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Philosophy 303-01, Great Traditions in Ethics |
Office Hours in RH-428 (445-4489) |
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Prof. Michael Kagan |
MWF 9:35 -10:20 AM and by appointment |
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Email: kagan@lemoyne.edu |
This course aims at an understanding of the activity of making moral
judgments
or affirming one value or set of values over another. At issue are,
typically,
the meaning of the words spoken when people make ethical assertions,
the
possibility of justifying or proving the truth of such assertions and
the
implications of discovering situations in which the ethical dimension
is
problematic. Integral to this course is a study of these questions in
the light
of the great traditions of ethical thinking as they have come to light
in the
various wisdom literatures. (Le Moyne College Catalog)
REQUIRED READING LIST
Plato - Republic (Allan Bloom’s translation)
Aristotle - Nicomachean Ethics (David Ross’s translation)
Confucius - Analects (D.C. Lau’s translation)
Lau Tzu - Tao Te Ching ((D.C. Lau’s translation))
Martin Buber - I and Thou (Walter Kaufmann’s translation)
Rosemarie Tong - "Feminist Ethics" (SEP), http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/feminism-ethics/
SPECIAL NEEDS
In coordination with the Academic Support Center (ASC), reasonable accommodations are provided for qualified students with disabilities. Please register with the ASC Office for disability verification and determination of reasonable accommodations. After receiving your accommodation form from the ASC, you will need to make an appointment with me to review the form and discuss your needs. Please make every attempt to meet with me within the first week of class so your accommodations can be provided in a timely manner. You can either stop by the ASC, Library, 1st floor, or call (445-4118-voice or 445-4104-TDD) to make an appointment.
IMPORTANT DATES:
No class or office hours on the following dates: Mar. 7-11, Spring Break; Mar. 16-18, instructor presenting at conference; Apr. 21-25, Easter Break.
PROPOSALS FOR THE OPTIONAL FINAL PAPER DUE: MON, MAR. 21. DRAFT OF OPTIONAL PAPERS DUE MON., APR. 18; REVISED PAPER DUE MON., MAY 2. Final Exam: Monday, May 16, 2011, from 12-2:30 PM.
CLOSINGS/CANCELLATIONS
If campus/dorms are closed due to flu or other circumstances, my intent is that the course continue. Assignments continue to be due by email. Presentations will be replaced by papers, virtual presentations, or extended descriptions of presentations. In addition to notes and group work already available there on-line, I will post updates, lecture notes, etc., to my Le Moyne College web site at http://webserver.lemoyne.edu/~kagan/index.html.
As at other times, if your situation results in your needing an extension, please let me know. Also, if internet service is down or there are other infrastructure problems, please complete the assignments and turn them in when services are restored.
REQUIREMENTS AND GRADING
Your grade will be based on the average of the top 4 of the following 5:
1.
(25%)
You will have an opportunity to take three short take-home quizzes.
These will
be handed out at least 4 days before they are due. Late quizzes
will
receive a 15% grading penalty for each day they are late. Unless
otherwise indicated, please complete the quiz in less than 500 words.
All
work, except in-class writings, is to be typed. Quizzes are to be
turned
in on the date due with a copy emailed to me at kagan@lemoyne.edu. In
addition to the
file attachment, please paste the text of your answers into your
message.
If you prefer in-class tests, your grade on the final exam can be
used to
replace this part of your grade.
2. (25%) Recitation: From time to time individual
students may volunteer or be asked to explain a particular text,
and to
respond to questions offered by the instructor or other students.
Your grade on the in-class final exam or on the optional final
paper can
be used to replace this part of your grade.
3. (25%) Class Participation/Group work.
4. (25%) In-class final.
5. (25%) Optional final paper. (See “One Way to Write a Philosophy Paper” - http://webserver.lemoyne.edu/~kagan/PAPHOW.html.)
THE OPTIONAL FINAL PAPER
The paper gives you an opportunity to explore some aspect of a
particular traditional ethical theory, at the
theoretical and/or
applied level.
If you
decide to write a paper, please confirm your topic with me in advance
by
submitting a paper proposal by Monday, March 21. Whatever your topic,
please
feel free to consult me regarding bibliography, style, or as a devil's
advocate. The paper is to be a defense of one claim or proposal related
to the
issue in question. Students should explicitly state the claim they are
defending, make a brief case for its importance, develop their
arguments
carefully, consider objections, and show awareness of alternatives and
criticisms of their own position. The paper should be structured
in form
and content as if it were being addressed to an audience consisting of
the undecided
and the reasonable opposition. If you are looking for
organizational suggestions, the people at the writing center
can be
quite helpful. The paper should be approximately 5-7 pages in
length. The
paper is to be turned in TWICE, on the dates indicated below. The 1st
draft
will be graded and given comments that I hope will aid you in the
revision. If
you are satisfied with the first grade or decide to accept it for some
other
reason, you have the option of returning the paper "as-is" with its
comments
on Mon., May. 2. If you do so, your grade on the paper will
be the
grade you received on the first draft. If you opt to revise, you will
receive
the grade of the revision, if higher (and the grade on the draft, if
not).
Students who receive a C or better on the paper can choose to
accept that
grade instead of taking the final exam. Please feel free to drop
by
during office hours to make an appointment to discuss your
project.
If you don't find me on campus, you are welcome to call me at
home before
8:00 PM. YOU CAN ALWAYS LEAVE A VOICE MAIL MESSAGE
AT
445-4489.
Week
#1 (Mon., Jan. 24) Introduce course. Discussion of nomos,
phusis,
logos, & reading. Republic, Books 1-2.
Week #2 (Mon., Jan. 31) Plato’s Republic, Books
2-3.
Week #3 (Mon. Feb. 7) Republic, Books 3-5.
Week #4 (Mon., Feb. 14) Republic, Books 5-7.
Week #5 (Mon., Feb. 21) Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics,
Books 1-3.
Week #6 (Mon., Feb. 28). Nicomachean Ethics, Books 3-5.
Mon., Mar. 7- Fri., 11, Spring Break
Week #7 (Mon., Mar. 14) Nicomachean Ethics, Books 5-7.
Class does not meet Wed., Mar. 16-Fri., Mar. 18. (Instructor presenting
at
conference.) I recommend you use this time to work on your final
project
proposals.
Week #8 (Mon., Mar. 21) Nicomachean Ethics, Books
5-7.
Week #9 (Mon., Mar. 28) Nicomachean Ethics, Books
7-10.
Week #10 (Mon., Apr. 4) Confucius’ Analects,
Books
I-X.
Week #11 (Mon., Apr. 11) Analects, Books X-XX.
Week #12 (Mon., Apr. 18) Lau Tzu’s Tao Te Ching, Book
One. WRITTEN
PROJECTS ARE DUE MON., APR. 18.
Apr. 21-25, Easter Break
Week #13 (Mon., Apr. 27) Lau Tzu’s Tao Te Ching, Book Two.
Week #14. (Mon., May 2) Martin Buber’s I and Thou,
First
Part, Second Part
Week #15 (Mon., May 9) Martin Buber’s I and Thou,
Second
Part, Third Part. (Final evaluations, if they haven't already
taken
place, last day of class.)
Final Exam: Monday, May 16, 2100, from 12-2:30 PM.
Some of this page's links:
PHL 303-01, Great Traditions in Ethics Syllabus for Spring 2011
Materials for Great Traditions in
Ethics
Back to
Kagan's
Homepage: http://webserver.lemoyne.edu/~kagan/index.html