ETH 101: Ethics and Society

Created Feb. 7, 2024 by Jonah Ford

Course Title: Ethics and Society

Course Number: ETH 101

Course Instructor: Jonah Ford

Email: fordj@middlesex.mass.edu
Office Hours: By appointment
Credits: 3

Course Overview

Each of us will come to this class with a sense of right and wrong, and how to act in the world. In philosophy, this is called ethics, and ethical questions arise daily that require us to determine what is right and how to respond. Philosophy has attempted to wrestle with these questions, such as the nature of justice, questions of rights and responsibilities, questions of our relationships and our obligations. This course introduces students to this area of inquiry and to some of the writers that have attempted answers to some of these challenging questions. Students will examine a pluralistic approach to moral theory and how it may be applied to areas of debate including current political concerns, questions of law, and others.

Course Objectives

Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:

Demonstrate, through writing and discussion, an understanding of the ways in which ethics intertwines with philosophy and major questions and issues existing in our modern world.
Manipulate in real-world contexts the theories and general approaches of the most influential philosophers in the area of ethical inquiry.
Explain what is meant by a pluralistic approach and how it might improve our ability to address complex moral and ethical questions and issues.

Reading Assignments

Assigned readings are an important component of this course. Lectures and class discussions will correspond with assigned readings. Students are responsible for all material covered in the readings. It is important for students to read assignments prior to each class.

It is imperative that students visit the course website at least 4-5 times per week to locate materials, participate in discussions (when necessary), submit assignments, as well as stay informed of any upcoming deadlines. Active participation in all assignments is both required and graded.

Required Materials

To succeed in this class, you will need all of the following:

In place of a mandatory text book, you are expected to do the online readings posted on blackboard prior to class
Additional handouts or other materials may be required. Instructor will provide information on obtaining this material
Weekly access to a computer and the internet
Notebook for taking notes
Bring all of these items to every class.

Student Responsibilities and Expectations

Assigned readings are integral components of this course. Students are responsible for all material covered in the readings. It is essential for students to read assignments prior to each class.

Class participation is an integral aspect of this course. Students must prepare themselves prior to class in order to get the most benefit from class meetings. IPods and cell phones are distracting and may not be visible or turned on in class unless a student shows documentation of a special need. Disruptive or disrespectful behavior will not be tolerated and can result in expulsion from class and potentially from your program. Students are expected to treat each other and course instructor with respect and consideration at all times.

Active participation in all class exercises is mandatory and is part of your overall grade. Class participation will be guided by the professor. Disruptive and disrespectful behavior will not be tolerated and may result in expulsion from class or, if necessary, the program. Students are expected to treat each other, the professor and guests with respect and consideration at all times. Please refer to your Middlesex Community College hand book for other information and policies that apply to this course.

BEST WAY TO SUCCEED IN THIS COURSE:

Attend every class in order to benefit from class lessons
Always check your MCC email for announcements and special instructions
Take advantage of assistance and encouragement from the instructor
Learn from other students
Notify the instructor by email about any questions or dilemmas
Submit all assignments/projects on suggested due dates
Check Blackboard before and after class for announcements/special instructions

PLAGIARISM AND CHEATING:

Students are expected to demonstrate personal and academic integrity at all times. Incidents of dishonesty may result in disciplinary action up to suspension from the College. Students are referred to the Middlesex Community College policy on academic integrity in the student handbook. Students are expected to utilize the Purdue Online Writing Lab for MLA style to assist them in properly citing all references and sources for their work in this course.

ATTENDANCE POLICY:

Due to the short time table of this course, each class period is crucial. Thus, students are expected to arrive on time for each class, and students who are absent for more than a full week during the summer term will risk being administratively withdrawn. Should a student find he/she is unable to take part in a given week’s assignment he/she must contact the instructor prior to the assignment deadline. Students should make sure to read the reading and assignment schedule located at the end of the course syllabus to be aware of any potential scheduling conflicts in advance.

LATE ASSIGNMENTS:

Late assignments will only be accepted with prior permission from the instructor. The instructor retains the right to dock points or deny credit for late assignments.

Grading and Evaluation

Assignment Weighting

20% of this course is based on class participation. Your attendance will be recorded every day. In order to earn 5% of your attendance grade, you have to attend class all the times when school is open, also participate in the class by asking questions, answering questions, helping others, etc. If you attend the class physically but do not regularly participate, you will only receive half-credit of this portion of your overall. In an Emergency circumstance exception can be made provided that appropriate written notification is given.

