RP239:
Meeting Times, Location, & Course Delivery Details
Contact Information
Upon successful completion of this course…
1. The student will be able to discuss the major ethical theories and models for ethical decision-making.
2. The student will be able to analyze ethical issues carefully and critically.
3. The student will be able to demonstrate asking questions, challenging ideas, and clarifying positions in a
civil, responsible way.
Required Texts
Our course books will be on reserve at Watson Library, but you are strongly encouraged to acquire all course texts yourself, as they will be the basis not only of the papers for the course, but also class discussions. In other words, you will not be able to pass this class without regular access to our required course texts.
Claiborne, Shane. Executing Grace: How the Death Penalty Killed Jesus and Why It's Killing Us. New
York: HarperOne, 2016.
Diamond, L. The Courage for Peace. Berkeley: Conari Press, 2002.
Suzuki, David. The Sacred Balance: Rediscovering Our Place in Nature. Toronto: Greystone, 2007.
Waller, Bruce. Congenial Debates on Controversial Questions. Columbus, OH: Pearson, 2014.
Course Description
Welcome to Values and Ethics! As noted in the
Course Goals
This course is designed to:
- Introduce the major ethical theories and models for ethical decision-making
- Challenge learners to think more carefully and critically about ethical issues
- Provide a context for asking questions, challenging ideas, and clarifying positions in a civil, responsible way
Schedule of Class Topics and Readings (Subject to change)
Week 1
T 1/14 Introduction and Orientation: Wilmington Core Values HW: Claiborne Ch.’s 1-2
TH 1/16 Guest Speaker: Max Carter HW: Claiborne Ch.’s 3-4/Waller Ch.’s 1 & 5
Week 2
T 1/21 Discussion and Listening/ Death Penalty Issues HW: Claiborne Ch.’s 5-9
TH 1/23 Quiz/Christianity and the Death Penalty HW: Claiborne Ch.’s 10-14
Week 3
T 1/28 Racial Bias/A New Vision of Justice HW: Waller Ch. 2 and pp. 28-36
TH 1/30 Egoism, Relativism, Divine Command Theory/Kantian and Utilitarian Ethics
HW: Waller pp. 29-31, 35-36, & 41-42
Week 4
T 2/4 Quiz/Gun Control Problem Cases HW: Waller pp. 36-38/Johnny and Alice Assignment
TH 2/6 Gender and Ethics HW: Waller Ch. 8 w/ Review Questions (RQs)
Week 5
T 2/11 Quiz/Immigration and Ethics HW: Waller Ch. 7 (w/ RQs)
TH 2/13 Same Sex Marriage HW: Waller Ch. 4
Week 6
T 2/18 Quiz/Abortion: Background Info HW: Waller Ch. 4 RQs
TH 2/20 Abortion-Related Issues HW: Waller Ch. 14 & Midterm Review Sheet
Midterm Review Sheet: Submit, as a Microsoft Word document on Blackboard, a List of 10 Terms and 3 Short Answer Questions for Midterm.
Deadline: Tuesday, February 25, 12:00 noon
Week 7
T 2/25 Freedom of Religion HW: Waller Ch. 17 w/ RQs
TH 2/27 Business Ethics HW: Waller Ch. 12 w/ RQs/Study Review Sheet
Week 8
T 3/4 Legalizing Drugs/Midterm Review Session HW: Study for Midterm
TH 3/6 Midterm Exam HW: Grossman: Trained to Kill: https://www.killology.com/trained-to-kill
Week 9 Spring Break March 10-14
Week 10
T 3/18 Learning to Kill/Just War Theory HW: Pacifism Handout
TH 3/20 Jesus and Pacifism HW: Diamond: Foreword and pp. 1-32
Week 11
T 3/25 The Spirit of Peace HW: Diamond 32-93
TH 3/27 Quiz/Myth of Violence/All My Relations HW: Diamond 93-123
Week 12
T 4/1 Loving Your Enemies HW: Diamond 125-186
TH 4/3 The Power of Love/The Apology Spectrum HW: Diamond 187-218
Week 13
T 4/8 The Power of Peace HW: Diamond 218-244
TH 4/10 Courage for Peace
HW: Peace Paper/ “Global Warming 101”, National Geographic video online
Week 14
T 4/15 Peace Paper Due!/The Sacred Balance HW: Suzuki Intro., Prologue, Ch. 1: 19-29 and 37-49/
Ch. 2: 50-55 & 63-80
TH 4/17 Humans: Born of the Earth
HW: Suzuki Ch. 3: 81-91; 104-113/ Ch. 4: 114-124; 143-155/Ch. 5: 170-182
Week 15
T 4/22 The Breath and Waters of Life HW: Suzuki Ch.'s 6-8 & Final Exam Review Sheet
Final Exam Review Sheet: Submit, as a Microsoft Word document on Blackboard, a List of 10 Terms and 3 Short Answer Questions for Final Exam.
