These instructions are intended to assist you in successfully completing all requirements of the course. By success, I mean an evaluation of at least a B for the course. It is my hope, and I assume your goal, to do better than that, and based on experience, there is no reason most of you cannot achieve a higher grade.

Purpose and Goal of the Course

The purpose of the course is to provide you with the historical, theoretical and practical moral armament to understand, confront and comfortably deal with the most pressing ethical issues of our time. Among its principal goals are to give you (i) an appreciation of the historical grounding of moral ideas, (ii) a working understanding of the theoretical principles of the three major strands of argument in moral analysis, and (iii) experience in grappling with the practical application of such principles to life situations. Major tools of analysis include the power of critical thinking, which we will explore in the initial classes (and will continue to emphasize throughout the course) and the application of principles of casuistry to the solution of cases in applied ethics.

Text and Assigned Readings.  The text is Barbara Mackinnon, Ethics: Theory and Contemporary Issues, 4th Edition (Thomson/Wadsworth, 2003).  During the course we will read the entire text, begin reading the first seven chapters, which will be necessary for the Mid-term Examination.  Check the Class Schedule posted on the web site for further reading assignments.  My reserve list is posted on the web site and there will be occasional short readings assigned from the works listed.  The Reserve List is primarily intended to give you some initial source materials for your term papers.

Requirements. Attendance at all class meetings is required and will be monitored in two ways: I keep a seating chart which I will check from time to time during each class, without taking time to call the roll. Additionally, the final 15 minutes of each class may be allotted to preparation by each student of a short summary paragraph, initially on each topic covered in the evening’s session, and thereafter as a "critique" of the class presentation which forms the basis of the last classes of the semester. Excused absences will be granted for medical, personal emergency or business travel reasons, but must be requested no later than the day of class, either by e-mail, phone message or in person.

Class Group Presentations. At the first class, you will be asked to complete the Student Profile attached to this memorandum. You will be asked to list your preferences for assignment to one of eight class groupings by subject matter: women’s issues, including abortion and sexual issues of pornography, child abuse etc.; euthanasia/assisted suicide; legal punishment/capital punishment; equality/discrimination/affirmative action; economic justice and fairness; just and unjust wars/terrorism; environmental issues/animal rights; and professional ethics (medical, legal , accounting, business, etc.). At the end of the first class, one half hour will be allotted to a meeting of the group to which you are assigned, at which you will elect a group communicator to keep me informed of your progress on preparation, and make plans for your division of labor and meeting schedule to plan your presentation. You should exchange phone/fax/e-mail numbers with your fellow group members. To the extent audio visual aids or other equipment is required for your presentation, you must notify me at least a week in advance so I can make the necessary arrangements with media services and any other departments involved. Planning and preparation is important to ensure availability. Following each class presentation, critiques will be submitted by each student which will be summarized by me and discussed at the following class prior to the next presentation. Usually, I will introduce each class presentation with a short commentary on the general issues involved. Each group’s presentation should last no more than an hour. Following the presentation, questions and class discussion will be conducted until time for the preparation of critique. This will be the basic outline of each of the classes allotted for class presentations. In lieu of a final examination a term paper of not more than 15 pages, including notes and bibliography, will be due at the end of the last scheduled class.  TERM PAPERS ARE DUE AT THE END OF THIS SESSION.

Open Book Mid Term Examination will be conducted in or about class #7 during which I will test your ability to apply the initial assigned readings and lectures on moral theory to four out of six cases that you will be asked to read and analyze. You will be permitted to use your textbooks and class notes to assist you in preparing your answers. The class immediately preceding the examination will be primarily devoted to a practice test in which we will deal with one case and discuss your answers in class. Bring examination blue books for the open book examination in which to write your answers.  We may alter these arrangements to include submission of answers by email.

