Carol Bigwood
cbigwood@yorku.ca

In this course we will study good thinking practices, tools of moral reasoning, and different traditional philosophical approaches to a number of controversial moral issues.  The moral issues we will consider are Euthanasia, Capital Punishment, Pornography, Wealth and Poverty, Discrimination, Indigenous Rights, Environmental Ethics, and Abortion.  We will consider the use of facts, of laws, of moral principles, of consequences, and values as well as the difficulties associated with them.   Along the way students will be introduced to philosophical ideas from Locke, Mill, Kant and Rawls that are often used in considering moral issues, as well as from interpretations by contemporary scholars, sometimes including feminist and indigenous perspectives.  Students will be introduced to ideas of societal freedoms, rights and responsibilities; to different views on justice, on punishment, on harms, on normativity; and to the problems involved in stances such as moral relativism and ethical subjectivism. Students will be encouraged to be open minded, to look at issues from different perspectives, and to engage in discussions and debates on the issues in live tutorial sessions.

Technical requirements for taking the course:

Several platforms will be used in this course (Eclass, Zoom, TechSmith) through which students will interact with the course.

Students shall note the following:

• Zoom is hosted on servers in the U.S.
• This is a Blended Course: You will have live weekly two hour Zoom tutorial sessions at the time of the tutorial for which you signed up, led by a tutorial instructor. These will not be recorded.  You are expected to have your video on.
• My prerecorded audio powerpoint lectures using TechSmith (about two 30 minute lectures per class,) will all be available through online links at eClass.
• You should have a stable, high speed Internet connection, a computer with webcam and microphone, and/or a smart device with these features.
• Your quizzes will be online, and submission of all assignments (response papers and an essay) will be online at the Eclass website.

Here are some useful links for student 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: Please note that this is a course that depends on remote teaching and learning. There will be no in-person interactions or activities on campus.

Virtual office hours: There will be a Zoom link at the course website for my online office hour. You can email me to set up an appointment if the hour set up is not convenient.

All resources for this course are text based and will be available through online links at the Eclass website.

Response Papers: Response 1 10%; Response 2: 10%; Response 3 10%= 30 %

Attendance and Participation in Tutorials: 10 %

Quizzes: Quiz 1 10%; Quiz 2: 15%; Quiz 3: 15%= 40%

Essay: 20%

This is a Blended course.  This course has both synchronous and asynchronous elements. The submission of all assignments, and test-taking, will take place on the course’s eClass website.  The lectures will be asynchronous and also available there.  The tutorials will be synchronous and take place virtually through Zoom.  .  You are  expected to attend and participate in your virtual tutorials each week (10% of your mark).

• To understand and develop basic comprehension and argumentation skills in order to understand and critically evaluate positions of authors in scholarly articles and of classmates
• To introduce students to some basic theories, key concepts, and debates in practical ethics and encourage students to think critically about them.
• To introduce students to the importance of social, political and cultural contexts to the understanding of power and difference
• To give students ample opportunity through writing assignments and discussion to wonder, think, ask questions, and generally attempt to critically confront moral issues in their myriad forms
• To encourage students to communicate clearly and effectively through writing
• assignments, and class discussion;
• To develop an ability to write a well researched, well argued, and grammatically correct essay

Course policies

Quizzes will be timed, and you will have a few days window in which to write.  Ample time time will be allotted on quizzes to complete them.  If something comes up so that you are unable to write, you need to inform your tutorial instructor and myself, and I can extend the time of the quiz in your case, if your excuse is valid.

Response papers are due at a certain time.  No late submissions.  If something comes up in your life so that you are unable to get them in on time, you should inform your instructor and myself (the course director) ahead of time, and if it is a valid excuse, a new assignment will be assigned.

Late marks for your essay are 5% per day.

You should be prepared to use your video and audio in tutorials, and to participate in them with your tutorial instructor and fellow students.  These tutorials will give you a chance to go over the material and discuss the ideas.  These sessions will not be recorded.