1. 1
PHIL 2YY3: INTRODUCTION TO ETHICS
Term 2 (Winter) 2015-16
Class meets Mondays and Wednesdays, 10:30-11:20 am, in ITB/AB 102
Instructor: Jeff D’Souza
E-mail: dsouzjj@mcmaster.ca
Office: UH 314A
Office hours: Wednesdays 11:30 - 12:20, or by appointment
Teaching Assistants: Kirk Lougheed, Dan Morison & Paul O’Hagan
Course Description
This course is an introduction to ethics and moral philosophy. It is divided into three
sections. In the first section, we will explore central issues in metaethics, such as the meaning
of ethical terms, the justification of moral claims, and the distinction between fact and value.
The following are a few of the questions that we will examine: what is “the good”? Why
should I be moral? And, are moral judgments objectively true? Next, we will turn to
normative ethics. Here, we will examine a number of moral theories that provide guidance
with respect to what type of actions we ought to perform, and what type of individuals we
should strive to become. In this section, we will focus on the following normative ethical
theories: consequentialism (mainly utilitarianism), deontology, virtue ethics, and care ethics.
In the final section of the course, we will explore a number of applied ethical issues, such as
our moral responsibilities to the needy, the ethical treatment of non-human animals, and the
relationship between friendship and human well-being.
The main aim of this course is not to memorize facts about what others have thought.
Rather, it is to develop skills and tools for thinking, in general terms, about how we should
treat others and how we should live. My goal is not to provide you with answers to these
questions, but rather to help you learn how to think about them systematically and critically
for yourselves, and to appreciate their force and significance.
Format
There will be two 50-minute lectures each week. In addition, there will be one tutorial
meeting each week, at which your attendance will be expected. Required readings will be
moderate in length (no more than 25 pages per class). However, some of the material will be
challenging and will require re-reading. Assessment will be based primarily on two short
essays (1500 words maximum) and a final examination.
Objectives
The main goals of this course are for you to develop your ability to:
 Read, and understand difficult and challenging texts
 Critically assess the strengths and weaknesses of arguments
 Appreciate unfamiliar ideas and points of view
 Express yourself clearly in discussion
 Write clearly, concisely and effectively in support of your claims

2. 2
Required Text
There is just one required book for this course, which will be available at the campus store:
Louis Pojman and Peter Tramel (eds.), Moral Philosophy: A Reader (Fourth Edition).
(Hackett Publishing, 2009).
Please purchase this book if you can: we will be using it for most classes, and it is fairly
inexpensive. Note that some used copies of this book may be available. Additional readings
will be placed on the course website on Avenue to Learn.
Course Website
I will be using a course website on Avenue to Learn (http://avenue.mcmaster.ca/) to post
regular updates and information about the course, supplementary readings, additional
resources, essay questions, and information and advice about assessment. I encourage you to
check in regularly.
Assessment
1. Essays (60%)
You will be required to submit two essays of not more than 1500 words in length
(approximately 5-6 pages maximum). The purpose of the essays is to provide you with an
opportunity to engage with the material covered in class in greater depth and to formulate
your own responses to it, while developing your skills in critical thinking and writing. Each
essay will count for 30% of your final grade. However, if you receive a higher grade for
Essay 2, this will count for 40%, while Essay 1 will count for only 20% (this is to provide
students who score poorly on the first essay with an opportunity to recover). See below for
policies on late essays and accommodations. Further information about the essays and my
expectations for them will be provided in class and on the course website.
2. Final Examination (30%)
The final examination will take place during the scheduled examination period and will cover
material spanning the entire course. It will consist of short answer questions based closely on
the required readings, together with a single essay on a topic in applied ethics. Further
information about the final examination will be provided closer to the time.
3. Tutorial attendance and Participation (10%)
There will be weekly tutorials, beginning Monday, January 11 (the first full week of
classes). Tutorials provide you with a valuable opportunity to explore and discuss the ideas
introduced in class in a way that is simply not possible in large lectures. Since critical
discussion of ideas is integral to philosophy, tutorials form an essential part of this course.
Summary and due dates:
Essay 1 (maximum 1500 words, due 11:59pm on Saturday, February 13th
) 30% (or 20%)*
Essay 2 (maximum 1500 words, due 11:59pm on Saturday, March 19th
) 30% (or 40%)*
Final examination (during the scheduled examination period) 30%
Tutorial attendance and participation 10%
*See above

3. 3
Instructions for Submitting Essays
 You should submit your essays electronically, using the “Dropbox” tool on Avenue to
Learn. Your TA may request, in addition to this electronic version, a hard copy of your
essay to facilitate grading (this will be left to the discretion of individual TAs). Note that
the philosophy department office staff do not accept essays or return them to students.
 Your essays should include your name and your TA’s name, be in 12-point font and
double-spaced, and have regular (1 inch) margins. The question you are answering in the
paper should be clearly identified. Please number all pages (this makes commenting
easier). Please submit only in one of these two file formats: MS Word or pdf.
 Work submitted on Avenue may be checked automatically by Turnitin.com to reveal
plagiarism. If this check occurs, it will be added to the Turnitin database. If you do not
wish to have your work added to the Turnitin database, please send it to your TA as an
e-mail attachment instead. No penalty will be assigned if you submit your work this way.
To see the university’s Turnitin.com policy, click here.
Policies on Late Work, Extensions and Accommodations
 Late essays will be penalized at the rate of 4% for the first day or part day late, then
2% for each subsequent day or part day (this includes weekend days), up to a maximum
penalty of -10% for essays up to one week late. Essays more than one week late will not
be accepted at all, except where there are appropriately documented compassionate or
medical grounds, or with explicit prior permission from me or from your TA.
 I understand that students are sometimes unable to complete a piece of assessment on
time (or at all) for legitimate medical or personal/compassionate reasons. If you
find yourself in such a situation, please contact your TA or me as soon as possible to let
us know. Once we have been made aware of the situation, we can grant an extension or
take other steps to ensure that you are not unduly penalized for the late or missed work.
Supporting medical documentation, if required, should be provided to your home
faculty or program office, not to me or your TA (the office in question will contact me
in due course, to let me know this documentation has been received).
 All requests for extensions should be directed in the first instance to your TA. Please
make your request prior to the essay’s due date. You should make your request by email
(so there is a written record), and clearly explain your reasons.
o Note that since both essays for this course are worth more than 25% of your
final grade, we will not be accepting the McMaster Student Absence Form
(MSAF) for them. If you do suffer a minor illness and need a short extension
(up to three days), simply contact your TA to explain the situation and request
one. I will be encouraging the TAs to be generous with short extensions.
However, if you need longer than three days, documentation may be required.
 Students registered with Student Accessibility Services (SAS) should come to see me
as soon as possible after the start of the semester – I would like to know who you are
and whether you require any special assistance. You should also provide me with a copy
of your official accommodations letter.

