PHIL 105 Ethics XC HU 3 credits Instructor Dr Kreider Spring 2021 section 001C LEC 14W MoWeFr 11 30am 12 30pm UW Fox Room 1229 Office UW Fox Room 1512 Office Hours online by appointment E mail kreiders uwosh edu Students are responsible for reading this syllabus thoroughly and asking if they have any questions Everything on this syllabus is tentative and subject to change with notice Course Description From the course catalog Analysis of the principal theories of ethics and their practical application to problems concerning the individual and society Proposed methods of justifying moral principles will be examined Students cannot receive credit for both Philosophy 105 and 106 the Honors version of the course PHIL 105 is an introduction to the academic discipline of philosophical ethics Course content will include a survey of the major philosophical theories of the nature and directives of ethics In addition there will be some discussion of contemporary moral issues for the purpose of illuminating various theories HyFlex Mode Due to COVID I am running this class in HyFlex mode HyFlex differs from fully online classes in that there are some face to face components However I have decided to lean heavily on the online components so there will be no required synchronous and or face to face attendance or activities Just like a fully online class all student work e g discussions tests papers will be completed online Just like a fully online class my lectures will be recorded and placed online Unlike a fully online class I will record my lectures at the days and times and in the classroom as per the schedule and post them on Canvas later that day This gives you the option to show up if you want to for any reason e g because you feel you learn better face to face because you have specific questions you d like to ask because you d like something that resembles the usual college experience despite the pandemic Be advised that depending on the classroom there may be limited social distanced seating available so if you do want to attendance face to face on any given day I advise showing up early before we hit our maximum capacity Student Learning Outcomes By the end of the semester students should be able to Identify and describe the components of philosophical arguments about ethical issues Identify and explain some of the most influential theories of morality and value Engage in moral reasoning to evaluate particular policies in moral terms Analyze moral disagreements and respectfully engage in discussions with others about moral issues Grading Breakdown Participation Tests Final Paper 20 60 4 15 each 20 Participation Participation is worth 20 of your grade and is earned via discussions on Canvas There will typically be one or two per week Directions will be posted on Canvas at the appropriate times they typically involve answering a discussion question and then responding to some of your fellow students answers in other words an online discussion Tests There are four tests each weighted at 15 of your final grade totaling 60 of your final grade The exact format may vary but they typically involve answering essay questions Study guides will be handed out in advance Tentative dates are 2 26 3 19 4 16 and 5 7 any changes will be announced but are unlikely Final Paper The final is a take home exam term paper worth 20 of your final grade Directions will be handed out in advance The due date is 5 12 Grading Scale Your total percentage determines your letter grade A 93 or greater A 90 92 B 87 89 B 83 86 B 80 82 C 77 79 C 73 76 C 70 72 D 67 69 D 63 66 D 60 62 F 59 or less For a general idea of standards A excellent B good C fair D poor F failing Your grades are determined solely on your actual performance on the assignments not on your reasons for failing to perform well no matter how good those reasons may seem nor how much you need want or deserve a certain grade please do not ask me to go easy on you or give you a higher grade than you earned Your grades are recorded on Canvas it is your 1 PHIL 105 Ethics XC HU 3 credits Instructor Dr Kreider Spring 2021 section 001C LEC 14W MoWeFr 11 30am 12 30pm UW Fox Room 1229 responsibility to keep an eye on them and your overall performance in the class throughout the semester Text The Elements of Moral Philosophy 8th ed J Rachels ISBN 9780078119064 and Ethics and College Student Life A Case Study Approach 3rd ed K Strike ISBN 9780132343312 I may also distribute other readings Course Outline The following is an extremely approximate and tentative outline of course topics mostly to meet syllabus requirements but also to provide some information about course content I do not have a day by day calendar of readings every semester is different Instead I will simply announce each class what you should read for the next one based on how far we ve gotten that day These reading assignments will also be posted on Canvas each day promptly after class in case you are absent and need to know what to read Weeks 1 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5 Week 6 Weeks 7 8 Weeks 9 10 Week 11 Week 12 Week 13 Week 14 Introductory concepts the minimum conception of morality basic logic and methods Cultural relativism Divine command theory natural law theory Psychological egoism and ethical egoism Social contract theory Utilitarianism Kantianism Feminism and the ethics of care Virtue ethics Subjectivism Conclusions Canvas As mentioned there is a Canvas website for this class I will show it to you during the first week of classes You are responsible for making sure you can access it use it etc If you have questions about anything please ask Email Email is the best way to get a hold of me please feel free to email me with questions etc I strongly suggest that you always email me from your UWO email account and always include a subject line You should also check your UWO email regularly in case I need to send announcements class cancellations etc when I need to do so I will send such emails to UWO email accounts only and I consider you responsible for anything I email you about I don t check my email is not an excuse The University Studies Program Explore Courses and Liberal Education The University Studies Program USP is UW Oshkosh s general education program All American universities have a general education program The name University Studies Program has been chosen for UW Oshkosh general education to convey that this program is intentionally designed to support high impact practices and