Ethics

ALHOSN UNIVERSITY
University General Requirement Unit
Humanities, Arts or Social Sciences Requirement

Course Title: FAS 108 – Ethics
Lecture Hours: 3 hours per week, spring semester 2011
Lab Hours: 0
Credits: 3
Prerequisite: None

Instructor/Coordinator:

Name: Prof. Gregory Mavrides
Office: Library 304
Phone: 9712-407-0574
E-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Office Hours: As listed below and by appointment.

Course Description

FAS 108, Ethics, is a survey course that familiarizes students with both the major branches of ethical theory, e.g., relativism, egoism, utilitarianism, and contractarianism, as well as some of the most prominent contemporary debates in applied ethics: euthanasia; abortion; sexual morality; equality and discrimination, and; capital punishment.

Course Objectives

1. Provide students with an understanding of the major branches of ethical theory towards achieving a framework for evaluating ethical problems.
2. Enable students to improve their critical reasoning skills.
3. Help students to develop and articulate their own views on the ethical issues that will be addressed in class.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

• Have a solid appreciation for and understanding of the major underlying theories of moral philosophy.
• Discern the various ethical theories that have been applied to argue a point in research and literature.
• Articulate and defend their own ethical positions on prominent ethical debates.

Course Evaluation

Your final course grade will be based on the following measurements:

• Class participation (Students must bring their textbook to class and cellphones must be turned off and put away. Students who fail to bring their book to class and/or use their cellphone during class will receive a grade of 0 (zero) for that class): 10%
• In-class Quizzes (total of four quizzes: best three our of four will be counted): 20%
• Midterm Exam (50 multiple-choice questions): 30%
• Final Exam (cumulative: 70% new material; 30% midterm material; 50 multiple-choice questions): 40%

There are no make-up exams for quizzes. Regardless of the reason, if you are absent from class when a quiz is given, you will receive a grade of zero for that quiz.

The midterm exam will cover six chapters of our textbook. The final exam will emphasize (70%) the material covered during the second half of class (an additional six chapters) but, per University policy, will also include some material (20 to 30%) from the mid-semester material.

Please Note: Exams include material from class lectures. The midterm and final exam will be given during the midterm and final exam periods respectively.

Late Work

No late work will be accepted. If you are absent from class for any reason, it is your responsibility to find out what you have missed and make sure you are up-to-date for the next class. If you fail to give your presentation on your assigned day, you will receive a "0" for the assignment, regardless of the reason (unless you can provide a University exemption signed by the Provost).

Learning Methodologies

• Spend some time on the course every day, whether you have class or not.
• Take good notes in class and review them frequently, comparing them to corresponding material in the text.
• Read the chapter in the textbook (prior to it's being covered in class).
• Answer and study the review questions in the text.
• Try to find some intrinsic satisfaction in the process of learning itself instead of being solely preoccupied with the final grade.

Course Textbook

MacKinnon, B. (2012). Ethics: Theory and Contemporary Issues, 7th Edition. New York: Wadsworth Press.

Other Reference

Thiroux, J.P. & Krasemann, K.W. (2012). Ethics: Theory and Practice, 11th Edition. New York: Pearson

Attendance Policy

Attendance is taken for each class. If a student is more than 10 minutes late to a class, he/she will be counted absent for that class. Being out of a class more than 10 minutes during the class period will cause a student to be considered absent for that class Attendance will be reported and students must maintain guidelines for appropriate attendance as determined by ALHOSN University. A student who misses 8 to 11 classes will have 25% deducted from his/her total class average. A student who misses more than 11 class meetings will receive an “F” for the class.

For more information including an explanation as to why I strictly enforce the attendance policy, please see Why I Take Attendance.

Classroom Etiquette

• You are responsible for six chapters for the midterm exam and an additional six chapters for the final exam. The amount of material that will be covered over 12 weeks of lectures is non-negotiable.
• Cell phones must be turned off and put away. There is no text-messaging during class.
• Students should conduct themselves professionally at all times.
• Class starts promptly at the time indicated on your schedule.
• It is the student’s responsibility to obtain handouts, notes, and assignments for any classes (s)he missed.

Academic Honesty

Copying, cheating, and plagiarizing are all ways to use other people’s ideas and pretend they are yours. We have no tolerance for these behaviors. Homework, assignments, projects, and exams are all expected to be completed by you and you alone unless a group is specifically assigned, and in that case, you will work only with your group.

Course Calendar

Essentially, we are going to cover one chapter in our textbook per week. We will have six weeks of classes followed by "midterm week," followed by another six weeks of classes, and, then, two remaining weeks in the semester for final exams.