PHIL 102

Ethics, Politics, & Law

Division of Distance Education

Dr. Jeff Johnson

IMPORTANT NOTICE!

What follows is so self-evident to me that I have never stated explicitly in words.  But there seems to be a persistent misunderstanding, so here goes.  There are video-lectures that go with this course.  Viewing them is essential to doing well in the course.  They are a formal requirement.  Just as though you could hardly expect to do well in a course you never attended, trying to take this course without watching the video-lectures is just as foolhardy.

The video-lectures are only available by rental through the Eastern Oregon University Bookstore.  This means that even if you use other resources to find the assigned texts for the course, you will still need to contact the Bookstore to get the video-lectures.  Here is a link to the Bookstore:

http://www.eoubookstore.com/

The two exams for this course are all on-line.  They are timed (two hours), but complete open-book, open-note, and do not require a proctor.  You will need to schedule the exams about a week in advance of when you plan to take them.

Contact the Division of Distance Education at http://www.eou.edu/dde/webadv/forms/testing.html or 1-800-544-2195 ext. 8 to  schedule a date for your exam(s).

This quarter in Ethics, Politics, & Law, we will be addressing five important moral, legal and political issues that are of personal and professional interest to me.

• The nature of morality

• Personal and legal privacy

• Race and the Equal Protection Clause

• Abortion

• Capital punishment

We cannot, of course, expect some definitive answer to these long-standing moral and legal controversies. But, it is not too much to hope for a more reflective and informed understanding of some of the complexities that surround these issues.  In addition, we will be able to better appreciate the unique role played in our society by the Supreme Court as they try to grapple with these issues from a constitutional perspective.

We will be carefully reading several selections from an excellent anthology, Ethics For Modern Life, 6th Edition, edited by Raziel Abelson and Marie-Louise Friquegnon.  In addition, I will be asking you to read several of my own papers and articles on these topics.  Finally, you are required to watch an exceptional docu-drama, Separate But Equal, that tells the story of the Supreme Court's monumental ruling in Brown v. Board of Education.

We will be watching some excellent Hollywood movies that nicely raise relevant moral and legal questions.  You will need to rent, purchase, or borrow from the library these films.  You will be expected to view at least six of the following films.  

• 13 Conversations About One Thing

• Far From Heaven 

• Absence of Malice

• Philadelphia

• To Kill a Mockingbird

• Do the Right Thing

• The Thin Blue Line

• Dead Man Walking

Here's a link to the movie portfolio assignments

Here's a link to the analytical paper assignment

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 moral truth, personal privacy, Equal Protection, capital punishment, and abortion.

• Read philosophical 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:

• A timed (2 hour) open-book, open-note, on-line mid-term essay exam -- 30% of course grade. (outcomes 1, 2, & 4)

• A timed (2 hour) open-book, open-note, on-line final essay exam -- 30% of course grade. (outcomes 1, 2, and 4)

• A 1000 to 1500 words analytical paper explaining and assessing a moral/legal controversy dealing with personal or legal privacy -- 30% of course grade. (outcomes 1, 2, and 4)

• A portofolio of six 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 

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.

CALENDAR

This course was taught on-campus Fall Quarter 2003.  I have included the course calendar as guideline for those students who must complete the course in one-term because of federal financial aid requirements.  DDE students (other than those electing the non-financial aid two term option) should get material in within a week of the days listed below, though you are free to get the material in anytime earlier.