You are supposed to have questions! Ask them! In
addition to class, here are some good times to do so: My
office hours are MWF 11:00 – 12:00, MW 1:00 - 2:30 and 3:45
– 4:15, and Th 12:00 – 3:00. We can also meet at other times
by arrangement - just ask. My office is in H. L. Griffin
Hall, rm. 563. H.
L. Griffin Hall, rm. 563. My office phone
number (a landline) is (337) 482-6806. A good way to contact
me (or ask questions) at any time is by e-mail at keithk@louisiana.edu.
This
course is designed to give you the opportunity to acquire,
at an introductory level, an understanding of:
(1) the
subject matter of philosophy, and how philosophy is done,
(2) some
fundamental logic, critical thinking, and research skills,
(3) the
nature of morality, problems with some naive views of
morality, and familiarity with a few more sophisticated
moral theories,
(4) the
fundamental values that guide decision-making in the
workplace,
(5)
selected moral failures that can occur in economies such as
ours, and to
(6) help
you develop more advanced reading and note-taking skills.
Evaluating Achievement Of The Course Objectives:
Exams:
There will be three required in-class exams, the two during
the semester each worth 30% of your course grade, and the
cumulative final exam worth 40% of your course grade. The
exams will consist primarily of short answer and
multiple-choice questions. However, all make-up exams will
be primarily essay. The exams will cover both lectures and
assigned readings (material in lectures and assigned
readings will not always overlap). I will hand out a study
guide prior to each exam. All exams are closed book/closed
note. The exams are designed to help you achieve all six
course objectives.
Required
Extra-Credit Assignment: You will complete an appeal
to experts argument and document your findings, as described
in class. Worth up to 30 points. Details will be given later
on a separate handout This assignment is designed to help
you achieve course objective (2).
Reading
and Note Taking: Though not separately counted for
points, these are essential to achieving objectives 1 – 5,
and especially objective 6. You should complete each of the
readings before they are discussed in class. Some of the
readings are difficult, and you may find that you need to
re-read them after they have been discussed in class in
order to fully understand them. A major portion of your
education in college comes from reading.
Grading:
The
course grades will initially be determined according to the
standard scale, i.e., 90-100% = A, 80-89% = B, 70-79% = C,
60-69% = D, 59% and below = F, and then may be modified as
follows: Course grades might be curved, but, if so,
the curve would not be such that any student's grade is
lowered. Such factors as improvement over the length of the
course, class participation, etc., may be taken into
consideration, especially where doing so may improve a
borderline grade. You must complete all course assignments
(namely all exams and the required extra-credit assignment)
to receive a grade other than F, NC, or U.
Class Policies:
Missing Class: If you must
miss class, for whatever reason, it is your responsibility
to get class notes from another student. If you wish your
absence to be excused, promptly provide me with an
appropriate excuse, e.g., illness requiring medical
attention, participation in certain university-sanctioned
events, dangerous weather, etc. We cover something important
every day, so for every three unexcused absences, your
course grade will be dropped by a letter grade. Skip class,
and you won’t pass!
Tardiness: It’s important to show up to class on
time, so for every five times you arrive unexcused after I
have called your name (excluding the first day of class),
you will lose a letter grade in the course. On those very
rare occasions where you absolutely must arrive late to
class, see me at the end of class so I can mark you present.
Cell Phones: Cell phones, earbuds, smart watches,
etc., must be turned off and remain out of sight during
class and during exams unless the professor explicitly
indicates otherwise. You may not regularly use cell phones
in place of taking notes.
Missing Assignments: If you miss an assignment due
date, you must notify me within one week of either the due
date or the cessation of a medically documented persistent
vegetative state in order to make up the assignment. Missed
assignments can be made up for full credit only if an
appropriate excuse is promptly provided. An unexcused late
assignment will be dropped 2/3 of a letter grade per day it
is late.
