philosophy 110b (002) fall 2014 syllabus · • encourage others to develop their philosophical...

PHILOSOPHY 110BIntroduction to Philosophy: Ethics and ValuesSection 002Fall 2014

Your Instructor W. Jim Jordan [email protected]

Meeting Times LecturesWednesday and FridayQuantum Nano Centre 1507October 15 only:Environment 1, 350

Office HourThursday2:00–3:00 PMor by appointmentHagey Hall 361

Course Description This course is an introduction to central issues in value the-ory, ethics, and metaethics within the Western philosophi-cal tradition. As you work with the course material you will also develop some philosophical reasoning and communi-cation skills.

This particular section explores three main questions:

• What is the good life? (value theory)• How do we live well? (normative theories of ethics)• Can we meaningfully speak of ethics and morality?

(metaethics)

This material provides the background for your term paper. You will use it to prepare a moral argument concerning a current area of ethical concern. You will choose from one of the following topics:

• Humanity’s relationship to the rest of the environment• Civil disobedience and laws of punishment• Human genetic enhancement

Like many other courses in philosophy, this series of lec-tures, readings, and discussions may deal with a critical analysis of many and varied views regarding life, existence, values, religious belief, etc. Those who who might find such an analysis uncomfortable or offensive should be aware of this. A spirit of charity and civility is essential for engaging in fruitful philosophical discussion.

Texts and Equipment Russ Shafer-Landau, ed., The Ethical Life:Fundamental Readings in Ethics and Moral Problems, 3rd edition (New York: Oxford University Press, 2015), ISBN 9780199997275. Required.

• This book contains the philosophical works covered in this course. Many of these readings do not appear in earlier editions. If you use an older edition, you are responsible for finding the additional material.

mailto:wjjordan%40uwaterloo.ca?subject=%5B110B%5D%20

Philosophy 110B (002) Fall 2014 Syllabus (2014.09.05) | 2

Texts and Equipment (continued)

Russ Shafer-Landau, The Fundamentals of Ethics, 3rd edition (New York: Oxford Uni-versity Press, 2015), ISBN 9780199997237. Recommended.

• This is the companion volume to the re-quired text. Lectures will include material from this book, but there are no assigned readings from it.

Internet access to Waterloo LEARN. Required.

• Waterloo LEARN is the University’s instance of the Desire2Learn learning management system. The syl-labus, citation guide, and links to other readings and administrative items are on LEARN. You will also submit most of your assignments through LEARN.

i>clicker (any version). Required.

• The i>clicker classroom response system helps me gauge your understanding, lets you express your opin-ions anonymously, and indicates your participation in classroom activities. To get participation credit, you must register your clicker for this course.

Course Goals and Learning Outcomes

There are three clusters of learning outcomes for this course: skill, affect, and content. Upon the completion of this course you should be able to:

Skill: Analysis • Discern common themes and elements across differing philosophical perspectives

• Distinguish differences among various philosophical po-sitions

• Discover assumptions used in arguments and propose alternatives to them

• Explore the philosophical content of practical problems involving ethics

Skill: Assessment • Identify key points in a piece of philosophical writing• Evaluate arguments for logical and factual strength• Recognise points in your arguments that an interlocutor

could legitimately assess differently

Skill: Synthesis • Integrate material from various sources, including your own reflection, into your own work

• Formulate cogent moral arguments from factual and normative premises to a conclusion

Skill: Communication • Present arguments clearly, both orally and in writing• Use a standard citation method to direct readers to ma-

terial used to inform your arguments• Respond constructively to the work of your colleagues


Course Goals and Learning Outcomes

(continued)

Affect • Discover the value of applying philosophical methodolo-gies to relevant problems

• Develop an appreciation for the richness of philosophi-cal thinking

• Cultivate a critical and personal perspective on what it means to live well

• Encourage others to develop their philosophical aware-ness and skills

Content • Define, describe, and illustrate what value theory, nor-mative ethics, and metaethics are and where they fit in the philosophical enterprise

• Understand, describe, and assess important positions in several aspects of moral philosophy, and their implica-tions for living well in society

Correlation to Learning Activities

Analysis

Assessment

Synthesis

Communication

Affect

Content

Reading EssayTestsLectures Discussions

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Assessments Your final grade will be based on four components:

• participation• reading responses• in-class tests• essay project

Participation (10%) Most lectures will have some clicker polls and group discus-sions. Some polls will be discussion starters; others will be used to gauge class opinions or solicit feedback. Participat-ing in polls and discussions will help you think about philo-sophical ideas and engage you in doing philosophy. There is no guaranteed minimum or maximum number of polls per session.

