Phil 101: Ethics and Social Issues
Syllabus
California State University at Sacramento
Spring 2006, Section 1
MEETING TIMES: Monday and Wednesday, 1:30 – 2:45 am, MND3009
INSTRUCTOR: Dr. Patti Nogales
CONTACT INFORMATION: pdn26@csus.edu and 278-6846
OFFICE: Mendocino Hall, 3014
OFFICE HOURS: Tuesday and Thursday, 10:00 - 11:30
CATALOG OUTLINE
This course provides an introduction to and training in “Moral controversies that divide society today, such
as abortion, the death penalty, affirmative action, sexism, nuclear deterrence. Emphasis is on identifying
the relevant values and moral principles underlying competing views and subjecting them to rational
assessment.”
PREREQUISITE: Passing score on the Writing Proficiency Exam
RECOMMENDED: Passing score on 3 units of philosophy
SATISFACTION OF REQUIREMENTS: General Education, Diversity, and Area D2
This course satisfies General Education Requirements for Advanced Study by requiring students to
spend a lot of time writing and revising argument constructions and an essay. Students are required to
write no less than 5,000 words of clear and logical prose. See the description of assignments for more
detail.
This course also satisfies diversity requirements by containing in the reading list the works and
perspectives of minority and women scholars which reflect a diversity of values and methods of analysis.
As a result, this course examines various sides of each issue and critically evaluates the strengths and
weaknesses of supporting and refuting arguments and presents scholarly analysis of possible alternative
solutions. This course also contributes to the development in the students of an understanding of an
appreciation for the diversity of the human community.
This course also satisfies Area D2: Major Social Issues of the Contemporary Era by examining domestic
issues confronting or dividing Americans today within the following topic areas: Abortion, Health and
Biomedical issues, Gender Issues, Freedom of Speech, Race Issues, Criminal Justice, Drug and Alcohol
Use, Homosexuality and Same Sex Marriage, and Nonhuman Animals and the Environment.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
We will work throughout the course to develop and refine the following skills:
 Expressing one’s ethical judgments in a consistent and clear fashion
 Discussing controversial social issues in a cogent and respectful manner
 Identifying arguments (premises and conclusions) in discussions of moral issues
 Identifying ethically relevant features of a particular case or social issue
 Developing arguments to support one’s position on controversial moral issues
 Identifying and summarizing the opponents point of view
 Analyzing specific ethical arguments for consistency and credibility, using ethical theories and
concepts and revealing hidden or inconsistent assumptions
 Applying ethical theories to resolve moral problems encountered in personal, professional, and
social life
 Writing clearly and logically and revising one’s own writing
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TEXTBOOKS
Brown, Marvin T. Brown, The Ethical Process, 3rd Edition, Upper Saddle River, NJ, Prentice Hall, 2002.
Boss, Judith A., Analyzing Moral Issues, 3rd Edition, New York, NY, McGraw Hill, 1999.
ASSIGNMENTS AND GRADING
READINGS: To make sense of the lectures and to participate in class discussion and group work you
MUST do the readings.
ATTENDANCE: The best way to learn philosophy is to read, write, and talk about it. As a result, I expect
you to attend class regularly and recommend that you get notes from a classmate if you miss a session.
For an absence to be excused you must inform me of it in advance. Too many absences will count
against your participation grade.
PARTICIPATION: People think better when they are talking as well as listening. To help you develop
critical thinking skills you will be asked to participate in group sessions. Class participation also includes
asking questions, answering questions, taking notes, discussing issues, writing, and giving feedback to
your classmates. Your final grade will reflect your contribution to the activities of the class.
WRITING: Writing is a wonderful tool for exploring and understanding a topic. I expect you to write
clearly and with good grammar, spelling, and punctuation. For those who require assistance with writing,
check out the Writing Lab, which provides excellent support. You will do two main kinds of writing in this
class: argument constructions and an essay.
ARGUMENT STRUCTURES: One of the most valuable skills philosophy has to teach is the skill of
uncovering, constructing, and evaluating arguments as they appear in a text. To practice this skill you will
write three 3-5 page summaries of arguments found in three different readings. For example, you might
write a summary of Judith Jarvis essay “A Defense of Abortion.” After reading her essay carefully, you
would write down the main point(s) of the essay. Then, step by step, you would try to detect the
conclusions and premises (include observation statements and value judgments) that lead to the
conclusions.
ESSAY: You will be asked to write one essay this semester, 10-12 pages long. In this essay you should
chose one ethical theory or theoretical approach and describe its application to one of the social issues
described in class. For example, you might want to do an analysis of euthanasia from a utilitarian point of
view.
One of the best ways of improving your writing skills is to have your writing critiqued by an audience. To
allow you to experience valuable feedback during the writing process, your paper will be due in phases.
First you will submit a statement of your thesis and a one paragraph description. Next you will submit a
rough draft for critique (peer review). Finally, you will rewrite and submit your final draft (last day of
class).
PRESENTATIONS: One of the main goals of this course is for you to be able to discuss arguments for
and against different sides of controversial issues, rationally and respectfully. One way to practice this is
to work in groups (of 3) to make a class presentation on one of the available topics. You must choose a
topic and let me know by February 6th. Fifty percent of your grade on the presentation will be based on
the group performance and the remaining 50% will be based on your contribution to that presentation.
ASSIGNMENTS AND GRADING (for a total of 100%)
Attendance and Participation
15%
Quizzes
15%
Presentations
20%
Argument Constructions
25%
Argumentative Essay
25% due: Monday, May 15th, 12:45
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NUMERICAL/LETTER GRADING SCALE
96-100
A
70-72
90-95
A67-69
87-89
B+
63-66
83-85
B
60-62
80-82
B59 and below
77-79
C+
73-76
C
CD+
D
DF
POLICIES
ACADEMIC HONESTY: Academic honesty requires that a writer clearly inform the reader of the source
of ideas expressed in a piece of writing. The failure to do this, that is, to fail to cite your sources, is
considered plagiarism. In addition, there is a software program which can be used to detect papers
obtained through the Internet. If you commit plagiarism on a document, the grade on that document will
be an F and I reserve the right to flunk the student on the spot. Here is the university policy on academic
honesty:
http://www.csus.edu/admbus/umanual/UMA00150.htm
LATENESS: If you must be late (to class or with an assignment), you should let me know in advance.
Tardies count as absences and too many absences (more than 4) will count against your grade.
Unexcused late assignments will lose 2 points per day.
MAKEUP: If you let me know that you will miss a class in advance, you can make up the quiz that is
given that day.
TENTATIVE WEEKLY SCHEDULE
WEEK 1: Introduction to the Ethical Process
Monday, January 23, 2006
Wednesday, January 25, 2006
Read: Brown, Chapter 1 – Introduction to the Ethical Process (10 pp)
WEEK 2: Resources for the Ethical Process
Read: Brown, Chapter 2, Resources for the Ethical Process (10 pp)
Monday, January 30, 2006
Wednesday, February 1, 2006
Read: Brown, Chapter 3, Understanding Alternative Points of View (25 pp)
WEEK 3: Putting it All Together
Read: Brown, Chapter 4, Evaluating Arguments from Different Ethical Approaches (26 pp)
Monday, February 6, 2006
Wednesday, February 8, 2006
Read: Brown, Chapter 5, The Ethical Process as an Argumentative Dialogue (5 pp)
WEEK 4: Moral Theory
Monday, February 13, 2006
Read: Boss, Chapter 1 Moral Theory (read pp. 1-41)
Wednesday, February 15, 2006
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
WEEK 5: Abortion
Read: Boss, Chapter 2, Thomson, Marquis, and Warren
Monday, February 20, 2006
Presentation #1
Wednesday, February 22, 2006

