AP/PHIL1002 3.0 A: Justice, Law and Morality
Offered by: PHIL
Session
Fall 2024
Term
F
Format
BLEN (Blended online and classroom)
Instructor
Calendar Description / Prerequisite / Co-Requisite
An introduction to some foundational questions in moral, political, and legal philosophy. Topics to be covered include (but are not restricted to) the nature of law and punishment, morality, justice, equality, rights, and liberty. PRIOR TO FALL 2017: Course credit exclusion AP/PHIL 1002 6.00.
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.
Dr. Parisa Moosavi
pmoosavi@yorku.ca
Office Location: S424 Ross Building
Phone Number: (416) 736-2100 Ext. 77592
Office Hours: Virtual office hours: The course director’s virtual office hours will be held on Zoom. The Zoom link for the live sessions can be accessed on eClass.
This course is an introduction to some of the foundational questions in moral, political, and legal philosophy. We will engage with ethical questions regarding global justice and poverty, punishment and the death penalty, liberty and drug use, oppression, affirmative action, and sexual morality. Our aim in this course is not necessarily to find the right or wrong answers to all of these questions. Instead, we will use the fundamental tools of philosophy to better understand what these questions are asking and how best to argue for and defend various conclusions intended to answer them.
Technical requirements for taking the course:
eClass (Moodle) and Zoom will be used in this course.
The course lectures are pre-recorded and will be delivered asynchronously on eClass.
Tutorials will be in-person. They will be held on campus.
Office hours will also be held on Zoom. To attend office hours, students will need a computer or smart device with webcam and microphone as well as stable, higher-speed internet connection.
The technical requirements for taking the course include:
- A computer or smart device with an internet connection to access eClass (Moodle), which will be used for delivering the course material, including pre-recorded lectures, assignments, and quizzes.
- Software necessary to view Microsoft Office files (MS Word and MS Powerpoint) and Adobe Reader (for pdf files).
- Video-conferencing technology (such as a webcam and microphone) for attending (optional) virtual office hours on Zoom, and in case holding tutorials remotely becomes necessary due to unpredictable circumstances related to the pandemic.
Please review the syllabus for more details on how the lectures, tutorials, office hours, assignments, and quizzes will be conducted.
Here are some useful links for student computing information, resources and help:
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 course has both remote and in-person elements.
The course will follow a “flipped classroom” model. It will combine pre-recorded lectures with in-person tutorials. Lectures are to be watched before the time of your tutorials. Note that there is no option to attend the in-person tutorials remotely.
Lectures: Asynchronous
Tutorial 1: Mondays 10:30-11:30 (CSQ 105H)
Tutorial 2: Mondays 11:30-12:30 (ACW 205)
Tutorial 3: Wednesdays 10:30-11:30 (SLH C)
Tutorial 4: Wednesdays 11:30-12:30 (FC 108)
Tutorial 5: Tuesdays 10:30-11:30 (R N836)
Tutorial 6: Tuesdays 11:30-12:30 (R S133)
Virtual office hours: The course director’s virtual office hours will be held on Zoom. The Zoom link for the live sessions can be accessed on eClass.
The course will use a reading kit. This reading kit is available as a physical book (not an e-book) to purchase through the bookstore’s website.
Tutorial Attendance and Participation 15%
Quizzes (twice a week) 25%
Paper 1 (Argument Reconstruction) 10%
Paper 2 (Argument Assessment) 20%
Paper 3 (Comparative Essay) 30%
Organization of the course:
The lectures will be delivered asynchronously on eClass. But tutorials will be in person.
Please review the table below for the details of various elements of the course.
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Completing the work for this course will:
- Introduce you to some of the most central questions in moral philosophy and applied ethics.
- Teach you the motivations behind the primary positions in the field, along with their benefits and flaws.
- Improve your ability to read difficult texts with comprehension.
- Improve your ability to analyze and evaluate arguments.
Improve your ability to communicate complicated ideas in concise prose
Course policies
Grading Policy: The grading scheme for the course conforms to the 9-point grading system used in undergraduate programs at York (e.g., A+ = 9, A = 8, B+ - 7, C+ = 5, etc.). Assignments and tests* will bear either a letter grade designation or a corresponding number grade (e.g. A+ = 90 to 100, A = 80 to 90, B+ = 75 to 79, etc.)
(For a full description of York grading system see the York University Undergraduate Calendar here.)
Assignment Submission: Proper academic performance depends on students doing their work not only well, but on time. Accordingly, assignments for this course must be received on the due date specified for the assignment.
Assignments are to be submitted electronically on eClass.
Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI): Students are not permitted to use generative artificial intelligence (AI) in this course. Submitting any work created through the use of generative AI tools will be considered a violation of York University’s Senate Policy on Academic Honesty. If you do not know whether an online resource or tool can be used in this course, please contact your instructor for guidance. For more information, please review AI Technology & Academic Integrity: Information for Students.
Lateness Penalty: Please see the policy for each type of assignment below.
Paper assignments: You may be granted an extension of up to 3 days on a paper assignment, no questions asked, only if you email your TA requesting an extension at least 48 hours before the due date of the paper assignment. Late submission of any written assignment without an extension will be penalized 1 percentage point for each day that the assignment is late. No papers will be accepted later than 21 days after the deadline.
Quizzes: The quizzes won’t be available online after the deadline. But you can miss one quiz with no penalty.
Use of Lecture Recordings: Students do not have permission to duplicate, copy and/or distribute the lecture recordings outside of the class (these acts can violate not only copyright laws but also FIPPA).
- Academic Honesty
- Student Rights and Responsibilities
- Religious Observance
- Grading Scheme and Feedback
- 20% Rule
No examinations or tests collectively worth more than 20% of the final grade in a course will be given during the final 14 calendar days of classes in a term. The exceptions to the rule are classes which regularly meet Friday evenings or on Saturday and/or Sunday at any time, and courses offered in the compressed summer terms. - Academic Accommodation for Students with Disabilities