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Phil 295-01 Syllabus f15
Phil 295-01 Syllabus f15
Fall 2015
SYLLABUS
Course Title:
Meeting Times:
Instructor:
Course Description:
Business strives to make a profit. Ethics counsels that people should avoid acting in
ways that are greedy, deceptive, or unjust. But some greedy, deceptive, or unjust
business practices are quite profitable. This dilemma is the foundation of business
ethics. The course sets forth three central strategies for arbitrating dilemmas in business
ethics: arguing via ethical theories, via claims about political economy, and via accounts
of the metaphysics of business. We then address specific business ethics dilemmas
concerning employment, advertising, finance, the environment, and globalization.
Course Objectives:
By the end of the course, students will be able to:
1. Describe in detail what is at stake in five major business ethics
controversies: concerning employment, advertising, finance, the environment,
and globalization;
2. Use philosophical theories to interpret business ethics controversies:
ethical theories, theories of political economy, and theories of the
metaphysics of business;
3. Use philosophical tools to evaluate business ethics controversies:
understanding argumentative structure, explaining a philosophical claim,
raising an objection to a philosophical claim, offering a response on behalf of
the philosopher, using a concrete example to support an abstract position,
and using a concrete example to challenge an abstract position;
4. Analyze the strengths and weaknesses of arguments for each side of five
business ethics controversies; and
5. Argue for a position in a business ethics controversy.
Course Prerequisites: None. This course is suitable as a first course in philosophy.
1
Course Organization:
We meet for 50 minutes, three times a week, for 15 weeks. Monday and Wednesday
classes are lecture: the instructor presents an interpretation of the assigned readings
and introduces philosophical skills. Friday classes are discussion or testing. On
discussion Fridays, students will discuss an assigned topic in small groups. Each group
will have an opportunity to present its conclusions to the class as a whole.
Evaluation Criteria:
Students will be evaluated on the basis of three in-class examinations (given: 9/18,
10/9, and 11/13), six short written exercises, completed in class in small groups (given:
9/2, 9/11, 10/2, 10/23, 10/30, and 11/6), in-class pop quizzes, and a final examination
(given: 12/11 10:30AM - 12:30PM). The three in-class examinations count for 100
points, or 10% of the final grade, each (all three are 30% of the final grade); the six
short written exercises are 50 points each (30% of the final grade for all six); the final is
300 points (30% of the final grade); the pop quizzes total 100 points (10% of the final
grade).
There is one opportunity for extra credit. Students may write a five-page paper (due:
11/30) about a contemporary business ethics controversy to replace the lowest grade
they earned on an examination. Students who are interested in writing the paper must
notify the instructor (via email) by no later than 11/23. Students may give an in-class
presentation (on 12/2 or 12/4) about a contemporary business ethics controversy to
replace the lowest grade earned on a group exercise. Students who are interested in
doing the presentation must notify the instructor (via email) by no later than 11/23.
Evaluation of In-Class Examinations:
The in-class examinations test your knowledge of the main topics covered in the course.
Each examination consists of 25 multiple-choice questions (worth 4 points each) on
material taken from the assigned readings and/or the instructors presentations. The inclass examinations are closed book, closed notebook.
Evaluation of Short Written Exercises:
The short written exercises will test your ability to use particular philosophical tools:
offering an interpretation of a philosophical argument, explaining a philosophical claim,
raising an objection to a philosophers argument, offering a response to an objection on
behalf of the philosopher, using a concrete example to support a philosophical position,
and using a concrete example to challenge a philosophical position. They will be
completed in class in small groups (about five students per group). Students will be
assigned randomly to their groups on the day that the exercise will be completed.
Students will receive a different group assignment for each of the six short exercises.
All group members will receive the same grade for the short exercise.
Evaluation of In-Class Pop Quizzes:
The in-class pop quizzes test whether students have completed the assigned reading.
They consist of 2-8 multiple choice, true/false, and/or short answer questions (worth two
points each). They will be given throughout the semester, about one per week.
2
Points
Grade
Points
Grade
Points
Grade
Points
A+
98-100%
B+
87-89%
C+
77-79%
D+
67-69%
93-97%
83-86%
73-76%
63-66%
A-
90-92%
B-
80-82%
C-
70-72%
D-
60-62%
A+ A, A- are awarded to excellent work; B+, B, B- to good work; C+, C, C- to fair work; D
+, D, D- to poor work, as determined according to the evaluation standards set forth
above (pp. 2-3). There are 1000 total points possible for the course: for an A+, you
need 980 points, 930 for an A, 900 for an A-, 870 for B+, 830 for B, 800 for B-, 770 for C
+, 730 for C, 700 for C-, 670 for D+, 630 for D, 600 for D-. Anyone who earns fewer
than 600 points receives an F.
Academic Honesty:
Students are expected to adhere to the highest standards of academic work. In all of
your assignments, you may use words or ideas written by other people only with proper
attribution. This includes the assigned readings, any supplemental readings that
students employ, and the instructors presentations. Proper attribution means
that you fully identify the original source, including the authors name and page number.
Any questions about permissible academic conduct should be directed to the instructor.
Plagiarism or cheating may result in an F for the assignment.
Coursebooks:
AVAILABLE AT THE BLOOMSBURG UNIVERSITY BOOKSTORE:
Other materials are available on the BOLT page for PHIL 295.
Course Schedule:
Part I:
8/24/15
8/26/15
8/28/15
8/31/15
9/2/15
9/4/15
9/7/15
9/9/15
9/11/15
9/14/15
9/16/15
9/18/15
9/21/15
9/23/15
9/25/15
9/28/15
9/30/15
10/2/15
10/5/15
10/7/15
10/9/15
Part II:
10/12/15
10/14/15
10/16/15
10/19/15
10/21/15
10/23/15
Part III:
10/26/15
10/28/15
Employment at Will.
10/30/15
11/2/15
11/4/15
11/6/15
11/9/15
11/11/15
11/13/15
11/16/15
11/18/15
11/20/15
11/23/15
11/30/15
Sweatshops
12/2/15
Student presentations.
12/4/15
Student presentations.