Participation is measured against the total number of events in the term. The grade will be interpolated linearly, with half marks awarded at 50% participation and full marks at 80% participation. No marks will be awarded for participating in fewer than 50% of the events.


Assessments (continued)

Reading Responses (10%)

Readings are assigned in seven blocks. You will write a response for the last six of these blocks, and the best five will count toward your final grade. Your responses will shape the lectures that cover the particular material. Each response will be graded out of 20, with 10 marks just for submitting it. Full marks are awarded for complete and thoughtful responses. The response prompts will appear as quizzes in LEARN.

Reading responses are due in LEARN at 11:00 AM on Tues-days. Late responses will not be accepted.

Responses are due on September 16, 23, and 30, October 7, November 11 and 18.

In-Class Tests (36%) You will write two tests during class time. The first will cov-er content assigned between September 10 and October 17, and will be written on Wednesday, October 22 (session 13). The second covers material assigned from October 24 to November 26, and will be written on Friday, November 28 (session 24). I will provide a preparation guide one week before each test. Each test is worth 18% of the final grade. Missed tests will receive a grade of zero.

Essay Project (44%) This course features a laddered essay project designed to move you through the various steps of writing an argumen-tative essay that incorporates your analysis and assessment of different philosophical sources. It is not a research es-say, and does not require sources other than the assigned course readings and lectures. You will write on your choice from a list of three topics. Further details will be provided in LEARN. Part of the lecture portion of the course will be given to walking you through the steps of writing a philo-sophical essay.

The first component is a simple thesis statement. This will give direction to your paper. It is worth 2% of the course grade and is due in LEARN at 11:00 AM on October 1. Late submissions will be accepted until 11:00 AM October 3 with a deduction of 50% of the assignment weight.

Next, you will prepare a detailed outline with annotated bibliography. This is worth 6% of the course grade. It is due in LEARN at 11:00 AM October 15. Late submissions will be accepted until 11:00 AM October 17 with a deduction of 50% of the assignment weight.

The next step is a finished essay—complete in all respects, including references and a works cited list. It will be 1500 words (±100 words, strictly enforced), or about 5 double-spaced pages, in length. This is worth 18% of your final


Assessments (continued)

grade. It is due in LEARN at 11:00 AM on November 7. Late essays will be accepted with a penalty of 10% of the value of the assignment per day, up to a maximum of 5 days late.

Once you have received the feedback on the finished essay, you may rewrite and resubmit it to LEARN by 11:00 AM on December 5. The revision must include a note describing the substantial changes that you made. This version of the essay is also worth 18% of the final grade, but late submis-sions will not be accepted. If you choose not to submit a second version of the essay, the grade from the first version will be assigned.

The essay will be graded using a rubric, which will be pro-vided with the essay topics.

No Final Exam This course does not have a final exam.

Grade Calculation Each component’s contribution to the final grade is calcu-lated to the nearest tenth of a mark. The sum of these is rounded to the nearest integer and assigned as the final course grade. Grades ending in a 9 are not bumped up; in particular, an earned grade of 49 will not be adjusted to 50.

Course Schedule This schedule is subject to change as needed. Advance no-tice of changes will be given wherever possible.

September 10 Session 1: Preliminaries

Read:• the syllabus• the informal grade appeal process• the alternative arrangement request process• University policies 33 and 71• the Faculty of Arts and Academic Integrity Office pages

on academic integrity• Doucet, “The Proper Use of Sources in Philosophy”

These documents (or links to them) are in LEARN under “Course Resources.”

September 12 Session 2: Logic and Argumentation

September 16 Reading response 1 due (11:00 AM):

• Taylor, “The Ethics of Respect for Nature,” 319–331• Hill, “Ideas of Human Excellence and Preserving Natural

Environments,” 332–347• Nathanson, “An Eye for an Eye?” 395–404• King, “Letter from Birmingham City Jail,” 405–415• Sandel, “The Case against Perfection,” 430–442• Savulescu, “Genetic Interventions and the Ethics of En-

hancement of Human Beings,” 443–460

September 17 Session 3: Problems, part 1; Essay Writing, part 1


Course Schedule(continued)

September 19 Session 4: Problems, part 2

ast day to add coursesL


• Epicurus, “Letter to Menoeceus,” 11–16• Mill, “Hedonism,” 17–26• Nozick, “The Experience Machine,” 27–30• Heathwood, “Faring Well and Getting What You Want,”

