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Semester at Sea Course Syllabus SEMESTER AT SEA COURSE SYLLABUS Colorado State University, Academic Partner Voyage: Fall 2019 Discipline: Philosophy and Religion Course Number and Title: PHIL 205 Introduction to Ethics Division: Lower Faculty Name: Kenneth Shockley Semester Credit Hours: 3 Prerequisites: Student must be of sophomore standing or higher COURSE DESCRIPTION This course will introduce students to the main concepts and theories in philosophical ethics, and give experience in making and justifying ethical decisions. Over the course of the term, we will consider some of the basic questions of ethics: How can we tell right from wrong and good from bad? What is it to be a good person? What should we do when two or more of our ethical principles conflict? Can moral claims be objectively true or false or is morality all just a matter of opinion? We will look at how philosophers have answered these questions in the past and think about how their answers might be relevant to contemporary ethical dilemmas. LEARNING OBJECTIVES Engage with philosophical literature regarding value and the nature of morality Explain the relationship between moral standards and relativism Analyze particular instances and unifying themes of moral theory Apply moral theories to practical problems REQUIRED TEXTBOOKS AUTHOR: Steven M. Cahn and Peter Markie TITLE: Ethics: History, Theory, and Contemporary Issues PUBLISHER: Oxford University Press ISBN #: 9780190209803 DATE/EDITION: 6th ed (2015) TOPICAL OUTLINE OF COURSE Depart Amsterdam, The Netherlands — September 9 (‘[Ethics]’ indicates readings in the required textbook ) B1—September 12: Clarifying our Subject: Egoism Readings: Feinberg’s “Psychological Egoism” in Louis P. Pojman and Lewis Vaughn, eds) Philosophy: The Quest for Truth 10th ed (Oxford, 2016). (Distributed) [Ethics] James Rachels Egoism and Moral Skepticism B2—September 14: Clarifying our Subject: Ethical relativism Readings: James Rachel’s “The Challenge of Cultural Relativism”) from Rachels and Rachels Elements of Moral Philosophy, 7th ed. (McGraw-Hill, 2014), ch 2, pp. 15-32. (Distributed) [Ethics] Mary Midgley, Trying Out One's New Sword Gdansk, Poland — September 15-20 B3—September 22: Standards and Justification: Readings: [Ethics] Plato Euthyphro B4—September 24: Standards and Justification: Readings: [Ethics] Plato Defense of Socrates Lisbon, Portugal — September 26-28 Cadiz, Spain — September 29 – October 1 B5—October 2: Standards and Justification: Readings: [Ethics] Plato Defense of Socrates B6—October 4: Consequentialism: Readings: [Ethics] John Stuart Mill, Utilitarianism (selections) Dubrovnik, Croatia — October 6-10 B7—October 11: Consequentialism: Readings: [Ethics] John Stuart Mill, Utilitarianism (selections) B8—October 13: Consequentialism, Applied I Readings: [Ethics] Peter Singer, Famine, Affluence, and Morality; [Ethics] John Arthur, Famine Relief and the Ideal Moral Code Casablanca, Morocco — October 15-20 B9—October 21: Consequentialism, Applied II Readings: Hare, R. M. (1979). What is wrong with slavery. Philosophy and Public Affairs 8 (2): 103-121. (Distributed) B10—October 23: African perspectives: Readings: Bewaji, John A. I., 2004. “Ethics and Morality in Yoruba Culture,” in Kwasi Wiredu (ed.), A Companion to African Philosophy, Oxford: Blackwell Publishing, pp. 396–403. (Distributed) Recommended: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/african-ethics/ B11—October 26: African perspectives: Readings: Ebijuwa, T., 1996. “Conscience, Morality and Social Responsibility in an African Culture,” Quest: Philosophical Discussions, 9 (2): pp. 89–100. (Distributed) Recommended: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/african-ethics/ Tema, Ghana — October 28-30 Takoradi, Ghana — October 31 – November 1 Field Class – November 1: Framing Moral Tragedy: Ghana’s Slave Castle B12—November 2: Confucian Ethics Readings: selections from The Analects; review slides B13—November 5: Midterm Exam B14—November 7: Virtue Ethics Readings: [Ethics] Aristotle Nicomachean Ethics (selections) B15—November 9: Virtue Ethics Readings: [Ethics] Aristotle Nicomachean Ethics (selections) Salvador, Brazil — November 10-15 B16—November 17: Virtue Ethics Readings: [Ethics] Julia Annas, Acting from virtue and doing the right thing B17—November 19: Deontology Readings: [Ethics] Immanuel Kant, Groundwork for the Metaphysics of Morals B18—November 22: Deontology Readings: [Ethics] Immanuel Kant, Groundwork for the Metaphysics of Morals (Field Class Assignments Due) (Field Class Presentations) Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago — November 24 B19—November 25: Feminist Moral Theory Readings: [Ethics] 37. Virginia Held, Feminist Transformations of Moral Theory B20—November 27: Feminist Moral Theory Readings: Annette C. Baier: The