are due. In order to receive full credit and allow time for your peers to comment, please post by Friday night.

25% Writing Posts (both public Forums and private Journals):Most weeks I ask you to post a more formal reflection on the week’s topic. This is a writing you compose and then post for your peers to read (post forum) or post privately to the instructor (journal post) depending on the week's question and topic. I would expect these posts to be one – two short paragraphs (minimum of 300 words) and demonstrate both mastery and familiarity with topics, readings, and viewings from the weeks prior. This is where I will expect you to begin to synthesize your thoughts as we move through the course. There are no replies required for this forum (but they are always welcome). Posts only count if posted within the week they are due. In order to receive full credit please post by Sunday night.

Both forums will be graded according to this rubric as appropriate. This rubric is also in Canvas:

o 9-10 points -The original post was submitted on time and responses were completed within the week allowing enough time for others to reply. This discussion is a response to the questions posed by the instructor in each week's forum prompt and includes evidence that both shows all readings/viewing are complete and that supports ideas. Tone is respectful and professional. *This is a superior post - do not expect this level without giving each post real time*

o 7-8 points -The original post was submitted on time and responses were completed within the week allowing enough time for others to reply. This discussion post either responds to the questions posed by the instructor in each week's forum prompt or includes evidence that all readings/viewing are complete. Language and tone are serious but miss the level of attention for a 9/10; postings are shorter than optimal.

o 5-6 points -The original post is late or was submitted on time with responses completed within the week. This discussion post either responds to the questions posed by the instructor in each week's forum prompt or includes evidence that all readings/viewing are complete. However, attention to detail, tone, and original thoughts are satisfactory. Responses are little more than attempts to agree/disagree with substance or reasoning and proofs. All contributions are a bit shorter than what the topic deserves.

o 3-4 points -The original post is late or was submitted on time with less than required responses completed within the week. This discussion post fails to either respond to the questions posed by the instructor include evidence that all readings/viewing are complete. There is an attempt to participate but little attention paid to composition or thought.

o 1 point -Nominal participation or inappropriate/disrespectful tone.

o 0 points -No participation or plagiarized language/material.

20% Presentation Project

This project is the vehicle through which you will demonstrate mastery of the themes and material from the semester. This, however, is an opportunity for you to explore some of these topics on your own and to apply them to a film or book of your choice. Ideally, this will be a project that is not only academically intriguing but also personally compelling. For this presentation you must:

o Choose a book or a film to read/view independently.

o Identify the ethical dilemma in the film, connect the film to two distinct themes or theories from this class.

o Submit the project on time to Canvas. Full rubric and description in canvas.

20% Reading Quizzes & Final Vocabulary and Application Quiz

There will only be 2-3 short reading quizzes that will just confirm you have read and understood the material. The final quiz will consist of a maximum of 15 multiple questions that will simply confirm that you understand and can apply the major themes and theories of the class.

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

In order to explore this topic, we must first agree that this course will be a bit different than other courses. The topic demands your participation and your contributions. For that reason, your “presence” on the different forums is paramount to your success in this course, and I will use your participation in the discussion board to log your attendance. Engaging with your peer and our topics in the forums is central to this course. That is where most students create meaningful connections to our course content.

Our weeks run from Tuesday to Monday night this semester. Any participation in a forum after Monday night does not count toward the previous week. Participation after a week has ended with generally not be graded without prior communication with the instructor.

Missing & Late Work Policy

You have all assignments outlined or planned below so should be able to plan around any significant busy times in your own lives. As this is an accelrated online course I need to be rather firm with deadlines – for both your benefit and mine. Any late work is automatically graded lower for every day it is late and will not be accepted a week past the due date. However, since we are all adults and realize that life does happen, know that if you do have a personal emergency you can always email me before the work is due. As a rule, late work is not graded without communication; there is no "extra credit" in this course as there are many ways to earn credit.

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