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Introduction
to Moral
Philosophy

130-C


     

Download PDF of the syllabus

Course: Introduction to Moral Philosophy
PHILO 130 Section C
Instructor: Daniel Immerman
Monday, Wednesday, Friday 2:30 - 3:20 in Dickens 207

Contact Info
Email: immerman@ksu.edu
Office: Dickens 308C
Office hours: 2-4 on Thursday or by appointment
Course website: http://danielimmerman.com/teaching/17S/130C.html

Readings
You do not need to purchase any texts for this class; all readings will be available on the website.

Course Description
This course serves as an introduction to moral philosophy; we will look at various ethical questions, both theoretical and applied, some of which you choose. At the same time, we will work to develop various philosophical skills.

Course Goals
In this course you will:

    •    Become familiar with positions and arguments in some areas of applied and theoretical moral philosophy.

    •    Improve your ability to identify an author’s claims, arguments, and objections in a text, to restate them in your own words clearly and precisely, and to state and evaluate responses to them.

    •    Practice identifying a philosophical topic you are interested in, identifying a research question related to it, and writing a paper on it.

    •    Work out for yourself your own position on several of the debates we discuss.

Evaluation
Here is the breakdown of grades in the class:

    •    Short Writing Assignments:

    –   Most Fridays during the first two thirds of the semester, you will turn in a short writing assignment. In total, these are worth 15 percent of your grade. These cannot be made up if late, but I will drop your lowest one.
 
   •    Final paper and accompanying steps:

    - In addition, throughout the course, you will be working on a longer paper, which will ultimately be at least 1200 words. I will not assign a topic, instead, you will be responsible for selecting it.

    - Near the middle of the semester, on March 10th, you will turn in a one-page description of your final paper. You will get comments on it from your peers and myself; giving comments to others will count for part of your grade for this assignment. Turning it in will be worth 2 percent of your grade and giving comments to others 2 percent.

    - Several weeks later, on April 14th you will turn in a rough draft. You will get comments on it from your peers and myself; giving comments to others will count for part of your grade for this assignment. Turning it in will be worth 2 percent of your grade and giving comments to others 4 percent.

    - The final draft of the paper will be due at the end of the semester, on May 9th and worth 30 percent of your grade.

    •    Pop Quizzes and in-class writing:

    –    On many days in the semester we will have pop quizzes and/or short in-class writing assignments. There won't be any before the second week of the semester. Regarding the quizzes: I will list on the calendar page of the course website which day's material you might be quizzed on; it will be at most four day's worth of material. These will be worth 25 percent of your grade in total. They can't be made up if you're missing, but I will drop your lowest three.

    •    Participation:

    –    I will also be grading you based on participation. I will pass out a rubric on the first day that indicates what you need to do to get a good participation grade. Participation is worth 20 percent of your grade. I’ll check in with you regarding how you’re doing on participation at some point in the middle of the semester, but you should also feel free to contact me at any point if you want to know how you’re doing on participation.

Your assignments will be graded out of 100

90 and above = A

80 - 89.99999 = B

70 - 70.99999 = C

60 - 60.99999 = D

below 60 = F

0 = Didn't turn in

I will grade some small assignments via a ✓, ✓+, ✓- system. ✓+ is 100, ✓ is 85, ✓- is 70.


Academic Honesty
Kansas State University has an Honor and Integrity System based on personal integrity, which is presumed to be sufficient assurance that, in academic matters, one’s work is performed honestly and without unauthorized assistance. Undergraduate and graduate students, by registration, acknowledge the jurisdiction of the Honor and Integrity System. The policies and procedures of the Honor and Integrity System apply to all full and part-time students enrolled in undergraduate and graduate courses on-campus, off-campus, and via distance learning. The Honor and Integrity System website can be reached via the following www.k-state.edu/honor. A component vital to the Honor and Integrity System is the inclusion of the Honor Pledge which applies to all assignments, examinations, or other course work undertaken by students. This applies, in this class, to drafts as well. The Honor Pledge is implied, whether or not it is stated: “On my honor, as a student, I have neither given nor received unauthorized aid on this academic work.” A grade of XF can result from a breach of academic honesty. The F indicates failure in the course; the X indicates the reason is an Honor Pledge violation.

ADA statement
Students with disabilities who need classroom accommodations, access to technology, or information about emergency building/campus evacuation processes should contact the Student Access Center and/or their instructor. Services are available to students with a wide range of disabilities including, but not limited to, physical disabilities, medical conditions, learning disabilities, attention deficit disorder, depression, and anxiety. If you are a student enrolled in campus/online courses through the Manhattan or Olathe campuses, contact the Student Access Center at accesscenter@k-state.edu, 785-532-6441.

Expectations for Classroom Conduct
All student activities in the University, including this course, are governed by the Student Judicial Conduct Code as outlined in the Student Governing Association By Laws, Article V, Section 3, number 2. Students who engage in behavior that disrupts the learning environment may be asked to leave the class.

Attendance
I don't take off points for attendance, but missing class can harm your participation grade (it's hard to participate when you're not there) and can keep you from being able to complete certain in-class assignments, e.g. pop-quizzes.

Late Assignments
There won't be any make-ups for short writing assignments, quizzes and in-class writing assignments. The other assignments vary with regards to late policies; I will include the late policies on the assignment sheets.

Reading drafts
I will look at as many drafts of assignments as you care to send me, with the following exceptions. I will not read a draft turned in less than 48 hours (2 days) before the paper is due. Also, if I send a draft with comments back to you, you should wait at least 48 hours (2 days) before sending me a new draft to look at.