Deadline: Thursday, April 24, 12:00 noon
TH 4/24 Love, Interconnection, Diversity, Gaia Hypothesis HW: Suzuki Ch. 9
Week 16
T 4/29 Restoring the Balance HW: Service Learning Paper/Study final exam review sheet
TH 5/1 Service Learning Paper Due!/Final Exam Review/Last Day of Class HW: Study for Final
Week 17
Tuesday, May 6, 10:15-12:15 AM: FINAL EXAM
Requirements
Required work for this course includes two exams (midterm and final), two exam review sheets (submitted on Blackboard), a reflection paper (4 pages/1000 words minimum) on building peace, and a reflection paper (4 pages/1000 words minimum) on your service learning experience. Making exam review sheets will afford you the opportunity to participate in the design of the exams, each of which will be preceded by a review session. The final exam for this course will be held on Tuesday, May 6 from 10:15—12:15 .
Workload Expectations and Success in the Course
To succeed in this course, you must read the assigned readings on Watson library reserve, in the Waller textbook, Claiborne's Executing Grace, Diamond’s The Courage for Peace, and Suzuki’s The Sacred Balance, all listed on this syllabus, in advance of every class. In planning your reading and study time for the course, factor in a minimum of two hours out-of-class for every in-class hour.
Papers
All papers must be typed, double-spaced, and include quotations (with page numbers cited in text) from the books you use, as well as a bibliography, and must be submitted as Microsoft Word documents on
Blackboard.
Papers will be evaluated based on 1) how well you develop and organize your ideas; 2) how effectively you use and integrate evidence from class readings, lectures, and other source materials to support your conclusions; 3) organization, coherence, and consistency of your argument; 4) accuracy of information; 5) grammar, spelling, and punctuation; 6) creativity and originality of ideas and approach; and 7) proper acknowledgement and citation of any ideas, words, phrases, summaries, or quotations that are not your own.
Peacebuilding Paper (4 pages/1000 words minimum, due Tuesday, April 15)
In conjunction with our reading of Louise Diamond’s The Courage for Peace and Shane Claiborne's Executing Grace, you will write a paper explaining and reflecting on Diamond’s principles of peace and how they are illustrated in Shane's book.
Service Project and Reflection Paper (4 pages/1000 words minimum, due Thursday, May 1)
In preparation for writing this paper, you will be participating in a service project. This semester, the service project will relate to the broader theme of sustainability and environmental responsibility, and you will be asked to relate your service experience to the wider issues and questions raised in our reading of David Suzuki’s book The Sacred Balance.
Schedule of Requirements Course Grade Breakdown
- Thursday, March 6: Midterm Exam Midterm: 20%
- Tuesday, April 15: Peace Paper Peace Paper: 20%
- Thursday, May 1: Service Learning paper due Service Learning Paper: 20%
- Tuesday, May 6: Final Exam Final Exam 20%
- Tues., Feb. 25 & Thurs., Apr. 24: Review Sheets Review Sheets 10%
Participation 10%
Total: 100%
Grading Scale
A=90-100 B=80-90 C=70-80 D=60-70 F=59 or less
Instructor Course Policies
Participation/Attendance/Late Policies
Students who do well on reading quizzes/exercises, participate actively in class discussions and test design, and attend every class will generally receive a full ten points for participation. To succeed in this course, you must attend all classes, but I will not reduce your grade unless you accumulate more than one week of unexcused absences. Please see the current Student Handbook for the College’s attendance policy, especially as it pertains to excused absences.
Please let me know (in person, or by phone/email) as soon as possible if you must miss a class. If you have scheduling conflicts due to athletic competition or other collegiate activities, please let me know right away.
No make-up exams will be allowed except in the rarest of circumstances. For make-up exams to be approved, they must be arranged in advance, and must be taken within one week of the originally scheduled date. Make-up exams will be significantly more demanding and comprehensive than regularly scheduled ones. In the interest of fairness, late papers will be docked a fraction of a grade for each class period they are late.
American Disabilities Act: If you have a documented disability that requires accommodation, please remember to notify your instructors, and to contact the Disability Services Director, Amber Walters, at 937-481-2444, Robinson Communication Center 114, Office B. Please remember that if your accommodations allow you to take exams at the SRC, you must schedule these exams well in advance.
Academic Misconduct
Students engaging in academic misconduct (cheating on a test, turning in another person’s, or AI generated, writing as your own) will receive a zero for the assignment, and possibly for the course. Please see the current Student Handbook for the College’s Academic Integrity policies as they pertain to examinations, plagiarism, classroom behavior, and the process for handling academic misconduct charges. Plagiarism in simple terms is turning in another person’s writing (whether from a book, the Internet, or anywhere else) as your own without acknowledging your source. A good rule of thumb is to cite if you are not sure.