Classroom: In class discussions, it is perfectly
fine to disagree with your classmates or myself, but you
should do so respectfully and with reasoning. Philosophy is
all about intellectual controversy and debate! However,
disruptive or persistent distracting classroom behavior
(e.g., use of phones, leaving class early, excessive
talking, etc.) may result in your being asked to leave
(counted as an unexcused absence), losing a letter grade in
the class, receiving an F in the class, and/or being dropped
from the class, at my discretion.
Ethics Policy: If you don’t do your own work, you
don’t get an education. Thus, all assignments for this class
must be completed individually, and any instance of academic
dishonesty (e.g., cheating, plagiarism, unauthorized use of
AI, furnishing false information regarding absences, etc.)
will be sufficient to fail the course.
Unauthorized Websites: Neither lectures
nor any class materials may be posted on the internet or
otherwise published. Students who rely on internet sites
(other than my own, listed below), search engines, or AI for
class notes, study guides, etc., tend to do poorly in my
classes. Such sites are often unreliable (which is why I use
them to create the wrong answers for multiple-choice
questions). Do not use them. Relying on such sites prevents
you from acquiring valuable note taking, study, and learning
skills that you will need after graduation.
Students
needing academic accommodations for a disability must first
be registered with the Office of
Disability Services (ODS) to verify the disability
and to establish eligibility for accommodations. Students
may call 337-482-5252 or visit the ODS office in the Conference
Center/Agnes Edwards Hall, room 126 (the ODS website
address is: https://disability.louisiana.edu/).
Once
registered, students should then schedule an appointment
with the professor to make appropriate arrangements. If your
needs are not being met for any reason, inform the
instructor and ODS as soon as possible so that we may
rectify the problem.
Some Helpful Tips For A Successful And Happy Course
Experience:
1.
On class evaluations, students often state that they would
tell friends planning to take my classes that good class
attendance and good class notes are essential to doing well
on the exams. In addition, they would like to advise you
that you will not pass this class if you just wing it.
2. There
is a very strong correlation between reading the required
articles listed on the syllabus and passing the tests.
Virtually no one who ignores the readings passes this class.
Similarly, you cannot expect to study 30 minutes for an exam
and have any hope of passing. You will need to spend a
significant amount of quality time studying for the tests.
If you are just looking for an easy class that you don’t
have to put any work into, do not take any of my classes -
you will fail them.
3. I
strongly recommend taking advantage of the following
resources I have created for you!
My How
To Survive Your First Philosophy Course pages pages
contain useful information about how to study for my exams,
reading philosophy, taking notes, doing research in
philosophy, etc.
My
Philosophy 316 course home page contains links to the
on-line syllabus, study aids, sample exam questions, and
other resources you will find helpful.
All of
these resources are linked from the course home page at: https://userweb.ucs.louisiana.edu/~kak7409/professionalethics.html.
Also, a
Moodle page for the course will be activated at the
beginning of the semester (https://moodle.louisiana.edu/).
You’ll be able to contact each other and download the course
pack here.
4.
Philosophy differs from other disciplines, and it’s common
to have difficulties figuring it all out. If you are having
difficulty with course material or assignments, let me know
so I can help you out!
Emergency Evacuation Procedures:
A
map of this floor is posted near the elevator marking the
evacuation route and the Designated Rescue Area. This is an
area where emergency service personnel will go first to look
for individuals who need assistance in exiting the building.
Students who may need assistance should identify themselves
to the teaching faculty.
COURSE
CALENDAR & PLANNED READING ASSIGNMENTS
(1) Finding the readings:
Each of the articles below is located in the course pack on
the course Moodle page (https://moodle.louisiana.edu/). Some
articles are in pdf form on Moodle, and for others I have
provided links to the articles in databases from Dupre
Library. For linked articles, when you click on the link, it
will take you to a page where there will be a link saying to
“log in through your institution” or “log in through your
school or library”. Click on that and then you will be able to
log in through Dupre Library and then you will be taken to the
stated article or book chapter. Your UserID and Password will
be the same as for ULink.
(2) Follow where we are on the list of topics in class
and try to read ahead a bit.
(3) Assignment due dates, topics, readings, and
procedures are tentative and may change at my discretion.
