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Course Criteria
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3.00 Credits
This course examines both the ways in which philosophical concepts and methodologies have influenced contemporary thinking about gender and the ways in which feminist viewpoints have challenged many traditional philosophical ideas. Among the topics discussed are: marriage and motherhood, justice within families, prostitution, rape, sexual harassment, abortion, and reproductive technologies. (Staff, offered alternate years)
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3.00 Credits
This course explores the question of distributive justice: How should social wealth be divided among the members of society Since our world is one of scarcity, people often will not get everything they want, and some may not get everything they need. What should determine who gets what What role should the market play in the achievement of distributive justice Should the North feast while the South survives on crumbs This course explores the question of economic or distributive justice as it arises both among the members of our own society and between the First and Third Worlds. (Lee, offered occasionally)
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3.00 Credits
This course explores the ethical and philosophical issues that arise when we consider the relation between humans and the natural environment-issues made urgent by our current environmental crisis. Among questions examined are: Is the value of nature intrinsic or only instrumental Do humans have obligations toward nonhuman animals Why are animal species worth preserving Is it individual animals or ecosystems that should be of moral concern What can feminism tell us about our treatment of nature Are economic efficiency and cost/benefit analysis adequate criteria for assessing our relation to the environment (Staff, offered annually)
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3.00 Credits
This course explores the phenomenon of war from a moral point of view. Among the questions considered are: When, if ever, is it morally justified to fight a war What, if any, are the moral limits on how one may fight a war What difference have nuclear weapons made in our moral understanding of war Among the topics considered are: just war theory, pacifism, realism, Hiroshima, and nuclear deterrence. (Lee, offered alternate years)
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3.00 Credits
National health care policy is determined by economic, social, moral and political considerations. Students focus on three contemporary issues in health care policy. First, which patients should be allowed to die, who should decide, and should physicians assist patients in dying Second, should human cloning or genetic engineering be legal Third, how should society distribute our limited medical resources and should insurance be nationalized A satisfactory public policy must confront all these hard questions in a way that has not yet been done. Students grapple with these issues individually and in small groups, working to develop and defend a coherent stance. Mostly work is very short essays that are revised. Expect a strong emphasis on precise writing and critical argumentation. The course includes three required film screenings outside of regularly scheduled class time. (Barnes, offered alternate years)
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3.00 Credits
This course considers some specific ethical issues from global and multicultural perspectives. Topics include issues such as human rights, gender roles and morality, world hunger and poverty, euthanasia, and racial and ethnic discrimination. In addition to examining these issues using a variety of Western philosophical traditions, students consider approaches that come from Chinese, African, Indian, Native American, feminist, Buddhist, and Islamic cultures and perspectives. (Oberbrunner, offered alternate years)
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3.00 Credits
Effectively advocating for one's plan of action, when it's opposed, is what makes the difference between just a cool idea and an implemented policy. However, respectfully and persuasively selling one's ideas requires knowledge and skills that most people lack. This course develops students' theoretical knowledge of policy analysis tools and their practical skills (especially oral communication skills) to improve their advocacy. Students work in teams to develop public policy positions on current political, moral, and legal issues-domestic and international. Teams then formally debate these positions while other students vote on them. Strong emphasis is placed on anticipating problems with one's own public policy positions. Students learn about the general structure and tools of advocacy and opposition, as well as particular issues of current concern. The primary goal of this course is not to teach you how to debate. Debate is just the primary medium of the assignments about public policy analysis. (Ba rnes, offered annua
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3.00 Credits
This course examines a set of ethical issues arising from the relations among nations and their peoples in the light of increasing global interdependence. What does global justice require of us What is the moral significance of national borders Are we justified in treating our compatriots as more important morally than those in other lands What are the obligations of those of us in wealthy nations to the hundreds of millions on our planet in extreme poverty, especially when some of this poverty is the result of our own activities Are our obligations to those in other lands negative only (not to harm), or are they also positive (to provide needed help) In seeking to answer these questions, the course examines realist, statist, and cosmopolitan normative theories of international relations. ( Lee, offered alternate years)
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3.00 Credits
All our social, legal, and political institutions depend on assumptions about human nature, as does each of us in everyday life. This course examines these assumptions. Are we purely material entities conditioned by our environment Can we change human nature Might we be the sole authors of our own identity Are we basically good Should society take precedence over the individual Did Freud understand humans correctly Did Marx Do feminists Students begin with readings from the world's great wisdom traditions from India and China, then our culture's Judeo-Christian foundations, followed by influential thinkers from Western philosophy and science. (Oberbrunner , offered alternate years)
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3.00 Credits
This course examines a variety of issues relevant to an understanding of facts and values. What is the difference between a factual claim and a value claim Does it make sense to think of facts as objective, and therefore the same for everyone, and values as subjective, and therefore relative to individuals, families, races, genders, classes, and cultures What is the relationship between values and religion How are values related to emotions Is it possible, or even desirable, to put aside value preferences when we seek knowledge In what ways can knowledge seeking inquiries be biased ( Offered occasionally)
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