Syllabus for Philosophy 101, Sections 4 & 8, Schedule # 22647 & 29659
Introduction to Philosophy: Ethics
Steven Barbone/Fall 2015/T/TH 9h30h-10h45/IT-201
SDSU Catalogue description :
“Philosophical inquiry, with emphasis on problems of moral value.
Students are encouraged to think independently and [to] formulate their own tentative conclusions concerning a variety of vital contemporary issues facing individuals and society.”
GE : This course helps fulfill GE requirements for II Foundations of Learning, C Humanities, section 4, Philosophy and Religious Studies. San Diego State University’s General Education program emphasizes the following seven essential capacities: 1. Construct, analyze, and communicate arguments; 2. Apply theoretical models to the real world; 3. Contextualize phenomena; 4. Negotiate differences; 5. Integrate global and local perspectives; 6. Illustrate relevance of concepts across boundaries; 7. Evaluate consequences of actions. This course provides students with opportunities to demonstrate their abilities in each of these 7 capacities.
Description and objectives : This course is an introduction to philosophy, especially ethics.
Concerns addressed in this course include but are not limited to questions such as What is good?
Does it make sense to speak of the (one and only) right thing to do? How can one judge what is an ethically right action? How could one justify an action as morally right/wrong? What is virtue and what role does virtue play in understanding ethics? Students will have many types of introduction to ethics. One type of introduction will be to consider the thoughts of recognized philosophers; this part of the course will consist of lectures delivered during scheduled class meetings and reading required texts. The second type of introduction is “hands-on” philosophy; that is, students themselves will develop their own philosophical positions concerning specific ethical problems by writing and contributing to class discussion. Students may expect both types of introduction throughout the semester.
Outcomes and assessments : (“Outcome” is the term the university uses to say what a student should gain from taking the course: “assessment” is the term used to indicate how it is determined whether a student has achieved any particular outcome.) Outcome: students identify and communicate about various ethical theories. Assessment: this will be demonstrated by the students’ identifying major theories, matching them to appropriate concepts, and selecting their proper entailments (quizzes, essays, and exams).
Outcome: students will demonstrate an ability to reason about ethics in different ways. Assessment: this will be measured by the students’ reporting in their own words others’ points of views and by the students’ stating what these different viewpoints entail (quizzes, essays, and exams).
Outcome: students demonstrate the ability to argue and to defend a philosophic position using formal and informal logical reasoning skills. Assessment: this will be measured by the students’ identifying an ethical position, stating it, and providing reasoned evidence for this position.
Students may also (but are not required to) demonstrate this ability by stating the weaknesses of contrary positions and/or illustrating their position with classic or original examples (quizzes and essays).

Phil 101 2 Fall 2015
Texts : Don LePan, Animals, New York: Soft Skull Press, 2010.
Kelsey Timmerman, Where Am I Wearing? Hoboken, NJ: Wiley, 2012.
Scantron forms F-288 or F-289.
Office hours : 24 August-10 December 2105: 434 Arts and Letters, (619-594-0249).
Tuesdays, about 11h-13h, Cuicacalli Dining Hall; Wednesdays, 14h-15h30, AL 434;
Thursdays about 11h-11h45, AL 434; other meetings by appointment at mutually convenient time.
Email: barbone@rohan.sdsu.edu. Department phone: (619) 594-5263.
Exams and quizzes : There are two outside class quizzes: one on Where Am I Wearing? and one on Animals. Students may use the books and/or notes for the book quizzes. There are two in-class exams (midterm and final exam). Notes and/or books are not permitted for the exams. Each quiz is worth 5% of the final grade; the mid-term exam is worth 20% of the final grade, and the final exam is worth 25% of the final grade.
The quizzes on the readings will have short answers (1-2 sentences). Dates for the quizzes are scheduled on the course calendar. The exams exam will each be objective (“multiple guess”) questions, and students are required to provide a scantron form (F-288 or F-289) to take each exam.
The exams will be given as scheduled on the course calendar. A description of the format will be provided in advance. Review sessions for each exam occur normally on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9h30-10h45, i.e., each class is a review session for the final exam. The final exam is not cumulative. Also, all assigned readings, whether covered in class or not, may be tested. Also, all material covered in class, whether assigned as a reading or not, may count as material to be tested.
Under the rarest circumstances, if a student is absent the day of a quiz or exam, that student may request a make-up quiz r exam. No student should assume that the request to have a make-up will be honored. Make-ups are possible only for the most extreme reasons; the instructor reserves the right to decide whether a student merits the opportunity to take a make-up qua or exam. Students ought to expect that any make-up will be more difficult than the one given in class (since the student will presumably have had more time to prepare, it would be fair that it be more difficult). If a student foresees having to miss a scheduled quiz or exam, that student may request to take it at an earlier time without penalty. Any quiz or exam not completed within 9 calendar days will be scored as zero. If a student must miss the final exam, then the student may receive an “I” grade
(incomplete) for the course as long as the student and instructor mutually agree to this by noon,
Friday, 18 December; otherwise, the exam will be scored 0.
Essays : Three short writing assignments (average about 2 pages each) will be collected by the instructor for grading. Each essay is worth 15% of the final grade so that all essays together will count for 45% of the final grade. Each essay will receive a score from 0 to 4 (inclusive) and is due no later than the end of the scheduled class time on the dates listed on the calendar. A late penalty of no more than 1/2 point per class day will be subtracted from essays received later than the assigned date. In nearly all cases, only paper versions of the essays will be accepted, though eversions of drafts are acceptable. Written assignments not turned in during class time may be left pinned to the instructor’s door (AL 434) if a student is otherwise unable to bring the assignment to the class meeting. Students are encouraged to turn in an essay for credit or to get feedback before