Topic 1: Moral Reasoning and Ethical Theory
a. Cultural Relativism
Ethics: You’re Doing It Wrong!, “Chapter 0.
Introduction” and “Chapter 1. Moral Relativism” by Keith
Korcz.
September 7 – Labor Day – No
Classes.
b. Understanding Philosophy & Ethics
Ethics: You’re Doing It Wrong!, “Chapter
2. Philosophy and Moral Reasoning" by Keith Korcz; “Appeals
to Experts” by Keith Korcz.
c. The Divine Command Theory & Ethical
Egoism
Ethics: You’re Doing It Wrong!, “Chapter 3.
The Divine Command Theory” by Keith Korcz.
d. Utilitarianism, Rights & the Origin
of Morality
Ethics: You’re Doing It Wrong!, “Chapter 4.
Utilitarianism” and “Chapter 6. Moral Rights” by Keith
Korcz.
(Note: “Chapter 5. Theories of Value” is
included but is optional reading.)
e. Some Issues In Ethics Ethics: You’re Doing It Wrong!, “Chapter
7. Where Does Morality Come From?” and “Chapter 8. Why Be
Moral?” by Keith Korcz.
Topic 2: Values in the Workplace
a. Work and Well-Being
“Leisure and Consumption” by Joanne B.
Ciulla; “Nonmonetary Incentives and the Implications of Work
as a Source of Meaning” by Lea Cassar and Stephan Meier.
EXAM #1: WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7.
Thursday, October 8 – Friday, October 9
– Fall Holiday – No Classes.
b. Corporations & Social
Responsibility
“Corporations and their Social Responsibility”
by Guillermo C Jimenez and Elizabeth Pulos; "The Social
Responsibility of Business is to Increase Its Profits" by
Milton Friedman; “A Stakeholder Theory of the Modern
Corporation” by R. Edward Freeman.
c. Some Free Market Values
“How Trust Is Abused In Free Markets: Enron’s
‘Crooked E’” by William K. Black; “Is Inheritance
Justified?” by D. W. Haslett; “The Ocean’s Hot Dog: The
Development of the Fish Stick” by Paul Josephson.
Monday, October 26 – Advising for SP27
begins.
Topic 3: Moral Failures to Avoid in Markets
a. Markets and Desert
b. Market Failure
“Liberalism, Economic Freedom, and the Limits
of Markets” by Debra Satz.
c. Worker Abuse
“CSR & Sweatshops” by Guillermo C. Jimenez
and Elizabeth Pulos; “What Employers Owe Employees” by
Stephen M. Byars, et al.
d. Harming Customers
“Food Poisoning May Be Making a Comeback” by
Deborah Blum; "Information Disclosure in Sales" by David
Holley.
e. Undermining Competition
“Corruption in International Business” by
Guillermo C. Jimenez and Elizabeth Pulos; “Monopoly,
Oligopoly, and Perfect Competition” by J. Zachary
Klingensmith.
f. Political Corruption
“The Problem of Monopolies & Corporate
Public Corruption” by Zephyr Teachout.
EXAM #2: FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 6.
g. Harms of Advertising “Marketing Ethics: Selling Controversial
Products” by Guillermo C Jimenez and Elizabeth Pulos;
"Political Economy" by Mark Twain.
Topic 4: Social Justice
a. Theories Of Social Justice
excerpts from The Life You Can Save by Peter
Singer.
Thursday, November 26 – Friday, November
27 – Turkey Day – Gobble till you wobble! – No Classes.
b. Boycotts
“Boycott Basics: Moral Guidelines for Corporate Decision
Making” by Mary Lyn Stoll.
c. Whistleblowing
“Whistleblowing: Professionalism, Personal
Life, and Shared Responsibility for Safety in Engineering”
by Mike W. Martin.
LAST DAY OF CLASSES: FRIDAY, DECEMBER 4.
FINAL EXAM: MONDAY, DECEMBER 7, FROM 2:00 PM – 4:30 PM, IN
OUR REGULAR CLASSROOM.
