|
Office: Bridges 359B Phone: (218)
477-4089
Web: http://www.mnstate.edu/gracyk/
Office Hours: MTW, 9:00-11:45 a.m.
and Tuesday 2-3 pm, and by appointment
Description: An
examination of selected major issues and figures in the history of
ethics. 3 Credits -- Prerequisite of Phil 101 or 105 or 311
Course Goals:
-
Students shall demonstrate
an understanding of significant texts in the development of
philosophical ethics in Western culture.
-
Students shall discuss and
write in an informed manner about ethics.
MAKE TIME IN YOUR
SCHEDULE TO READ!
|
Required Purchases:
|
- Course Pack of Readings,
only available from the MSUM bookstore.
- John Stuart Mill,
Utilitarianism
(Hackett Publishing)
|
Grading Policies:
You will be graded on
four things:
-
Regular in-class
informal writing.
-
Two formal essays of
approximately 4 pages each (NOT research papers)
-
A formal essay of
approximately 8 pages (research paper with bibliography)
-
The final exam (in
class informal writing)
Each of these four
elements of the course will be weighted equally (20% of
course grade) except for the 8-page paper, which is double
weighted (40% of course grade)
Late work that does not
receive prior authorization to be late cannot receive a grade above
C+. The best way to receive prior authorization by speaking to me or
by telephoning me and leaving a message on my voice mail. Email is
unreliable because I may not have time to see it before the due date
for the work.
This is a Writing Intensive Course.
The quality of your formal writing will affect your course grade.
The course combines
informal writing (short pieces of writing produced during class
sessions), integrative formal writing in which you will explain,
integrate, and evaluate material covered in the assigned readings (three
essays), and one less formal essay (a final exam that requires you to
apply what they’ve learned to a case study not previously covered in
class).
Taken together, the
formal, integrative writing must be at least a minimum of 16
pages (4800 words).
Robert Hughes, one of
the most articulate and important art critics of recent years, has said
this about the process of writing: “My main impulse for writing a book
was to force myself to find out about things I didn't know. … Otherwise,
why do it at all?” This point encapsulates my goals for having you
write. Writing is a mode of exploration. There is no reason to write
except to find out things you did not already know, including things
about yourself, such as your own position on controversial topics.
Writing Intensive
Outcomes
-
You will use a coherent writing process including invention,
organization, drafting, revising, and editing to form an effective
final written product. To do this, the course will combine informal
and formal writing. Informal writing will be used to formulate ideas
that will be important in formal writing. The first paper will
require submitting a draft.
-
You will consult effectively and appropriately with others to
produce quality written products. To do this, the first paper will
require submitting a draft.
-
You will read, analyze, evaluate, synthesize, and integrate
appropriately and ethically both information and ideas from diverse
sources or points of view in their writing. To do this, you will
write essays, quizzes, and a final exam. Each will require you to
integrate material from multiple sources (e.g., different books plus
material presented in class).
-
You will create logical, engaging, effective written products
appropriate for specific audiences and purposes.
Students will be provided with a rubric that clarifies this
expectation.
-
You will locate, use, and cite appropriately primary and secondary
source materials from both print and electronic resources.
-
You will use correct grammar and mechanics in writing. Essays will not be graded unless they satisfy reasonably high
standards, spelled out in the assignments.
All
versions of all the formal writing must be typed and double-spaced. Margins of
an inch on the top and bottom and on the left and right sides of the page are
standard. (Margins of an inch and a quarter on the sides are acceptable.) Twelve
point fonts are also standard. Use a standard font (one that gets you at least
300 words in a full page of text). Times New Roman is always acceptable.
You should proofread
your papers. For the final versions of assigned papers, I will accept no
more than a total sum of three grammatical errors, typos and spelling
errors per page. If you exceed this number, I will return the paper to
you, and it must be handed in, “cleaned up,” at the next class meeting.
Such papers will count as one day late.
If I return a paper to
you to be “cleaned up” and it is not re-submitted at the next class
meeting, it will receive an additional grade reduction. A paper that is
not “cleaned up” by the time of the final exam receives a grade of F.
If you are worried
about your ability to write a paper without making excessive errors, you
should bring a draft to the instructor during scheduled office hours.
(If you cannot meet with the instructor during those hours, an
appointment can be made for another time.)
OR visit the write site! Tutors are available.
SCHEDULE OF IMPORTANT DATES
Reading Assignments:
Read the assignment in advance of class
on the date indicated.
| Tuesday,
Aug 26 -- |
First
Class |
| Thursday,
Aug 28 -- |
Aristotle |
| Tuesday,
Sept 16 -- |
Locke |
| Thursday,
Sept 25 -- |
INFORMAL
WRITING IN CLASS |
| Tuesday,
Oct. 7 -- |
Butler |
| Tuesday,
Oct. 14 -- |
No
Classes Held Today |
| Thursday,
Oct 16 -- |
Hume |
| Thursday,
Oct 23 -- |
INFORMAL
WRITING IN CLASS |
| Tuesday,
Oct. 28 -- |
Kant |
Thursday,
Nov 6 --
|
Meet in LIBRARY 222
(Research Methods Session) |
| Tuesday,
Nov 18 -- |
Mill,
Utilitarianism |
| Thursday,
Nov 20 -- |
INFORMAL
WRITING IN CLASS |
| Thursday,
Nov 27 -- |
No class
-- Thanksgiving |
| Tuesday,
Dec 9 -- |
Mill, On
Liberty, Chapter III (Last Class Meeting) |
Final exam: 3
pm on Friday, Dec. 12
The final exam will be an in-class written
exam. You will have access to your books
and notes.
