I. ASCRC General Education Form (revised 1/27/11)
Use to propose new general education courses (except writing courses), to change existing
gen ed courses and to remove designations for existing gen ed courses.
Note: One-time-only general education designation may be requested for experimental courses
(X91-previously X95), granted only for the semester taught. A NEW request must be
submitted for the course to receive subsequent general education status.
Group
III. Language
VII: Social Sciences
(submit
III Exception: Symbolic Systems * VIII: Ethics & Human Values
x
separate forms
IV: Expressive Arts
IX: American & European
if requesting
V: Literary & Artistic Studies
X: Indigenous & Global
more than one
VI: Historical & Cultural Studies
XI: Natural Sciences
general
w/ lab  w/out lab 
education
group
*Courses proposed for this designation must be standing requirements of
designation)
majors that qualify for exceptions to the modern and classical language
requirement
Dept/Program Philosophy
Course #
PHL 114E
Course Title
Prerequisite
Intro to Political Ethics
N/A
Credits
II. Endorsement/Approvals
Complete the form and obtain signatures before submitting to Faculty Senate Office
Please type / print name Signature
3
Date
2/22/12
Instructor
Tom Huff
Phone / Email
Program Chair Paul Muench
2/22/12
Dean
Chris Comer (CAS)
III. Type of request
New
One-time Only
Renew x
Change
Remove
Reason for Gen Ed inclusion, change or deletion
Description of change
IV. Description and purpose of new general education course: General Education courses
must be introductory and foundational within the offering department or within the General
Education Group. They must emphasize breadth, context, and connectedness; and relate course
content to students’ future lives: See Preamble:
http://umt.edu/facultysenate/archives/minutes/gened/GE_preamble.aspx
N/A
V. Criteria: Briefly explain how this course meets the criteria for the group. See:
http://umt.edu/facultysenate/documents/forms/GE_Criteria5-1-08.aspx
1. Courses focus on one or more of the specific This course focuses on the most important
traditions of ethical thought (either Western or
traditions of Western ethical thought as they
non-Western), on basic ethical topics such as
are expressed in the arrangement and
justice or the good life as seen through the lens purposes of our political institutions. These
of one or more traditions of ethical thought, or
traditions include: virtue ethics (Plato), nonon a professional practice within a particular
sectarian natural rights (Locke),
tradition of ethical thought.
utilitarianism (Bentham and Mill as
discussed in Rawls), and secular, modern
2. Courses provide a rigorous analysis of the
respect for individuals (Rawls). In each of
basic concepts and forms of reasoning which
these traditions, basic ethical/political topics
define the traditions, the ethical topics, or the
are introduced and analyzed, for example,
professional practices that are being studied.
liberty, justice, equality, and democracy.
Students are expected to be able to analyze
these political topics both within and among
these ethical traditions.
VI. Student Learning Goals: Briefly explain how this course will meet the applicable learning
goals. See: http://umt.edu/facultysenate/documents/forms/GE_Criteria5-1-08.aspx
Upon completion of an Ethics and Human
Throughout the course, students read about,
Values course, students will be able to:
discuss, and are examined on (in a series of
1. correctly apply the basic concepts and forms
quizzes and a midterm paper) the basic
of reasoning from the tradition or professional
ethical/political concepts, how those
practice they studied to ethical issues that arise
concepts are analyzed within each of the
within those traditions or practices;
distinctive ethical traditions, and how they
2. analyze and critically evaluate the basic
are applied to the ethical aspects of a variety
concepts and forms of reasoning from the
of contemporary political problems.
tradition or professional practice they studied.
Notably, the final exam asks the students,
using the forms of reasoning they’ve
learned, to rigorously analyze and propose
solutions to several difficult, contemporary
political problems. The students will, thus,
be able to act more intelligently and
thoughtfully as citizens and as voters.
VII. Justification: Normally, general education courses will not carry pre-requisites, will carry
at least 3 credits, and will be numbered at the 100-200 level. If the course has more than one
pre-requisite, carries fewer than three credits, or is upper division (numbered above the 200
level), provide rationale for exception(s).
N/A
VIII. Syllabus: Paste syllabus below or attach and send digital copy with form.  The syllabus
should clearly describe how the above criteria are satisfied. For assistance on syllabus
preparation see: http://teaching.berkeley.edu/bgd/syllabus.html
See attached.
Intro to Political Ethics
Philosophy 114E
Fall 2011
Tom Huff
243-2268, Law 150
tom.huff@umontana.edu
Syllabus
This is a General Education Requirement course. Its purpose is to help you understand and
appreciate the sources, the premisses, and the forms of reasoning that have shaped Western
thinking about the nature and justifications for our political institutions. To that end, we will study
three works, representative of the three great Western traditions of thought about politics. Our
focus will be on the justifications which can be offered for, and the reasoning which is
characteristically used in, modern, liberal, constitutional democracies of the sort familiar in
modern industrial states (represented by John Rawls), and the ways in which those justifications
draw upon, and contrast with, early modern political thought (represented by John Locke), and
classical thought (represented by Plato).
In order to check your understanding of these matters, as we develop them in class lecture
and discussion, I will ask you to begin doing this sort of reasoning yourself, in a series of quizzes,
roughly every two weeks during the term. These quizzes will allow you to discover whether you
have grasped the basic concepts of political thought and their distinctive role in political
reasoning of different kinds. Two five page papers, one at midterm and one in lieu of the final
exam, will check your understanding by requiring that you both synthesize the main themes of
Western political thought and apply those themes to real world political problems.
Quizzes:
Seven quizzes, ten points each, drop two lowest, 50% of your grade, no make-up
quizzes. All quizzes will be taken on Thursday and returned the following
Tuesday. The quiz dates are:
September 8, 22
October 6, 20
November 3, 17
December 8
Midterm Paper:
4-5 pages, 25 points, 25% of you grade. Due date announced later.
Final Paper:
4-5 pages, 25 points, 25% of your grade. Due at the time assigned for the
final exam: Monday December 12, 10:10 a.m.
Reading Assignments: Announced as needed.
Books:
Plato, Euthyphro, Apology, and Crito
Locke, A Letter Concerning Toleration
Rawls, A Theory of Justice.