Phil 230 Section J
Gordon Knight
Email: gknight@iastate.edu
Office: 36 Catt Hall
Office Phone: 294-7468
Office Hours: 10-12 Tuesday and Thursday
Course Website: http://www.public.iastate.edu/~gknight
Text: Social and Personal Ethics, Edited by Shaw.
Course Requirements
There will be four in class exams, including the final exam. Each exam will be worth 25
points. The exams will consist of essay questions along with some multiple choice
questions. Study questions for the exams, powerpoint slides from lecture, as well as
other course announcements will be posted on the course website.
The final grade will be determined as follows:
89-100 A
77-88 B
65-76 C
50-64 D
Under 50 F
You must complete all of the assignments in order to pass this course. While no one will
be penalized for sitting stony faced and silent, students who participate actively in class
may have their final grades increased by 1/3 grade. If you miss an exam due to illness or
other serious reason please contact me as soon as possible to arrange a make up.
Plagiarism and Cheating
Anyone caught cheating on an exam will be given at least an F on that test or paper and
may also fail the course and/or be reported to the Dean.
ADA Statement
Please address any special needs or special accommodations with me at the beginning of
the semester or as soon as you become aware. Those seeking accommodations based on
disabilities should obtain a Student Academic Accommodation Request (SAAR) from the
Disability Resources (DR) office (515-294-6624). DR is located in Room 1076 of the
Student Services Building
Provisional List of Readings
We will cover each of these readings successively. I will announce in class when we will
begin a new reading assignment. Any change in the readings will announced in class and
on the website.
Introduction: Subjectivism, Objectivism and Egoism
(No readings)
Cultural Relativism
Rachels 33-41
Normative Ethical Theories
Aristotle: 42-48
Kant: 49-36
Mill: 56-63
Ross: 63-68
Exam # 1
Political Liberty
Mill: 187-198
Dworkin: 196-204
Euthanasia
Brandt: 70-79
Brock: 79-89
Callahan: 88-95
Exam # 2
Abortion
Noonan: 104-108; Warren 108-116
Marquis: 116-124
Thomson: 125-135
Animal Rights and Environmental Ethics
Singer: 144-149
Engel: 157-164
Hare: 164-172; Singer: 172-175
Rolston: 175-182; 183-187
Exam # 3
The Death Penalty
Van den Haag; 301-306
Reiman: 306-313
Economic Justice
Singer, 391-398
Van Wyk 399-406
Maitland: 406-414
Business Ethics
Philips: 449-460
Carson: 461-469
Desjardins and Duska: 478-484
Final Exam