10% is based on daily reading quizzes

20%is based on a written, formal, academic research essay

25%* is based on the course Mid-Term

25%* is based on the course Final

*These exams will be in the format of open-response essay exams, and will assess your understanding of ethical/philosophical concepts covered in the course during the first half and final half, respectively. More specific instructions will be provided prior to each exam.

Grade	Numeric Range
A	93-100
A-	90-92
B+	87-89
B	83-86
B-	80-82
C+	77-79
C	73-76
C-	70-72
D+	67-69
D	63-66
D-	60-62
F	00-59

Tentative Course Schedule

Suggested Course Outline

Week	Topics and Procedures	Reading and Assignments
1	What is ethics? Read course syllabus and accompanying course overview material, including blackboard; read the introductory materials listed for "Week 1"; reading quiz for week 1, optional; class lecture and discussion Guiding questions for discussion: What is ethics? How does ethics differ from other standards of action (law, religious teaching, political ideology, etc.)? Discuss and explore the following terms: values, value judgement, ethical dilemma, "the good" (also "apparent good" vs "real good"), moral agent, justification, reason, argument What are your own ideas based on? Where did your ideas about right and wrong come from? Does knowledge of what is right automatically produce ethical action?	What is Ethics? Ethics for A-Level, "Introduction" Ethics Explored Types of Ethics Do You Have to Be an Expert to Practice Ethics? Suggested non-open reading: "The Difference Between Character and Intellect," by Robert Coles
2	God and The Good Read the materials listed for "Week 2"; daily reading quiz; class lecture and discussion Guiding questions for discussion: Discuss and explore the following terms: absolutism, relativism, theism/atheism/agnostic, secular, pluralism Discuss and explore the "Euthyphro Dilemma": Our religious traditions are a common source of our ideas of right and wrong. In a pluralistic world, how ought we think about the relationship between morality, ethics, and religious teachings? When there are moral/ethical disputes between differing religious teachings, secular beliefs, religious teachings and law, how might such disputes be settled? Can the Euthyphro Dilemma be applied to non-religious forms of authority, such as political ideologies, for example?	Secondary Reading: Where Does Good Come From? Euthyphro Dilemma
3	Plato Read the materials listed for "Week 3"; daily reading quiz; class lecture and discussion Guiding questions for discussion: Discuss and explore the following terms: justice, happiness (eudaimonia) How is Plato's concept of eudaimonia similar or different from what is commonly meant by "happiness"? What arguments does Socrates use to justify that he should remain in prison?	Background Readings: Socrates Plato Primary Readings: Crito Dialogue (text) Crito Dialogue (audiobook)
4	Plato Read the materials listed for "Week 4"; daily reading quiz; class lecture and discussion Guiding questions for discussion: What is justice?: Discuss and explore the various definitions discussed in Plato's dialogue What motivates us to act morally?: Discuss and explore the question of altruism, and the "Ring of Gyges" story Is the just person happier than the unjust person?	Primary Readings: The Republic: Book II (text) The Republic: Book II (audiobook) Supplemental Reading: Altruism
5	Aristotle Read the materials listed for "Week 5"; daily reading quiz; class lecture and discussion Guiding questions for discussion: Discuss and explore the following terms: virtue, vice, character, habit, appetites, passions How does Aristotle define/describe virtue, and how is it different from the way that term is commonly used today? Why does Aristotle focus so much on cultivating habits?	Primary Reading: Nicomachean Ethics: Book I-II (text) Nicomachean Ethics: Book I (audiobook) Nicomachean Ethics: Book II (audiobook) Suggested non-open reading: Selections from On Tyranny, by Timothy Snyder (2017)
6	Aristotle Read the materials listed for "Week 6"; daily reading quiz; class lecture and discussion Guiding questions for discussion: Why does Aristotle focus so much on cultivating habits? Aristotle states that virtuous actions are those that avoid either deficiency or excess (ex, his description of courage). What could be the value of this approach? Are there any limitations to this approach? Aristotle describes his virtue ethics as more of an art than a science. Why might this be an important way to think about living ethically?	Secondary/Summary Readings: Aristotle's Virtue Ethics (Lumen Learning) Aristotelian Virtue Ethics (Ethics for A-Level) Artistotle's Doctrine of the Mean (Lumen Learning)
