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University
PHIL:
111,
Introduction
to
Ethics
Fall
13-
Tues/Thurs,
1:30-2:45PM,
BRNG
1268
Dr.
Tina
Rulli
Course Description:
What,
morally,
should
I
do?
What
does
the
morally
good
life
look
like?
These
are
the
questions
of
primary
inquiry
in
this
course,
where
we
will
examine
how
secular,
normative
ethical
theories
define
morally
right
action,
moral
goods,
and
moral
lives.
But
we
will
also
examine
metaethical
questions:
what
am
I
doing
when
I
make
a
moral
judgment?
Am
I
asserting
an
objective
moral
truth
or
merely
expressing
my
feelings?
If
the
former,
in
virtue
of
what
are
moral
judgments
true
or
false?
And
we
will
also
look
at
moral
theory
in
action
as
applied
to
important
issues
that
affect
our
lives
in
practice,
including
how
we
ought
to
treat
animals,
whether
abortion
is
forbidden
or
permissible,
and
what
we
owe
to
the
global
poor?
Along
the
way,
we
will
read
many
contemporary
philosophers,
as
well
as
the
canonical
greats
(Plato,
Aristotle,
Hume,
Kant,
Bentham,
and
Mill).
The
first
goal
of
the
course
is
to
paint
a
comprehensive
landscape
of
the
most
prominent
issues
in
moral
philosophy.
The
second
goal
is
to
learn
the
methods
of
philosophical
argumentation
and
dialectic
through
reading
the
works
of
others
and
testing
ones
own
arguments
in
class
and
in
writing.
Required Texts:
Steven
M.
Cahn
and
Peter
Markie's
Ethics:
History,
Theory,
and
Contemporary
Issues
(5th
Ed.)
Additional
readings
will
be
posted
on
Blackboard.
Contact:
Email:
crulli@purdue.edu
I
check
email
during
normal
working
hours
(9AM-5PM
weekdays).
On
those
days,
please
allow
me
24
hours
to
reply.
I
may
not
reply
on
weekends/holidays.
Office:
Beering
Hall,
7th
Fl.
Rm.
7136.
Office
hours:
Tuesday,
3-5PM
or
by
appointment.
Please
feel
welcome
to
make
use
of
office
hours.
Course Requirements/grades:
Participation:
Participation
is
10%
of
your
gradea
full
letter
grade.
Discussion
of
ideas
is
a
crucial
component
of
philosophical
engagement.
In
philosophy,
we
voice
our
opinions
as
proposals
for
others
to
consider,
and
we
expect
to
be
respectfully
criticized.
I
will
be
grading
the
quality
of
your
participation,
not
the
content
of
what
you
say.
Good
participation
includes
not
only
speaking
in
class,
but
being
a
good
class
citizen.
That
means
being
receptive
to
others
critiques
of
your
ideas,
allowing
others
to
speak,
staying
on
topic,
and
helping
to
advance
the
discussion.
I
will
take
individual
personality
differences
into
account
(that
is,
I
wont
grade
on
a
curve
or
compare
you
to
fellow
students
who
may
be
naturally
more
or
less
talkative).
Being
attentive
and
an
engaged
listener
matters
too.
If
you
find
you
have
trouble
speaking
in
class,
please
come
by
my
office
hours.
We
can
discuss
some
of
your
ideas,
and
we
can
talk
about
ways
of
including
you
in
class.
Heres
a
breakdown
of
the
participation
grade.
7-10%
is
for
those
who
regularly
participate
in
discussion,
engaging
in
good
participatory
citizenship.
That
is,
they
stay
on
topic,
and
they
listen
to
and
engage
with
other
discussants
respectfully.
3-6%
is
for
those
whose
participation,
as
above,
is
sporadic
or
mediocre.
0-2%
will
be
given
to
those
who
have
poor
attendance,
no
participation,
or
engage
in
disrespectful
behavior.
Diversity
Welcome
Statement:
Each
voice
in
the
classroom
has
something
of
value
to
contribute.
Please
take
care
to
respect
the
different
experiences,
beliefs
and
values
expressed
by
students
in
this
course.
I
support
Purdue's
commitment
to
diversity
of
all
kinds,
including
all
ages,
backgrounds,
citizenships,
disability,
sex,
education,
ethnicities,
family
statuses,
genders,
gender
identities,
geographical
locations,
languages,
military
experience,
political
views,
races,
religions,
sexual
orientations,
socioeconomic
statuses,
and
work
experiences.
Let
me
point
out
the
following
resources:
Purdues
LGBTQ
Center:
http://www.purdue.edu/lgbtq/index.html,
and
the
Division
of
Diversity
and
Inclusion:
http://www.purdue.edu/diversity-inclusion/
Attendance:
I
will
distribute
a
sign-in
sheet
for
each
class.
Several
unexcused
absences
will
hurt
your
grade.
Excessive
unexcused
absences
could
be
grounds
for
failing
the
class.
If
you
anticipate
an
absence
(e.g.
due
to
a
religious
holiday
or
a
University
sponsored
activity)
please
let
me
know
as
far
in
advance
as
possible.
In
the
case
that
there
is
an
unexpected
absence
due
to
emergency
or
illness,
please
let
me
know
as
soon
as
possible
or
contact
the
Deans
Office.