4. 4
Lectures Topics & Readings Assessments
Week 1 Jan 6 Introduction: What is Moral Philosophy?
Week 2 Jan 11, 13 Part 1: Metaethics
Moral Agency
Adrian Piper “Two Conceptions of The Self” (Avenue
to learn)
Tutorials
start this
week
Week 3 Jan 18, 20 Moral Objectivism and Moral Relativism
Gilbert Harman, “A Defense of Ethical Relativism”
Louis P. Pojman, “A Defense of Ethical Objectivism”
Week 4 Jan 25, 27 Ethics and Self-Interest
Plato, “Why Should I be Moral?”
H.A. Prichard, “Does Moral Philosophy Rest on a
Mistake?” (Avenue to Learn)
Week 5 Feb 1, 3 Value Theory
Jeremy Bentham, “Classical Hedonism”
Derek Parfit, “What Makes Someone's Life Go Best?”
G.E. Moore. “The Good Is Not Natural”
Week 6 Feb 8, 10 Part 2: Normative Ethics
Consequentialism
John Stuart Mill, “Utilitarianism”
Bernard Williams, “A Critique of Utilitarianism”
Essay 1 due
Saturday
February 13th
at 11:59 p.m.
Reading
Week
Feb 15,17
Mid-term Recess (no classes or tutorials)
Week 7 Feb 22, 24 Deontology
Immanuel Kant, “The Foundations of Ethics”
Week 8 Feb 29,
Mar 2
Virtue Ethics
Aristotle “Virtue Ethics” 301-312
Rosalind Hursthouse, “Normative Virtue Ethics”
(Avenue to Learn)
Week 9 Mar 7, 9 Care Ethics
Virginia Held, “The Ethics of Care as Moral
Theory” (Avenue to Learn)
Joan Tronto, “Care” (Avenue to Learn)

5. 5
Week 10 Mar 14, 16 Part 3: Applied Ethics
Moral Responsibilities to the Needy
Peter Singer, “Famine, Affluence, and Morality”
Onora O'Neill, “Kantian Ethics and World
Hunger”
Essay 2 due
Saturday
March 19th at
11:59 p.m.
Week 11 Mar 21, 23 The Ethical Treatment of Non-Human Animals
Peter Singer “Utilitarianism and Vegetarianism”
(Avenue to Learn)
Rosalind Hursthouse, “Applying Virtue Ethics to
Our Treatment of Other Animals” (Avenue to
Learn)
Week 12 Mar 28, 30 Friendship
Aristotle, Book VIII of the Nicomachean Ethics
(Avenue to Learn)
Rosalind Hursthouse, “Aristotle for Women Who
Love Too Much”(Avenue to Learn)
Week 13 April 4, 6 Conclusion and Exam Review
Exam Final Exam
(date TBA)

6. 6
Additional Notes:
1. Please retain a copy of all your graded papers.
2. The scale used by the Registrar’s Office will be used to convert number grades to final
letter grades. Here’s a link to the standard chart: https://iss.mcmaster.ca/incoming-
exchange-students/academics-undergraduate/grading-system.html
3. You will have the opportunity to evaluate your instructors’ teaching (both mine and your
TA’s) and the course as a whole towards the end of the term.
4. You may find the Student Success Centre of assistance in developing your writing and
study skills: http://studentsuccess.mcmaster.ca/students.html
5. E-mail policy: In accordance with university policy, you should use your own McMaster e-
mail account for all e-mail correspondence with me. This policy protects confidentiality
and confirms the identity of the student.
6. Academic integrity policy: You are expected to exhibit honesty and to behave ethically in all
aspects of the learning process. Academic dishonesty consists of misrepresentation by
deception or by other fraudulent means and can result in serious consequences, e.g. the
grade of zero on an assignment, loss of credit with a notation on the transcript (notation
reads: “Grade of F assigned for academic dishonesty”), and/or suspension or expulsion
from the university. It is your responsibility to understand what constitutes academic
dishonesty. The following list illustrates only three forms: plagiarism, e.g. the submission
of work that is not one’s own or for which other credit has been obtained; improper
collaboration in group work; copying or using unauthorized aids in tests and
examinations. For complete information refer to the Academic Integrity Policy, available
at http://www.mcmaster.ca/academicintegrity/
Final note:
The instructor and university reserve the right to modify elements of the course during the
term. The university may change the dates and deadlines for any or all courses in extreme
circumstances. If either type of modification becomes necessary, reasonable notice and
communication with the students will be given with explanation and the opportunity to
comment on changes. It is the responsibility of the student to check their McMaster email
and course websites weekly during the term and to note any changes.