WEEK 6: Genetic Engineering and Cloning
Read: Boss, Chapter 3, Anderson, Robertson, and Kass
Monday, February 27, 2006
Presentation #2
Wednesday, March 1, 2006

WEEK 7: Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide
Read: Boss, Chapter 4, Battin and Hardwig
Monday, March 6, 2006
Presentation #3

Wednesday, March 8, 2006
Argument Structure 1 Due: Warren
SPRING BREAK – March 13-19th

WEEK 8: Punishment and the Death Penalty
Read: Boss, Chapter 5, Morris and Reiman
Monday, March 20, 2006
Presentation #4
Wednesday, March 22, 2006

WEEK 9: Drug and Alcohol Use
Read: Boss, Chapter 6, Wilson and Husak
Monday, March 27, 2006
Presentation #5
Wednesday, March 29, 2006

WEEK 10: Sexual Intimacy and Marriage
Read: Boss, Chapter 7, The Vatican and Ruse
Monday, April 3, 2006
Presentation #6
Wednesday, April 5, 2006

WEEK 11: Freedom of Speech
Read: Boss, Chapter 8, Mill, Lawrence and Rauch
Monday, April 10, 2006
Presentation #7

Wednesday, April 12, 2006
Argument Structure 2 Due: Wilson
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
WEEK 12: Racism and Affirmative Action
Read: Boss, Chapter 9, Steele and Garcia
Monday, April 17, 2006
Presentation #8
Wednesday, April 19, 2006

WEEK 13: Feminism, Motherhood, and the Workplace
Read: Boss, Chapter 10, de Beauvoir, Groenhout, Sommers
Monday, April 24, 2006
Presentation #9
Wednesday, April 26, 2006 –

WEEK 14: War and Terrorism
Read: Boss, Chapter 11, Luban and Coady
Monday, May 1, 2006
Presentation #10
Wednesday, May 3, 2006

WEEK 15: Nonhuman Animals and the Environment
Read: Boss, Chapter 12, Regan and Cohen
Monday, May 8, 2006
Presentation #11
Wednesday, May 10, 2006
WEEK 16: Final Exam Week
Monday, May 15, 2006 Final Exam
12:45-2:45
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