Formal Writing
Due Dates
First Formal Writing: Explaining a
philosopher's position
(4 pages) -- Due Thursday, Sept. 18 (This is a draft)
Second Formal Writing : Compare and
contrast two philosophers
(4 pages) -- Due October 21
Third Formal Writing: Developing an
informed response
(Research paper of 8 pages) -- Due Tuesday, Dec. 16
Formatting
Your Formal Writing
All
versions of all the formal writing must conform to basic format
rules.
-
They
must be typed and double-spaced with a minimum length as specified
in the assignment.
-
Margins
of an inch on the top and bottom and on the left and right sides of
the page are standard. (Margins of an inch and a quarter on the
sides are acceptable.)
-
Twelve
point fonts are standard. Times New Roman is a standard font
style, as are Helvetica and Arial. A standard 12 point font will
give you at least 300 words per page.
-
The
essay must have a cover page. Put your name on the cover page. Do
not put your name anywhere else on the essay.
-
Page
numbers must be on the pages. Do not put a page number on the cover
page.
-
If
you do not know how to start page numbers on the second page of a
document, make your cover page a separate document so that you don't
disrupt the page numbering of the remainder.
Bibliography
Page
-
If
you quote from any source, you must attach a bibliography of all
sources.
To be perfectly clear: I recently FAILED a student paper because it
did not put the following short phrase into quotation marks and it
failed to provide a bibliographic reference: "premature death
is by no means a great harm."
-
The
bibliography page does not count toward your minimum page total.
-
If
you incorporate ideas from any source other than class lecture or
the assigned readings, you must attach a bibliography of all
sources. (Notice that this applies to ideas, not just actual words
taken from a source.) This page does not count toward your minimum page total.
Carefully
proofread your papers. For the final versions of assigned papers, I will
accept no more than a total sum of three grammatical errors, typos and
spelling errors per page. If you exceed this number, I will return the
paper to you at our next class meeting. It must then be handed in,
“cleaned up,” no later than the next scheduled class meeting. Such
papers will count as one day late. (Notice that if you fail to attend
the class session in which I return the papers and your paper needs
rewriting to meet the minimum mechanical standards, you do not receive
any kind of special extension.)
Notice of disability services
The Minnesota State University of
Moorhead is committed to a policy of equal opportunity in education
and employment and welcomes students with disabilities. We are
prepared to to offer you a range of services to accommodate your
needs.
However, students must accept
responsibility for initiating the request for services.
Students with disabilities who believe
they may need an accommodation in this class are encouraged to contact
Greg Toutges, Coordinator of Disability Services at 218-477-5859
(voice), 800-627-3529 (MRS/TTY), or visit CMU 222 as soon as possible to ensure
that accommodations are implemented in a timely fashion.
Do not discuss your needs with me, your
instructor. Talk to Greg and he will contact me.
For more information, click
here.
PLAGIARISM POLICY
Plagiarism is passing off somebody else's
writing or ideas as your own. There is nothing wrong in consulting any
number of sources to help you understand what we are studying (whether
an article in The Encyclopedia of Philosophy or a web site or
Cliffs Notes) but it is stealing to take material without first
paraphrasing it completely into your own words, or without placing it
in quotation marks.
Rule of thumb: if you take
more than two consecutive words from a source, put them in quotation
marks, and if the idea behind a sentence comes from an outside source,
acknowledge that source! I recently FAILED a student paper because it
did not put the following short phrase into quotation marks and it
failed to provide a page reference: "premature death is by no
means a great harm."
Any time you consult and draw on ideas from any source,
you should cite your source. Taking ideas from another person and
pretending that they are your own, original thoughts, is also
plagiarism. The fact that your source was an assigned text for the
course does not mitigate or lessen the seriousness of plagiarism.
Students sometimes claim unintentional or
accidental plagiarism. It is difficult
for an instructor to judge whether the plagiarism was intentional or
unintentional. Basically, the latter occurs when a student reads a
secondary source or takes notes, writes a paper without looking at the
source or the notes, and accidentally uses phrasing and ideas from
that source. Or a student may attempt to paraphrase an author's ideas,
but fails to put it completely into his or her own words. (If you
paraphrase and don't cite your source, that's evidence of intentional
plagiarism.)
If evidence demonstrates that you have
plagiarized any part of any written assignment for the course, the
offense will be reported to the Vice President for Student Affairs and
you will receive a failing grade for the course.
In short, if you use an outside source, simply
provide footnotes or citations in parentheses where appropriate.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, CLICK
HERE
INTERPRETING YOUR GRADE FOR
ESSAYS
Grade of "A": An excellent essay in
all respects. Clear, grammatical, well organized, and progresses
logically, with all elements relevant to the topic. Exhibits both
original thought and an accurate grasp of the material. Grammatical
errors kept to a minimum.
Grade of "B": A good essay, but not
outstanding. Overall organization is clear and coherent, although
minor weaknesses may be present. Accurate presentation of material,
but generally presents the minimum needed. Limited original thought. A
few minor or subtle errors in punctuation and/or spelling.
Grade of "C": A satisfactory paper.
Shows basic understanding, with some deficiencies. Organization not
always clear and transitions abrupt or lacking. May contain irrelevant
material. Weak support of ideas. Occasional grammatical mistakes, or
sloppiness which could have been avoided.
Grade of "D": Minimally acceptable
work. Marginal grasp of material, ineffective or confusing
presentation. Summarizes the most obvious aspects of the material, but
otherwise tends to be irrelevant. Little or no organization. Contains
major grammatical problems.
Grade of "F": Unsatisfactory.
Superficial, incoherent, and/or irrelevant. Writing ability verges on
illiteracy. Plagiarism.
|