Dr. Nancy Stanlick	PHI 3670	Ethical Theory	Summer A 2003
CNH 411-I 407-823-5459		CL1-308
Dept. Office: 407-823-2273	stanlick@pegasus.cc.ucf.edu
Office Hours:	MW 4:00-4:45	TR 1:00-1:45	& by appt.

Texts:

• Paul A. Newberry, Ethical Traditions (Mountainview, CA: Mayfield (McGraw-Hill), 2000, 2002).
• Kelly James Clark and Anne Poortenga, The Story of Ethics (Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2003).

Message Board: Use THIS LINK

Course Requirements/Course Description and Objective:

• Mid-term and Final Examinations: 50% (20% midterm; 30% final)
• Mid-term date: May 27
• Final date: June 16
• 2 in-class essays – topics TBA on dates assigned (dates determined in class only): 10% (5% each)
• 1 2-page essay: 10% – see topics and instructions at this link.
• These are due in the 3^rd and 4^th weeks, alternating, based on the first letter of your last name (see the link above).
• Research Essay: 30% - See instructions in this link.
• The research essay is a short (5-7 pages) research essay based on one primary and one secondary source and your critical appraisal of an argument, concept, or position in theoretical or applied ethics. Topics are in the link.

There is no extra credit available in this course.

Ethical Theory is an upper-division course in philosophy dealing with major theoretical movements in normative and meta-ethics in the history of Western philosophy. Some “applied” topics are relevant to the course. They are the ethics of friendship, supererogatory actions, and selflessness and self-respect. In this course, you should gain a solid background in major theories of ethics, developing the ability to discuss these theories from an explanatory and critical point of view.

I will not take attendance in this course. It is up to you to keep track of yourself. If you do not intend to attend on a regular basis, you may wish to re-think taking this course. In a summer term, you will do everything you would do if you were taking the course in the fall or spring. In-class time is the same in the summer term as it is in longer terms. Remember, then, that missing one day of class is like missing approximately 2 days in the fall or spring. Although attendance will not be taken, you are responsible for meeting all the course requirements, being present for in-class essays and examinations, and submitting all required coursework on time. Graded assignments for this course can be made up only with good, legitimate, and verifiable reason. Otherwise, missed examinations or any graded element may not be made up. In a case in which you have a good, legitimate, and verifiable reason for not submitting an assignment, paper, or test on time, you MUST make it up within 2 class meeting days of its initial administration.

• Plagiarism or cheating of any kind on an examination, paper, or any assignment of any kind for this course will result at least in an “F” for that assignment (and may, depending on the severity of the case, lead to an “F” for the entire course) and may be subject to appropriate referral to the Office of Student Conduct for further action. See the UCF Golden Rule for further information.
• Assignments done outside of class must also be your own work. There is nothing wrong with seeking the assistance of others (in fact, helping each other to study for examinations is highly recommended), but simply obtaining answers or information from another person and turning them in as your own is certainly unacceptable.
• I will assume for this course that you will adhere to the academic creed of the University and will maintain the highest standards of academic integrity (academic integrity is, in fact, is one of the sub-topics of this course). In other words, don’t cheat by giving answers to others or by taking them from anyone else. Need this be said in an ethics course?

All papers for this course are subject to submission to turnitin.com.

Grading Scale and Policies

A	95-100%	C	74-76.x%
A-	90-94.x%	C-	70-73.x%
B+	87-89.x%	D+	67-69.x%
B	84-86.x%	D	64-66.x%
B-	80-83.x%	D-	60-63.x%
C+	77-79.x%	F	0-59.x%

This on-line schedule will be updated as necessary (generally, at least once a week) and will include chapters of the required texts, articles available online, in the library, or on reserve, links to other information relevant to chapters and topics, assignments, as well as examination and paper due dates. The schedule below is meant only as a guide. Changes and alterations in the schedule, scheduled topics, assignment or examination dates (except the final) may be necessary to facilitate completion of all major sections listed below. The schedule chart below contains useful information about this course. Remember to refer to it often.

