THE AMERICAN UNIVERSITY
College of Arts and Sciences
Department of Philosophy and Religion
PHIL-520-001: SEMINAR ON ETHICAL THEORY
Fall 2013
Wednesdays, 5:30 - 8:00 pm
Room: Ward 306
Dr. J. Reiman
Office: Battelle 117
Phone: 202-885-2927
Email: jreiman@american.edu
Office hours: Wednesdays 3:25 - 5:25 pm;
and by appointment
Overview of the course:
In this course we will explore the main current approaches in ethical theory, first, by considering
their expressions in classic texts of moral philosophy. We will read John Stuart Mill’s
Utilitarianism, presenting the utilitarian or teleological approach to ethics, and Mill’s On Liberty
in which he offers a utilitarian account of the value of protecting individual freedom; followed
by Immanuel Kant’s Grounding for the Metaphysics of Morals, presenting the Kantian or
deontological approach to ethics; and then Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics presenting the
virtue-ethics approach. We will then turn to John Rawls’s Justice as Fairness: A Restatement.
This is Rawls’s final statement of his liberal theory of justice, a theory which has had enormous
impact on moral philosophical discourse among English-speaking philosophers since the
appearance of his A Theory of Justice in 1971. Then we take up Eva Feder Kittay’s Love’s
Labor, which argues from a feminist/care perspective that Rawls has omitted a crucial feature of
social existence that is essential to justice. Rawls’s approach is Kantian and deontological, while
Kittay’s feminist/care perspective is arguably a form of virtue ethics. A number of articles will
also be assigned, which are available online on the Blackboard course website.
Required texts:
Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics 2nd edition (Hackett)
Kant, Grounding for the Metaphysics of Morals 3rd edition (Hackett)
Kittay, Love’s Labor (Routledge)
Mill, On Liberty (Hackett)
Mill, Utilitarianism 2nd edition (Hackett)
Rawls, Justice as Fairness: A Restatement (Belknap Press/Harvard University Press)
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PHIL-520-001: SEMINAR ON ETHICAL THEORY
Course Requirements:
It is the student’s responsibility to know the contents of this syllabus and to stay informed of
any changes or additions announced in class, posted on the Blackboard course website, or sent
by email. In bad weather or other possible emergencies, students should check email and the
website for announcements right up until class time. Students are welcome to email the professor
at any time with questions about the readings or other assignments.
Learning Objectives: Argumentation skills: Students should be able to identify and accurately
summarize philosophers’ arguments in the assigned texts, and generally display acuity and
expertise in logical reasoning and philosophical analysis. Research skills: Students should
demonstrate their ability to understand the assigned texts, and to use effectively the library and
on-line research tools as appropriate. Communication skills: Students should display their ability
to communicate complex arguments and concepts effectively, both orally and in writing.
Attendance is required, and the roll will be taken at every class. Whether absences are excused
or not, students are responsible for material covered, or changes in assignments announced in
class, when they are absent. Note that the course depends on what happens in the classroom, so
multiple absences are likely to make it difficult for a student to do well in the course.
Careful reading of the assigned texts is essential to the course. Students are expected to read
each assigned philosophical text in its entirety by the date for which it is assigned, to bring the
assigned text to class, and to be prepared to discuss it. Students may be called upon in class to
explain or comment on aspects of the assigned readings.
There will be a term paper and a final paper. Both papers should start with a clearly
stated thesis (e.g., “I will argue that Mill’s utilitarianism is not a satisfactory basis for
promoting individual freedom…”). Using quotations to back up your claims, and
arguments to defend your analysis, your paper should attempt to prove that your thesis is
true. Students are recommended to consult secondary literature (philosophical journals,
etc.) in developing their papers. Both papers should be typed double-spaced in Times
New Roman font, size 12, with one inch margins all around.
The term paper is due in class on Wednesday, October 23rd. It should be 5 to 6 pages in
length. Topics for the papers will be given out in class on Wednesday, October 9th.
Students who want to write on a topic of their own choosing must get the instructor’s
approval in advance.
The final paper is due in class on Wednesday, December 4th. The paper should address one or
more important philosophical issues raised in the philosophical texts that we study in the course.