Phil 101 3 Fall 2015 the due date. Essay themes are noted below; the instructor will explain in class how the theme is to be treated in the essays.
In assigning point values to the essays, although a student’s reasoning ability will determine the major portion of the score, other factors such as style, grammar, spelling, etc. will be considered.
See information under “Course Information” in Blackboard.
Essay themes : Essay 1 (due 06 October) “Timmerman and Utilitarianism”
Essay 2 (due 03 November) “LePan and Deontology”
Essay 3 (due 08 December) “Why Be a Superhuman?”
Attendance : Attendance is expected, and absence does not excuse a student from taking a quiz or exam or from learning the material covered in the missed class(es). The instructor will not mark attendance, but it is in a student’s better interest to attend each class meeting.
There are no make-up classes but for one exception. If a student foresees being absent and communicates this to the instructor, this class can be made up at a time mutually convenient to both instructor and student. A make-up class is a privilege and not a right with the exception that students who know that they will have to miss a class because of participation in an official SDSU sponsored event as a member of an athletic team, band, etc., and/or because of religious holidays are reminded that university policy requires that they notify their instructors within the first two weeks of classes in order to have their schedules accommodated. 4 September is the last day to arrange for make-up sessions for such foreseeable absences. There are no other exceptions to the attendance policy.
Grades : Scores for quizzes, essays, and exam will be made according to the guidelines in the
SDSU General Catalogue . That is, 4.0 = A; 3.7 = A-; 3.3 = B+ 3.0 = B; 2.7 = B-; and so on. A grade of 2.0 (C) signifies that the work is acceptable; 1.0 (D) signifies that the work is barely acceptable for credit; 0 (F) signifies that the work is not acceptable for credit; 3.0 (B) signifies that the work is better than average; 4.0 (A) signifies excellence, and excellence is truly rare. Other grades may be assigned (e.g., 3.5, 2.3, etc.)
Quizzes on the readings will be general in nature, and their purpose is to ensure that the material has been read by the students. Those students who demonstrate some thought and insight about the reading will earn a higher grade than those who merely show familiarity with the work. A rubric for assigning grades for these quizzes is available under “Course Information” in Blackboard. Grading for the quizzes is based on a student’s providing the following evidence:
0: little or no evidence of having read the book
1: having read some/most of the book
2: having read the book but adding nothing new
3: having read the book and relating it to class
4: having read the book and relating it to class in original or insightful ways
The essays will allow students to do their own philosophy. For these essays, students will make a philosophical claim and provide evidence and reasoning why that claim is at least as acceptable as

