PHILOSOPHICAL ETHICS
PHRU 1100, Spring 2009
M/R 8:30-9:45, Keating 317
Professor: Dr. Stephen Grimm
Office: Collins 119
Office Hours: Mon. and Thurs. 9:50-11:50; and by appointment
Tel.: 718-817-3282
e-mail: sgrimm@fordham.edu
Course Description
Which actions are morally right? What makes a person morally praiseworthy?
Which things are good (valuable)? What life is the best (most desirable, most
fulfilling)?
We will begin the course by asking whether accurate, substantive answers can be
given to these questions. We will then consider how three major philosophers in
particular—John Stuart Mill, Immanuel Kant, and Aristotle—have attempted to
answer these questions, occasionally appealing to contemporary issues to help
illuminate their positions.
Readings for the Course
Russ Shafer-Landau, Whatever Happened to Good and Evil? (Oxford U. Press)
J. S. Mill, Utilitarianism (Hackett)
Immanuel Kant, Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals (Cambridge U. Press)
Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics (Cambridge U. Press)
Additional readings will be available via Blackboard.
Requirements for the Course
Quizzes
Seven brief, multiple-choice quizzes will test your knowledge of the reading and
class discussion. From among these seven quizzes, I will count your top
six grades. In other words, I will drop your lowest grade. If you miss class, or are
late for the quiz, you will receive a zero for that assignment. Make-ups will not be
available.
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NB: As you can see below, taken together the quizzes count for 30% of your
grade—in other words, a large portion! If you’ve been doing the reading carefully
and taking good notes in class, they should not be a problem. If you are prone to
skip classes and/or fail to keep up with the reading, however, you will likely
struggle with the quizzes; given that they represent more than a third of your
grade, you should therefore think twice before taking this class.
Exams
There will be a midterm and a final. The midterm date is already scheduled for
February 19th, and the tentative date for the final is May 11th. Alternative times
will not be permitted. Additional information about the exams will be provided in
advance. Unless evidence of a serious emergency (death in the family, etc.) or
medical crisis is provided, make-up exams will not be available.
Attendance and Participation
Regular attendance is required, and active, thoughtful participation will not only
help you understand the material better, but will also help your participation
grade.
I also want to stress: Given that our class is early in the morning, and that you
might therefore be tempted to arrive late from time to time, it is all the more
important that you be on time for class. For the purposes of this course, then,
late = absent.
Classroom Courtesy
Cellphones should be turned off for the duration of the class, and texting during
class is not permitted.
Because they tend to be used for non-class related purposes, laptops will also not
be allowed in class. If you have a special reason to use a laptop please see me and
I will try to accommodate you.
Academic Misconduct
You will be strictly held to the Fordham University code of conduct. At a
minimum, you will receive an “F” on any work that involves academic misconduct,
and you may very well fail the course, depending on the circumstances.
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Grading
Quizzes=30% (5% each)
Midterm=25%
Final=30%
Attendance/Participation=15%
Schedule of Readings
January
12 Welcome and overview
15 Shafer-Landau, Whatever Happened, Preface & pp. 1-12
19 No Class—Martin Luther King Day
22 Shafer-Landau, Whatever Happened, pp. 15-42 [Quiz #1]
26 Shafer-Landau, Whatever Happened, pp. 57-74
29 Shafer-Landau, Whatever Happened, pp. 75-101, 135-36
February
2 Mill, Utilitarianism, Chapter 1
5 Mill, Utilitarianism, Chapter 2 [Quiz #2]
9 Mill, Utilitarianism, Chapter 2 cont.
12 Peter Singer, “Famine, Affluence, and Morality” (Blackboard) [Quiz #3]
[16 No Monday Class on Presidents’ Day; Instead, Monday Class will meet on
Tuesday, the 17th]
17 Mill, Singer wrap-up
19 MIDTERM
23 Immanuel Kant, Groundwork, Preface
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26 Kant, Groundwork, Section I [Quiz #4]
March
2 Kant, Groundwork, Section II (pp. 19-31)
5 Kant, Groundwork, Section II (pp. 31-47)
9 O’Neill, “Kantian Approaches to Some Famine Problems” (Blackboard) [Quiz
#5]
12 No Class—SRG Conference
16 & 19 No Class—Spring Break
23 Kant, O’Neill wrap-up
26 Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics, Book 1 (except ch. 6)
30 Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics, Book 2 [Quiz #6]
April
2 Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics, Book 3 (except chs. 6-9)
6 Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics, Book 4 (chs. 1-3)
9 & 13 No Class: Easter Break
16 Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics, Book 6 [Quiz #7]
20 Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics, Book 7
23 Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics, Book 10
27 LAST CLASS
May
FINAL EXAM (tentative): Mon., May 11, 9:30 a.m.