PHILO106-18A (HAM)
Social and Moral Philosophy
15 Points
Staff
Convenor(s)
Dan Weijers
8570
J.3.10
Monday 11:00-11:50am and Wednesday 10:00-10:50am or by appointment
dan.weijers@waikato.ac.nz
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Administrator(s)
Librarian(s)
You can contact staff by:
- Calling +64 7 838 4466 select option 1, then enter the extension.
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Extensions starting with 4, 5 or 9 can also be direct dialled:
- For extensions starting with 4: dial +64 7 838 extension.
- For extensions starting with 5: dial +64 7 858 extension.
- For extensions starting with 9: dial +64 7 837 extension.
Paper Description
This course is an introduction to Applied Ethics, which is the use of philosophical tools, theories and concepts to understand and discuss contemporary moral issues. The course will introduce you to these tools, theories and concepts as we examine a number of contemporary moral issues, such as euthanasia and freedom of expression.
The point of this course is not to convince you that any one particular set of answers is the right one, but to provide you with the tools and assistance you need in order to formulate your own answers. You will be evaluated on how well you understand the underlying moral issues and how well you are able to argue about them. Thus, it is possible (and often happens) that two people who take opposing positions on almost every issue can both receive equally high grades.
The job of the teaching staff in the various assignments and tutorial discussions is to stimulate your thinking by asking you to defend your views against critical questions (this is called the Socratic Method and is almost as old as philosophy itself). Please understand that criticizing a view is not the same as criticizing a person. Socrates said: "I am one of those who are willing to be refuted if I say anything which is not true, and willing to refute anyone else who says what is not true, and just as happy to be refuted as to refute." The main point here is that if, above all, we seek the truth, then being proven wrong is a blessing because it moves us closer to the truth (or at least further away from falsehoods). So, we should seek to prove others wrong, and be proven wrong ourselves. Basically, everyone who values truth benefits from frank, open, and potentially challenging discussion on important issues.
Paper Structure
There are two lectures and one tutorial each week. You should attend both lectures and your tutorial session each week. You will be able to sign up for a tutorial session on Moodle. Please note that tutorials start in week 1. There are 11 weeks of tutorials, so there are no tutorials in the last week of class.
Learning Outcomes
Students who successfully complete the course should be able to:
Assessment
Essays are to be submitted via Moodle. Every effort will be made to return marked essays (via Moodle) within 14 days after the due date. Essays will certainly be returned before 21 days after the due date. You will be informed if there is any delay.
No piece of work is compulsory, but in practice you will need to complete all assigned tasks to get a good grade.
Assessment Components
The internal assessment/exam ratio (as stated in the University Calendar) is 100:0. There is no final exam.
Required and Recommended Readings
Required Readings
Recommended Readings
All additional material will be found on the Moodle site for the paper.
Online Support
All relevant material, including readings, lecture slides (and recordings of the lectures), and tutorial worksheets will be made available through Moodle. If you require assistance with Moodle, please contact ITS support: http://its.waikato.ac.nz/client_support/, http://www.waikato.ac.nz/ict-self-help//, Email: help@waikato.ac.nz, Phone: Ext 4008 or (07) 838 4008 (from a cell phone or from off campus).
Workload
This course requires 150 hours of work. There are 2 1-hour long Lectures for this course per week. There is also a 1-hour tutorial each week, except for the last week.
Linkages to Other Papers
If you enjoy this paper, you should consider enrolling in our related 200-level papers in ethics or applied ethics.
Ethics: PHILO215: Moral and Political Philosophy & PHILO225: Happiness and Wellbeing.
Applied ethics: PHILO217: Ethics at Work & PHILO218: Environmental Ethics.
Restriction(s)
Restricted papers: PHIL106