This paper should be 10 to 12 pages in length. Students must send a proposal for the paper by
email to the professor by Wednesday, November 13th, though it can be submitted earlier. The
proposal should state the student’s thesis, and give a brief summary of the argument that the
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PHIL-520-001: SEMINAR ON ETHICAL THEORY
Course Requirements (continued):
student will make in support of that thesis. Students are advised to begin working on their
proposals early, including reading ahead in assigned texts that they may want to use for their
papers. Students are urged to come to the professor’s office hours to discuss their proposals.
Your final paper will only be accepted if your proposal for it has been approved in writing by
the professor.
All written work (term papers, final papers, etc.) is to be done independently and without
consultation with others in or out of our class. Citations for quotes from assigned texts
should be by author’s name, book or article title, and page number. Citations from
unassigned texts should be in standard footnote form. Students quoting from electronic
versions of texts, are required to use citations that will enable the professor to find their
quotes easily in a hardcopy version of the text. This could, for example, take the form of
giving the chapter number and the number of the paragraph(s) where the quote is from. On
the other hand, Kindle location numbers, and the like, are not acceptable.
Sloppy papers and written work with many spelling or grammatical errors are subject to a
one letter-grade penalty. If you think you have problems with spelling and grammar, check
your work with a counselor at the Writing Center (Battelle 228, tel.: 885-2991) before
handing it in.
Due dates will be strictly observed. Late papers will be penalized by a one letter-grade
reduction for every day the paper is late. Exceptions will be rare and granted only in the direst
circumstances!!! If you are concerned that you may not be able to meet the deadline, DO
YOUR PAPER EARLY!!!
Grading: Written work is graded on accuracy (make sure you are quoting or paraphrasing the
philosophers’ texts accurately), clarity (make sure you are making your points in a way that a
reader who can’t see inside your mind can understand), comprehension (your writing must show
that you understand what the philosophers are saying and what their reasons/arguments are for
saying it), and creativity (special credit will be given to students who come up with novel ideas
or arguments). The term paper is worth approximately 30% of the final grade; the final paper is
worth approximately 50%, and approximately 20% will be determined by students’ (active and
well-prepared) participation in class discussion.
Violations of the Academic Integrity Code, such as plagiarism or cheating, will be referred
to the Dean’s office for prosecution. Remember: if you use someone else’s words, you must
put the words in quotation marks (or, for lengthy quotations, instead of using quotation
marks, indent from left and right margins) and give a full citation for them; even personal
conversation or correspondence should be cited. If you use someone else’s thoughts in your
own words, you still must give a citation indicating whose thoughts they are and where you
got them.
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PHIL-520-001: SEMINAR ON ETHICAL THEORY
COURSE SCHEDULE AND ASSIGNMENTS
Wed, Aug 28: Introduction
Wed, Sep 4:
Mill, Utilitarianism, chaps. I & II (pp. 1-26)
Wed, Sep 11: Mill, Utilitarianism, chaps. III, IV & V (pp. 27-64)
Wed, Sep 18: Mill, On Liberty, chaps. I, II, III (pp. 1-52)
Wed, Sep 25: Mill, On Liberty, chaps. III, IV (pp. 53-91)
Wed, Oct 2:
Kant, Grounding, secs. 1st & (part of) 2nd (pp. 7-32)
Wed, Oct 9*: Kant, Grounding, secs. (parts of) 2nd & 3rd (pp. 32-45, 49-55)
*Topics for the term paper distributed in class today
Wed, Oct 16: Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics, bks. I & II (pp. 1-30)
Wed, Oct 23*: Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics, bks. III & VII (pp. 30-49, 99-119)
*Term paper due in class today!!!
Fri Oct 25th: McDowell Conference: Philosophy and Climate Change
(1 – 6 pm)
(location to be announced)
Wed, Oct 30: Rawls, Justice as Fairness, pts I & II; Reiman, “Is Racial Profiling Just?”
Wed, Nov 6: Rawls, Justice as Fairness, pt. III & pt IV secs. 50 & 51; Sen, “Justice: Means vs
Freedom”
Wed, Nov 13*:Kittay, Love’s Labor, pp. ix-xvii, 1 – 73
*Proposal for final paper due by email before class today
Wed, Nov 20: Kittay, Love’s Labor, pp. 75 - 113; Nussbaum “Disabled Lives,”
Reiman, “No Idea of Justice”
Wed, Nov 27: Thanksgiving Break (NO CLASS)
Wed, Dec 4*: Review of the course
*Final paper due in class today!!!
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