31–42• Kazez, “Necessities,” 43–54

September 24 Session 5: Values, part 1

September 26 Session 6: Values, part 2; Essay Writing, part 2

Last day to drop courses without penalty


• Plato, “Euthyphro,” 57–65• Foot, “Natural Goodness,” 66–76• Smart, “Extreme and Restricted Utilitarianism,” 77–86• Kant, “The Good Will and the Categorical Imperative,”

87–99

October 1 Session 7: Introducing Normative Theories

Thesis statement due (11:00 AM)

October 3 Session 8: Normative Theories, part 1—Religion

October 7 Reading response 4 due (11:00 AM):

• Hobbes, “Leviathan,” 100–110• Ross, “What Makes Right Acts Right?” 111–122• Aristotle, “Nicomachean Ethics,” 123–134• Lindemann, “What Is Feminist Ethics?” 135–147

October 8 Session 9: Normative Theories, part 2—Nature

October 10 Session 10: Normative Theories, part 3—Consequentialism

October 15 Session 11: Normative Theories, part 4—Deontology

Meet in EV1 350Detailed essay outline and annotated bibliography due (11:00 AM)Test 1 preparation guide available

October 17 Session 12: Essay writing, part 3; catch up

Last content for Test 1

October 22 Session 13: Test 1

October 24 Session 14: Normative Theories, part 5—Contractarianism

October 29 Session 15: Normative Theories, part 6—Prima facie duties


Course Schedule(continued)

revised essay 9 hours

in-class tests 3 hours

October 31 Session 16: Normative Theories, part 7—Virtue ethics

November 5 Session 17: Normative Theories, part 8—Feminist ethics

November 7 Session 18: Normative Theories, review

Finished essay due (11:00 AM)

November 11 Reading response 5 due (11:00 AM):

• Hume, “Moral Distinctions Not Derived from Reason,” 151–160

• Ayer, “A Critique of Ethics,” 161–173• Mackie, “The Subjectivity of Values,” 174–182

November 12 Session 19: Metaethics, part 1


Last day to drop course with a grade of WD

November 18 Reading response 6 due (11:00 AM):

• Gensler, “Cultural Relativism,” 183–191• Enoch, “Why I Am an Objectivist about Ethics (And Why

You Are, Too),” 192–205



Test 2 preparation guide available

November 26 Session 23: Philosophy in Culture; catch up

Course evaluationLast content for Test 2

November 28 Session 24: Test 2

December 3 Last day to drop course with a grade of WF

December 5 Revised essay due (11:00 AM)

December 15 Grades due in Quest

Expected Workload You are expected to spend about 120 hours on this course throughout the term.

readings and responses 33 hours

lectures33 hours

review/ study 20 hours

first essay 22 hours


Course Policies

Auditors Auditors are welcome, subject to classroom space and enrolment limits. Auditors must obtain an average grade of 50% or better on the best five reading responses, and par-ticipate in 50% or more of clicker events in order to receive a grade of AUD. Auditors have the option of writing the tests and the essay project, but will not receive credit for them.

Assignments To remove a source of bias in grading, do not leave your name visible on any assignment or test. Instead, use only your student ID number on all work you submit. LEARN and I can figure out whose work it is on that basis. Tests with-out a student ID number on them will not be graded.

The timestamp in LEARN is taken as definitive. Be sure to leave ample time to complete or upload assignments in LEARN before the submission deadline to work around network or hardware issues. If you are having difficulty with LEARN, send an e-mail to [email protected], with a copy to me.

You are responsible for keeping backup copies of work in progress. If your computer crashes, taking your only copy of an assignment with it, then you have a problem, but it’s not one that merits accommodation from me.

If you know that you cannot submit an assignment or write a test when it is due, download and complete the Alter-native Arrangement Request Form. All requests must be accompanied by documentation of sufficient detail and weight (a University of Waterloo Verification of Illness form, an obituary, a police report, a letter from AccessAbility Ser-vices, etc.) to support the request. Accommodation may be granted retroactively, depending on the particular case. Be aware that personal travel and workload from employment or other courses are not grounds for alternative arrange-ments. Approval is not automatic.

If you are dissatisfied with the grade or feedback on any as-signment or test, you have the right to request an informal regrade or further explanation. Read and follow the Infor-mal Grade Appeal process described in LEARN. I will know if you have read the instructions fully. Appeals that do not follow this process will be ignored without a response.

