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Introduction
to Moral
Philosophy

130-A


     
 

Class 

Quizzes Can Be on Topics From Which Classes?


Topic
 

Handouts
and
Class Notes


Readings

Assignments
Class 1
1/18 (W)
No quizzes today Introduction to class Syllabus

Participation rubric
No readings  
Class 2
1/20 (F)
No quizzes today Survey of ethics

+

Should we be free to do what we want, so long as it doesn't harm anyone else?
Tips on explaining terms "Ethics" by James Fieser

"Liberty, Coercion, and the Limits of the State" by Alan Wertheimer

Reading Questions

Class 3
1/23 (M)
1, 2, 3

Reading Questions  
Class 4
1/25 (W)
1, 3, 4

Reading Questions
Class 5
1/27 (F)
2, 4, 5
Tips on explaining how others use terms

The quizzes I gave last semester
Reading Questions

Note: the following are optional (see Reading Questions for details)

"Applied Ethics" by Joel Dittmer

"Ethical Issues in Contemporary Culture" by Adam Blatner

Description of Contemporary Debates in Applied Ethics

Description of What's Wrong
Short writing assignment 1 due
Class 6
1/30 (M)
3, 5, 6 Survey of normative ethics
Excerpts from Jeremy Bentham and J. S. Mill

Reading Questions

Class 7
2/1 (W)
4, 6, 7

Excerpts from Ground-
work for the Metaphysics of Morals by
Immanuel Kant


Reading Questions
 
Class 8
2/3 (F)
5, 7, 8
Tips on offering arguments Excerpts from Nicomachean Ethics by Aristotle

Reading questions
Short writing assignment 2 due
Class 9
2/6 (M)
6, 8, 9 Is there a right to parenthood?
"Licensing Parents" by Hugh LaFollette

Reading Questions
 
Class 10
2/8 (W)
7, 9, 10

"On Licentious Licensing: A Reply to Hugh LaFollette'' by Lawrence E. Frisch

Reading Questions

Class 11
2/10 (F)
8, 10, 11
Tips on Using Terminology Accurately "Judge Orders Woman to Undergo Sterilization" by the Associated Press

"Father Owing Child Support Loses a Right To Procreate" by Tamar Lewin

"Sterilization of mentally disabled man approved in U.K. London court deems vasectomy to be in the 36-year-old's 'best interest' '' by Farida Hussain

Reading Questions
Short writing assignment 3 due 
Class 12
2/13 (M)
9, 11, 12 Is abortion morally acceptable?
"A Defense of Abortion" by Judith Jarvis Thomson

Reading Questions

Class 13
2/15 (W)
1, 10, 12, 13

"On the Moral and Legal Status of Abortion'' by Mary Anne Warren

Reading Questions

 
Class 14
2/17 (F)
2, 11, 13, 14
Tips on reconstructing arguments "An Argument that Abortion is Wrong'' by Don Marquis

Reading Questions
Short writing
assignment 4 due
Class 15
2/20 (M)
3, 12, 14, 15 Is euthanasia morally acceptable?
"Active and Passive Euthanasia" by James Rachels

"Brittany Maynard, as promised, ends her life at 29" by Lindsey Bever


Reading Questions
 
Class 16
2/22 (W)
4, 13, 15, 16

"Is Killing No Worse Than Letting Die?" by Winston Nesbitt

"British conductor dies with wife at assisted suicide clinic'' by
Matthew Weaver

Reading Questions

Class 17
2/24 (F)
5, 14, 16, 17
Tips on using cases to counterexample views "Why Killing Is Not Always Worse -- and Is Sometimes Better -- Than Letting Die." by Helga Kuhse

Reading Questions
Short writing assignment 5 due
Class 18
2/27 (M)
6, 15, 17, 18 When is killing wrong?
Excerpts from Confrontations with the Reaper by Fred Feldman

Reading Questions

Class 19
3/1 (W)
7, 16, 18, 19

Reading Questions  
Class 20
3/3 (F)
8, 17, 19, 20

Reading Questions Short writing assignment 6 due
Class 21
3/6 (M)
9, 18, 20, 21 Is human experimentation for medical purposes morally acceptable? Here are some cases we talked about in class. Note: you stop reading once you hit the section titled "Commentary"

Case 1
Case 2
Case 3
"Experimentation on Human Subjects" by Patrick Boleyn-Fitzgerald