Zoom Class Meetings/Technology
Though this is a face-to-face class, we will pivot to an online synchronous format if the College suspends in-person class meetings due to inclement weather or other factors. In order to attend class should we pivot to online, you will need internet access through a desktop, laptop, Ipad, etc. which allows you to join Zoom meetings and access Blackboard. Zoom will serve as our platform for meeting together as a class for lecture and discussions. Blackboard is where you will find the syllabus, writing assignment guidelines, and other information, and is also where you will submit all assignments for the course. I will be providing instruction on using this technology at the beginning of the term, and we will be using Blackboard throughout the course.
When coming to class on Zoom, remember to arrive at least a few minutes ahead of the start of class. Unless you are participating in class discussion or asking a question, please remember to mute yourself with the mute icon in the lower left corner of the screen to avoid streaming background noise into our virtual classroom. Whenever you come to Zoom class, you will need to show up on video—we all want to see you in person and not just your name and a black box, but make sure to show up in a professional manner!
Institutional and Program-Level Policies
All exams will follow the Final Exam Schedule. Students scheduled to take three or more final examinations on one day may request to arrange their examination schedule, so no more than two exams occur on one day.
Requests for early or late exams are considered only under extreme circumstances. Prior to the exam period, the student must file a written request on the Early/Late Exam Form available in the Student One Stop Center, Academic Records, and on the WC portal. The form must be signed by the Instructor and the Academic Dean, approving the alternate exam time. This process must be completed prior to the scheduled exam period.
Out-of-class Work Expectation A minimum of 2 hours of out-of-class student work is expected for each hour of in-class time for traditional face-to-face courses. For online and hybrid courses, the combination of face-to-face time and out-of-class work should be equal to 3 hours per credit hour per week. |
Instructional Course Delivery |
Academic Integrity Policy The use of generative AI is prohibited except where expressly allowed in assignment instructions. |
Academic Misconduct - Examples [10/24]
ACADEMIC CODE OF CONDUCT
This policy is directly related to the first Testimony, which is part of the Student Code of Conduct. “I will practice personal and academic integrity.” The initial responsibility for dealing with academic misconduct lies with the individual faculty member in whose classroom or course of study the offense occurs. The responsibility includes determination of the consequences for the offense. The goal is for faculty to confront cheating and plagiarism, to teach ethical behavior, and to provide an appropriate consequence based on the nature of the incident. Faculty are encouraged to explicitly address academic misconduct and its consequences in the course syllabus.
EXAMPLES OF ACADEMIC MISCONDUCT
A. Examination offenses include, but are not limited to, the following:
1.Taking unauthorized materials into or out of the examination room.
2.Leaving the examination room without authorization before completing an examination.
3.Talking in the examination room without authorization.
4.Discussing the examination outside the examination room during the course of the examination.
5.Attempting to observe the work of another student.
6.Taking an examination for another person or permitting someone else to do so.
7.Collaborating improperly by discussion, joint research, or joint effort in any way expressly prohibited by the instructor. This includes using a cell phone or other device to access information from another source or another student.
8.Improper knowledge of contents of an examination - No student shall knowingly acquire unauthorized knowledge of an examination or any part of an examination, or solicit, offer, or give information about any part of an examination.
B. Student work offenses include, but are not limited to, the following, which are expressly prohibited in the absence of prior written approval of the instructor or instructors involved:
1.Resubmission of work - Submitting work which has been previously submitted for credit.
2. Plagiarism - Submitting work done wholly or partly by another, including the unattributed copying of all or parts of a published work or internet document. Using generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) sources to produce work (when not expressly permitted) is also a form of plagiarism. Some instances of plagiarism are the result of ignorance rather than dishonesty. When plagiarism is encountered, the instructor should be sure that the student knows proper procedures for attributing content.
3.Prohibited sources - Consulting material or persons contrary to the directions of the instructor.
4.Improper collaboration - Engaging in any discussion, joint research, or joint effort of any kind expressly prohibited by the instructor.
5.Deception - Misrepresenting the authenticity of sources, citations, or principles in any written work.
6. Sharing work – Students who share their work with others are responsible for how that work is used. For example, if a student shares a paper with another student to help him or her understand an assignment, and that student submits the work as their own, the author of the paper shares responsibility for the plagiarism committed by the other student.
D. Other misconduct - Engaging in any other improper conduct as specified by the instructor.
E. Lying – deliberately providing false information relevant to academic matters, such as misrepresenting the inability to take an examination because of illness.
F. Disruptive or disrespectful classroom behavior – causing a disturbance in the classroom, interrupting instruction, speaking rudely or threatening students or faculty.
Class Attendance Policy |
ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act)
Students with Disabilities
In accordance with ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act of 2008 (ADA), Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973), Wilmington College provides access through reasonable accommodations to students with documented physical and psychological disabilities.
Students who wish to access Services need to meet with the Director of Accessibility and Disability Services and provide verification of their disability. To register with Accessibility and Disability Services, students submit an Application for Services. In addition, the student must provide the Disability Verification form accompanied by current disability documentation from a licensed professional. For more information, contact the Director of Accessibility and Disability Services at accessibility@wilmington.edu or 937.481.2444, 114 Robinson Communcation Center.