I expect all written work to be your own, not copied from a classmate, purchased, or cobbled together from Google search results. Any material (including ideas and paraphras-es) that you use from outside must be cited in place and included in a works cited list. Failure to do so may be an academic offense. All suspected cases of academic mis-conduct will be reported.

mailto:learnhelp%40uwaterloo.ca?subject=


Course Policies(continued)

i>clickers You are responsible for bringing a working i>clicker to class. You must set the operating frequency for the clicker each time you turn it on. No accommodation will be made for clickers that are forgotten, tuned to the incorrect fre-quency, or otherwise non-responsive.

You must register your clicker using the link provided in LEARN in order to receive credit for participation. If you are having difficulty registering your clicker, please speak to me.

Your clicker identifies you for this course. You can share a clicker with your friends, but only if they are not in the same course as you are.

You may not operate a clicker for a classmate—this is im-personation of another student, and an academic offense.

If your i>clicker is not working (and the batteries are still good), or the identification number has worn off, please visit the bookstore for help.

Classroom Conduct There is evidence to suggest that people sitting behind laptop computer users are distracted by what appears on those screens. If you use a laptop in class (and for the most part, you won’t need to in this one), please sit in a place where you are not in front of someone without a laptop. Laptops may only be used for the purposes of this course.

Turn off (not just silence) all mobile communication devices while class is in session. Your friends can wait.

Bring paper and a writing implement to each class. Exam bookets will be provided for in-class tests.

Out of respect for colleagues and the instructor, this course has a “one voice only” policy for whole-class activities. Please do not speak while another person is addressing the class as a whole.

If the classroom permits food, you may eat lunch during class. Please do not bring in heavily scented food.

If you arrive late, please do not disrupt the class. Find a seat near an aisle or in the upper row and settle in quietly. (Distributing a group coffee order is disruptive.)

Students who do not abide by these policies may be asked to leave the lecture.


Communicationwith Your Instructor

Course Policies(continued)

I do not have an office phone. If you need to reach me outside of class time or an office hour, please send me an e-mail from your uwaterloo.ca address. I will make every effort to respond to it by the end of the next business day (so if you send me an e-mail on Friday, you may not get a response until Monday afternoon).

University Notices

Cross-Listed Courses Please note that a cross-listed course will count in all re-spective averages no matter under which rubric it has been taken. For example, a PHIL/PSCI cross-list will count in a Philosophy major average, even if the course was taken un-der the Political Science rubric.

Academic Integrity Academic Integrity: In order to maintain a culture of aca-demic integrity, members of the University of Waterloo are expected to promote honesty, trust, fairness, respect and responsibility.

Discipline: A student is expected to know what constitutes academic integrity, to avoid committing academic offences, and to take responsibility for his/her actions. A student who is unsure whether an action constitutes an offence, or who needs help in learning how to avoid offences (e.g., plagiarism, cheating) or about “rules” for group work/col-laboration should seek guidance from the course professor, academic advisor, or the Undergraduate Associate Dean. When misconduct has been found to have occurred, disci-plinary penalties will be imposed under Policy 71—Student Discipline. For information on categories of offenses and types of penalties, students should refer to Policy 71—Stu-dent Discipline.

Grievance: A student who believes that a decision affect-ing some aspect of his/her university life has been unfair or unreasonable may have grounds for initiating a grievance. Read Policy 70—Student Petitions and Grievances, Section 4.

Appeals: A student may appeal the finding and/or penalty in a decision made under Policy 70—Student Petitions and Grievances (other than regarding a petition) or Policy 71—Student Discipline if a ground for an appeal can be estab-lished. Read Policy 72—Student Appeals.

Other sources of information for students:

• Academic Integrity website (Arts)• Academic Integrity Office (uWaterloo)

https://uwaterloo.ca/secretariat-general-counsel/policies-procedures-guidelines/policy-71









https://uwaterloo.ca/arts/current-undergraduates/student-support/ethical-behaviour

https://uwaterloo.ca/academic-integrity/


University Notices (continued)

Accommodation for Students

with Disabilities

Note for students with disabilities: The AccessAbility Ser-vices office, located in Needles Hall Room 1132, collaborates with all academic departments to arrange appropriate ac-commodations for students with disabilities without com-promising the academic integrity of the curriculum. If you require academic accommodations to lessen the impact of your disability, please register with the AS office at the beginning of each academic term.

https://uwaterloo.ca/disability-services/

https://uwaterloo.ca/disability-services/

philosophy 110b (002) fall 2014 syllabus · • encourage others to develop their philosophical...

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