COURSE DESCRIPTION

This purpose of this course is to serve as an introduction to the philosophical principles of moral conduct. In addition to the presentation of the abstract elements of seven ethical theories, the course will investigate and analyze practical problems as a means of applying the theoretical material. The course has a threefold objective: 1) to help the students understand the philosophical underpinnings of ethical thought; 2) to encourage the students to develop the skills necessary to think critically about various ethical theories and to apply them intelligently to contemporary moral issues; and 3) to enable the students to express their thoughts with clarity and precision orally and in writing.

COURSE METHOD

A lecture/discussion methodology will be used for this course. Students are strongly encouraged to raise questions and arguments about the theories and issues under consideration in the lectures and in the reading assignments in order to come to a better understanding of the material.

REQUIRED TEXT

Vice and Virtue in Everyday Life by Christina Sommers and Fred Sommers (fifth edition) is available in the Bookstore.

Not all the assigned reading will be discussed in class, but all the assigned readings will be material for questions on the review examinations and the final examination.

ATTENDANCE

Attendance at all class meetings is mandatory (College Catalogue, p 19). Points will be deducted from the final examination grade for each unexcused absence.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

1. Review examinations. Two review examinations will be administered during the course to test student progress in assimilating a) the theoretical material presented in class lectures and b) the assigned readings. These examinations will be given on Thursday, October 10th, and on Tuesday, November 26th.

2. Debate paper. During the week of November 4-8, a sheet will be posted on my office bulletin board for each student to sign up to debate a current topic of ethical interest. These debates will be held in class beginning on Tuesday, December 3. Each student must sign up for and participate in one debate. General topics may include capital punishment, affirmative action, abortion, war, euthanasia, assisted suicide, the role of government, environmental issues, and globalization. Further information about the debate is given on separate sheets.

3. Final examination. A comprehensive written final examination will be administered on Monday, December 16, at 1:00 PM. This exam will be focused on the application of the ethical theories to specific problematic situations.

EVALUATION AND GRADING

Student performance will be evaluated on the following basis:

Review examinations: 40% (20% each)

Debate/paper: 25%

Final examination: 35%

Numerical grades will be assigned to all work. The correspondence between numerical and letter grades is as follows:

OFFICE HOURS

Monday, 8:30-11:00 AM

And by appointment

My office is 310 Bradley House. My phone extension is 7259. My email address is jfortin@anselm.edu. On-campus mail can be addressed to Fr. John c/o Monastery.

COURSE OUTLINE

I. Introduction.

A. The syllabus.

B. Defining ethics.

C. Ethics and religion.

D. Evaluating moral theories.

II. Seven moral theories.

A. Virtue Ethics.

B. Relativism.

C. Emotivism.

D. Egoism.

E. Utilitarianism.

F. Kantianism.

G. Natural Law.

III. Debates.

IV. Summation.

GENERAL CALENDAR

1. "

24 "

October

1 "

3 Egoism

1. "

November

19 "

1. "

READING ASSIGNMENTS: from Vice and Virtue in Everyday Life by Christina Sommers and Fred Sommers

DEBATE PAPER

I. The purpose of the debate paper is to give students an opportunity to do research and make presentations on serious ethical issues of the day, to investigate and analyze the arguments pro and con, and to make a determination on the best possible course of action.

II. A list of debate topics will be posted on my office bulletin board (310 Bradley House) from Monday to Friday, November 4-8. Each student is to sign up for one topic to argue either the "yes" or the "no" position. The debates will be held in class beginning on Tuesday, December 3. The order of presentation will be made by lottery.

III. Each student will prepare a formal paper presenting arguments for the "yes" or "no" position on the topic. Each paper is to offer at least three clearly defined arguments for the position taken. In addition to texts available in the library's general collection, the Internet is an excellent source for information. All references are to be cited in footnotes or endnotes following the formats for Notes (N) on the "Quick Reference-Style Manual: MLA Handbook" attached to this sheet. For Internet references, give the author, title, and Internet address. In the oral presentation the student is to summarize the three arguments of his/her paper. The student is not required to read his/her paper in class. Each presentation will be limited to five to six minutes.

IV. Each paper is to conform to the following content requirements:

a. At the beginning of the paper, clearly state the topic, its importance, and the position you are taking on it.

b. In the body of the paper, present at least three well articulated and well argued reasons for your position, showing good evidence for it from the sources you have examined. Clearly indicate each argument as you proceed. Use good examples to illustrate your arguments.

c. In the conclusion of the paper, indicate which argument you have used is the strongest and why.

V. Each paper is to conform to the following form requirements:

a. Printed on white 8.5" x 11" paper.

b. Typed in a standard font (e.g. New Times Roman) no larger than 12 point.

d. One inch margins (right/left and top/bottom).

e. Pages numbered after page one of the text itself.

f. Pages attached in the upper left-hand corner with a staple or paper clip.

h. Carefully proofread and edited (yes, spelling, punctuation and grammar do count).

i. Either footnotes or endnotes according to MLA Handbook style (see attached sheet). No bibliography is required.

j. Minimum length five full pages; maximum length seven full pages.