PHIL 102

Ethics, Politics, & Law

Spring Quarter 2008

Dr. Jeff Johnson

This quarter in Ethics, Politics, & Law we will examine a number of important moral, political, and legal controversies in contemporary American society that have been the focus of relatively recent Supreme Court decisions.  Constitutional law can be productively studied through the empirical methods of political science, and the interpretive methods of the moral philosophy and jurisprudence.  Our course will utilize insights from all of these academic perspectives. 

Since the issues we will be examining have proved controversial for scholars and judges, we can hardly expect consensus on any of them within our course.  That, I sincerely believe, is a good thing.  This course is not about discovering the truth, but providing the background and analytical tools to allow you to better understand the controversies, and to more reflectively formulate your own stands on them.  My ambitious goal for this quarter is address the following constitutional topics:

• Constitutional privacy

• Liberty

• Interpretive truth

• Abortion

• Conceptual analysis

• Gay rights

• Sexual privacy

• Search and seizure

• Constitutional balancing

• Free Exercise of Religion

• Freedom of speech and expression

• Feminist concerns about pornography

• Freedom of the press

• Brown v. Board of Education

• Equal Protection of the law

• Capital punishment

There will be a number of "texts" for this course.  We will be using a number of on-line readings -- articles and chapters, as well as Supreme Court decisions.  We will also read some of my own professional articles and conference papers.  Finally we will be utilizing contemporary cinema as a different sort of text for raising moral and legal questions.  Every Wednesday evening at 6:00 we will be showing a movie that raises an important moral or legal issue.  Students are required to see at least six of the nine films we will be showing.

UWR Writing Intensive Outcomes:

• Students will produce at least 3,000 words (including drafts, in-class writing, informal papers, and polished papers); 1,000 words of this total should be in polished papers which students have revised after receiving feedback and criticism.

• Students will be introduced to the discourse forms appropriate to the discipline the course represents.

• Students will write at least one paper integrating information from at least one source, employing the appropriate documentation style for the discipline represented by the course.

• Students will draft, revise, and edit their formal written work.
  Students will seek assistance from a Writing Tutor in the Writing Lab when needed and when referred by the instructor

Additional Outcomes:

• Understand the philosophical and legal controversies concerning constitutional privacy, liberty, abortion, fetal personhood, gay rights, legal moralism, Search and Seizure, constitutional balancing, free exercise, freedom of speech and expression, feminist concerns about pornography, freedom of the press, Equal Protection, affirmative action, and the death penalty.

• Read philosophical and legal texts critically and with understanding.

• Critically view cinema dealing with social issues.

• Write effectively about philosophical and legal controversies.

• Write effectively about social issues in contemporary cinema

Means of Assessment and Grading:

• An in-class mid-term essay exam -- 30% of course grade. (outcomes 1, 2, and 4)

• An in-class final essay exam -- 30% of course grade. (outcomes 1, 2, and 4)

• A 1200 to 1800 words analytical paper explaining and assessing personal and legal privacy -- 30% of course grade. (outcomes 1, 2, and 4)

• Seven short (300 to 400 words) on assigned movies -- 10% of course grade. (outcomes 3 and 5)

• Please note: a grade of C- is required in order for this course to count toward the University Writing Requirement 

Link to movie prompts

ACADEMIC HONESTY

I am including below Eastern's Academic Honesty Code.  It is vitally important that you carefully read it, and that you understand that it is my intention to follow this code to the letter.  I really can't think of a better way to ruin your experience with this course, than to disregard this code.  Obviously, if you have any questions, I can't urge you too strongly to ask me.

ACADEMIC HONESTY CODE

All members of the Eastern Oregon University academic community are responsible for compliance with its Academic Honesty Code. Students are required to report violations to the respective faculty member of a course. Provisions of the Academic Honesty Code are:

1. Collaboration while taking any quizzes, in-class examinations, or take home examinations without the instructor's written approval is forbidden. The faculty member is responsible for defining limits for other collaborative learning activities for each course.

2. Plagiarism or representation of the work of others as one's own is forbidden. The faculty member will make clear the format for properly citing sources of information not original by the student.

3. Explicit approval by all instructors is required if the same work is to be submitted to more than one course, even if is not within the same term.

Violations of the Academic Honesty Code may result in both academic and behavioral penalties including possible suspension or expulsion from the University.

An automatic grade of zero for any work which is a violation of the Academic Honesty Code will be assigned by the instructor. The instructor may also assign a grade of F for the course after discussion with the respective School Dean. Students may appeal the course grade to the respective School Dean, who is the final level of appeal on the matter of course grade penalties for academic dishonesty.

The faculty member is also required to file a disciplinary complaint to the Vice President for Student Affairs about any student believed to have violated the Academic Honesty Code. If deemed appropriate, hearing procedures will be implemented by a University Hearing Officer as outlined in the Code of Student Conduct. Possible sanctions considered by the Student Conduct Committee include probation, suspension, and expulsion.

TENTATIVE CALENDAR