Studies in Applied Ethics - Blended

PHI 1600

STUDIES IN APPLIED ETHICS - BLENDED

FALL 2014 Session 490, Section 1136

COURSE SYLLABUS

INSTRUCTOR: Dr. Joann T. Vaughan

Phone: 727-341-4335 Ethics Department

Office hours: Please see my instructor page for details

EMAIL: All email should be sent through the ANGEL course website.

(COMMUNICATIONS TAB – COMPOSE EMAIL TO: All faculty comes only to me)

Alternate Email:

If ANGEL is down for a prolonged time or if there is an emergency, students are

encouraged to call the Ethics Department number above.

Instructor Web Page Link: http://it.spcollege.edu/course_info/inquiry.cfm?number=1836

This is a blended class so each week we will meet ONE DAY in the classroom and the rest of the week you will complete work online. Be sure you have a good computer/internet access. THIS IS AN ONLINE CLASS WITH THE BENEFIT OF SOME FACE TO FACE INSTRUCTION. We will meet every Tuesday on the Seminole campus 9:30-10:45 in UP 156.

Welcome to Studies in Applied Ethics! I’m happy to be here with you. I believe this course gives people an opportunity to consider different views on a wide range of topics and to perhaps look at issues in new ways. This is a challenging course. It requires a lot of time for reading, writing, critical thinking and discussion. I will do all I can to help you, and I do expect high levels of attention, participation, and performance. My goal is to provide the opportunity for you to succeed. Please let me know how I can help you!

College Helpdesk # 341-4357 - for ALL computer problems with ANGEL

ACADEMIC DEPARTMENT: Applied Ethics Institute

Dean: Dr. Susan Demers

Office Location: Clearwater, SS 165

Phone: 727-791-2501

Email:

Academic Chair: David Monroe

Office Location: SP EI 127

Phone: 727-341-4,

Email:

MEETING INFORMATION: Online and in class on Tuesdays at the Seminole campus 9:30-10:45 in UP 156.

IMPORTANT DATES: http://www.spcollege.edu/calendar/

Classes begin:8/18/2014

Last Day to drop and get refund 8/22/2014

Labor Day Observed – College Closed 9/1/2014

College Day – No classes for students10/22/2014

Last Day to withdraw with W10/23/2014 (You must withdraw yourself. This can be done online)

Veterans Day – College closed 11/11/2014

Thanksgiving Break – College Closed 11/26-11/30/2014

IMPORTANT WEB PAGES:

Applied Ethics Institute: http://www.appliedethicsinstitute.org

On-line Applied Ethics tutoring: http://www.spcollege.edu/clw/Campus/LSC1.htm

Library: http://www.spcollege.edu/central/libonline/F

Learning Support: http://www.spcollege.edu/se/campus/commons/index.htm

MAP web pages: http://www.spcollege.edu/MAP/.

Syllabus Addendum: http://www.spcollege.edu/central/asa/addendum.htm

ECampus Web Page Link: www.appliedethicsinstitute.org

Financial Aid: http://www.spcollege.edu/pages/dynamic.aspx?id=800

Student planning: (can see what classes are need to graduate, when they will be offered and plan on a self-schedule) http://www.spcollege.edu/myplanner/

COURSE DESCRIPTION: PHI 1600 Studies in Applied Ethics

Prerequisite: (REA 0002 and ENC 0020) or EAP 1695 or appropriate score on the SPC placement test. This course is a practical overview of key issues, questions, and concepts in applied ethics. Special emphases are placed on the historical development of ethical thinking and ethical theories, and on multicultural aspects of ethics. Students will also examine a variety of personal, social, and professional ethical issues and problems, and learn methods of resolving them through the use of critical thinking skills, sound ethical reasoning, and legal and professional codes. The seminar format provides students with an active learning experience, increased student interaction, and opportunities for independent study into ethical issues of personal interest. This course has a substantial writing requirement. This course meets the college's general education requirement for applied ethics. Credit is not given for both PHI 1600 and any of the following courses: PHI 1602, PHI 1603, PHI 1631, PHI 2621, PHI 2622, or PHI 2649.

Major Learning Outcomes:

1. The student will trace the historical development of ethical thinking, considering ideas from early Greek to contemporary philosophers.

2. The student will recognize and analyze a variety of ethical issues when confronted with examples of situations containing such issues.

3. The student will identify the multicultural aspects of ethics.

4. The student will apply critical thinking skills, ethical principles and logical reasoning processes to resolve ethical issues.

Course Objectives:

1. The student will understand the historical development of ethical thinking, considering ideas from early Greek to contemporary philosophies by: defining central ethical terms and describing major historical and contemporary theories of ethics.

2. The student will recognize and analyze a variety of ethical issues when confronted with examples of situations containing such issues by: distinguishing between moral and non-moral issues and statements, identifying a wide variety of personal, social and professional ethical issues and evaluating various points of view on a wide variety of personal, social and professional ethical issues.

3. The student will identify the multicultural aspects of ethics by: recognizing the relationship between the foundational values of a society and the quality and mode of life of that society, recognizing examples of ethical and unethical behavior within a society and describing the effort of unethical behavior on the individual and the society.

