PHIL111: Contemporary Moral Issues - Political Ethics

Meeting time: June 30th-August 4th (no class Friday, July 3rd), Monday - Friday, 10:00am-11:35am CT

Office: Virtual (due to COVID)

Office Hours: by appointment

Course Requirements and Grading

• Attendance and Engagement (20%)

  • Attendance (5%)

  • Engagement/Group Discussion (15%)

• Response Pieces: (25%)

  • 4 total (6.25% each)

  • 150-250 words

• Aggie Experience (10%)

• Mid-term Paper (15%)

  • 1,000-1,250 words

• Final Paper (30%)

  • Paper Topic and Sources Approval (5%)

  • Paper Outline and Peer Comments (5%)

  • Paper Itself (20%)

    • 2,000-2,500 words

Textbook

Bob Fischer. 2020. Ethics Left and Right: the Moral Issues That Divide Us. Oxford University Press. (As of 6-23-20, a new copy through TAMU's B&N bookstore is $74.95, a used copy and to rent the ebook for a year is $56.20, and to rent for the duration of the course (and a few months more) is $37.50.)

We will be reading a wide variety of views from a diverse group of authors. To emphasize a point made by the editor of the book:

If you ever feel like this book is pointless, ask yourself whether you've been waiting for a sound bite--for some "gotcha" line that will silence your roommate. If that's what you want, check out memes on reddit. Here, we're after arguments. (p. 38)

To begin the study of each issue (e.g. "minimum wage"), we will read two essays offering competing positions under each topic. Following the discussion on the competing views, the next day we will look at how each author replied to the competing view. In addition, for the first three weeks when we consider replies we will also look at primary sources for each moral theory, and ask how the issue in question might be treated from that author/view's perspective. For example, during the third class period you will have read a section from John Stuart Mill on utilitarianism, and we will discuss how utilitarianism might approach the issue of racial profiling.

Main Objectives

1. Through readings of original sources within ethics and through class discussion that follows, you will grasp the main ethical theories and learn to recognize each theory's strengths and weaknesses.

2. You will gain familiarity and a measure of competence with the tools used in philosophical methodology to analyze both academic texts and popular texts. You will be able to identify the main thesis, lines of argument, examples and evidence, and counterexamples within a given text, and evaluate the overall effectiveness of those elements for making a case.

3. You will gain wide exposure to a diverse array of philosophers who develop arguments and interact with one another's writings. This exposure will include the application of ethical theory and philosophical methodology to most of the contemporary, ethical topics that are continually discussed at the popular level.

4. Through your knowledge of ethical theory, the tools you will learn, and your exposure to such diverse authors and arguments, you will cultivate habits of insightful, precise, and respectful discussion in both written and oral form, elevating discourse beyond mere talking points, slogans, and unfounded generalizations.

Attendance and Engagement

Your attendance and engagement will be crucial for your success in the course. Each student is allowed to miss two classes without penalty, though not consecutively and not within the same week. Though I dislike metricizing engagement, you will be expected to make qualitative contributions to class discussion at least twice a week to earn engagement credit.

Group Discussion

After I take attendance, you will divide into your cohorts and for ten minutes to discuss the material assigned for that day. For the first three class periods before cohort selections are due, you will be grouped at random to get to know the class and to get a feel of who you might want to work with in your cohort. At the end of the ten minutes, I will designate two people at random to state 1) the thesis of the reading and 2) to answer at least two of the response questions (see below).

If the reading assignment focused on replies from the authors, the cohort representative will answer the following:

1. Does the reply answer the essay’s main thesis?

2. What reasons does the reply focus on for rejecting the other author’s main thesis or sub-points?

3. What counterexamples does the reply use to support either a) rejecting the other author’s thesis or b) the thesis of the author?

4. How effective was the author's reply?

Success in stating those responses clearly and accurately will determine your grade for group discussion.

