* A VERY IMPORTANT NOTE ABOUT THIS SYLLABUS: By remaining enrolled in this course, you acknowledge and assume responsibility for all that is indicated on this syllabus.  Ignorance of what is covered on this syllabus is not excusable.  

Professor Stephen Morris
Office: 2N/232
Telephone: 718-982-2895
Office Hours: W: 4:45-6:45pm (in-person and via Zoom) and by appointment
E-mail: stephen.morris@csi.cuny.edu
 
Required Text: NONE—All Required Readings Will Be Available on Blackboard
 
Course Description:
This course addresses issues concerning the propriety of social and individual conduct in the light of important ethical theories of Western civilization. Topics include the meaning of good and evil, the meaning of right and wrong, free will, and the validity of ethical judgment. Questions about ethics are central to many important issues facing our society today.  Discussions about abortion, euthanasia, capital punishment, and our responsibility to those living in poverty turn on what we take the boundaries of our moral obligations to be.  We will begin our attempts to respond to such issues by analyzing some of the fundamental elements of sound reasoning and by surveying some of the predominant ethical theories.  Learning these theories will help us as we discuss specific ethical issues during the remainder of the course.  During the semester, we will attempt to construct some original responses of our own.
 
Course Objectives:
* To cultivate one’s ability to understand and critically discuss philosophical arguments both in writing and in class participation.
* To gain an understanding of the predominant ethical theories within which contemporary ethical issues are analyzed.
* To understand and articulate specific ethical problems and responses made to them.
 
Grading Scale:
A=100-93; A-=92-90; B+=89-87; B=86-83; B-=82-80; C+=79-77; C=76-70; D=69-60; F<60
**Note: Each assignment (other than in-class assignments) will be graded numerically from 0­-100. Each assignment will also receive a letter grade that will correspond to the numerical value in terms of its percentage out of 100. For instance, a paper or exam that is given a grade of 87.7 will receive a B+.
 
Course Requirements: (Percentages of Final Grade)
* Participation                         10%
* In-class assignments             10%
* Exam 1                                 15%
* Exam 2                                 15%
* Exam 3                                 15%
* Final Exam                          15%
* Term Paper                          20%
 
* In regards to written work, each student will be graded according to the following criteria:
            – The ability to express one’s ideas clearly
            – The ability to accurately describe the various philosophical positions being considered
– Relevance of the student’s written work to the question(s) being asked – don’t go off on a tangent!
– The ability to reason/think critically
 
* In terms of Extra Credit, there will likely be opportunities to earn two extra credit points during the semester on particular days chosen by the professor. Students attending that day and signing an attendance sheet will earn an extra credit point on the day an extra credit point is offered. Note that there will be no other opportunities for extra credit UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES (need a certain grade to get into a program, to maintain a scholarship, to graduate, international terrorists have kidnapped your parents and threatened to kill them if you don’t get an A in this class, etc.). If a student approaches me with a request for any additional extra credit beyond what is stated above, he or she will be referred to this section of the syllabus and the conversation will end abruptly.
 
Participation:
Your participation grade will be determined by the degree to which you participate in class discussions of the course material (proposing answers to the questions asked, asking questions of your own, etc.) as well as by your general conduct in the classroom.  A student’s participation grade can also be boosted by participating in the course Wiki.  Students will begin the class with an 80% participation grade.  Students can increase their grade by making a positive contribution to class discussion of the material.  Students can decrease their grade by displaying improper classroom conduct which may include—but is not limited to—the following:
            – Arriving to class late without notifying the professor beforehand.
            – Leaving class early without notifying the professor beforehand.
            – Having an electronic device (cell phone, etc.) go off during class.
– Using electronic devices (cell phones, computers, etc.) in improper ways (texting, web surfing, etc.) during class.
            – Disrupting the class by talking (SEE BELOW).
            – Directing abusive or insulting language towards either the professor or a fellow-student.
 
Policy on Talking and Other Disruptive Classroom Behavior:
If a student exhibiting disruptive behavior causes me to interrupt a lecture to demand that they stop talking, etc., the following steps will be taken:
First Interruption during the Semester: Student receives a warning.
Second Disruption during the Semester and all Subsequent Disruptions: Student will lose one participation point out of 10.
Third Disruption during the Semester: Student will be permanently moved to a seat in the front of the class and away from other students if space allows.
Fourth Disruption during the Semester: Student will be reported to the administration.
 
In-Class Assignments:
During the course of the semester, 12 or so in-class assignments (consisting of either group discussions or unannounced quizzes or homework assignments) will be given. Of these 12 or so assignments only the highest 9 or so scores will be kept. Make-up assignments will be given only for excused absences (e.g., a doctor’s note, etc.). Three or so drops are allowed as protection if you have to miss class for some other reason. Grades for the quizzes/homework will be based on your ability to clearly and accurately express the ideas that are put forth in the assigned reading(s) for the day on which a particular assignment is due. If a student is found guilty of cheating on an in-class assignment, that student will receive a zero for his or her total in-class assignment grade and be reported to the Office of the VP of Student Affairs.
Exams:
Four exams will be given during the course of the semester, none of which will be cumulative.  Exams will consist of true and false, multiple choice, and essay questions.  Make-up exams will be administered only to students with excused absences. If a student is caught cheating during an exam, that student will receive a zero on the exam and will be reported. Keep in mind that under no circumstances will students be allowed to take an exam in class if they arrive to class thirty minutes or later. NO EXAMS WILL BE DROPPED!
 
