Philosophy 160 – Introduction to Ethics

Instructor Information
Marcy P. Lascano
Department of Philosophy
379 Bartlett Hall
University of Massachusetts
130 Hicks Way
Amherst, MA 01003
413.545.2330 Office
lascano@philos.umass.edu
http://www-unix.oit.umass.edu/~lascano/

Course Description
This course will provide an introduction to the field of ethics. The course is divided into three sections: (1) Metaethics (the study of the origin and meaning of ethical concepts), where we will consider such questions as “Does morality have its foundation in social convention?” and “Is morality instituted, or perhaps created, by God through natural law or commands?” (2) Normative Ethics (theories of right and wrong actions), where we will examine several theories concerning the criterion of moral conduct, including utilitarianism and the Kantian Categorical Imperative (3) Applied ethics, where we will examine specific controversial moral issues, such as abortion and animal rights.

Textbook
The text is Metaethics, Normative Ethics, and Applied Ethics, edited by James Fieser. Textbooks are available at Atticus Bookstore, located at 8 Main Street, Amherst.

Course Requirements
This course is based heavily on class discussion, so it is imperative that you keep up with the assigned readings. In order to encourage vigilant reading, there will be weekly in-class quizzes on the assigned readings.

Your quiz grade will comprise 25% of your final grade.

There will be three take-home exams in this course, and each is worth 25% of your final grade. Since exams are take-home, there will be no make-up exams given, except in cases of extreme circumstances.

Academic Honesty
Violations of university regulations concerning academic honesty will not be tolerated in this course. I will do my best to see to it that students caught cheating in this course are subjected to the most severe penalties consistent with university policies.

Students with Special Needs
Please do not hesitate to contact me for any necessary accommodations.

Course Schedule and Readings

Week 1 Introduction and Syllabus; What is Metaethics?

Week 2 Moral Relativism, Moral Realism, and Moral Skepticism, pp 2-38

Week 3 God and Morality, pp. 39-78

Week 4 Egoism versus Altruism, pp. 79 –82, and pp. 89-101

Week 5 Reason versus Emotion, pp. 102-123

Week 6 Virtue Theory, pp. 140-174

Week 7 Social Contract Theory, pp. 175-203.

Week 8 Moral Rights, pp. 222-247

Week 9 Moral Duties, pp. 248-254, 258-296

Week 10 Hedonism and Utilitarianism, pp. 297–346

Week 11 Suicide, pp. 371-385; Euthanasia, pp. 386-406

Week 12 Abortion, pp. 407-434

Week 13 Capital Punishment, pp. 435-455

Week 14 Animal Ethics, pp. 456-479