Term Papers in Lieu of Final Exam. Following the open book examination, students must submit (in outline form) a typewritten proposal for your final term paper, consisting of an outline of the topic, the principal issues relating to it you will develop and explore, your arguments on the issues, and the bibliography of sources you plan to consult in researching your paper. Upon receiving my approval of your proposal, you must prepare and submit your term paper for final evaluation by the last class of the session in lieu of a final examination.

Class Participation: Approximately 40% Attendance, participation in class discussion, submission of critiques and group presentation participation will be measured with roughly equal weight. The class presentations will be evaluated on a group basis in order not to unfairly reward "star turns" by those gifted in public speaking or penalize those who are more or less tongue tied before an audience. The idea is to encourage and stimulate your fluency with moral conversation and sharpen up your thinking about the issues. If you attend class regularly, exert your best effort in your class presentation and listen critically and critique your classmates in their presentations, you will receive full marks for this segment of your evaluation, i.e., 33 points out of 100.

Open Book Examination: Approximately 30%. The practice test will consist of one question designed to give you training in recognizing the moral issues in a given situation, analyzing them in moral terms, and to apply what you have learned so far to their "solution" or resolution, based upon reasoned arguments, dispensing as much as possible with emotional involvement. The practice test will not be separately graded. The following week you will be asked to write in blue book examination booklets your responses to four out of six situations which will present a number of moral issues. You will be asked specific questions about the situations or you will be asked to identify the most important issues, analyze them in moral terms and develop solutions based upon the best moral arguments you can develop. Most of your time should be spent carefully reading and thinking about your response – its organization and how you want to argue the cases. Your reasoning is most important in the evaluation of your response. Generally, there are no "right" answers to moral issues, but there are good reasons for your arguments and poor ones. You will be expected to discover the difference from the readings you are assigned and from our class discussions. Each question you respond to will receive equal weight.

Term Paper: Approximately 30%. All of your other work in the class is intended to assist you in the formulation of ideas for, the researching of, and the preparation of your extended argument on a topic in modern ethical practice or to prepare you to be able to handle the cases and questions you will encounter on the final exam, if you choose to take it rather than submitting a term paper. This term paper is in lieu of a final examination. The paper must be not longer than 15 pages, including your endnotes or footnotes and bibliography. It must be typewritten, using 12 point type, standard margins and double-spaced. As far as ideal length is concerned, I find it very unusual for a successful paper to have less than 10 full pages of reasoned argument. Allowing two or three pages for notes and bibliography, that would mean a total length of 13 pages. Therefore, while there is no minimum, but there is a maximum of 15 pages, about 12-15 pages is what you should be planning on. You should use the latest edition of Kate Turabian’s handbook of style or the MLA Handbook as your guide. Barbara MacKinnon has a discussion of how to write an ethics term paper in the back of your textbook. It is not ideal, but those of you who are inexperienced will find it helpful. I have some examples of a few papers that have been submitted in this class in past semesters. Accompanying this memorandum is a sample of a good outline. Your outline will not be separately graded, and is primarily for your use to help you organize your thoughts. It also gives me an opportunity to help you if it appears you may need it. If you wish, you may submit a draft of your paper for my review and comment. I will not write your paper for you, but I will make suggestions as to direction and form, if you appear to need it. I cannot accept drafts for review after November 19. Internet sources may be used with caution. Primarily your sources should be scholarly works or recognized journals and other publications if used for purposes of supporting factual arguments. Turabian’s latest edition deals with the appropriate model of citation of works obtained from the internet. It should be unnecessary to say so, especially in a course devoted to ethics, but I should stress that the work you turn in is to be your own. If you quote from the work of others, it must be identified and cited appropriately. The purpose of the paper is to develop your own ability to conceive and articulate moral discourse.

Office Hours. I do not keep regular hours on campus, but am available by telephone at any reasonable hour during the day and evening. I have voice mail and I check it and my e-mail at least twice daily. If you would like a personal appointment, please see me or call and we will schedule a mutually acceptable time and place.