Raja El Halwani

The course is an historically structured survey of ethical theory. The aim of the course is to familiarize students with the major ethical theories developed over the history of philosophy and to apply these theories to contemporary social and political problems, such as the authority of government, the significance of consent and democratic rule, charity, friendship, war, and the distribution of wealth. Class time is focused heavily on discussion of the intuitions brought to bear to defend and explain these theories, such as our own impressions of when and why someone is morally responsible for what they do. Major texts include Plato?s Gorgias and Crito, Aristotle?s Nicomachean Ethics, Augustine?s On the Free Choice of the Will, Kant?s Groundwork, Nietzsche?s Genealogy of Morals, Mill?s Utilitarianism, Nozick?s Anarchy State and Utopia, and Rawls? Theory of Justice. Assignments vary, but they might include some or many of the following: weekly reading responses, quizzes, papers, and exams.

Non-human animals are, whether directly or indirectly, an important part of human lives, and human beings are an important part of animals¿ lives. Human beings are always preoccupied with moral questions, and such questions have been recently finally brought to bear, with intense focus, on the lives of non-human animals and how human beings ought to relate to them. This course addresses some of these questions: (1) Do animals have moral standing? If yes, what does this mean and what is this moral standing? (For example, do they have rights or is it their sentience that matters?) (2) May we consume animals or their products? If no, why not? If yes, under what conditions? (3) Under what conditions may we experiment on animals? (4) What is it about animals¿ nature, as opposed to plants¿, that leads some to claim that it is wrong to kill or use them but not wrong to kill or use plants? (5) May we hunt animals in the wild? May we interfere in their lives to help lessen their difficult lives? (6) What are some debates surrounding the ethics of zoos and aquariums? Finally, (7) what are morally acceptable and unacceptable political activism on behalf of animals? Students will gain an understanding of important issues and theories in animal ethics; critically evaluate their own moral convictions; and learn to construct arguments and explain philosophical ideas. Among others, authors we read are Carol Adams, Carl Cohen, David DeGrazia, Rosalind Hursthouse, Alastair Norcross, Mark Rowlands, Tom Regan, Peter Singer, Roger Scruton, and Nick Zangwill. Assignments vary, but they might include some or many of the following: weekly reading responses, quizzes, papers, and exams.

The course examines conceptual and ethical questions surrounding sexual desire and behavior. The questions we address include: Is there such a thing as sexual perversion and what is it? Are prostitution, adultery, casual sex, promiscuity, and pornography morally wrong? If yes, why? What is objectification and is it wrong? What is sexual harassment and why is it wrong? Most of the readings are by contemporary authors, though some are by important historical figures, such as Immanuel Kant.

This course examines basic questions in the philosophy of art from the analytic tradition. Some major questions include: What is the definition of ?art?? What is the role of artistic intentions in interpreting and evaluating art? What connections are there between art, on the one hand, and beauty and aesthetics, on the other? What are aesthetic (artistic) principles and how do they differ from aesthetic (artistic) judgments? Are aesthetic or artistic judgment objective or subjective, and how do they connect to issues of taste? What connections are there between art and ethics? And what is the value of art? Philosophers that we study include Plato, Aristotle, Kant, and contemporary ones such as George Dickie, Jerrold Levinson, Monroe Beardsley, Kendall Walton, Noel Carroll, Berys Gaut, Marcia Muelder Eaton, Carolyn Korsmeyer, Paul C. Taylor, Richard Shusterman, Frank Sibley, and Malcolm Budd. Assignments vary, but they might include some or many of the following: weekly reading responses, quizzes, papers, and exams.