Reading Questions
 
Class 22
3/8 (W)
10, 19, 21, 22

Reading Questions
Class 23
3/10 (F)
11, 20, 22, 23
Tips on offering objections Reading Questions 1-page description of final paper due

Sample final paper
Class 24
3/13 (M)
12, 21, 23, 24 Do animals have rights? What sort of rights?
"The Basic Argument
for Vegetarianism"
by .
James Rachels

Reading Questions

Class 25
3/15 (W)
13, 22, 24, 25

"Experimenting
with Animals" by Lori Gruen


Reading Questions
 
Class 26
3/17 (F)
14, 23, 25, 26

There are no readings or reading questions for class today! (We are still having class, just no readings or reading questions)
Short writing assignment 7 due
Class 27
3/27 (M)
15, 24, 26, 27 What obligations do we have to the environment? Tips on structuring papers "Environmental Ethics'' by Alasdair Cochrane

Reading Questions
 
Class 28
3/29 (W)
No quizzes today
Discussion of 1-page descriptions of final paper
Reading Questions (you'll complete these during class)

Note. Today we're discussing your 1-page descriptions of your final papers in small groups (the groups will be assigned in class today). You will be in groups of 5-6 so you should bring enough copies for your group-mates. It might be a good idea to brainstorm in advance some questions for your group-mates about your paper, but there's no requirement to do so.


Class 29
3/31 (F)
16, 25, 27, 29 What obligations do we have to the environment?

Interview about Green Virtues with Dale Jamieson

Listening Questions
Short writing assignment 8 due
Class 30
4/3 (M)
17, 26, 29, 30 Is prostitution morally acceptable?
"Is Prostitution Harmful?" by Ole Martin Moen

Reading Questions

Class 31
4/5 (W)
18, 27, 30, 31

No reading questions (we're still having class, there's just no reading questions for today.)
 
Class 32
4/7 (F)
19, 29, 31, 32

"Comment on `Is Prostitution Harmful?' '' by Scott A Anderson

"I
ntrinsic Versus Contingent Claims About the Harmfulness of Prostitution''  by Rosalind J McDougall

"
Prostitution and Harm: A Reply to Anderson and McDougall?'' by Ole Martin Moen

Reading Questions
Short writing assignment 9 due
Class 33
4/10 (M)
20, 30, 32, 33 What duties do we have to the homeless?
"Homelessness" by G J M Abbarno

Reading Questions
 
Class 34
4/12 (W)
21, 31, 33, 34

"The Best-Selling, Billion-Dollar Pills Tested on Homeless People" by Carl Elliot

Reading Questions

Note: The following is optional (see reading questions for details)

"Pharmaceutical Research Involvign the Homeless" By Tom L. Beauchamp et. al.

Class 35
4/14 (F)
22, 32, 34, 35

"Making an effort to change homelessness in Manhattan" by Sarah Broddle

Reading Questions
Rough draft of final paper due
Class 36
4/17 (M)
23, 33, 35, 36 What should the legal drinking age be?
Excerpts from The Legalization of Drugs by Peter de Marneffe

Reading Questions

Class 37
4/19 (W)
24, 34, 36, 37

More excerpts from The Legalization of Drugs by Peter de Marneffe

Reading Questions
 
Class 38
4/21 (F)
25, 35, 37, 38

Essays on the question: Should the Legal Drinking Age Be Lowered

Reading Questions

Class 39
4/24 (M)
No quizzes Discussion of rough drafts
Reading Questions (you'll complete these during class)

Note. Today and Wednesday we're discussing your rough drafts in small groups (the groups will be assigned in class today). You will be in groups of 5-6 so you should bring enough copies for your group-mates. It might be a good idea to brainstorm in advance some questions for your group-mates about your paper, but there's no requirement to do so.
 
Class 40
4/26 (W)
No quizzes

See previous class
Class 41
4/28 (F)
26, 36, 38, 41  Is polygamy morally acceptable?
"The Problem with Polygamy" by Thom Brooks

Reading Questions
 
Class 42
5/1 (M)
27, 37, 41, 42

"Polygamy, Privacy, and Equality" by Laurie Shrage

Reading Questions

Class 43
5/3 (W)
29, 38, 42, 43

No reading questions (note: we're still meeting; we're just doing an activity in small groups)   
Class 44
5/5 (F)
No quizzes Concluding Discussion
No reading questions (note: we're still meeting, it's just that we're doing concluding discussion)
5/11 (Th) Note: we will not meet today -- it's exam week

Final draft of final paper due