Philosophy and Society Office: Hellems 182
Fall 2007 Phone: 492-6964
Hellems 263 office hours: WF 10:00-11:30
MWF: 12:00-12:50 e-mail: David.Boonin@Colorado.Edu
http://stripe.colorado.edu/~boonind/phil1200fall07b.html
course format: The format for this course involves a
combination
of lecture and class discussion.
required readings: All required readings for this course are contained in the book What's Wrong? Applied Ethicists and Their Critics (Oxford University Press, 2004), edited by David Boonin and Graham Oddie. The book is available at the University of Colorado Book Store in the UMC. All page numbers listed below refer to the pages in this book. Students are expected to come to class each day having done the required readings.
course requirements: Final grades will be based on a
combination of written work, class participation, and a final
examination. Students will be evaluated on their ability to
explain and critique the arguments covered
in the course, and not on whether they agree or disagree with them.
1. papers (60
percent of
final grade): students will write two 7-8 pp. papers, each of which is
worth
30 percent of the final grade. The first paper is due on Tuesday,
Oct. 16 and the second paper is due on Tuesday, Dec. 4. Papers
should
be
left in my box in the
philosophy department office (HLMS 167) by 5:00
p.m.
on the day they are due. Students may hand in rough drafts for
comments in advance of the deadline, and
I will make every reasonable effort to provide such
feedback in a timely manner, but students do not have the option of
rewriting their paper or doing anything else to earn extra credit after
the paper has been graded. Papers that are handed in late without
a legitimate excuse will be marked down one half-grade (e.g, from a B
to a B-) for every day that they are late. Be sure to include
your name on the front page of the paper when you hand it in. For
further details on
the
writing assingments for this course, click
here .
2. class participation
(25
percent of final grade): participation will count for 25 percent of the
final
grade. Class participation requires, at a minimum, attending
class and a student's
participation grade will be lowered by one-half (e.g., from a B to a
B-)
for every unexcused absence. In addition, to earn full credit for
participation,
students must be actively engaged in the course, where this is
construed
broadly to include conversations with me during
office
hours and correspondence with me via e-mail, as well as contributions
to
class discussion.
3. final examination
(15
percent of final grade): the final exam will count for 15 percent of
the
final grade. The exam will involve a combination of short answer
questions
and short essay questions. Students will be required to answer
short
essay questions about articles other than those they wrote their two
7-8
pp. papers on. The exam will be held on Thursday,
December 20: 10:30 a.m.-
1:30 p.m. in Hellems 263.
additional policies: click here for information on policies regarding the honor code, classroom environment, disabilities, religious observances, and discrimination and harassment.
class meetings
0. introduction and overview (Aug. 27)
1. is abortion immoral?: Part I (Aug. 29, 31; Sep. 5, 7 )
required reading: WW, pp.
92-105
optional reading: WW, pp.
105-114
required reading: WW, pp. 65-76.
optional reading: WW, pp. 77-92.
3. is it wrong not to contribute to famine relief ? (Sep. 17, 19, 21)
required reading: WW, pp. 1-13, 532-44
optional reading: WW, pp. 544-556
4. should the state require people to have a license to become parents? (Sep. 24, 26, 28)
required reading: WW, pp. 17-20, 337-47.
optional reading: WW, pp. 348-54.
5. is affirmative action wrong? (Oct. 1, 3, 5)
required reading: WW, pp. 377-88.
optional reading: WW, pp. 388-92.
6. should blackmail be legalized? (Oct. 8, 10, 12)
required reading: WW, pp. 715-24
7. should the U.S. make reparations to African-Americans for the harms caused by slavery? (Oct. 15, 17, 19)
required reading: WW, pp. 393-405
8. is capital punishment wrong? (Oct 22, 24)
required reading: WW, pp. 590-614
9. topic and readings to be announced: guest speaker, Prof. Chris Heathwood (Oct. 26, 29)
10. is it wrong not to work? (Oct 31, Nov. 2)
required reading: WW, pp. 734-39.
11. is prostitution wrong? (Nov. 5, 7, 9)
required reading: WW, pp. 255-68
optional reading: WW, pp. 269-77
12. do animals have rights? (Nov. 12, 14, 16)
required reading: WW, pp. 141-151.
optional reading: WW, pp. 151-64.
13. should the practice of inheritance be abolished? (Nov.26, 28, 30)
required reading: WW, pp. 695-714.
14. is reproductive human cloning wrong? (Dec. 3, 5, 7)
required reading: WW, pp. 680-85
optional reading: WW, pp. 686-91
15. is legal punishment wrong? (Dec. 10, 12, 14 )
required reading: WW, pp. 615-33
optional reading: WW, pp. 633-37
FINAL EXAM: Thursday, December 20: 10:30 a.m.- 1:30 p.m.