Schedule

Week	Topic	Readings in Texts or on-line*	Links/Notes/and Suggested Readings**
First Week (May 6-8)	Ancient Ethics (Virtue Theory)	Plato and Aristotle N, Plato 22-35 (Euthyphro) and 36-44 (Republic) N, Aristotle 45-67 (Nic. Ethics) C&P, “The Ancient World,” 5-30.	Background info on ethics More background and “cases” Plato’s Euthyphro Plato’s Republic Aristotle’s Ethics and Political Theory Plato, Aristotle, Hobbes and Locke in one file.
Second Week (May 12-15) The first short in-class essay will be on 5/13 in class. If you wish to prepare to some extent, think about how it might be possible for the ethical theory of Plato or Aristotle to solve a practical, “real life” ethical problem.	Medieval Ethics (Virtue Theory)	Epicurus, Epictetus, Augustine, Aquinas N, Epicurus (Letter to Menoeceus & Principal Doctrines) 68-77 N, Epictetus (Encheiridion) 78-96 N, Augustine (The City of God) 97-107 N, Aquinas (Summa Theologica) 108-121. C&P, “The Medieval World,” 31-50.	Epicurus Virtue Theory (General) Virtue Theory Graphic File (5/12/03)
Third Week (May 19-22) 2 page essay is due on May 22^nd for those whose last names begin with any letter A-M.	Early Modern Ethics (Rights-Based Ethics)	Hobbes, Hume, Kant, Wollstonecraft N, Hobbes (Leviathan) 122-136 N, Hume (Enquiry Concerning the Principles of Morals) 152-169 C&P, “The Modern World,” 51-78	Hobbes Hobbes on Equality Hobbes MMP (graphic) file Egoism Locke Locke MMP (graphic) file Hobbes & Locke (links to Hobbes and Locke combined) LINK TO THE REVIEW FOR TEST 1
Fourth Week (May 26-29) 2-page essay is due on May 29^th for those whose last names begin with any letter N-Z. Test 1 on May 27	Late Modern Ethics (Rights-Based, Individualism, and the Return to Community)	Kant, Wollstonecraft N, Kant (Fundamental Principles of the Metaphysics of Morals) 170-184 N, Wollstonecraft (Vindication of the Rights of Woman) 194-201 N, Dewey (The Quest for Certainty) 254-276 DEWEY HAS BEEN DELETED FROM THE SCHEDULE. C&P, “The Late Modern World,” 7	Hume Kant Wollstonecraft (with Mill, Baier and Held)
Fifth Week (June 2-5)	Continue late Modern Ethics and begin Contemporary Ethics (Emotivism, Communitarianism and Political Liberalism)	Marx, Mill, Nietzsche 1. N, Marx (Comm. Manifesto) 217-229 2. N, Mill (Utilitarianism) 202-216 3. N, Nietzsche (Genealogy of Morals, Beyond Good and Evil) 230-242	Rights-Based Ethics – extra notes only Marx Mill Kant and Mill in one file Act & Rule Utilitarianism - addition Nietzsche
Sixth Week (June 9- 12) FINAL EXAM ON MONDAY JUNE 16 Research essay is due on June 16^th.	Continuation	MONDAY: Nihilism and Emotivism (Nietzsche, Ayer) AND Begin THE RETURN TO NORMATIVE ETHICS in Anscombe, Rawls and Nozick 1. Continue Nietzsche from June 5 2. N, Ayer (Language, Truth and Logic) 286-299 N, Anscombe (“Modern Moral Philosophy”), 310-326 C&P, “The Post-Modern World,” sections on Ayer and Anscombe TUESDAY: 20^th-century analytic ethics/politics in Rawls and Nozick - and a return to community in Sandel. Virginia Held on Feminist Ethics. 1. N, Rawls (A Theory of Justice), 327-338 Sections from Nozick will be added online or provided in class. ADD online source: Michael Sandel, “The Procedural Republic and the Unencumbered Self” (Pegasus & proxy access only) – from Political Theory, Vol. 12, No. 1. (Feb., 1984), pp. 81-96 N, Held, “Feminism and Moral Theory,” pp. 379-end of Newberry Text. C&P, “The Post-Modern World,” sections on Rawls and MacIntyre WEDNESDAY: Selflessness, Self-Respect and Supererogatory Actions 1. N, Hill (“Servility and Self-Respect”), 355-368 2. N, Wolf (“Moral Saints”), 369-385 THURSDAY: Continuation, Conclusion, and Review for the final (if time permits)	MONDAY Nietzsche continued Emotivism & Anscombe TUESDAY Rawls (and Nozick) More Rawls Nozick image file Links to Nozick-relatec websites: http://www.humanities.mq.edu.au/Ockham/y64l17.html http://www.missouri.edu/~philrnj/nozick.html http://www.news.harvard.edu/gazette/2002/01.17/99-nozick.html See the link to Sandel in the column on the left (Communitarianism/Contemporary Virtue Ethics) There are no on-line notes on Sandel. In class only. Feminist Ethics WEDNESDAY Link to notes on Hill’s article on self-respect. Link to notes on Wolf’s article on moral saints. Suggested/Optional for Section on Selflessness, Self-Respect and Supererogatory Actions: See notes on Emerson on “Self-Reliance” and self-respect. You should also read Emerson’s “Self-Reliance” in First Series of Essays at http://books.mirror.org/emerson/essays1.txt - you have to scroll down through other essays to reach this one. Suggested/Optional: (After Hill and Wolf): Supererogatory Actions (link to article – Pegasus & proxy access only) Nancy Stanlick, “The Nature and Value of Supererogatory Actions,” Journal of Social Philosophy, Spring99, Vol. 30 Issue 1, p209, 14p– go to the UCF Library Website at http://library.ucf.edu, then go to online journal subscriptions, type in “Journal of Social Philosophy,” and then choose the appropriate issue. Suggested/Optional: C&P, “The Post-Modern World,” sections on Gilligan, Rorty and Human Nature…. REVIEW FOR THE FINAL EXAM Check your e-mail for an attachment on Michael Sandel’s ethical theory.
W		*N=Newberry, CP=Clark and Poortenga	**On-line notes are NOT complete and are not a substitute for reading the text, attending class, and taking notes of your own. Some links with notes are more complete and detailed than others, but it is ALWAYS the case that more information and discussion occur in class than what appears in the links.