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PHIL 103 Ethical Issues

Second Semester, 2014

Associate Professor Lisa Ellis (convener and lecturer)
lisa.ellis@otago.ac.nz
Room G5, Philosophy Department, 117 Union Street East
Office Hours: TBA

This course surveys different ethical theories and applies them to practical problems. We
shall learn to make defensible arguments about what is good and what is right in a wide
variety of contexts, and to criticize such arguments both internally and externally.
Theories covered include Kantian ethics, consequentialism, contractarianism, and rights
theories, among others. Using these philosophical perspectives we shall construct
arguments about ethical health policy, environmental management, military action, social
policy, property rights, and other moral matters. Successful completion of PHIL 103 will
prepare the student for advanced work in moral philosophy.

The Philosophy Department is located at 117 Union Street East. The department office is
open weekdays from 8.30 am to 5.00 p.m. Staff have offices in the department. It is a
good idea to become familiar with the department website.


Course Structure

There are two 50-minute lectures and one 50-minute workshop (tutorial) per week in
PHIL103. Tutorials begin in the second week of term. Each tutorial hour begins with a
simple quiz on the week's reading, followed by discussion of the material and practice
using moral philosophy to construct defensible ethical arguments. There are short weekly
readings available on Blackboard; have these readings completed by the beginning of the
week in which we discuss them. It will be easier to follow the lectures if you have done
the reading before Tuesday afternoon. In addition to attending lecture and tutorial and
completing the weekly readings, you will take an in-class exam before term break, write a
short essay due 1st October, and take a three-hour examination.



Lecture Topics

For dates and details, see the longer syllabus on Blackboard. Lecture topics include:
ethical reasoning; Kant's ethics, consent, end-of-life decisions; Kantian ethics, health care
policy and intergenerational justice; virtue ethics, moral saints, and care of the vulnerable;
Mill's utilitarianism and the social regulation of sexual behavior; consequentialism and
trolley problems; Singer's utilitarianism, poverty, pain, death, and drinking the blood of
the young; Singer's utilitarianism and speciesism; Donaldson and Kymlicka and animal
rights; egoism and homo oeconomicus; Sen and rational fools; property rights and piracy;
contractarianism, the prisoners' dilemma, and the environment; contractarianism and
duties to non-humans, foreigners, the disabled, and future generations; anarchism and
resistance; just war theory; egalitarianism, inequality, and climate change.

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Readings

Required weekly readings are posted on Blackboard. There is no single recommended
textbook. However, you may be interested in deepening your understanding of each
week's material, in which case you will want to follow the links to recommended readings
on Blackboard. Other sources you may find useful are listed on the StudySmart tab on
the Blackboard course site. Many of these have been placed on reserve at Central
Library. If you have a particular interest you wish to follow up, you may ask any of the
tutors or the lecturer, or you may wish to consult the Philosophy Librarian:

Charlotte Brown
Central Library (ask for her at the Lending and i desk)
Phone: 479 8976 Email: charlotte.brown@otago.ac.nz


Expected workload

The course is worth 18 points. Each point represents 10 hours work, for the average
student, giving a total of 180 hours. Here the work includes all work attendance at
lectures and workshops, time spent reading, preparing for and writing essays, and revising
for and sitting the final examination. Thus PHIL 103 involves roughly 12 hours a week
spread over 15 weeks (13 teaching weeks, a 1-week study break, and 1 examination week).


Assessment

There will be one in-class test, worth 15%; one 1500-word essay, worth 15%; tutorial
quizzes, worth 10%; and a three-hour examination, worth 60%.

The in-class test will take place on 22nd August and will cover all the material (readings,
lectures, tutorials) from the first half of the semester.

The essay topics will be distributed on Blackboard after the term break; essays are
submitted on Blackboard and due at 11:59pm, 1st October. If you are worried that your
submission did not succeed, e-mail a copy to your tutor. No hard copy of the essay is
required.

Tutorials meet weekly from the second week of the course; at the beginning of each
tutorial session there will be a short quiz. The ten best quizzes will comprise your mark
for tutorials, worth a total of 10%. Quizzes are only available at the beginning of each
tutorial; if you know you must miss more than two tutorials, see the course convener at
the beginning of term.

The three-hour examination will cover lectures, readings, and tutorial exercises from the
whole semester.



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Note that the grading scheme used at Otago is:

A+ 90-100
A 85-89
A- 80-84
B+ 75-79
B 70-72
B- 65-69
C+ 60-64
C 55-59
C- 50-54
D 40-49
E <40




Philosophy Departments policy on late assignments


1. In principle it is unfair to students who submit work on time to allow other
students extra time to complete their work. Extensions are therefore granted only in
exceptional circumstances (see 2 and 3). Late assignments will be penalised (see 4). This
policy applies to philosophy students at all levels.

