1200 Academy St. Kalamazoo, MI 49006

---

Philosophy Department

PROFESSOR: Jennifer Case
Philosophy Department, Kalamazoo College. Humphrey House #201
Office Hours: 9:30-11 MWTh or by appointment.
Class Hour: 3 (3:00 MWF, 2:10-3:50 Th)
DE 210

How ought we to act? What sorts of lives should we lead? Which objects, persons, qualities, institutions, and practices are good? Answers to these questions are moral judgments. Can we make objective moral judgments?

In this course, we will investigate the nature and justifiability of moral judgments as we study classic and contemporary examples of moral reasoning. Our investigation will entail an introduction to basic philosophical problems, concepts, methods, and doctrines. We will study the classic doctrines of virtue theory, natural law theory, utilitarianism, and Kantian moral theory as introduced in the writings of, respectively, Aristotle, Aquinas, Bentham & Mill, and Kant. These doctrines have contemporary critics, some of whose work we will consider. We will also consider several more recently developed moral theories, including particularism, pluralism, and the ethic of care inspired by the work of psychologist Carol Gilligan. Recognizing that moral reasoning often forms the basis of our practical judgments and decisions in both public and private contexts, we will study articles by several authors who discuss practical problems in light of moral theory. Included in this material will be articles addressing such subjects as euthanasia, pornography, animal rights, and international intervention (American intervention in Haiti, for example).

TEXT:

Timmons, Mark. Conduct and Character: Readings in Moral Theory, second
ed. Belmont, California: Wadsworth Publishing Company, 1994.

CLOSED RESERVE READINGS:

Harff, Barbara. "The Need for Humanitarian Intervention: Bosnia and
Somalia", collected in Morality in Practice, 4th ed., James Sterba, ed.
Belmont, California: Wadsworth Publishing Company, 1994, pp. 549-
554.

Kohlberg, Lawrence. "The Child as Moral Philosopher", collected in Vice &
Virtue in Everyday Life, Christina Sommers and Fred Sommers, eds.
Fort Worth: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Inc., pp. 557-582.

Markie, Peter J. "Professors, Students, and Friendship", collected in Morality,
Responsibility, and the University, Steven M. Cahn, ed. Philadelphia:
Temple University Press, 1990, pp. 134-149.

Regan, Tom. "The Case Against Animal Research", collected in
Contemporary Issues in Bioethics, 3rd ed., Tom L. Beauchamp and
LeRoy Walters, eds. Belmont, California: Wadsworth Publishing
Company, 1989, pp. 448-458.

Smith, Janet E. "Moral Character and Abortion", collected in Doing and
Being, Joram Graf Haber, ed. New York: Macmillan Publishing
Company, 1993, pp. 442-456.

Walzer, Michael. "Humanitarian Intervention", collected in Sterba, op. cit.,
pp. 544-548.


ASSIGNMENTS AND GRADING:

Your grade for the quarter will be based upon the following:

(1) Two papers (20% each). You will submit two 4-6 page papers, one on 10/10 and the other on 11/15. I'll give you a choice of topics for each paper and will also give you the option of proposing your own topic. More on these papers later.

(2) Midterm exam (20%). There will be an in-class midterm exam covering material from the first five and half weeks of the course on 10/31. The exam will include short-answer and essay questions. I will provide more information about this exam as the quarter progresses.

(3) Final exam (35%). There will be a comprehensive final exam during the scheduled exam period at the end of the quarter. As will the midterm exam, the final exam will include short-answer and essay questions.

(4) Participation (5%). I expect you to read the assigned texts, come to class, and participate in class discussions. There will be some days on which I do much of the talking and some days on which you and your classmates do much of it.

As the Honor System requires, the papers you submit must be your own work. If you borrow ideas from printed sources or from people you have spoken to or heard speak, be sure to cite the sources of those ideas, even when paraphrasing. Indicate direct quotations with quotation marks and citations.

Any student with a disability who needs assistance with these assignments or other accommodations in this course should make an appointment to speak with me as soon as possible.

COURSE CALENDAR

The names on the calendar refer to our readings. The parenthetical 'R' refers to readings available on closed reserve in the library; all other readings are in the Timmons volume. Come to class prepared to discuss that day's selection.

Week	Monday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
1	Introduction	Plato & Rachels	Film:Shallow Grave	Singer
2	Mortimer	Arthur	Walzer (R) & Harff (R)	Benedict & Rachels
3	Aquinas	Harris & Barcalow	Levin (R) PAPER DUE	Bentham
4	Mill	Nielsen	Rawls	Mackie
5	Kant	Sober	Regan(R)	O'Neill
6	Feldman	Review	MIDTERM EXAM	Exercise and discussion
7	Kohlberg(R)	Gilligan	Noddings	Tong
8	Sartre & Ross	McNaughton	Markie(R)	PAPER DUE Discussion
9	Aristotle	Aristotle	Mayo & Pincoffs	NO CLASS
10	Louden & Smith(R)	Review	NO CLASS	NO CLASS

The final exam will take place during the scheduled exam period.