If
you
expect
to
miss
an
exam
or
a
paper
due
date,
you
must
come
talk
to
me
far
in
advance.
Purdue
has
an
official
Grief
Absence
Policy.
See:
http://www.purdue.edu/odos/services/griefabsencepolicyforstudents.php
Academic
Integrity:
I
take
cheating
and
plagiarism
very
seriously
and
will
enforce
the
maximum
penalty
(you
will
fail
the
assignment,
you
will
fail
the
course
itself,
and
I
will
report
you
to
the
Dean).
Please
just
dont
do
it!
If
you
feel
tempted
to
take
a
shortcut
because
you
are
stressed,
you
dont
understand
the
subject,
or
feel
that
you
lack
time
to
do
adequate
work,
please
come
talk
to
me.
I
urge
you
to
do
so
early
before
things
get
out
of
hand.
If
you
become
aware
of
other
students
cheating
or
plagiarizing,
please
inform
me.
This
is
a
requirement
of
academic
integrity.
Please
consult
these
resources.
Academic
Integrity:
a
Guide
for
Students
http://www.purdue.edu/odos/aboutodos/academicintegrity.php
Purdues
official
statement
on
academic
integrity:
Purdue
prohibits
"dishonesty
in
connection
with
any
University
activity.
Cheating,
plagiarism,
or
knowingly
furnishing
false
information
to
the
University
are
examples
of
dishonesty."
[Part
5,
Section
III-B-2-a,
University
Regulations]
Furthermore,
the
University
Senate
has
stipulated
that
"the
commitment
of
acts
of
cheating,
lying,
and
deceit
in
any
of
their
diverse
forms
(such
as
the
use
of
substitutes
for
taking
examinations,
the
use
of
You
are
responsible
for
knowing
what
constitutes
plagiarism;
ignorance
will
not
be
grounds
for
an
excuse.
To
avoid
unintentional
plagiarism,
please
follow
these
guidelines
in
referencing,
paraphrasing,
or
citing
sources:
External
sources:
In
writing
your
papers,
I
would
prefer
that
you
do
not
use
external
sources
(other
books,
articles,
or
the
internet)
other
than
those
that
are
assigned
for
this
course.
This
being
an
introductory
course,
you
are
not
expected
to
have
knowledge
of
the
existing
literature.
I
want
you
to
think
through
the
problems
yourself,
with
the
aid
of
the
assigned
readings,
and
not
worry
about
what
others
have
said
about
the
issue.
If
you
want
to
better
understand
an
issue,
please
raise
questions
in
class
or
visit
me
during
office
hours.
Needless
to
say,
I
urge
you
to
stay
away
from
Wikipedia
on
philosophical
topics.
It
is
oftentimes
inadequate/inaccurate.
Citations:
List
the
class
readings
you
have
cited
in
your
paper
at
the
end
of
the
paper,
on
a
separate
page,
entitled
Works
Cited.
If
for
some
reason
(against
the
above
advice),
you
do
consult
or
cite
any
other
works
(including
the
internet),
please
cite
them
here.
You
will
not
be
penalized
for
consulting
other
works,
but
you
will
be
penalized
for
plagiarism
if
you
havent
properly
credited
them.
You
must
also
footnote
any
quoted
or
paraphrased
text
(from
assigned
readings
or
elsewhere)
and
any
borrowed
examples
from
the
readings.
How
to
write
a
philosophy
paper:
I
will
offer
a
detailed
class
on
how
to
write
a
philosophy
paper
and
will
post
a
handout
on
Blackboard.
Please
consult
this
document
when
writing
your
paper.
Special
Needs:
I
will
work
with
any
student
with
a
disability,
alongside
the
Disability
Resource
Center,
to
make
sure
you
are
properly
accommodated
in
class
and
during
exams.
Please
speak
to
me
within
the
first
two
weeks
of
class
if
you
need
special
accommodation
(or
as
soon
as
you
become
aware
of
such
a
need)
so
that
we
have
time
to
make
proper
arrangements
for
you.
It
is
your
responsibility
to
contact
the
Disability
Resource
Center
if
you
have
an
impairment
or
disability
that
warrants
accommodation
in
class.
See:
http://www.purdue.edu/odos/drc/
Laptops/Phones:
Please
silence
your
phones
during
class.
Needless
to
say,
please
do
not
text
during
class.
I
hate
to
assume
the
worst-case
scenario,
but
I
will
ask
offenders
to
stop
or
to
leave
the
class.
Laptops
are
permitted,
but
I
ask
that
you
exercise
restraint
in
doing
anything
other
than
taking
notes.
My
biggest
concern
is
that
extra
activities
are
a
distraction
to
other
students.
If
I
find
this
to
become
an
issue,
I
will
revise
the
laptop
policy
accordingly.
Schedule:
The
following
is
tentative
and
subject
to
change.
Any
changes
to
the
syllabus
will
be
posted
to
Blackboard
and
announced
in
class.
*in
Cahn/Markie
5th
Ed.
**PDF
available
on
Blackboard
August
20:
Introduction-
The
Structure
of
Ethics
August
22:
A
Real-Life
Ethical
Problem
October
8:
October
10:
Kant