Contemporary Moral Issue
Contemporary Moral Issues
Philosophy 215
Fall 2014
Instructor: Valerie Philbrick-DeBrava Office: James Blair 132
Email: vaphilbrickdeb@wm.edu Office Hours: MWF 9:00-10:00
Phone: (804) 642-4621 Course Times: MWF 10:00-10:50 (01)
Course Location: James Blair 201 MWF 11:00-11:50 (02)
Course Description: Philosophy 215 is designed to improve our understanding of the moral issues our twenty-first-century society faces. As both a survey of these issues and their attendant controversies, and as an introduction to moral philosophy, this course teaches us how respected thinkers have rigorously explored such topics as capital punishment, social inequality, and environmental responsibility. Simultaneously, this course equips us to formulate and argue our own positions on these topics, whether through writing, discussion, or debate.
Required Texts: The required anthology for this course is the 4th edition of Emmett Barcalow’s Moral Philosophy: Theories and Issues (ISBN-13: 978-0-495-00715-9). Additionally, we will read John Stuart Mill’s Utilitarianism and the 1868 Speech on Capital Punishment (ISBN-13: 978-0-87220-605-2) and Plato’s Protagoras (ISBN-13: 978-0-87220-094-4). As the schedule of readings and assignments shows, we will also delve into a range of supplemental newspaper articles, philosophical essays, and book excerpts, all of which will be posted on Blackboard (http://blackboard.wm.edu).
Goals of the Course: By taking Contemporary Moral Issues, students will: learn how to read difficult philosophical texts and gain an understanding and appreciation of important arguments in the field; learn how to express their thoughts in writing clearly and concisely (students will have the opportunity to attain this goal through response papers, quizzes and essays); learn how to evaluate the arguments they encounter and to build arguments of their own; assume an active and responsible role in the
Philosophy 215
Fall 2014
Instructor: Valerie Philbrick-DeBrava Office: James Blair 132
Email: vaphilbrickdeb@wm.edu Office Hours: MWF 9:00-10:00
Phone: (804) 642-4621 Course Times: MWF 10:00-10:50 (01)
Course Location: James Blair 201 MWF 11:00-11:50 (02)
Course Description: Philosophy 215 is designed to improve our understanding of the moral issues our twenty-first-century society faces. As both a survey of these issues and their attendant controversies, and as an introduction to moral philosophy, this course teaches us how respected thinkers have rigorously explored such topics as capital punishment, social inequality, and environmental responsibility. Simultaneously, this course equips us to formulate and argue our own positions on these topics, whether through writing, discussion, or debate.
Required Texts: The required anthology for this course is the 4th edition of Emmett Barcalow’s Moral Philosophy: Theories and Issues (ISBN-13: 978-0-495-00715-9). Additionally, we will read John Stuart Mill’s Utilitarianism and the 1868 Speech on Capital Punishment (ISBN-13: 978-0-87220-605-2) and Plato’s Protagoras (ISBN-13: 978-0-87220-094-4). As the schedule of readings and assignments shows, we will also delve into a range of supplemental newspaper articles, philosophical essays, and book excerpts, all of which will be posted on Blackboard (http://blackboard.wm.edu).
Goals of the Course: By taking Contemporary Moral Issues, students will: learn how to read difficult philosophical texts and gain an understanding and appreciation of important arguments in the field; learn how to express their thoughts in writing clearly and concisely (students will have the opportunity to attain this goal through response papers, quizzes and essays); learn how to evaluate the arguments they encounter and to build arguments of their own; assume an active and responsible role in the
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