Paper:
One term paper will be assigned during the semester. If you are unable to turn a paper in on time, expect it to be docked three percentage points for each day turned in late-including weekends-unless:a) I am notified ahead of time about a problem; or b) there is an excused absence.
*Note: The terms for turning in late work are non-negotiable. Each student is expected to read this syllabus and follow it accordingly.
 
Attendance:
Students are expected to be on time since late arrivals are disruptive and inconsiderate to both the professor and fellow students. Leaving class early is equally disruptive. Students who need to leave early should notify the instructor at the beginning of class and sit where it will minimize disturbance. Likewise, all electronic devices barring those used for taking notes (e.g., cell phones, pagers, etc.) must be turned off during class.
*Attending class and keeping up with the readings are essential to passing this course.
 
Important Notes:
* If an accommodation is needed for a disability, please notify me during the first week of class.
* Be aware that policies stated in this syllabus are subject to change.
* Students are not allowed to use ANY OTHER MATERIAL other than the class notes and the textbook during the exams or in the writing of the term paper. If a student is found using any other material in completing these assignments—including, but not limited to, other students’ notes, notes from another class a student took previously themselves (either during college or before), and online sources including AI-generated material like ChatGPT—the student will receive a ZERO on the assignment and be reported.
– One exception here that a student is allowed to use an online source in writing the term paper if and only if:
                        a) They cite it appropriately;
                        b) All cited material does not constitute more than one page of the student’s paper;
and,     c) It is not AI-generated. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES are students allowed to use AI-generated material in the completion of assignments for this course.
* If a student is unclear about any policies stated in this syllabus, it is their responsibility to come talk to me to get clarification.
           
Academic Honor Code:
Academic honesty is required in all academic endeavors. Violations of academic honesty include any instance of plagiarism, cheating, seeking credit for another’s work, falsifying documents or academic records, or any other fraudulent activity. Violations of academic honesty may result in a failing grade on the assignment, failure in the course, or expulsion from the College.

Plagiarism

Plagiarism refers to the unauthorized use or close imitation of the language and/or thoughts of another author and the representation of them as one’s own original work. [1] As mentioned in this syllabus, plagiarism is a violation of the University’s Academic Honor Code and will not be tolerated.  In what follows, I offer a few examples of what would be construed as plagiarism:

            – Attempting to pass off another student’s work as one’s own

            – Including the statements of another author in one’s work without properly citing him or her (as by quotes, etc.)

                        – This includes using any uncited passages from Internet sources.

* One easy way to avoid plagiarizing is to properly cite an author whenever one is making some reference to his or her ideas.  It should be said that this course is constructed so that a student can excel without having to use sources other than the course text/lectures.  This being said, if you choose to use outside sources, be sure to cite them appropriately.  Citations should be made not only for direct quotes, but also where one has paraphrased (reworded) what another has said.  This can be accomplished in several ways.  For example, you might precede a sentence paraphrasing Plato with “According to Plato…,” and then citing the text and page number. * A good rule of thumb is that if you are ever in doubt as to whether or not you are plagiarizing, make a citation.  If you have any particular questions about plagiarism during the course of the semester, please come talk to me.  Additional information on plagiarism is available in the CSI Undergraduate Catalogue.

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[1] Taken from Webster’s Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary

COURSE SCHEDULE
 
Week 2
9/4: Introduction to course AND Argument Structure
 
Week 3
9/9: Basic Concepts in Ethics
9/11: Basic Concepts in Ethics, cont.
 
Week 4
9/16: Aristotle – Read article available on Blackboard
9/18: Kant – Read article available on Blackboard
 
Week 5
9/23: Mill – Read article available on Blackboard
9/25: Review
 
Week 6
9/30: EXAM 1
10/2: NO CLASS
 
Week 7
* BEGIN EUTHANASIA
10/7: Gay-Williams – Read article available on Blackboard
10/9: Rachels – Read article available on Blackboard
 
Week 8
10/14: NO CLASS
* BEGIN ABORTION
10/15: (Monday Schedule) Marquis – Read article available on Blackboard
10/16: Thomson – Read article available on Blackboard
 
Week 9
10/21: Group Discussion AND Review
10/23:EXAM 2
 
Week 10
* BEGIN ECONOMIC JUSTICE
10/28: Singer – Read article available on Blackboard
10/30: TBA
 
Week 11
11/4: Van Wyk – Read article available on Blackboard
11/6: Group Discussion
* LAST DAY TO DROP CLASS!
 
Week 12
* BEGIN CAPITAL PUNISHMENT
11/11: van den Haag – Read article available on Blackboard
11/13: Bedau – Read article available on Blackboard
 
 
Week 13
11/18: Group Discussion AND Review
11/20: EXAM 3
 
Week 14
* BEGIN HEALTH CARE ETHICS
11/25: Buchanan – Read article available on Blackboard
11/27: NO CLASS (Friday Schedule)
 
Week 15
12/2: Nielsen – Read Article in Course Packet AND Group Discussion
* BEGIN ANIMAL RIGHTS
12/4: Singer – Read article available on Blackboard
 
Week 16
12/9: Machan – Read article available on Blackboard
12/11: Review
 
Final Exam: Wednesday, December the 18^th from 2:30-3:30pm