Course Syllabus

Fall 2024 | PHI-1040-VR01 - 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

Frederick Bennett
View Faculty Credentials
View Faculty Statement
Hiring Coordinator for this course: Collin Lee

General Education Requirements

VSCS 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 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 low cost ($50 or less) textbook or resource class. ***

This course uses one or more textbooks/books/simulations, along with free Open Educational Resources (OER) and/or library materials.

Fall 2024 textbook/book details will be available on 2024-05-20. 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-VR01 Link to Textbooks for this course in eCampus.

For Open Educational Resources (OER) and/or library materials details, see the Canvas Site for this class.

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.

Methods

The quality of the learning experience will be best if it is collaborative. Participation as a learner includes active participation within the class.

Teaching Methods:

Lecture

Learning conversations: in class and online

Small and large group activities: in class and online

Skills building exercises

Reading assignments: in and out of class

Online assignments: in and out of class

Brief writing assignments: in and out of class

Examinations in class: individual and group

Evaluation Criteria

1. Attendance and Participation 50%

· Class attendance and the quality of your participation are integral parts of your learning experience and the learning for others. The most significant portion of your evaluation for this course is based on the following: being prompt and committed for class times and dates, completing the readings as assigned, arriving prepared for class discussions, and positively participating*. You cannot successfully pass the course if you miss more than two classes. Further, lateness and leaving early will be cumulative in effect and will be equivalent to absences.

2. Weekly Assignments 25%

· Out of class reading and brief writing assignments are necessary to extend the learning process across the course of our six-day breaks each week.

3. Examinations 25%

· There is a significant amount of material that will be unfamiliar and is not subject to opinion or reflection. This material will be learned by lecture and handouts in class and the learning enforced by rote and/or repetitive study by the student and examinations by the instructor. Further, a gentle goad may be provided by a weekly quiz on the assigned readings of that week, if it seems that such a thing is needed.

Please note: All written work, including in class and out of class correspondence, should be thoughtfully made and express its content with a professional attitude. That is, you should explicitly attend to:

· function (e.g., what do I need and want to convey?)

· context (e.g., to whom and under what circumstances?)

· format (e.g., should this look like a letter, an essay, a research paper?)

· mechanics (e.g., have I checked the spelling and grammar?).

· means (e.g., is this neatly typed and submitted on time?)

Your attention (or lack of attention) to these details can affect your evaluation in any of the previous areas.

*Positive Participation:

· Show evident attention and engagement with the full class about the topic being discussed and in Moodle assignments.

· Contribute positively, voluntarily, regularly, and moderately during each class and in Moodle assignments.

· Develop a thoughtful and inquisitive manner about the material and each others contributions during class and in Moodle assignments.

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

Positive Participation:

· Show evident attention and engagement with the full class about the topic being discussed (not side conversations, please).

· Contribute positively, voluntarily, regularly, and moderately during each class.

· Develop a thoughtful and inquisitive manner about the material and each other's contributions during class.

Classroom Comportment:

We will have one 15 minute break, approximately halfway through the class time. Use this as an opportunity to use the restroom, get a snack or drink, or to send or read email or text messages from your computer or phone.

Please do not send or read email or text messages while during class time. Also, please do not attend to other material online that is not part of the curriculum of the class or listen to media via earphones. This is a distraction to me and often your classmates. Of course, it is a break in your attention and participation also. Please note that these actions detract significantly from your active participation.

You may eat and drink during class time. The only restriction is you should not cause create distractions. Please be thoughtful and do not choose food that has loud wrappings or is loud to chew.

Please get up and leave the classroom if you need to use the restroom, need to take/make a critical phone call/text, etc. and we are not during break time. You do need to ask for permission for these activities.

During active class time, please do not have side conversations. This is also a distraction to me and your classmates. If you'd like to socialize or catch up with a classmate, please wait for a transition time between activities or leave the room to do so.

If you find you are drowsy during the course of our very long class, I encourage you to take a brief walk or to get a drink to help with your alertness. It is not acceptable behavior to "rest your head" or close your eyes during class time.

Correspondence Comportment:
Please note: All written work, including in class and out of class correspondence, should be thoughtfully made and express its content with a professional attitude. That is, you should explicitly attend to:

· function (e.g., what do I need and want to convey?)

· context (e.g., to whom and under what circumstances?)

· format (e.g., should this look like a letter, an essay, a research paper?)

· mechanics (e.g., have I checked the spelling and grammar?).

· means (e.g., is this neatly typed and submitted on time?)

Your attention (or lack of attention) to these details can affect your evaluation.

Missing & Late Work Policy

Assignment typically due dates will be on at 11:59pm the night before our class day.

• Assignments that are submitted to Canvas after the due date but before 8:00am deadline the next class day will receive a late-score deduction.
• Assignments cannot be submitted after 8:00am deadline and should NOT be emailed to me. You can request that I evaluate them for your learning but they will not count toward your grade.

Assignments that are pre-arranged to be handled in late will have a due date and deadline that are the same, 11:59pm.

• Assignments that have pre-arranged with the instructor are submitted to Canvas as usual.
• Pre-arranging late work with your instructor will not decrease the assignment score.
• Pre-arranging means asking far enough ahead that your instructor has the opportunity (24-48hrs) to give you permission before the due date arrives.
• Not all assignments can be prearranged to be late; some of them need to be available for others to use. In those cases, if the assignments were allowed to be late, they would not be available for peer reactions.

Once each semester, you can be granted a Late Assignment Forgiveness when you have not requested an extension for an assignment as long as it's done soon after it was due (within the week or two is best). You will propose a new due date and I will set Canvas for that; I will not set it twice so choose it wisely. Once that pass is requested, the usual guidelines are enforced.

If you miss your own prearranged due date, I will not accept late assignments once this is been passed.

*********************************************************************************************************

It is your responsibility to make sure that you have submitted the correct assignment. It is easy to make the mistake of choosing the wrong document but it is equally easy to confirm that you have done it correctly.

After you have chosen the assignment and put it into Canvas:

Check the name of the file matches what you want to submit by looking at its content (open it up and look at it) before you submit it.
When you upload it, make sure it is the correct name of the file that you intended to submit.

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