COURSE DESCRIPTION: We will discuss in this class some of the following (and related) issues: Why is it wrong to kill? Is killing an innocent person ever justified? Can war ever be justified? What counts as a terrorist action? What are the reasons people resort to terrorist actions? How should we respond to terrorist threats? We will approach these questions by studying methods of philosophical analysis and the nature of moral philosophy. The special emphasis will be put on the issues related to possible strategies and tactics employed in the war against terrorism
TEXTS: Douglas P. Lackey, The Ethics
of War and Peace, Prentice Hall [EWP]
R.G. Frey and Christopher Morris, Violence, Terrorism, and Justice
[VTJ]
Handouts and selections (to be distributed or assigned in class
[hereafter, H]).
HANDOUTS/OUTLINES: If you miss a class, make sure that you will have copies of any handout distributed in the class. Notice that handouts are intended primarily as aids to the understanding of the lectures and readings. They do not cover all of the material on which you may be tested, and they do not contain complete accounts of the topics they do cover. Merely memorizing the handouts will not enable you to pass the course.
COURSE ORGANIZATION: Class meetings will consist of both lectures and discussions. Questions, discussions, disagreements and arguments are expected and strongly encouraged at any time. Thus, we will allow ourselves to spend more time on an issue if we think it deserves the attention.
OBJECTIVES: Content: You
should acquire some level of understanding of a variety of issues in
moral theory and various moral problems surrounding war and
terrorism.
Skill: The course should develop a degree of proficiency in
recognizing, evaluating and constructing moral arguments on more than
one side of a moral issue.
Motivation: I hope you will acquire an interest in moral thought and
problems, which will lead you to continue thinking about
philosophical issues, and develop your own views on a variety of
moral issues.
REQUIREMENTS:
Complete the assigned readings before the class for
which they are assigned.
Unless it is a case of demonstrable emergency, attend every class,
arrive to class on time and remain in class until it is over.
Complete all graded assignments.
GRADED WORK:
ATTENDANCE POLICY: You can miss 2 classes with no penalty. You may excuse two additional absences by writing additional short papers on the material discussed in class during the day you missed. In this papers you may offer a general summary of the assigned reading or analyze some specific problem or view from this reading. Unless other arrangements are made, this paper must be turned in
to the instructor at the beginning of the next meeting. Each additional unexcused absence will result in the automatic subtraction of 10 points from your overall grade. Coming to class significantly late, or leaving early, counts as ½ of missed class.
MAKE-UP TESTS AND INCOMPLETES: Students who miss a test for a good reason will have a chance to take a make-up during the week after the original test, at a time arranged with the instructor. An incomplete for the course is possible only in cases where course work is nearly complete, and the student has a good excuse for not completing the course work by the end of the semester.
PLAGIARISM AND ACADEMIC DISHONESTY: As a student at TAMU-CC, you are bound by the student code of conduct. Cheating, plagiarism or any other form of academic dishonesty is grounds for failing the course.
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