KERN COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT – CERRO COSO COLLEGE

PHIL C141 COURSE OUTLINE OF RECORD

  1. DISCIPLINE AND COURSE NUMBER:
    PHIL C141
  2. COURSE TITLE:
    Ethics
  3. C-ID:
  4. CATALOG COURSE DESCRIPTION:
    Students learn a variety of philosophical approaches to moral reasoning and decision making in different cultural and historical contents. Students analyze how philosophers throughout history have considered ethical issues and they apply philosophical reasoning to contemporary issues related to ethical problems.

  5. GRADING METHOD

    Default:
    S = Standard Letter Grade
    Optional:
     
    A = Audit;P = Pass/No Pass
  6. TOTAL UNITS:
    3

  7. INSTRUCTIONAL METHODS / UNITS & HOURS:

    Lecture
    54
    Lab
    Activity
    Open Entry/Open Exit
    Volunteer Work Experience
    Paid Work Experience
    Non Standard
    Non-Standard Hours Justification:

  8. REPEATABILITY

    Type:
     
    Non-Repeatable Credit
    Limit:
  9. MATERIALS FEE:
    No
  10. CREDIT BY EXAM:
    No
  11. CORE MISSION APPLICABILITY:
    Associate Degree Applicable (ADA);UC/CSU Transfer
  12. STAND-ALONE:
    No

  13. PROGRAM APPLICABILITY

    Required:
     
    Elective:
    General Education ()
    Liberal Arts: Arts & Humanities AA (AA Degree Program)

  14. GENERAL EDUCATION APPLICABILITY

    Local:
    CC GE Area III: Humanities = Philosophy;
    IGETC:
     
    3B: Humanities;
    CSU:
    CSU GE Area C: Arts, Literature, Philosophy and Foreign Languages = C2 - Humanities;
    UC Transfer Course:
     
    University of California, Davis = Phil 14 - Ethical and Social Problems in Society
    University of California, Santa Cruz = Phil 22 - Introduction to Ethical Theory
    CSU Transfer Course:
    California State University, Long Beach = Phil 160 - Introductory Ethics

  15. STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES—Upon completion of the course, the student will be able to

    1. Explain and illustrate the historical development of ethical thought and moral traditions in philosophy.
    2. Distinguish between different ethical theories and moral criteria within and across cultures.
    3. Analyze the influence of ethical philosophy on religion, politics and science.
    4. Describe contemporary ethical problems observed in a variety of mediums such as literature, films, mass media, etc.
    5. Apply ethical theories from philosophy to contemporary problems.

  16. REQUISITES

    Advisory:
    Reading - 1 Level Prior to transfer
    Writing - 1 Level Prior to transfer

  17. DETAILED TOPICAL OUTLINE:

    Lecture:

    A. Introduction to Philosophy and Ethics

         1.  Definitions of philosophy, morality, ethics and the various branches of philosophy.

         2.  “The Value of Philosophy,”  Bertrand Russell. 

    B.  Ethical Thought in Ancient Philosophy

         1.  Plato (e.g.) “The Apology of Socrates.”  “The Ring of Gyges.”

         2.  Epicurus (e.g.) "The Pleasant Life"

         3.  Epictetus (e.g.) "Self Discipline" “The discourses.”

    C.  Ethics in Religion and Morals, Politics and Science

         1.  "The Dhammapada" or the path of virtue from Buddhism.

         2.  Confucius, “The Analects.”

         3.  Saint Augustine (e.g. “The City of God).

         4.  Thomas Hobbes and the late Renaissance period (e.g. The Leviathan).

         5.  Karl Marx and morality as ideology.

         6.  John Stuart Mill and utilitarianism, (e.g.) “On Liberty.”

         7.  Nietzsche (e.g.) “Beyond Good and Evil.” 

    D.  Applied Ethics. 

         1.  Human greed and lust for power.  (e.g.) Plato’s “The Ring of Gyges” and “The Lord of the Rings.”

         2.  Environmental Ethics.  (e.g.) Aldo Leopold “The Land Ethic,” “An Inconvenient Truth.”

         3.  Euthanasia.  (e.g.)  John Hardwig. "Is There a Duty to Die?"  "Whose Life Is It Anyway?"

         4.  Human Cloning and Biotechnology.  (e.g.) Matt Ridley, "The New Eugenics"  “The Island.”

  18. METHODS OF INSTRUCTION--Course instructional methods may include but are not limited to

    1. Discussion;
    2. Lecture;
    3. Other (Specify);
    4. Outside reading;
    5. Written work;

  19. OUT OF CLASS ASSIGNMENTS:  Out of class assignments may include but are not limited to

    Some typical assignments could include: 1. Reading an assigned paragraph and answering questions based on the student's understanding of the paragraph. 2. Researching a philosophical figure or ethical or moral concept and preparing comments on it. 3. Preparing for a debate on an ethical/philosophical issue. 4. Reviewing examples of ethical issues in a variety of mediums such as film, literature, magazine articles, current news reports, etc. and reporting on the findings.

  20. METHODS OF EVALUATION: Assessment of student performance may include but is not limited to

    1. Quizzes and exams. Students may have short quizzes, for example, on a single chapter's worth of material, or longer exams such as a midterm.
    2. Prepared Class Discussion Assignments. Students may be presented with leading questions for discussion based on the material from each section. They could be required to report on their findings, either orally in class or written comments in a threaded discussion group.
    3. Written reviews of films, articles, newspaper reports, etc. In addition to the regular textbook material, students could be required to prepare written reviews of other class-related materials as appropriate.
    4. Research Papers. Students may be required to prepare several papers that will require further research into materials from each class segment. These could range from brief (one page) reports submitted as homework, to complete essays (3-5 pages) which form a major part of their grade.

  21. TEXTS, READINGS, AND MATERIALS: Instructional materials may include but are not limited to

    Textbooks
    Denise, T. C., White, N., Peterfreund, S. P.. (2007) Great Traditions in Ethics, 12th, Thompson-Wadsworth
    Jones, W. E., Vice, S.. (2011) Ethics at the Cinema, 1st, oxford University Press
    Manuals
    Periodicals
    Software
    Other
    1. Magazine articles and newspaper stories on contemporary ethical and moral issues (e.g. The New York Times, Newsweek magazine, etc.) 2. Films on contemporary ethical and moral issues (e.g. "Ten Questions for the Dalai Lama," "A Simple Plan," "Dogma," etc.
  22. METHOD OF DELIVERY:
    Online with some required face-to-face meetings (“Hybrid”);Online (purely online no face-to-face contact) ;iTV – Interactive video = Face to face course with significant required activities in a distance modality ;Face to face;
  23. MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:
    Philosophy (Masters Required);Religious Studies (Masters Required);

  24. APPROVALS:

    Origination Date
    08/18/2010
    State Approval Date
    Content Review
    2011-03-11 00:00:00.0
    APP Status Date
    CIC Approval Date
    Board of Trustees
    Last Outline Revision
    2011-03-11 00:00:00.0
    CC Approval
    2011-03-11 00:00:00.0
    CIPD Approval
    Board of Trustees
    2011-04-14 00:00:00.0
    State Approval
    Requisite Validation
    UC Approval
    50 = Summer 2000
    CSU Approval
    50 = Summer 2000
    IGETC Approval
    50 = Summer 2000
    CSU GE Approval
    50 = Summer 2000