II. Prerequisites

None

III. Course (Catalogue) Description

Course studies meaning, value, and moral responsibility in human life. Topics include examination of at least four conflicting theories about what constitutes moral conduct and social justice; application of these theories to individual moral dilemmas and to contemporary social issues such as world hunger or the environmental crisis. IAI H4 904

IV. Learning Objectives

After completing this class, students will be able to do the following:

A. Define the basic vocabulary needed to discuss ethical theories and be able to state the problems that ethical theories address.

B. Explain and compare at least four conflicting ethical theories and the arguments that support these theories.

C. Evaluate ethical theories by critically examining (both orally and through written work) the arguments that support the theories and by discussing what important considerations may be lacking in the theories studied.

D. Apply ethical theories to concrete situations on the personal level, on the national level, and on the global level

E. Use the ethical theory with which they agree to defend their own positions on contemporary moral issues both orally and in writing.

F. Exhibit values related to teamwork and collaboration, fostered by the pedagogy of shared-inquiry and critical dialogue appropriate to the humanities and philosophy.

V. Academic Integrity

Students and employees at Oakton Community College are required to demonstrate academic integrity and follow Oakton’s Code of Academic Conduct. This code prohibits:

· cheating,

· plagiarism (turning in work not written by you, or lacking proper citation),

· falsification and fabrication (lying or distorting the truth),

· helping others to cheat,

· unauthorized changes on official documents,

· pretending to be someone else or having someone else pretend to be you,

· making or accepting bribes, special favors, or threats, and

· any other behavior that violates academic integrity.

There are serious consequences to violations of the academic integrity policy. Oakton’s policies and procedures provide students a fair hearing if a complaint is made against you. If you are found to have violated the policy, the minimum penalty is failure on the assignment and, a disciplinary record will be established and kept on file in the office of the Vice President for Student Affairs for a period of 3 years.

Details of the Code of Academic Conduct can be found in the Student Handbook.

VI. Outline of Topics

Week 1 Introduction

1/16 NO CLASS (ML King Jr. Day)

1/18 Introduction: http://chronicle.com/article/What-Lies-Ahead-for-College/130280/?sid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en

Week 2 Plato: The Good as Eternal

1/23 Morality, pp.68-80

1/25 Morality, pp.81-92

Week 3 Plato: The Ethics of Sport

1/30 Morality, pp.92-98

2/1 Simon, pp.1-8

i. Muhammad Ali

ii. Joe Louis: America’s Hero…Betrayed

iii. Jackie Robinson

Week 4 Aristotle: The Good as (Individual) Excellence

2/6 Morality, pp.106-117

2/8 Morality, pp.117-129

Week 5 Aristotle: Competition in Athletics

2/13 Morality, pp.129-142

2/15 Simon, pp.17-31

· Friendship & Teamwork: great players on losing teams

· T.O., LeBron James

Week 6 Hobbes: The Good as Obeying the Rules

2/20 NO CLASS (Presidents’ Day)

2/22 Morality, pp.187-194

Essay 1 Due

Week 7 Hobbes: Sportsmanship, Fairness, & Competition

2/27 Morality, pp.194-200

2/29 Simon, pp.39-52

· Without rules, chaos, which defeats the purpose of the game

Week 8 Kant: The Good as Universal Principle

3/5 Morality, pp.259-267

Midterm Exam

3/7 Morality, pp.267-281

SPRING BREAK

Week 9 Kant: Drugs, Genes, & Performance Enhancement

3/19 Morality, pp.281-305

3/21 Simon, pp.71-91

a. Performance Enhancing Drugs

· Lance Armstrong

· The Steroids Era in Baseball

b. Playing the game right

c. Golf players acknowledging their mistakes on course

d. Professional athletes “selling” calls

e. Gene therapy?

Week 10 Mill: The Good as the Aggregate Happiness

3/26 Morality, pp.323-335

3/28 Morality, pp.335-347

Week 11 Mill: The Commercialization of Sports

4/2 Morality, pp.347-360

4/4 Simon, pp.165-178

· Salary cap

Week 12 Marx: The Good as Economic Justice

4/9 Handout (PDF)

4/11 Simon, pp.178-191

· Minority ownership

· Paying student athletes

· Excerpts from Forty Million Dollar Slaves: The Rise and Fall of the Black Athlete

· August Wilson’s Fences

· Main Source’s “Just a Friendly Game of Baseball”

Week 13 Nietzsche: The Good as Vital Power

4/16 Morality, pp.380-382, 392-399

Essay 2 Due

4/18 Morality, pp.399-405

Week 14 Nietzsche: Sports, Moral Education, & Social Responsibility

4/23 Morality, pp.406-410

4/25 Simon, pp.193-208

· The Education of Values

· Boxing, Ultimate Fighting

Week 15 Rawls: The Good as Fairness – Race in Sports & Intercollegiate Athletics

4/30 Morality, pp.456-464

5/2 Simon, pp.139-152

Intercollegiate Sports: educational opportunity or unpaid farm league?

· 1968 Olympics

· The Williams Sisters

· ESPN documentary - The Fab Five

· Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson

· O.J.: A Study in Black & White

Week 16 Gilligan: The Good as Care – Gender Equity in Sports

5/7 Handout (PDF)

Final Exam

5/9 Simon, pp.111-124

Essay 3 Due

· Women referees

· Female/male athletes as sex symbols

· Female reporters in the locker room and on the sidelines

· Homophobia in sports – Ring of Fire - The Emile Griffith Story

· Don Imus and Rutger’s Women’s Basketball team controversy

VII. Methods of Instruction

The course will involve lectures, as well as seminar style discussions. Students will be expected to participate actively and to come prepared for discussion. This means students should have read all assigned material prior to class meetings.

VIII. Course Practices Required:

In addition to reading the assigned material, students are expected to attend class and participate in class discussions regularly. Pop quizzes will be administered periodically to assess whether or not the reading assignments have been completed. Make-up quizzes will not be given except for legitimate absences. Students will be required to submit three 5 page essays, for which lists of essay topics will be provided. The written work submitted by students should be typed and carefully checked for spelling, punctuation, and grammatical errors. Most importantly, they should argue for a central thesis. Late assignments will not be accepted except for extreme circumstances.

IX. Instructional Materials

Morality and the Good Life. 5^th Edition. Solomon and Martin.

X. Methods of Evaluating Student Progress:

Midterm Exam 15%

Final Exam 15%

Essay 1 10%

Essay 2 10%

Essay 3 10%

Response Papers & Quizzes 30%

Class Participation 10%

XI. Other Course Information:

A. Disabilities

If you have a documented learning, psychological, or physical disability you may be entitled to reasonable academic accommodations or services. To request accommodations or services, contact the ASSIST office in the Learning Center. All students are expected to fulfill essential course requirements. The College will not waive any essential skill or requirement of a course or degree program.

B. Discrimination

The Oakton Community College Catalog states:

Oakton Community College does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, religion, national origin, disability, age, sex, sexual orientation, or marital status in admission to and participation in its educational programs, activities and services, or employment practices. The College does not tolerate sexual harassment or sexual assault by or of its students or employees.

In keeping with this policy of tolerance and non-discrimination, in this class all of us (myself included) should strive to listen and give careful consideration to all ideas expressed in class, especially those that are different from our own, without attacking or demeaning the people who have those views. We should also strive to avoid using insulting terms or telling offensive jokes when talking to or about individuals or groups.