Instructor: Professor Hagop Sarkissian

Email: [email protected]

Office hours: Please schedule an appointment by emailing me at the address above. We will meet at Baruch or use Zoom (video or audio).

Format: Asynchronous: I will be recording content for the course (mostly videos) for you to study / watch on your own, in conjunction with the readings. I will send out reminders of readings and assignments at least twice per week via Blackboard to make sure we all stay on pace.

<aside> <img src="https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/secure.notion-static.com/67c1bd03-d51c-4a75-bc2c-867b0a3d5741/light-bulb.png" alt="https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/secure.notion-static.com/67c1bd03-d51c-4a75-bc2c-867b0a3d5741/light-bulb.png" width="40px" /> Let no one delay the study of philosophy while young nor weary of it when old. - Epicurus

</aside>

Course Description

Do we have responsibilities towards others, or merely to ourselves? What is a good life? Are there actions that are absolutely right or wrong, or is morality relative to culture or personal perspective? Who decides what is right and wrong? We will explore these questions at an introductory level, using resources from the history of philosophy as well as the arguments of contemporary philosophers. As part of this course, we will learn to think and to reason as philosophers do.

NOTE: This is a zero textbook course. All readings and other content will be hosted on this site.

NOTE: There is no syllabus for this course. This website is the course, and includes all the elements of a normal syllabus in the links and sections below.

Course Learning Goals

Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:

• Understand and articulate various theories concerning the nature and status of morality, including divine command theory, simple subjectivism, and cultural relativism
• Understand and articulate the basic arguments underlying normative ethical theories such as utilitarianism, deontology, contractualism, libertarianism, egalitarianism, etc.
• Both generate and criticize arguments for and against each of the above theories in the context of ethical reasoning and deliberation, and use them to think through particular cases or dilemmas

🌟 How to Use this Website 🌟

Be sure to read through the link below to familiarize yourself with how this website is organized. Do not go directly into the readings without getting your bearings first.

Course Schedule and Readings

This is a zero textbook course. All readings and video content will be hosted on this site, and can be found through the link below:

Weekly Course Topics and Readings

Assessments & Grading

This course will include various assessments of your learning. Click the link below to learn more.

Assessments and Grading for Global Ethics (Spring 2024)

Tips for Success in this Course

Eight Tips for Succeeding in this Asynchronous Course

Other Course Policies

Click on the toggles for further information:

• ACCESSIBILITY
• PLAGIARISM
• PATHWAYS FLEXIBLE CORE LEARNING GOALS

FAQ

READINGS

• What if I prefer to have PDFs of the readings so that I can highlight them or add comments. Are PDFs of the readings available?
• If I'm confused or want more clarification on parts of the reading, should I really leave questions directly on them?
• What if I discover a typo, or that a link or website element doesn't work?

GRADING

• How do I get an excellent grade in this course?
• I have been really struggling in this course and there's only a week or so left. Can I get extra credit or make-up assignments to boost my grade?

FURTHER READING

• Where can I learn more about a particular topic?