2. Extensions will be granted in exceptional circumstances, such as sickness (a medical
certificate must be provided) or bereavement. Application should be made to the course
coordinator.

3. It is the responsibility of students to organise their workload and to ensure that
their data is backed up. Therefore, extensions will not be granted for reasons such as
disorganisation, pressure of work in other subjects, or malfunction of computer or
printer. Topics and deadlines are announced well in advance. Students should plan their
assignment schedule carefully and begin work well before the deadline.

4. Essays and assignments handed in late when no extension has been granted will be
penalised by five marks for every working day that the work is late. For this purpose the
day is defined as ending at 5pm. Lecturers may choose to mark but not provide
comments on late assignments.

5. Students who do not appear for an in-class test will receive a mark of zero for that
test except in exceptional circumstances (see 2). Application should be made to the
course coordinator.






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Thanks to my colleague in the Philosophy Department, Andrew Moore, who has allowed
me to quote from his coursebook section on Quotation:

"Quotation, Plagiarism and References.

The Division of Humanities has made the following statement:

Plagiarism means copying or paraphrasing someone elses work and presenting it as ones
own. Plagiarism is a form of cheating. It may involve copying or paraphrasing without
sufficient acknowledgment another students work or a tutors. Copying from textbooks
or articles is plagiarism. Paraphrasing a textbook or article without sufficient
acknowledgment is plagiarism. Even if sufficient attribution is given (ie.
acknowledgments through footnotes) the proportion of paraphrased text in work
presented as ones own may be so great as to attract a charge of plagiarism. Students are
encouraged to discuss course work and assignments but any assignment or research paper
you present must be your own work. Penalties for plagiarism include forfeiting all credit
for that assignment or research paper. Further, the Assistant Vice-Chancellor has power
to deny Terms (ie. the right to sit the final examination) to anyone involved in plagiarism.
Students who allow their work to be copied may also be penalised. Students involved in
serious cases of plagiarism or who repeatedly plagiarise will normally be barred from
sitting the final examination in the paper concerned.

So:
(i) Do not copy without acknowledgement from a book, article or course book: that is
plagiarism and will (at the least) be heavily marked down.
(ii) If you wish to report the words of an author, you must enclose the passage in
quotation marks and give the source (including page) in a footnote or endnote. Quotation
is not usually necessary in an essay at this level. It is better to express the view in your
own words. Even then, indicate the source and indicate how much of your work you owe
to it.
(iii) List the things you have read and drawn on for the essay in a Bibliography at the
end.

One appropriate format for listing articles is this: (Note: Any consistent style that
includes all the relevant information is satisfactory in PHIL 103. We do not insist on any
particular style of referencing.)

Campbell, C.A., The Defence of Freewill, in R. Taylor (ed), Introductory Readings
in Metaphysics, Prentice-Hall, 1987.

For books:

Taylor, R., Metaphysics, 3rd edition, Prentice Hall, 1980.

In your essay, you can then refer to these works using an Author (year: page numbers)
formula, in this way:

One unconvincing argument for freedom of the will is this: (Campbell 1987:
23-26).
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Note: A short book with helpful advice on all this and more is:

James Stramel, How to Write a Philosophy Paper (Reserve, Central Library).

Applying For Extensions. The only person who may grant an extension for a PHIL 103
essay is [Lisa Ellis]. Good reason is needed to justify any extension, and because we tell
you well in advance about your deadlines, heavy workload at the time of the essay due
date will not normally count as a good enough reason. A good reason is something you
could not reasonably be expected to have foreseen, and which seriously compromises
your ability to complete your work on time. You may seek an extension in person, by
telephone, or in writing, and you should do so before the essay due date. Those who seek
extensions only after the due date has passed will normally lose marks for being late with
their request. When you ask for an extension, give your name, address, phone number
and/or e-mail address (if you have one), explanation, and evidence. A relevant note from
a doctor or other professional or independent person is the best evidence...." (Andrew
Moore, PHIL 103 Coursebook 2012: 7).


Disability, Impairment or Medical Condition
If you have a permanent or temporary disability, impairment or medical condition that
affects your study in this paper, the Philosophy Department invites you to contact the
Course Co-ordinator to discuss any specific requirements. Alternatively, you are welcome
to meet with the Departmental Disability Contact or a Student Advisor at Disability
Information and Support. Disability Information and Support provides learning support,
advice, advocacy and information to students with permanent or temporary disabilities,
impairments or medical conditions.

Departmental Disability Contact: Lisa Ellis
Telephone: 479 8727
Email: lisa.ellis@otago.ac.nz
Location: 117 Union St East

Disability Information and Support
Telephone: 479 8235
Email: disabilities@otago.ac.nz
Website: www.otago.ac.nz/disabilities