Response Pieces

Every week (except the first week and last week), you will write a 250-400 word (double-spaced, 10pt font, Times New Roman or similar) response to one of the main essays that we have not yet discussed. The response will be in prose form, and will first state the main thesis of the piece in a sentence or two, and the stated thesis will be more substantial than “The author is for/against [issue x]”. You will then answer any three of the following questions:

1. Name the terms the author introduces and how those terms are defined.

2. What are the primary reasons the author gives in support of the main thesis?

3. What are the main objections to the thesis that the author considers?

4. What are some examples the author uses to support the main thesis?

5. What are some counterexamples or counterarguments the author uses to reply to objections to their main thesis?

6. How effective was the author in arguing for and defending the main thesis?

For each answer you give, you will clearly indicate which question you're answering and cite the page number from where you read the information that led you to give your answer. The file name will look like [Last name], [First name] - [Title of response].

Mid-term Paper

Your mid-term paper will be 1,000-1,250 words (double-spaced, 10pt font, Times New Roman or similar), and will at minimum answer all of the six questions asked of the response pieces (with proper citation). You will choose to write on a topic from the textbook we will not cover in class, focusing on one of the main essays on that topic. Those topics include:

• America First

• Foreign Aid

• Religious Tests

• Taxation

• Right to Health Care

• Political Correctness

• Military Spending

• Voting Ethics

Final Paper

Your final paper will be 2,000-2,500 words (double-spaced, 10pt font, Times New Roman or similar), and will at minimum answer all six questions asked of the response pieces for the textbook chapter and all six questions for the periodical article as well. You will choose to write on a topic from the textbook (other than the one you wrote on for your mid-term paper) that we will not cover in class, focusing on one of the main essays. In addition to the chapter from the textbook, you must include an online periodical source from among the following publications:

• The Atlantic

• The Washington Post

• The New York Times

• The Wall Street Journal

• Forbes

The article will address your chosen topic. You will compare and evaluate the periodical article in light of the material from the textbook. Proper citation is expected. By July 20th you will send me an email that includes the paper topic and a link to the article you have chosen. On July 22nd you will have a relatively detailed outline of your paper drafted and sent to me. On July 24th you will send a first draft of your paper to a classmate, who will send their paper to you in return. By July 28th you both will receive the other's comments on the paper, which will strengthen the paper for its final submission.

The paper is due on or before August 4th.

Aggie Experience

PHIL111 satisfies the Cultural Discourse requirement, so the course must include an ‘Aggie Experience’ involving cultural diversity. When holding class in person without COVID restrictions, these can include campus events or off-site visits to public places. Because of the current restrictions, we will need to replicate the spirit of the assignment virtually.

You will find an article (approved by me) that argues for how COVID-19 has affected a culturally diverse population, either here in America or abroad. You will then write a 500-word reflection summarizing the article and explaining how your experience relates to what the article describes; use ~150 words for the summary and the rest on relating your own experience. There are some school-endorsed resources here to get you thinking about this topic.

Grading Scale

F: 0-59, Has not been turned in or has been turned in extremely late; plagiarized work; incomplete work

D: 60-69, Does not meet the minimum requirements indicated in the assignment instructions

C: 70-79, Meets the minimum requirements but does not meet the majority of the assignment objectives indicated in the instructions

B: 80-89, Meets all of the minimum requirements but only meets some of the assignments objectives indicated in the instructions

A: 90-100, Meets all of the minimum requirements and all of the objectives indicated in the instructions

Guidelines

Preparing for Class

Each day I will expect you to have not just read but absorbed the material and to be ready to talk about it. That requires engagement with the text as you read, and you may wish to take notes on the text, write down questions, or another mentally active process that helps the material and content stay with you through class discussion.

Class Sessions

The success of the course hinges on class discussion, so attendance is assumed and mandatory, and active engagement is expected. I will introduce and frame the material, and will clarify terms, concepts, and ideas from the reading, and will guide discussion to meet the desired objectives and outcomes.

Civility

We will often discuss controversial topics about ideas we may believe in strongly and value highly. For this reason, an extra measure of civility and charity will be required during discussion. We will be focusing on the arguments and the content without making personal comments. I reserve the right to penalize comments I deem to be personal or uncharitable. At no point will class be recorded in any way, by any student or by me.

