Course Description and Objective:  PHI 3638 (Ethical Issues of the 21st Century) is a course in contemporary ethical issues and problems.  We will begin the course with an overview of major ethical theories and traditions and move from there to an examination of issues of both contemporary and perennial concern.  Among the issues to be given consideration are euthanasia, welfare, freedom of speech and censorship, the death penalty, abortion, and paternalism (protecting people from themselves).  The course is split into two subject parts:  first are "Matters of Life and Death and Personal Autonomy."  Second are "Freedom, Relationships, and Social Obligations."  The issues to be discussed in this course are controversial and tend to generate not only discussion (which is certainly desirable) but also contention between people (which is not necessarily so desirable).  Remember that the point of examining ethical issues is to become more informed regarding them and to engage in fruitful and peaceful discussion with others for the purpose of finding (in an ideal case) their solutions, or at least to deal more effectively with those problems (in cases more consistent with the "reality" of things).  Remember, too, that the simple fact that some person may agree or disagree with your position on an issue does not imply necessarily that the person in question has good reasons for doing so - neither does it imply necessarily that you have good reasons for holding the position(s) you hold.  Keeping that in mind, it is important to realize that the content and quality of argumentation is a major factor relevant to this course.  You should, through the term, develop and sharpen your ability to articulate the problems and issues as well as to become more informed about them to be able to deal critically with them.

Requirements and Grades:  A mid-term and final examination as well as individual assignments and a term paper are required for the course.  Use the links to see descriptions and requirements for these elements of evaluation. Examinations count as 50% of your final grade.  The final paper or in-class, on-line presentation is 25%, and assignments are another 25%.  No grades are dropped.  Be sure to attend class regularly since you are responsible for meeting all obligations for the course.  Make-up examinations and assignments are given only with good, legitimate and verifiable reasons.  Papers are due absolutely no later than the date listed in the schedule, below.  Late papers are not accepted.  Incomplete grades are given only in cases of extreme hardship or verifiable emergencies and are subject to conditions as appropriate.  Any late exam or assignment must be made up within 3 class meeting days of its initial administration.  There is no extra credit offered or available in this course.  Grades are earned, not given.

Grades and Grading Scale:  Grades are based on the following numerical values and are assigned using the +/- grading system.
 
 

    Plagiarism of any kind is a violation of the "Golden Rule" as published in the UCF Catalog.  Academic honesty and integrity are expected of everyone all the time.  In other words, don't cheat.  Wouldn't cheating in an ethics class be somewhat ironic, anyway??  Cases of academic dishonesty will be dealt with as appropriate.  See the link to academic integrity in the table at the top of the syllabus and visit the UCF Website for information on the "Golden Rule."  Your essay and paper are both to be submitted to "turnitin.com" on or before the date it is due.  Instructions and information regarding "turnitin.com" will be provided in class.
    Common courtesy is expected at all times.  Wandering in late is disruptive and impolite.  So are ringing cell phones and screeching beepers.  Please turn them off, or set them to a silent alarm.  I prefer that you not record lectures.
    Attendance is strongly encouraged and expected, but it is not "counted" in determining your grade for the course.  You get no credit for showing up for class.  Being in class is a given.  You are responsible for being in class and for any exams or assignments you may miss.  Much of the material covered in class may not appear in the text or in any notes in the syllabus or website.  If you miss a class, you are responsible for obtaining any notes or information you missed.  Office hours are not held to repeat a lecture already given in class.  They are held to clarify points, provide assistance, and otherwise attend to academic matters relevant to this course.  If a test or assignment falls on a day of religious observance in which you participate, you must provide at least two weeks' advance notice in writing to be able to make up any missing test or assignment.

Texts:     1.  John Arthur, Morality and Moral Controversies , 5th Edition.  Prentice-Hall Publishing Company.
                2.  Stephen Satris, Taking Sides:  Clashing Views on Controversial Moral Issues, 8th Edition.  Dushkin/McGraw-Hill Publishing Company.
                3.  Other works required for the course will be placed on reserve in the UCF Library or they will be available on-line and listed in the schedule below.