Need for More than Justice Louis P. Pojman and Lewis Vaughn, (eds) Philosophy: The Quest for Truth 10th ed (Oxford, 2016). (Distributed) B21—November 30: 33. Testing our Intuitions, Challenging the Canon Readings: [Ethics] Thomas Nagel, Moral Luck Guayaquil, Ecuador — November 24 B22—December 8: 34. Testing our Intuitions, Challenging the Canon Readings: [Ethics] Susan Wolf, Moral Saints B23—December 10: 56. Testing our Intuitions, Challenging the Canon Readings: [Ethics] Judith Jarvis Thomson, The Trolley Problem Puntarenas, Costa Rica — December 11-15 B24—December 17: review discussion and assignment presentations B25—December 20: Final Exam Arrive San Diego, California — December 23 FIELD WORK Semester at Sea field experiences allow for an unparalleled opportunity to compare, contrast, and synthesize the different cultures and countries encountered over the course of the voyage. In addition to the one field class, students will complete independent field assignments that span multiple countries. Field Class & Assignment Field Class attendance is mandatory for all students enrolled in this course. Do not book individual travel plans or a Semester at Sea sponsored trip on the day of your field class. Field Classes constitute at least 20% of the contact hours for each course, and are developed and led by the instructor. Framing Moral Tragedy: Ghana’s Slave Castles Country: Ghana Date: 1 November 2019 Idea: The focus of our Field Class will be on moral tragedy. In this Field Class we will visit the slave castles of Ghana. We will explore the central moral idea of human dignity through an exploration the great moral tragedy of slavery. We will tour the castles and reflect as a group on slavery and what the legacy of slavery says about perceptions of human dignity. Objectives: Students should be able to: (1) Understand various ethical theories through the lens of slavery (2) Frame alternative conceptions of human rights and human dignity (3) Distinguish various ethical theories by considering their framing of human dignity. Assessment: Students may earn up to 10% of course grade for active participation and engagement in Field Class activities. After our Field Class students will develop a paper [worth 15% of course grade] characterizing the idea of human dignity in light of the moral tragedy of slavery (Due B18, November 22nd). On B18, students will present their papers in class [worth 5% of course grade]. Independent Field Assignments Students will find one practical problem discovered in local news media, in your own experiences, or elsewhere while in each of three (3) ports (choose between Gdansk, Lisbon, Cadiz, Dubrovnik, Casablanca, Tema, Takoradi, Salvador, or Guayaquil). Students will then provide characterizations of that problem according to each of consequentialism, deontology, or virtue ethics (you may use either the original expression of each of these theories or one of the more contemporary articulations). Each of these reports will be worth 5% of your course grade. METHODS OF EVALUATION Participation [10% of course grade] Students are expected to be active participants in class activities. Active participation requires that students be prepared for class, and that they be thoughtful and respectful in class discussion. Independent Project [15% of course grade] Preliminary Writing Assignment [10% of course grade] Following our discussions and experiences during the first third of our voyage, students will provide a written assessment of a contemporary social-environmental problem in terms of fairness. This paper will be assigned on B8 and due on B11. Field Work [30% of course grade] The Field Class for this course constitutes a substantial component of the course, and a correspondingly significant component of its assessment. Students are required to be prepared for the class, engaged in the class, and respectful during the class. Participation in this class constitutes 10% of the final course grade. Following our Field Class, students will be required to develop a presentation [5% of final course grade] and write a reflection paper [15% of final grade]– see details above. Exams [35% of course grade] There will be two exams in this course to test your knowledge of the course material. The exams will consist in five short questions, of which students will be able to select four. Students will then provide short (100-200 word) responses. Midterm Exam: 15% (B13); Final Exam: 20% (B25) Evaluation Schedule Ongoing Active Participation B8 Preliminary Writing Assignment Assigned B11 Preliminary Writing Assignment Due B13 Midterm Exam B18 Field Class Presentations; Field Class Papers Due B25 Final Exam GRADING SCALE The following Grading Scale is utilized for student evaluation. Pass/Fail is not an option for Semester at Sea coursework. Note that C-,
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