7	Thomas Aquinas Read the materials listed for "Week 7"; daily reading quiz; class lecture and discussion Guiding questions for discussion: Discuss and explore the distinction between Natural Law and Human Law If reason is part of a Natural Law that is universal to all people, then is right or wrong (as determined by reason) therefore also universal? If we are inclined to disagree with Aquinas and answer in the negative (no), then is right and wrong are purely arbitrary?	Primary Reading Summa Theologica, Question 94 Secondary/Summary Reading Aquinas’s Natural Law Theory Suggested non-open reading: "Letter from Birmingham Jail," Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
8	Thomas Hobbes and the Social Contract Read the materials listed for "Week 8"; daily reading quiz; class lecture and discussion Guiding questions for discussion: Discuss and explore the following terms: social contract, state of nature Revisit the question of motivation: What motivates us to act morally? Revisit the question of the definition of justice: Does might make right? What is the relationship between the state/justice, the law/morality? What is the role of self-interest in our ethics? How do we define self-interest?	Primary Readings: Leviathan: Part 1, "Chapter 11: The Difference of Manners" Leviathan: Part 1, "Chapter 13: On the Natural Condition of Mankind"" Leviathan: Part 2, "Chapter 17: The Causes, Creation, and Definition of the Commonwealth"
9	David Hume and Empiricism Read the materials listed for "Week 9"; daily reading quiz; class lecture and discussion Guiding questions for discussion: Discuss and explore the following terms: empiricism, pragmatism, realism, Why does Hume introduce the concept of utility into ethical judgments? How does sentiment work within Hume's ethics? Why might this be valuable? How do experience, reason, sentiment, and utility work together in Hume’s ethics? Should ethics be rooted in purely rational, abstract principles (reason), or is it primarily about sentiment and subjectivity (experience)? Given the overwhelming research on subconscious bias, how should we think about Hume’s emphasis on sentiment?	Primary Reading An Enquiry Concerning the Principles of Morals (Sections 1-3)
10	Immanuel Kant and Deontology Read the materials listed for "Week 10"; daily reading quiz; class lecture and discussion Guiding questions for discussion: Discuss and explore the following terms: deontology, a priori and a posteriori, Categorical Imperative, heteronomous will and autonomous will Revisit the question of universalism vs relativism: Why does Kant want to rely only on a priori reason as a basis for his ethical system? Introduce and discuss Kant's grocer example. According to Kant, in contrast to Hume, why should experience and inclination be dismissed when assessing one’s moral duty?	Secondary/Summary Readings: Kant the Moral Order (Lumen Learning) Kantian Ethics (Ethics for A-Level)
11	John Stuart Mill and Utilitarianism Read the materials listed for "Week 11"; daily reading quiz; class lecture and discussion Guiding questions for discussion: Discuss and explore the following terms: pleasure, Greatest Happiness Principle, intent vs motive, Act Utilitarianism and Rule Utilitarianism, Harm Principle How does a utilitarian calculus help us address some of the limitations of Kant's Categorical Imperative? Are there any areas of ethical or moral concern that the utilitarian calculus cannot fully address? How do we maintain a balance between greater societal good and individual freedoms? For example, how do we balance between upholding free speech and free expression and dispelling hateful ideologies which impact marginalized groups?	Primary Reading: On Utilitarianism, Ch. 1-2 Secondary/Summary Reading: Utilitarianism Suggested non-open reading: Selections from John Rawls' A Theory of Justice (1971), or Peter Singer's Practical Ethics (1979)

Suggestions for Non-Open Amendments to Course Readings

As this syllabus attempts to curate course readings from public domain, Creative Commons, and OER resources this generally limits the ability to include primary source readings of more recent writers - or, at least I am not currently aware of where to find such resources in formats that would not violate their copyright or usage agreements. Although I have already included a few suggestions of non-open resources in places where I think they would thematically fit, below is a short list of some more recent authors and readings, in addition to those already noted above, which have proven to be of great interest to students and rich starting places for class discussion, any of which could be added to the suggested course outline to lengthen it or broaden it.

Ruth Benedict, Anthropology and the Abnormal
Mary Midgley, Trying Out One's New Sword
Jean-Paul Sartre, Existentialism and Human Emotion
Philip Hallie, From Cruelty to Goodness
Michael Walzter, Political Action: The Problem of Dirty Hands
Thomas Nagel, Mortal Questions