Schedule and Information about On-line Notes:  From time to time, course materials may appear as links in this syllabus.  Watch for them.  Some elements of course contents may appear in "review" questions for exams.  The Department of Philosophy website (link at the top of the syllabus) includes a link to electronic resources and writing guides that may be useful for assignments, papers, and studying for exams.
    A message board appears as a link in this syllabus at the top of the document.  The message board is for on-line reivew and discussion.  You should use it for posting questions to other people registered in this course and for studying for exams.  It may also prove useful in completing course assignments.  When posting questions or information on the message board, please use your "real" name or a screen name by which you may be identified by others.  Anonymous posts are not always helpful.  Messages are not edited or screened as they are posted, so be decent and civilized and don't post anything inappropriate.  I do not always engage in discussions on-line or read all posted messages, but the board is regularly checked and maintained.

    Schedule:
    The schedule below is meant only as a guide.  Changes and alterations in the schedule, scheduled examinations, readings, and other information may be made from time to time to ensure completion of all major sections listed below.
    If a work required for the course does not appear in one of the texts, a link to electronic documents, or a notation regarding reserve materials, will be made in the schedule below.
    When review questions are posted, they are designed for review of major theories, issues, problems, etc., and do not necessarily reflect the content, format, or number of actual questions appearing on examinations.
 
 

NOTE:  The list below reflects amendments to the schedule posted on 9/23/01.  The schedule remains flexible, so always be prepared for changes, additions, alterations, and extended time on some issues, especially given the volatile nature of our times and the ethical issues they involve.

Remember that not all issues or articles and text chapters will have on-line notes attached.  Some are done in class only.

Week 4:  September 10-14:  Relativism and Religion and Ethics.  See table above for page numbers.  Feminist Ethics moves to Week 10.

Week 5:  September 17-21:  Patriotism and the Morality of War
    MacIntyre, "Is Patriotism a Virtue?" in Arthur, 52-59.  Notes.
    Wasserstrom, "The Morality of War" in Arthur, 100-108.  Notes.

Week 6:  September 24-26 Capital Punishment / (September 28:  Library Meeting - see table above for information )
    Glover , "Executions" in Arthur, 116-121
    Perlmutter , "Desert and Capital Punishment" in Arthur, 122-130
    Satris , articles by Van den Haag and Costanzo, 278-301.

Week 7 & 8:  October 1-3 and 10-12 &15 Racist Speech, Hate and Violence / October 5 (off - I will be attending a conference on Oct. 5)
    Background in Mill from On Liberty - on Freedom of Thought and Discussion - in Arthur, 359-361
    Lawrence and Gunther, "Prohibiting Racist Speech on Campus:  A Debate" in Arthur, 369-374 - see review questions in text
    Satris, articles by Levin and Fein, Does America Need a Federal Hate Crime Law? 218-229
    Satris, articles by Dixon and Polsby, Banning Handguns, 256-277 - Are utilitarian considerations the most important for this issue?

OCTOBER 8:  MIDTERM EXAM - BIBLIOGRAPHY IS DUE.  REMEMBER THAT YOU WILL NOT GET THE BIBLIOGRAPHY BACK, SO KEEP A COPY FOR YOURSELF.  The mid-term is an essay test generally designed to incorporate ethical theory into analysis of the issues covered.  So, for example, you might do well to think of how a utilitarian or Kantian would respond to the communitarian view of patriotism as a virtue, or how the two general views of punishment might be applicable to questions of the morality of war.  Review questions for the mid-term do not appear in the on-line syllabus since John Arthur's text includes review questions and we spend ample time in class on analysis of issues in both texts.

Week 8 & 9:  October 17-19 and 22:  (Link to notes on) Suicide and Euthanasia
    Rachels, "Active and Passive Euthanasia" in Arthur, 223-227
    Dyck, "An Alternative to the Ethic of Euthanasia" in Arthur, 219-222
    Brandt, "Defective Newborns and the Morality of Termination" in Arthur, 228-237 - includes in the notes an introduction to the problem of abortion.
    Satris, articles by Gersh and Marker, Should Physician Assisted Suicide be Legalized?

