McGill University
Department of Philosophy
Philosophy 334: ETHICS I
Winter 2006
Instructor:
Byron Stoyles
Email: byron.stoyles@mcgill.ca
Phone: 514-398-2882
Office:
Office Hours:
Leacock 923
Mondays &
Wednesdays 1:45-2:45,
(or by appointment)
Classes: EDUC 129, Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, 11:35am – 12:25pm
Please note that regular attendance is expected for success in this course.
This second course in ethics is intended for students with prior university coursework in moral philosophy.
For this reason, at least one of the following prerequisites is mandatory.
Prerequisite: One of Phil 230: Introduction to Moral Philosophy; Phil 237: Contemporary Moral Issues;
Phil 242: Introduction to Feminist Theory; or written permission of the instructor.
Course Description:
The goal of this course is to increase students’ awareness, and understanding, of issues in contemporary
moral philosophy—specifically, issues in contemporary normative ethics. Students will be introduced to
recent literature in the analytic tradition of moral philosophy as they are encouraged to understand and
evaluate the ability of various normative theories to guide our lives as moral agents. To consider some of
the merits and shortcomings of consequentialist, deontological, virtue, and particularist theories, the class
will focus on such issues in moral psychology as reason, emotion, luck, attention to others, and personal
identity.
Web page: This course will be supported by a WebCT Vista page. (Details will be provided in class.)
Required Texts:
1.) A coursepack of selected readings;
2.) Moral Theory: An Introduction, by Mark Timmons (Rowman & Littlefield, 2002); and
3.) Identity, Character, and Morality: Essays in Moral Psychology, edited by Owen Flanagan and
Amélie Oksenberg Rorty (MIT Press, 1990).
All required texts will be available at the McGill University Bookstore.
(You might find one or both of the books listed on the used bookshelves.)
Requirements:
30%
5-6 page essay
40%
8-10 page essay
30%
Final Examination (3-hours in length—To be scheduled for the April Examination Period)
-Late papers will be penalized 5 percentage points per calendar day late.
-Extensions will only be granted for reasons supported by appropriate documentation.
-All written work must be submitted on or before the last day of classes (April 10, 2006).
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McGill University values academic integrity. Therefore, all students must understand the meaning and
consequences of cheating, plagiarism and other academic offences under the Code of Student Conduct
and Disciplinary Procedures (see www.mcgill.ca/integrity for more information).