Course Syllabus

PHIL 140: Contemporary Moral Issues

Spring 2014

Tues & Thurs 12:30-1:20, Shoemaker 2102

Plus Friday discussion sections (check Testudo for your time and location)

 

Personnel:

Instructor                      

Mark Engelbert (Please call me Mark)

Email: marke@umd.edu

Office: Skinner 1110D

Office Hours: Mon. & Thurs. 2:30-3:30pm, and by appointment.

*If you are in sections 0101-0103, Mark is your TA (that is, Mark will conduct your discussion sections and grade your assignments). 

                                              

Teaching Assistant

Moonyoung Song (Sections 0104-0106)

Email: mysong@umd.edu

Office: Skinner 1108A

Office Hours: Wed. 1:00-3:00pm, and by appointment

 

Required Texts:

All required readings will be posted on the ELMS course space under “Modules.”      

 

Goals of the Course:

This course is designed to help you think critically about contemporary moral issues. We will be discussing five such issues in this course: Our treatment of non-human animals; pornography; euthanasia and assisted suicide; global poverty and international aid; and abortion. These issues tend to be polarizing and reasonable dialogue is often eschewed in favor of slogans and sophistry. In this course, however, we’ll be exploring these moral issues from a philosophical perspective, which includes careful, dispassionate thinking and backing up one’s claims with thoughtful arguments. You may or may not change your prior views about any of these issues, but you will learn how to defend your views and learn about common argumentative pitfalls that frequently plague public discussion of these topics.

A guiding assumption of this course will be that some positions and arguments regarding these issues are better than others. People often say that moral issues are “matters of opinion,” by which they seem to imply that arguing about them is as useless as arguing about whether chocolate or vanilla ice cream is better. But we don’t see people arguing about ice cream flavors the way they do about high-profile moral issues. This suggests that deep down, people don’t think moral issues are “matters of opinion,” and that there is an answer to the question of whether an action is morally permissible or not. Hence, one of our goals in class will be to uncover people’s implicit beliefs about what makes for a good moral argument.

It will also help to keep in mind that (respectful!) disagreement is essential for productive philosophical discussion, so you can expect me, your TA, and your classmates to raise objections to arguments you make in class—please don’t interpret this as a sign that you’re doing it wrong! The cycle of objections and responses is what allows us to refine and strengthen our positions.

 

Assignments:

• One 1200-1600 word term paper, including a series of writing exercises: 40% of final grades.
• Three group debate projects: 30% of final grades (10% each)
• Online Reading quizzes (There will be 10 quizzes, with the lowest grade dropped): 10%
• Final exam: 10%
• Attendance and Participation: 10%
  • NB: Attendance/Participation grades will be assigned on a holistic, all-things-considered basis that reflects your overall level of engagement with the instructor, your TA, and your classmates. Your level of attendance, the quantity and quality of your comments in class, and your interactions with the instructor/TAs outside of class (in office hours or over email) will all be considered. Coming to office hours/emailing with the instructor/TAs isn’t necessary for receiving full participation points, but it can certainly help you, especially if you struggle with speaking in class.

Please use the links above to find more information about completing and submitting these assignments. 

 

Grading Standards:

Letter grades correspond to numerical grades as follows:

97 and up	A+
93-96	A
90-92	A-
87-89	B+
83-86	B
80-82	B-
77-79	C+
73-76	C
70-72	C-
67-69	D+
63-66	D
60-62	D-
Below 60	F

 

Discussion Sections:

Friday discussion sections are an essential part of the course and you are expected to attend. Sections provide a forum for you to engage in genuine discussion with your fellow students and your TA about the moral issues we’ll be discussing. You will be responsible for material covered in sections as well as what is covered in the readings and lectures.

 

Exceptional Circumstances:

Occasionally circumstances do arise that prevent students from fulfilling their responsibilities. The instructor and TAs will make every attempt to provide reasonable accommodations for well-documented circumstances that are both beyond the student’s control and unduly burdensome. Whether and to what extent accommodations are made will be at the discretion of the student’s TA, though students may appeal the TA’s decisions to the instructor (whose decision will be final). Please note that requests for accommodations are much more likely to be refused if the following conditions are not met:

• The student has been generally engaged in the course up to that point (good attendance, etc.) and has shown an overall commitment to completing all requirements.

• The student has made a good-faith effort to complete the assignment in question in spite of any unforeseen circumstances.

• The student has made every effort to communicate the nature of the circumstances to the TA/instructor in a timely manner.

 

Electronic Devices:

You are not permitted to use wireless-capable electronic devices, including laptops, tablets, and smartphones, in lectures for this class. Your TA will go over the guidelines for using electronic devices in discussion sections. Studies have shown that laptops in classrooms inhibit learning, both for the laptop user and those around them. If you have a documented disability that requires you to use a laptop or other device in class, please see me.

• There may be legitimate reasons why a student would need to have their phone out during class, but during a lecture I cannot distinguish between legitimate and illegitimate uses (e.g., texting), and I find the practice very distracting. Therefore, I reserve the right to issue a pop quiz to the entire class if I see any student using a cell phone during class.

 

Writing Center (extra-credit opportunity):

The UMD Writing Center is a valuable resource for help in writing college-level papers. You can find out about their services, and make an appointment online, at http://www.english.umd.edu/academics/writingcenter.  You may also call them at (301) 405-3785

• If you attend a consultation at the Writing Center for the final draft of your paper assignment, you will receive an automatic bonus of 1/3 of a letter grade on that assignment (e.g., from C to C+ or A- to A). You can request that a report of your consultation be sent to Mark or Moonyoung, who will factor this into grading.

 

Academic Integrity:

Course policies for academic integrity are described in a separate handout, to be distributed during the first week’s discussion sections. All students are required to sign an agreement acknowledging that they have been informed of these policies, agree to abide by them, and are aware of the consequences of violating them.