PHIL: Ethics and Responsibility
PHIL 493
Spring 2012
Time/Days 1:30 – 2:45 PM WF
Location: Engineering,Tech, & Comp Sci ROOM 146
________________________________________
Jennifer Caseldine-Bracht
Office: CM 28
caseldij@ipfw.edu
Office hours: Wednesdays 1:00-1:30 PM
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course acquaints students with the key debates and theoretical approaches involved in the ethics of responsibility. We will address questions regarding the nature of justice, care, responsibility and accountability. Furthermore, we will examine ways in which global institutional arrangements contribute to world poverty. This course will explore the connection between individual responsibilities and collective responsibilities. How much responsibility does an individual have for not acting against unjust power structures? How much responsibility do individual consumers have in the current global market place? For example, are we complicit when we purchase something from a sweat shop or buy stocks in controversial transnational corporations? If so, how accountable should we be? This course will explore the work of Larry May, Thomas Pogge, Iris Marion Young, Steve Esquith and others.
COURSE OBJECTIVES
By the end of the semester, students should be able to demonstrate the following:
1) A critical perspective on key concepts and fundamental issues in the ethics
and responsibility literature.
2) An understanding of arguments surrounding current discussions regarding global
institutions and global power structures in the ethics and development literature.
3) Be able to critically assess underlying assumptions of contemporary international
human rights theory.
REQUIRED READINGS
1. Young, Iris Marion. Responsibility for Justice (New York: Oxford University
Press, 2011)
2. Esquith, Steven. The Political Responsibilities of Everyday Bystanders (Philadelphia:
University of Pennsylvania Press., 2010)
Additional readings, as indicated by the syllabus will be posted on Blackboard. It is your responsibility to download and read the additional required readings before class.
ASSIGNMENTS
Assignment details and rubrics are posted in the appropriate folder on the Blackboard website. Your grade for the course will be based on the following assignments:
4 Discussion Papers: - 40% (4 discussion papers, each one is worth 10% of your grade), 40 points each for a possible total of 160 points.
1 presentation of a topic - 20%, 80 possible points for this presentation.
Final Project (40% final grade, for a total of 160 points)
Your total grade will be based on a 400 point scale.
ASSIGNMENT GUIDELINES:
Discussion Guidelines
Please turn in the discussion assignment by the due date. I will take off 10% for late papers. Please refer further down in the syllabus to see what weeks these are due.
What do you think was the most interesting or important unanswered question in the readings we have done this week? Why? Please answer these questions in a paragraph or two. The paper should be no longer than one double spaced page. Please submit it through Blackboard by the due date.
Presentation Guidelines
The presentation should focus on an important idea or argument in the required readings for one of the topics covered in Weeks 2 through 15. The purpose of your commentary should be to draw our attention to some important point in the reading and to promote a classroom discussion.
• The oral presentation should be approximately 15-20 minutes.
• The presenter will be asked to answer questions for an additional 5 minutes.
Final Project Guidelines
Option 1: You will produce a 10-15 page essay on a topic related to ethics and responsibility approved by the instructor. Additional information about the assignment, including the grading rubric, will be located on the blackboard website for the course.
Option 2: If you wish to do a service learning project instead of the final paper, you are free to do so. You will need to reflect on how your service learning project is linked to the topic of ethics and responsibility.
Service Learning Option One
This is a 10 hour service learning project.
We have the opportunity to work with Planned Parenthood to launch an educational
about women’s reproductive rights and the services the Fort Wayne Planned
Parenthood provides. You will have the opportunity to shadow health care providers
at Planned Parenthood and learn what clients go through. You will write a reflection
a 3-5 page reflection piece about the experience. If you choose to pursue this
option, then you will be required to sign a confidentiality agreement. A rubric
for the reflection assignment will be provided in class.
We will also set up tables on campus and educate people about the issue of birth
control. You will learn about the issue from the Planned Parenthood literature,
but also from your own research. Why does birth control matter? You will write
a 3-5 page paper about this topic. Since Planned Parenthood values research,
you may send a copy to me and I may forward it to the Planned Parenthood educator.
A rubric for this essay assignment will be provided in class.
The students that choose to work on this project will be trained how to react
professionally to challenging questions and scenarios. They will receive a volunteer
packet provided with tips and talking points.
Upon approval of both Jessica and me, you may develop your own original service
learning project if you have other ideas you would like to pursue.
Jessica Marquart is our community partner for this project. She will be meeting
with us in class to discuss this project in much more detail.
Service Learning Option Two
This is a 10 hour service learning project.
We have the opportunity to work with the Charis House to develop a Philosophy
for Children introduction, while also providing day care for mothers. You will
need to go through a one hour training session, as well as pass a small quiz,
regarding how to teach philosophy for children. This is not any sort of heavy
handed project. Philosophy students can ask children questions from a typical
children’s book, it will include questions such as (from a philosophy
for children site):
What makes someone a best friend?
What do people mean when they say they love me?
That's not fair!
Why is time so slow sometimes?
I think my doll is a person, not just a thing.
Mom said I didn't have a good reason. What did she mean?
This is to give children an opportunity to reflect philosophically about the
book – in their own words and in their own way. You will write a reflection
a 3-5 page reflection piece about the experience. If you choose to pursue this
option, then you will be required complete a background check for, a confidentiality
agreement and a volunteer application. A rubric for the reflection assignment
will be provided in class. If you are interested in this project, please be
aware that we meet on Wednesday evenings from 8-9 PM.
Service Learning Option Three
Please feel free to come up with your own service learning project. As long
as it is approved, you are free to find a project which is especially meaningful
to you.
