OAKTON COMMUNITY COLLEGE
GENERIC COURSE SYLLABUS
I. Course
Prefix
PHL
II. Prerequisites
None
Course
Number
106
Course
Name
Ethics
Credit Lecture Lab
3 3 0
III. Course (Catalog) Description
Course studies meaning, value, and moral responsibility in human life. Topics include examination of at least four conflicting theories about what constitutes moral conduct and social justice; application of these theories to individual moral dilemmas and to contemporary social issues such as world hunger or the environmental crisis. IAI H4 904
IV. Learning Objectives
After completing this class, students will be able to do the following:
A. Define the basic vocabulary needed to discuss ethical theories and be able to state the problems that ethical theories address.
B. Explain and compare at least four conflicting ethical theories and the arguments that support these theories.
C. Evaluate ethical theories by critically examining (both orally and through written work) the arguments that support the theories and by discussing what important considerations may be lacking in the theories studied.
D. Apply ethical theories to concrete situations on the personal level, on the national level, and on the global level
E. Use the ethical theory with which they agree to defend their own positions on contemporary moral issues both orally and in writing.
F. Exhibit values related to teamwork and collaboration, fostered by the pedagogy of shared-inquiry and critical dialogue appropriate to the humanities and philosophy.

COURSE SYLLABUS (GENERIC)
PHL 106
V. Academic Integrity
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Students and employees at Oakton Community College are required to demonstrate academic integrity and follow Oakton’s Code of Academic Conduct. This code prohibits:
 cheating,
 plagiarism (turning in work not written by you, or lacking proper citation),
 falsification and fabrication (lying or distorting the truth),
 helping others to cheat,
 unauthorized changes on official documents,
 pretending to be someone else or having someone else pretend to be you,
 making or accepting bribes, special favors, or threats, and
 any other behavior that violates academic integrity.
There are serious consequences to violations of the academic integrity policy. Oakton’s policies and procedures provide students a fair hearing if a complaint is made against you. If you are found to have violated the policy, the minimum penalty is failure on the assignment and, a disciplinary record will be established and kept on file in the office of the Vice President for Student Affairs for a period of 3 years.
Details of the Code of Academic Conduct can be found in the Student Handbook.
VI. Outline of Topics
(This is a sample outline of topics. In your outline of topics please specify the dates on which you will cover specific topics and other important dates such as exams and paper deadlines.)
I. John Stuart Mill and Utilitarianism
A. Happiness as the only intrinsic value
B. Comparing consequences
C. Criticisms of utilitarianism
D. Applying utilitarianism to the issue of women’s rights
II. Immanuel Kant and Deontological Theories
A. The centrality of duty
B. Formulations of the categorical imperative
C. Criticisms of Kantianism
D. Applying Kantianism to the debate on physician assisted suicide
III. Friedrich Nietzsche and the Critique of Traditional Morality
A. Values as human creations

COURSE SYLLABUS (GENERIC)
PHL 106
B. Life-affirming verses life-denying values
C. Criticisms of Nietzsche
D.
Applying Nietzsche’s ideas to debates on multiculturalism
IV. Karl Marx and the Critique of Alienated Morality
A. The theory of alienation
B. Morality and the alienated individualism
C. A vision of human solidarity
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D. Criticisms of Marxism
E. Applying Marxism to debates around the current global economy
V. Nozick verses Rawls: The Contemporary American Debate about Social Justice
A. Defining negative and positive rights
B.
Nozick’s critique of positive rights
C.
Rawl’s Kantian defense of positive rights
D. Applying these theories to the debate about equity in public education
VI. Franz Fanon and his Challenge to Oppression
A. A critique of European ethics
B. Colonial oppression and alienation
C. The definition of structural violence
D. Criticisms of Fanon
E.
Applying Fanon’s theory to the use of violence in war and revolution
VII. Mohandas Gandhi and the Ethic of Non-Violence
A. The critique of modernity
B. Non-violence, non-possession, and Satyagraha
C. Criticisms of Gandhi
D. Applying Gandhi’s theory to contemporary struggles for social justice
VIII. Carol Gilligan and the Ethic of Care
A. Origins in psychological research
B. Comparing the ethic of care and the ethic of justice
C. Criticisms of the ethic of care
D. Applying the ethic of care to the abortion debate

