HUMAN 30A: ETHICS Spring 2012
Instructor: Eric Gerlach
FRI 9:00 – 11:50 AM
Office Hours: Mon 11-12 @ K’s Coffee
Class Code 22946
Room: BCC 52
Email: ericgerlach@gmail.com
Blog: ericgerlach.blogspot.com
Course Description
This course introduces students to central concepts and issues of Ethics and systems of human values. We will first study concepts such as principle, virtue, balance, utility, drive, and perspective. We will then study issues such as theft, lies, violence, environment, class, gender and race from an individual and social perspective.
Required Texts
The text for the class is the Course Reader, available at Lazer Image, 61 Shattuck Square, Berkeley, (510) 644-3339. A copy of the reader will be held on reserve in the BCC Library.
Required Assignments
Four In-class Responses 40%
Midterm Exam 30%
Final Exam 30%
Class Schedule
Jan 27 Introduction: What is Ethics?
Feb 3 Morals & Virtue: Kant’s Morals & Aristotle’s Ethics
Feb 10 Use & Consequence: Mill’s Utilitarianism
Feb 24 Balance: Egyptian Wisdom & Confucius’ Analects (1st Response Due)
Mar 2 Drive & Desire: Nietzsche’s Beyond Good & Evil
Mar 9 Perspective: Heraclitus’ Fragments & Chuang Tzu
Mar 16 Midterm Exam (2nd Response Due)
Mar 23 Theft: Zinn’s US Empire & Andreas’ Addicted to War
Mar 30 Lies: Herman & Chomsky’s Manufacturing Consent
Apr 13 Violence: Lt. Col. Grossman’s On Killing
Apr 20 Life & World: Carson’s Silent Spring & BCEP (3rd Response Due)
Apr 27 Class & Power: Karp’s Indispensable Enemies & essays from RC&G
May 4 Gender & Sex: De Beauvoir’s The Second Sex
May 11 Race & Culture: Hannaford’s Race & more essays from RC&G
May 25 Final Exam (4th Response Due)
This class is acceptable for credit at UC and CSU. It counts towards GE AA/AS area 3; CSU area C2; and IGETC area 3. It can be used as an elective for the Liberal Arts with an Emphasis in Arts and Humanities, Associate in Arts Degree Program and the Liberal Arts: Intersegmental General Education Transfer (IGETC) Certificate of Achievement and the Global Studies AA Degree.
Student Learning Outcomes
Information Competency: understand philosophical concepts and systems
Critical Thinking: evaluate concepts and argue for and against viewpoints
Global Awareness & Valuing Diversity: understand diverse cultures of thought
General Student Requirements
Students are expected to come to class prepared to ask questions and participate in discussions. All readings and assignments should be completed by the beginning of class on the day they are discussed. This class is run as a lecture/discussion course. Students are responsible for all class material (even if they miss class). It is your responsibility to ask if you missed something; it is not the instructor’s responsibility to remind you. If a student has any extenuating circumstances which may affect full participation in the class, the student must speak to the instructor as far ahead of any due date as possible. All assignments must be completed and all requirements must be met in order to pass the class. You must turn in all assignments (even if they are late) in order to be eligible to receive a “C” grade or higher. There are no exceptions, under any circumstance.
Plagiarism—“[t]o use another person’s ideas or expressions in your writing without acknowledging the source” (MLA Handbook, 5th ed., §1.8)—will not be tolerated. Plagiarists, intentional or inadvertent, will receive a zero on the assignment in question; repeat offenders will get an F for the course and will be subject to college disciplinary action. Students are encouraged to review plagiarism policies in the current Vista College catalog.
A Note on Disabled Student Program and Services (DSP&S)
DSP&S services are provided for any enrolled student who has a verified disability that creates an educational limitation that prevents the student from fully benefiting from classes without additional support services or instruction. Please let the instructor know if you require any support services or would like more information about DSP&S.
The syllabus is subject to change at the discretion of the instructor. Any changes will be announced in class. Additional handouts of required readings may also be added.