Email policy

Because of the number of students in the class and the pace of the course, emails to me should be kept to a minimum. If you have a question, first check the syllabus to see if the answer is there, and your cohort will be available to pass along to you any information you may have missed. If your question isn't answered through those means, I'm happy to address it.

Late Assignments

Late assignments will be marked down one letter grade from its final grade for every late day, and on the third late day the assignment will be marked as a zero. The University policy for absences can be found here: https://student-rules.tamu.edu/rule07/.

Office Hours

My office hours will be virtual and by appointment. You should not hesitate to contact me by email and set up an appointment to talk.

Institutional Policies

Disability, statement of accommodation, and Title IX

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a federal anti-discrimination statute that provides comprehensive civil rights protection for persons with disabilities. Among other things, this legislation requires that all students with disabilities be guaranteed a learning environment that provides for reasonable accommodation of their disabilities. If you believe you have a disability requiring an accommodation, please contact Disability Services, in Cain Hall, Room B118, or call 845-1637. NB: You must register with disability services and provide medical documentation to support your request for consideration at least two weeks prior to the time the requested services are needed, in particular, prior to an exam. Students requiring accommodation must submit the relevant paperwork in the first week of class. University resources are available at https://disability.tamu.edu.

Texas A&M University and the College of Liberal Arts are committed to fostering a learning environment that is safe and productive for all. University policies and federal and state laws provide guidance for achieving such an environment. Although class materials are generally considered confidential pursuant to student record policies and laws, University employees — including instructors — cannot maintain confidentiality when it conflicts with their responsibility to report certain issues that jeopardize the health and safety of our community. As the instructor, I must report (per Texas A&M System Regulation 08.01.01) the following information to other University offices if you share it with me, even if you do not want the disclosed information to be shared:

• Allegations of sexual assault, sexual discrimination, or sexual harassment when they involve TAMU students, faculty, or staff, or third parties visiting campus.

These reports may trigger contact from a campus official who will want to talk with you about the incident that you have shared. In many cases, it will be your decision whether or not you wish to speak with that individual. If you would like to talk about these events in a more confidential setting, you are encouraged to make an appointment with the Student Counseling Service (https://scs.tamu.edu).

Students and faculty can report non-emergency behavior that causes them to be concerned at http://tellsomebody.tamu.edu.

Academic integrity

Students should be familiar with Texas A&M’s definitions and policies regarding cheating and plagiarism, found here. The assignments given in this class require independent thought in a way that is very difficult to plagiarize effectively. Academic dishonesty includes cheating in all its forms and is utterly inconsistent with the Aggie Honor Code: “An Aggie does not lie, cheat or steal, or tolerate those who do.”. Under Texas A&M’s policies, students guilty of academic dishonesty may receive lowered grades and other more severe penalties. For further details, consult the website for the Aggie Honor System Office. Note that academic dishonesty includes not only getting someone else to do your work (with or without their knowledge) but also knowingly doing someone else’s work for them. Please note that I take the Aggie Honor Code very seriously and expect strict adherence to it. Plagiarism is easy to detect. Don’t plagiarize.

Withdrawal

It is the student’s responsibility to withdraw from classes; professors have no obligation to withdraw students who do not attend courses. For further details on withdrawal, see https://registrar.tamu.edu/Catalogs,-Policies-Procedures/ Academic-Calendar.

Equity and diversity

In addition to meeting its obligations of nondiscrimination under federal and state law, Texas A&M University is committed to creating a community in which a diverse population can live, learn, and work in an atmosphere of tolerance, civility, and respect for the rights and sensibilities of each individual, without regard to economic status, ethnic background, political views, or other personal characteristics or beliefs. The classroom is a place of conversation and debate. Disagreement is to be expected, especially when considering ideas that relate to people’s philosophical and religious beliefs. As alluded to above, this does not give anyone the right to demean or ridicule the ideas and opinions of others. Please be courteous and open to learning from your classmates.

Schedule