Week 10:  October 22-26: ( Link to some notes on) Abortion
    Background in Mill from On Liberty, in Arthur, 323-331
    Thomson, "A Defense of Abortion" in Arthur, 171-179
    Marquis, "An Argument that Abortion is Wrong" in Arthur, 187-195
    Sherwin, "Feminism and Abortion" in Arthur, 196-202
    Harris, "Fathers and Fetuses" in Arthur, 203-210
ADD:  Walter Sinnot-Armstrong, "You Can't Lose What You Ain't Never Had" in Philosophical Studies , 96 (1999).  You can probably get it online, but if you have any problem with it, I'm also putting it on reserve in the library tomorrow (Nov. 1).  It usually takes a day or so for articles to show up at the reserve desk.  To get the article on-line, go to the library website, then do a search for journal title for Philosophical Studies.  Then click on "online" availability.  It takes you to Kluwer publishing, and then you should be able to click on the article.  It comes up on PDF format.  Some of you may not have computers capable of reading PDFs, so it will be on reserve as a back-up.  If you are not using pegasus or a computer on campus, you probably can't get to the file since it is pegasus-specific.
   Although the syllabus indicates that there is no extra credit offered or available in this course, no one complained about a slight change to include it.  If you're interested, you can do a 3-4 page summary and critical analysis of Sinnot-Armstrong's position regarding the quality of Marquis' argument against abortion.  If you choose to do this, type it and double space it and be sure that it's submitted by Nov. 14 (Wednesday).
    Satris, articles by Marquis and English, Is Abortion Immoral? 96-115

Weeks 11-13:  October 29-November 16:

Feminist Ethics and Sexual Equality
    Held, "Feminist Transformations of Moral Theory" in Arthur, 60-65
    Satris, articles on pp. 48-67
    Mill and Taylor, from The Subjection of Women in Arthur, 442-448
    Kymlicka, "Sexual Equality and Discrimination:  Difference and Dominance" in Arthur, 454-457
    Richards, "Freedom, Conditioning and the Real Woman" in Arthur, 458-468

Sexual Relationships and Pornography.  No on-line notes.   I will be attending as a participant the annual meeting of the Florida Philosophical Association to be held at Stetson University on November 9 and 10.  Your attendance at this meeting is always welcome.  See the Department of Philosophy Website in "news" or "news and events" for information.
    Kant, "Duties Toward the Body in Respect to Sexual Impulse" in Arthur, 481-484
    Satris, articles by Punzo and Goldman, Must Sex Involve Commitment? 168-184
    Satris, articles by Ettlebrich and Feder, Would Vermont's Civil Union Law...?  84-95
    Longino, "Pornography, Oppression and Freedom" in Arthur 375-380
    Wicclair, "Feminism, Pornography and Censorship" in Arthur, 381-385

November 12:  Veteran's Day Holiday

Week 13, 14:  November 19-21:  Medical Issues in Ethics:  Drugs, Cloning and Stem Cell Research - No on-line notes
    Satris, articles by Annas and Robertson, Should Human Cloning be Banned?  152-167
    Dr. Hawkins' article in the Florida Philosophical Review on "Stem Cell Research and Respect for Life" - go to http://www.cas.ucf.edu/philosophy/fpr
    Satris, articles by Boaz and Courtwright, Should Drugs be Legalized?  186-205
    Szasz, "The Ethics of Addiction" in Arthur, 335-342
    Shapiro, "Addiction and Drug Policy" in Arthur, 353-358

Week 15:  November 26-30 and Dec. 3:  Animals and the Environment.  Thanksgiving Holiday on 11/23.  Your Essay is DUE ON 11/21.
    Singer, "All Animals are Equal" in Arthur, 131-140
    Steinbock, "Speciesism and the Ideal of Equality" in Arthur, 141-147
    Baxter, "People or Penguins" in Arthur, 148-151
    Satris, articles by Wise and Wagner, The Rights of Great Apes, 327-339

Your term paper is due on 12/3.  Click on this link for very important information.  Link added on 11/26/01 .

THIS SECTION HAS BEEN OMITTED FROM THE SCHEDULE.  IT WAS REMOVED TO ACCOMMODATE THE ADDITION OFTHE SECTIONS EARLIER IN THE SEMESTER ON JUST WAR THEORY AND THE MORALITY OF PATRIOTISM.  Affirmative Action, Economic Inequality and Welfare.    Remember, if you are doing an on-line presentation, the final project is due on 12/3, but your in-class element must be done before this date.  See me for information on presentations.
    Satris, articles by Mosley and Pojman, Is Affirmative Action Fair?  230-255
    Murray, "Affirmative Racism" in Arthur, 403-409
    Singer, "Rich and Poor" in Arthur, 273-279
    Satris, articles by Schenck and Tanner on Faith Based Charities, 314-326
    C. Thomas (Supreme Court Justice), "Victims and Heroes in the Benevolent State" in Arthur, 562-568.

Final Exam:  December 5, 1-3:50 p.m.   Your final exam is online.  It is due on December 7 by 4:00 p.m. in my office, either in electronic format on a 3.5" disk or in hard copy form, or on-line as an e-mail attachment by 11:59 p.m. on December 7.