COURSE SYLLABUS (GENERIC)
PHL 106
VII. Methods of Instruction
Course may be taught as a face-to-face, media-based, hybrid, or online course.
A. Lectures and discussion
B. Small group work
C. Films
D. Student presentations and debates
E. Guest speakers
F. Field trips may be required
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VIII. Course Practices Required
(Please include information here about all expectations you have for your students regarding behavior, work, etc. The following are sample topics you may wish to cover.
Please be aware that you must require students in this course to produce at least 15 pages of critical written assignments over the course of the semester. These may be assigned in a variety of ways including journals, response papers, field trip projects, etc.)
A. Attendance
B. Standards for written work
C. Quizzes/Exams
D. Participation
E. Essays
F. Final Project
G. Special policies about make-up exams, late papers, or other matters of concern
IX. Instructional Materials
Note: Current textbook information for each course and section is available on Oakton’s
Schedule of Classes.
An anthology such as Applied Ethics: A Multicultural Approach edited by May, Collins-
Chobanian, and Wong, Ethics: A Pluralistic Approach to Moral Theory edited by
Hinman, or Social and Political Philosophy edited by Sterba.
Some instructors may choose to use a selection of short primary sources such as Mill’s
Utilitarianism , Kants’s Fundamentals of the Metaphysic of Morals , Nietzsche’s
Genealogy of Morals
, Gandhi’s
Hind Swaraj
, Fanon’s
The Wretched of the Earth ,
Gilligan’s
In a Different Voice
, West’s
Race Matters , etc.

COURSE SYLLABUS (GENERIC)
PHL 106
X. Methods of Evaluating Student Progress
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(In this section, please present the percentages or point breakdown of their final grade.
The writing assignments should count for at least 40% of the final grade. An example follows.)
A.
Quizzes/Exams……40 points
B.
Essays……40 points
C.
Final project with oral presentation……10 points
D. Attendance and participation………10 points
E. Grading scale: 90-100, A…….80-89, B………70-79, C……….60-69……..D
XI. Other Course Information
A. Disabilities
If you have a documented learning, psychological, or physical disability you may be entitled to reasonable academic accommodations or services. To request accommodations or services, contact the Access and Disability Resource Center at the
Des Plaines or Skokie campus. All students are expected to fulfill essential course requirements. The College will not waive any essential skill or requirement of a course or degree program.
B.
Discrimination
The Oakton Community College Catalog states:
Oakton Community College does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, religion, national origin, disability, age, sex, sexual orientation, or marital status in admission to and participation in its educational programs, activities and services, or employment practices. The College does not tolerate sexual harassment or sexual assault by or of its students or employees.
In keeping with this policy of tolerance and non-discrimination, in this class all of us
(myself included) should strive to listen and give careful consideration to all ideas expressed in class, especially those that are different from our own, without attacking or demeaning the people who have those views. We should also strive to avoid using insulting terms or telling offensive jokes when talking to or about individuals or groups.
C. Instructor information
Office number and office hours:
Phone number:
Email and website:

COURSE SYLLABUS (GENERIC)
PHL 106
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Approval Dates:
(Faculty: Do not include the following information on your individual syllabi created for class distribution.)
Effective beginning term: Fall 2013 Ending term:
Syllabus prepared by: Hollace Graff Date: March 2006
Revised by: Hollace Graff Date: June 2010
Reviewed by Chair: Hollace Graff Date: July 2010
Approval by Dean: Linda Korbel Date June 2013