Class meets live on Google Meet on Monday from 4:00 pm - 4:50 pm and on Tuesday and Thursday from 12:30 pm - 1:45 pm unless otherwise indicated. Assigned readings should be completed before class the day they are listed since most class periods will be devoted to discussion. Please make sure you understand and follow our Community Agreement for Classroom Discussions.

Note that UMD defines 1 credit hour as being equal to 3 hours of work. This is a 4 credit hour class, so in total you should expect to spend (at most!) 12 hours a week on this class. 4 hours are devoted to attending class, leaving 8 hours per week for reading, writing, etc. Please let me know if you find that you are spending more time on this class than that. 

Week 1

• Mon Aug 31 : First Day of Class. What is our Community Agreement for Classroom Discussions? Introductions.

• Tue Sept 1 : What is Ethics? What is Justice? What is Virtue? What's in our Syllabus?

• Thu Sept 3 : Read Chapter 1 of Justice. Discuss. What is a Personal Essay?

  • Note that Chapter 1 is approximately 30 pages.

Week 2

• Mon Sept 7 : [no class] Labor Day.

• Tue Sept 8 : Read Chapter 2 of Justice. Discuss. 

• Wed Sept 9 : Personal Essay #1 due by 11:59 pm. 

  • Details : Please make sure to review and understand the guidelines for Personal Essays before starting on this assignment.            

  • NOTES : Create notes that lay out the details of THREE ethical dilemmas that you have personally faced in 2024 or later. Your notes should make it clear how each situation arose, what the dilemma was, the choices you faced, and the decision you made. What specific details you provide will depend on the nature of the dilemma, but be very specific about names, places, dates, etc. since that will make the dilemma more clearly yours. Your three dilemmas should be from three different parts of your life, for example, school, work, and family life. Your dilemmas should be genuine and not have an absolutely right solution, and they should also matter and not be about trivial or inconsequential decisions. You should be at the center of each dilemma and not simply reacting to what someone else has done. For example, don't use dilemmas like my friend cheated and I didn't know what to do (because your friend is the center of that dilemma). Finish your notes before moving on to your outline. Remember that your notes should be brief bullet points and not paragraphs or a rough draft.

  • OUTLINE : After you have finished your notes, pick one of your three dilemmas to focus on in your essay. This should be the dilemma that you feel is the most compelling and was the most difficult to resolve. Create an outline that captures your dilemma from start to finish using details from your notes. In addition, in your outline address why you made the decision you did and if you would make the same decision again (with the benefit of hindsight). Finish your outline before moving on to your essay. Remember that your outline should be in a traditional itemized format.    

  • ESSAY : Using your outline as a starting point, write an essay that tells an engaging story about your selected dilemma! Make sure your essay is both personal and supported with specific details. Your essay should be based on the information you have included in your outline. 

  • Privacy Notice : I will not share or discuss your submission with anyone else, nor will I upload it to AI. It will remain private with me. I am the only entity that will read or grade your essay. 

• Thur Sept 10 : Read Chapter 3 and 4 of Justice. Discuss. 

  • Note that Chapters 2, 3, and 4 total approximately 70 pages.

Week 3

TBA

Final Exam 

TBA