Phil 101 4 Fall 2015 other rival claims. Various positions and the reasons for and against them will be presented during the lectures. A rubric for assigning grades to these essays is available under “Course Information” in Blackboard.
The exams measure how much of the lecture material the student has remembered and is able to apply to related situations and the main issues focused on in the course. Scores for the exam will be determined a posteriori using a system of statistical analysis based on a bell curve with the mean score achieved fixed at 2.3. The stand deviation, whatever it turns out to be, will be used to compute other grades so that one standard deviation higher than the mean will turn out to be 3.3, and one lower will count as1.3. This sample curve is provided as “insurance.” The instructor reserves the right to place the breakpoints at lower (but never higher) values depending on how the grades cluster on a standard histogram. This grading policy will be explained in class, and information on the exam results will be distributed following the first exam.
The final grade is computed by averaging the quiz, essay, and exam grades according to the percentages noted above. The average final grade for intro to philosophy courses historically has been close to C+.
Grades for individual quizzes, essays, and exams will be posted on Blackboard. It is the student’s responsibility to inform the instructor if there appears to be any discrepancy between recorded grades and returned work.
Other : Some course material (some notes, extra readings, etc.) will be made available to students on Blackboard. Such material is optional reading for students, and students will be informed about when these optional readings are posted. Students are not required to use Blackboard or email, but they are encouraged to make use of these resources for study materials, questions, email communications, and keeping track of their grades. In many cases, Blackboard will be the sole source of this type of information. If you have not already done so, establish an account on
Blackboard and verify (through webportal) that your university contact information is up to date.
Students with difficulties navigating Blackboard should use the on-line help at https://help.blackboard.com/en-us/Learn/Reference/Blackboard_Learn_Videos .
If you are a student with a disability and believe you will need accommodations for this class [e.g., additional time for an exam, sign language interpreter, oral texts rather than printed ones], it is your responsibility to contact Student Disability Services at (619) 594-6473. To avoid any delay in the receipt of your accommodations, you should contact Student Disability Services as soon as possible. Please note that accommodations are not retroactive and that accommodations based upon disability cannot be provided until you have presented your instructor with an accommodation letter from Student Disability Services. Students who have concerns that might prevent them from otherwise doing well in this course should discuss this with the instructor so that arrangements may be made to accommodate their conditions.
All students are expected to follow the administrative rules and standards of conduct detailed in the
SDSU General Catalogue. Students are expected to submit only their own work on papers. It is the student’s responsibility to know and to observe all SDSU’s rules concerning academic integrity and

Phil 101 5 Fall 2015 plagiarism. Students should become familiar with SDSU’s Academic Senate Policy on plagiarism found at http://senate.sdsu.edu/policy/pfacademics.html. Here are some highlights:
2.0 Definitions
2.1 Cheating shall be defined as the act of obtaining or attempting to obtain credit for academic work by the use of dishonest, deceptive, or fraudulent means. Examples of cheating include, but are not limited to (a) copying, in part or in whole, from another’s test or other examination;
(b) discussing answers or ideas relating to the answers on a test or other examination without the permission of the instructor; (c) obtaining copies of a test, an examination, or other course material without the permission of the instructor; (d) using notes, cheat sheets, or other devices considered inappropriate under the prescribed testing condition; (e) collaborating with another or others in work to be presented without the permission of the instructor; (f) falsifying records, laboratory work, or other course data; (g) submitting work previously presented in another course, if contrary to the rules of the course; (h) altering or interfering with the grading procedures; (i) plagiarizing, as defined; and (j) knowingly and intentionally assisting another student in any of the above.
2.2 Plagiarism shall be defined as the act of incorporating ideas, words, or specific substance of another, whether purchased, borrowed, or otherwise obtained, and submitting same to the
University as one’s own work to fulfill academic requirements without giving credit to the appropriate source. Plagiarism shall include but not be limited to (a) submitting work, either in part or in whole, completed by another; (b) omitting footnotes for ideas, statements, facts, or conclusions that belong to another; (c) omitting quotation marks when quoting directly from another, whether it be a paragraph, sentence, or part thereof; (d) close and lengthy paraphrasing of the writings of another; (e) submitting another person’s artistic works, such as musical compositions, photographs, paintings, drawings, or sculptures; and (f) submitting as one’s own work papers purchased from research companies.
The use of laptop computers is allowed, but students should be mindful that flickering screens are generally very distracting to those around them; please refrain from using a computer for activities other than taking notes. No one is required to be attentive or interested in classroom activities, but all students are expected to behave as if they were interested in order not to disturb or to distract students who are making the effort to be attentive.
Essay information : Essays are expected to be well written, and both machine-written and handwritten papers are acceptable. You should put some form of identification on each page (name and/or red-id number), and the pages should be numbered sequentially beginning with “1.” Pages should be mechanically attached with a staple or paper clip. These are standard practices that you should follow for every class, and they are required for this class. In fact, the instructor will not read any page that is not mechanically attached to the first page, nor will he read any page that doesn’t have some form of identification (name or red-id) on it. (If it’s not good enough to have your name on it, it’s not good enough for me to read.) See the “Course Information” section on
Blackboard for some further information about your essays.
End of syllabus

