2020f-apphil2070a-03

AP/PHIL2070 3.0 A: Introduction to Ethics

Offered by: PHIL


 Session

Fall 2020

 Term

F

Format

LECT

Instructor

Calendar Description / Prerequisite / Co-Requisite

A basic introduction both to the major ethical theories in Western thought and to some basic metaethical questions concerning the possibility of moral truth.


Course Start Up

Course Websites hosted on York's "eClass" are accessible to students during the first week of the term. It takes two business days from the time of your enrolment to access your course website. Course materials begin to be released on the course website during the first week. To log in to your eClass course visit the York U eClass Portal and login with your Student Passport York Account. If you are creating and participating in Zoom meetings you may also go directly to the York U Zoom Portal.

For further course Start Up details, review the Getting Started webpage.

For IT support, students may contact University Information Technology Client Services via askit@yorku.ca or (416) 736-5800. Please also visit Students Getting Started UIT or the Getting Help - UIT webpages.


    Additional Course Instructor/Contact Details

Robert Myers

rmyers@yorku.ca

    Expanded Course Description

What can it mean to say that morality requires something of someone?  Are there really truths of this sort, or do moral claims merely give expression to people’s wants and interests?  If there are truths about what morality requires of people, are such truths somehow relative to time and place or are they universal?  What reason, if any, do people have to comply with them?

 

This course explores the answers to such questions given by three towering figures in the history of Western philosophy: David Hume, Immanuel Kant, and John Stuart Mill.  We will study their writings alongside a representative sampling of recent work by philosophers who have been influenced by them.  We will also consider some recent dissenters.

    Additional Requirements

Technical requirements for taking the course:

Classes and tutorials will be online, delivered synchronously over Zoom.  In addition to a stable, higher-speed Internet connection, students will need a computer with a webcam and a microphone, and/or a smart device with these features.  Classes will be recorded.

Here are some useful links for computing information, resources and help:

Student Guide to Moodle

Zoom@YorkU Best Practices 

Zoom@YorkU User Reference Guide

Computing for Students Website

Student Guide to eLearning at York University

To determine Internet connection and speed, there are online tests, such as Speedtest, that can be run.

Times and locations:

Classes and tutorials will be delivered over Zoom at the scheduled meeting times. There will be no in-person interactions or activities on campus.

Virtual office hours:

Office hours will be by appointment only.  Students should email the instructor at rmyers@yorku.ca to make an appointment; a Zoom meeting or phone conversation will then be scheduled.

    Required Course Text / Readings
  1. David Hume, An Enquiry Concerning the Principles of Morals, edited by J. B. Schneewind. Hackett Publishing Company,1983.
  2. Immanuel Kant, Grounding for the Metaphysics of Morals, translated by James W. Ellington. Hackett Publishing Company, 1993.
  3. John Stuart Mill, Utilitarianism, edited by George Sher. Hackett Publishing Company, 2002.

Other readings will be available electronically on the course Moodle site.

    Weighting of Course
  1. First writing assignment: 20%
  2. Second writing assignment: 30%
  3. Third writing assignment: 30%
  4. Tutorial participation: 20%
    Organization of the Course

There will be 4 components to class assessment: three writing assignments and tutorial participation.

Study questions, to help with the readings, and class outlines, to help structure our meetings, will be posted on the course Moodle site.  Note, however, that these outlines will not be replacing the classes, and that attending classes is essential to doing well in the course.

    Course Learning Objectives
  1. Students will learn to read and analyze philosophical texts and to articulate and defend philosophical positions of their own.
  2. Students will develop familiarity with the moral philosophies of David Hume, Immanuel Kant, and John Stuart Mill and some of their most important current followers.
  3. Students will learn to think critically both about the demands that morality makes of us and about our reasons to comply with them.
    Additional Information / Notes

The three writing assignments must be submitted BOTH to Turnitin AND to the instructor via email.  Late submissions will be subject to a penalty of 2.5% per calendar day or fraction thereof, unless prior approval has been granted by the instructor.

    Relevant Links / Resources