PHIL 490

Ethics and Public Policy

Distance Education

Dr. Jeff Johnson

 

 

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PHIL 490 is an ambitious course that seeks to combine the study of contemporary moral theory with pressing issues in public policy.  Some quarters this marriage will be relatively straightforward.  It's easy to imagine, for example, the theoretical part of the course focusing on John Rawls, or feminist ethical theory, and then transitioning to public policy debates about heath care or abortion rights.  This quarter, however, I want to focus the theoretical part of our course on what is sometimes called meta-ethics, the philosophical study of ethics itself.  That means there will be an inevitable disconnect between the work we will be doing together, and the independent research you will conduct on your own.  I think it's probably most accurate to see our course as two courses -- a three-credit Blackboard course on meta-ethical theory, and a two-credit directed research course on a public policy issue (to be treated from a candidly normative perspective).

I am planning on presenting a one-hour video lecture on the each week's readings and issues, and then conducting a one-hour group seminar discussion of the readings at the beginning of the following week.  To do all of this we will utilize a powerful program called Illuminate that will be accessible through Blackboard.  The lectures will be recorded and accessible at your convenience, but the seminar will require that we find a common time where we can all be on-line together.

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Course Outcomes:

• Understand the moral philosophy of Kant, Mill, and Moore

• Understand the skeptical positions of Ayer and Mackie

• Understand contemporary moral realism

• Understand contemporary moral anti-realism

• Understand contractarian moral theory

• Understand evolutionary ethics

• Understand Johnson secular natural law theory

• Read philosophical texts critically and with understanding.

• Discuss philosophical texts with insight

• Conduct independent research on a public policy controversy

• Examine a public policy controversy from a normative perspective

• Write effectively about philosophical and meta-ethical controversies.

• Write effectively about public policy

Means of Assessment and Grading:

• A 2500 to 4000 word analytical paper on a contemporary public policy controversy (outcomes 10, 11 and 13) (40% of course grade)

• A portofolio of eight short (750 to 100 word) on weekly readings. (outcomes 1-8) (40% of course grade)

• Attendance (on-line) and participation in weekly seminar discussions (outcome 9) (20% of course grade)

Alternative m eans of Assessment and Grading (for those students not able to particpate in the on-line seminar sessions):

• A 2500 to 4000 word analytical paper on a contemporary public policy controversy (outcomes 10, 11 and 13) (40% to 50% of course grade)

• A portofolio of eight short (750 to 100 word) on weekly readings. (outcomes 1-8) (50% to 60% of course grade)

 

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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.

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DDE CALENDAR

The calendar lists lecture and reading topics, links to on-line

readings, links to PowerPoint slides, and movies, as well as

occasional note to look for documents in the Course Documents folder.