Phil 101 6 Fall 2015
Course Calendar
Philosophy 101, Sections 4 & 8, Schedule # 22647 & 29659
Fall 2015
Though dates for lecture topics are tentative, dates for quizzes on readings, essays, and exams are firm!
Week 1: 24 Aug-27 Aug Introduction; the “perfect” crime?
Week 2: 01 Sep-03 Sep Happiness; religion and ethics.
*** Last day to drop classes – 04 September ***
*** Last day to apply to graduate in December – 04 September ***
Week 3: 08 Sep-10 Sep Who’s responsible?
*** Labor Day Holiday – campus closed – 07 Monday ***
!!! Reading quiz #1 – Where Am I Wearing? – due 10 September !!!
Week 4: 15 Sep-17 Sep
Week 5: 22 Sep-24 Sep
Pleasure as ultimate good.
Relativism.
Week 6: 29 Sep-01 Oct Emotions and sentiments.
!!! Essay #1 on Timmerman and utilitarianism due 06 October !!!!
Week 7: 06 Oct-09 Oct
Week 8: 13 Oct-15 Oct
Emotivism and language; Immanuel Kant.
Mid-term; deontology.
Week 9: 20 Oct-22 Oct
!!! Mid-term exam 13 October. Bring scantron !!!
And still more deontology.
!!! Reading quiz #2 – Animals – due 20 October !!!
Week 10: 27 Oct-29 Oct Prima facie duties; contractarianism.
Week 11: 03 Nov-05 Nov Persons; virtue.
!!! Essay #2 on LePan and deontology due 03 November !!!
Week 12: 10 Nov-12 Nov More virtue theory.
*** Veterans’ Day Holiday – campus closed – 11 November**
Week 13: 17 Nov-19 Nov Still more virtue; natural law.
Week 14: 24 Nov-27 Nov Evolutionary ethics.
*** Thanksgiving break – 25-29 November – no classes ***
Week 15: 01 Dec-03 Dec Are you Superhuman?
Week 16: 08 Dec-10 Dec Metaethics; what if?
!!! Essay #3 on being a Superhuman due 08 December !!!
Week 17: 11 Dec-17 Dec Final exam period
!!! Final exam: Thursday, 17 December, 8h! Bring scantron !!!
End of calendar

Phil 101 7 Fall 2015
The goal for the student is to provide evidence that s/he has read the assigned reading and thought about it. “+” = very good; “—” = satisfactory; “~” = ok for credit (barely); “X” = did not fulfill this criterion.
To earn an F , you provide hardly any or no evidence of having read the assignment.
To earn a D or higher, your responses provide some evidence of your having looked at the assignment:
You answer correctly some but not all basic questions about the main ideas or characters.
You show some recognition of main ideas or characters’ names.
You correctly identify some but not all concepts introduced or reviewed in the reading.
You correctly identify and apply some but not all terms introduced or reviewed in the assignment.
To earn a C or higher, your responses provide evidence of your having read the assignment:
You answer correctly all basic questions about the main ideas and characters.
You show recognition of all main ideas or characters’ names and their respective associations.
You correctly identify all concepts introduced or reviewed in the reading.
You correctly identify and apply all terms from the assignment.
Your writing is relatively free from spelling and grammatical errors (dictionaries are allowed).
You use some specific example from the reading to illustrate your answers.
To earn a B or higher, your responses provide evidence of your having read the assignment and understanding how it relates to discussions in the classroom:
You use specific and detailed example(s) from the reading and explicitly relate them to you your answers.
You apply ideas from the reading to correspondent ideas presented in the classroom.
You use examples from the lectures to illustrate the concepts in the reading.
To earn an A , your responses provide evidence of the above plus that you have really thought about the assigned reading:
You use very original examples to illustrate the concepts of the reading.
You apply very specific events or discussions from the reading to some new situation.
Your writing is excellent and/or your style is very interesting.

Phil 101 8 Fall 2015
Your goal is to address the prompt by taking a position for or against some claim. You want to identify your position and to explain why your position makes sense. “+” = very good; “—” = satisfactory; “~” = ok for credit (barely); “X” = did not fulfill this criterion.
To earn an F , you do nothing or your paper does not fulfill any of the conditions listed below.
To earn higher than D , your paper meets all of these conditions:
Your name or other form of identification is on each page.
You have a main point (thesis statement), but it is not so clearly stated.
You do offer some reasoning (though not so good or not so clearly) to support this thesis
whether it’s stated or not.
To earn a C or higher, your paper must meet all these conditions:
Special and/or new terms (if any) are clearly defined.
You use appropriate terms to identify concepts and ideas in context.
A thesis statement is clearly and identifiably expressed.
You offer evidence or reasons to support your thesis (though not necessarily convincing ones).
Your writing is relatively free from spelling and grammatical errors.
Optional: you use an example from class or readings to illustrate your point.
To earn a B or higher, your paper must fulfill all these conditions:
The thesis is well supported by argumentation.
You use an original example, either your own or someone else’s, to illustrate points.
You acknowledge some alternative position to your own.
You appropriately relate your position to some idea presented in class or a reading.
To earn an A , your paper meets at least one of these conditions:
Your work is interesting to read (e.g., your style is easy to follow or humorous or you use very original or new examples to support your point).
Your work either suggests a new idea and/or it applies the concepts in a novel way.
You support your thesis with solid argumentation.
You state an alternative position and explain why your position is stronger.