GRADING
Course grades will be determined using the following scale:
A+ = 100%
A = 99-94%
A- = 93-90%
B+ = 89-87%
B = 86-84%
B- = 83-80%
C+ = 79-77%
C = 76-74%
C- = 73-70%
D+ = 69 -67%
D = 66 -64%
D- = 63-60%
F = 59 – 0%
COURSE POLICIES
Format of written work: You should adhere to a publication manual for citation of sources in your written work. You may already be familiar with a certain style of citation, in which case you may use the style with which you are most familiar. If you are unsure about what style of citation you want to use, please see me.
Submission of assignments: ALL assignments must be turned in electronically via Blackboard by midnight of the due date. Students are responsible for ensuring files are uploaded properly and in a timely fashion to the classroom website. Assignments emailed to me directly will not be graded. All documents MUST be saved in MS Office using the following name convention:
Lastname_Firstname_documenttitle
Example: Caseldine_Bracht_Jennifer_essay1
Due dates: Assignments are due by midnight on the date listed.
DISABILITY STATEMENT
If you have a disability and need assistance, special arrangements can be made to accommodate most needs. Contact the Director of Services for Students with Disabilities (Walb, room 113, telephone number 481-6658), as soon as possible to work out the details. Once the Director has provided you with a letter attesting to your needs for modification, bring the letter to me. For more information, please visit the web site for SSD at www.ipfw.edu/ssd.
READINGS:
All assigned readings should be read prior to coming to class.
Correspondence: Please email me only through blackboard. I will usually reply
within 48 hours. If I do not, then it means I probably did not receive your
e-mail. Please check with me if you do not receive a response within 48 hours.
WORKING SCHEDULE OF TOPICS, READINGS & ASSIGNMENTS. SUBJECT TO CHANGE
Week 1. Introduction January 11th-13th
I will present an overview of the course and we will start our reading on Friday.
Readings:
-- 1. Thomas Pogge, What is Global Justice? (online through Reserve Express)
WEEK 2: Human Rights January
18th-20th
Readings:
--1. Thomas Pogge, The Human Rights of the Global Poor, online at: Global Poor, Human Rights
By Wednesday at midnight, please send me an e-mail via blackboard regarding
which final project you are planning to complete.
WEEK 3: Global Egalistarianism? January
25th-27th
Readings:
--1.Charles Beitz, Cosmopolitanism and Global Justice, The Journal of Ethics, Vol. 9, No. 1/2, Current Debates in Global Justice (2005), pp. 11-27 (online)
--2. David Miller, Against Global Egalitarianism’, Journal of Ethics, Vol. 9 (2005), 55-79 (online) Discussion one is due on January 27th.
WEEK 4: Poverty: Structual Causation, Personal Responsibility or no
simple answer? February
1st-3rd
Readings:
--1.Young, Iris Marion. Responsibility for Justice, Chapter 1, From Personal to Political Responsibility
WEEK 5: Responsibility and Poverty February 8th-10th
Readings:
--Young, Iris Marion. Responsibility for Justice, Chapter 2, Structure as the Subject of Justice
WEEK 6: Responsibility and Guilt February
February 15th-17th
Readings:
--Young, Iris Marion. Responsibility for Justice, Chapter 3, Guilt vs. Responsibility: A Reading and Partial Critique of Hannah Arendt Discussion two is due on February 17th.
WEEK 7: Issues of Global Responsibility February
22nd-24th
Readings:
--Young, Iris Marion. Responsibility for Justice, Chapter 5, Responsibility Across Borders
WEEK 8: Issues of Global Responsibility February
29th-March 2nd
Readings:
--Young, Iris Marion. Responsibility for Justice, Chapters 6 and 7, Avoiding Responsibilities, Responsibility and Historic Injustice.
SPRING BREAK - March 5th-11th
.
WEEK 9: Grounding Responsibility March 14th-16th
Readings:
--Elizabeth Ashford, The Alleged Dichotomy Between Positive and Negative Rights and Duties, in Global Basic Rights, eds. Charles Beitz and Robert E. Goodin (under press, OUP, June 2009), pp. 85-115. (online) Discussion 3 is due on March 16th.
WEEK 10: Grounding Responsibility March 21st-23rd
Readings:
--Esquith, Steven. The Political Responsibilities of Everyday Bystanders ,chapters 1 and 2, Teaching as a Political Vocation, Citizenship.
WEEK 11: Grounding Responsibility March 28th-30th
Readings:
--Esquith, Steven. The Political Responsibilities of Everyday Bystanders ,chapter 3, Political Responsibility
WEEK 12: Recognizing Complicity April 4th-6th
Readings:
--Esquith, Steven. The Political Responsibilities of Everyday Bystanders ,chapter 4, Beyond Sympathy
WEEK 13: Recognizing Complicity April 11th-13th
Readings:
--Esquith, Steven. The Political Responsibilities of Everyday Bystanders ,chapters 5 and 6, Bystander Allegories, Bystander Stories 1.
WEEK 14: Recognizing Complicity April 18th-20th
Readings:
--May, Larry. Complicity and the Rwandan Genocide. Res Publica 16. 2 (May 2010): 135-152. (online) Discussion 4 is due on April 20th.
WEEK 15: Future Directions April 25th-27th
Video:
William Kentridge, Drawing the Passing (in class). How to motivate thinking about responsibility?
Discussion:
Other ways of motivating responsibility
WEEK 16: Final Week
Final paper is due by Wednesday, May 2nd at midnight.