4. The student will identify and apply critical thinking skills, ethical principles and logical reasoning processes to resolve ethical issues by: describing methods of practical and ethical decision making, applying a wide variety of philosophical principles to resolve ethical dilemmas when presented with actual and hypothetical ethical issues found in personal, social and professional life, and describing and distinguishing characteristics emphases of a variety of professional codes of ethics (including the Florida Code of Ethics for Public Employees) and relating the codes to ethical issues in contemporary professional life.

REQUIRED BOOKS: This class requires the purchase or lease of Ethics Applied Edition 7.0 (Manias, Nicholas, Monroe, Dave, & Till, Jane. Pearson Education).

ISBN #: 978-1-269-58885-0

Previous editions of the textbook may not be used for this course.

Textbooks are also available at every St. Petersburg College library and must be read at the library. Library: http://www.spcollege.edu/central/libonline/.

Course Schedule: All assignments are due before midnight on the date listed – by 11:59pm

LATE WORK: An important note… Because this is an online blended class, there is great flexibility for the student. However, it is important that students note from the beginning that I DO NOT ACCEPT LATE WORK except for the CTAP paper. For the CTAP paper only, I will accept it late with a 10% per day late penalty.

For most assignments students will have at least a week to get it done, it is important that you work ahead and plan ahead. Because students will have windows of time in which to get the work done, days to turn assignments in, there will be no excuses accepted for work not being done on time. Computer problems, problems with ANGEL, problems with “the internet,” etc. will not allow for work to be turned in late. I am willing to be flexible in cases of extreme emergency with appropriate documentation such as military orders, hospitalization, but only then.

AVAILABILITY OF COURSE CONTENT:

Class will meet on the Seminole Campus and online in ANGEL. Attendance will be determined by completing your assigned work online, by the due date AND attending class each week.. Since we will also meet online it is suggested that you check online several times a week – ANGEL is our online "classroom".

REQUIRED INTERACTION:

Internet Access: If you do not have regular internet access you probably should not take this BLENDED class. If you happen to lose internet access, you can always come to any of the SPC campuses and use the computers for free. If you live too far away from the campus to do that, I would recommend that you try a public library. Regardless, it is your responsibility to stay connected.

To be counted as “present” for Tuesdays, you must have attended the on campus class meeting. To be counted as present for an “online day” for each week, you must have completed the assignments due for that week by 11:59pm of the posted due date for that week.

You will have discussion posts and reply posts to complete for each unit.Online, being on the discussion board is vital to learning. You will learn from posting and reading others’ posts. Also, you can be dropped for non-participation if you do not post. Posting is participating online.

You must post one assignment post and at least one reply post to receive credit.

Online – Every week you will normally complete one unit.

The mandatory work for most units will include:

1. One Assignment Post

2. One Reply Post (at least one for every discussion board)

3. Gcezy$59AND/OR One Drop Box Assignment

4. AND/OR One quiz

Expected Class Workload

This class is designed to be administered over 16 weeks.

The college anticipates that a normal 3 credit course should require 3 hours in the classroom and 3 hours of homework or studying. You should plan to invest an average of about 6 hours per week in this course (maybe more if you are something of a computer novice). This course requires a substantial amount of reading, writing, and thinking time.

This course is not self-paced, any more than a regular face-to-face class would be. You are expected to keep up with the class schedule. When a unit has closed, you can no longer receive credit for the assignments that were due as part of that unit.

ATTENDANCE:

MY ATTENDANCE POLICIES:

I DO NOT DISTINGUISH BETWEEN EXCUSED AND UNEXCUSED ABSENCES. (I am willing to be flexible in cases of extreme emergency with appropriate documentation such as military orders, hospitalization, but only then.)

For this class attendance (active participation) is defined as attending class AND completing assignments online. You must do both to fulfill attendance. Each week you will have one in class attendance and one online attendance. To be counted as “present” for Tuesdays, you must have attended the on campus class meeting. To be counted as present for online for each week, you must have completed the assignments due for that week by 11:59pm of the posted due date for that week.

For each absence above THREE absences, a 2% reduction per absence will be made to the student’s overall grade for the term. For example, if you have 7 absences, the first 3 do not count towards the reduction. Four of those absences would count towards the reduction, which in that case would be an 8% reduction in the overall grade for the term. I think a “cushion” of 3 absences and then 2% per absence allows students a good opportunity to remain in the course and achieve a good result. I think it is also a fair way to approach attendance issues. For example, why should a student who misses 5 classes receive the same deduction as one who misses 10?

SPC ATTENDANCE POLICIES:

The college-wide attendance policy is included in the Syllabus Addendum. http://www.spcollege.edu/central/asa/addendum.htm. The policy notes that each instructor is to exercise professional judgment and define “active participation” in class (and therefore “attendance”), and publish that definition in each syllabus.

FIRST TWO WEEKS OF CLASS

· It is important to attend class AND complete work online during the first two weeks of when your class begins. Per SPC policy, students who "no show" the first two weeks of a class will be automatically withdrawn. Failure to show up to class or to post online during the first two weeks will result in being dropped for non-participation – SPC RULE.

PARTICIPATION BY THE 60% POINT IN THE SEMESTER:

At the 60% point in the semester, instructors are required to note students who are no longer participating but have not self-withdrawn from the course. Those students will automatically be withdrawn. For this class, students who exceed FOUR absences by the 60% point of the semester (10/23), will not have satisfied the criteria for "active participation" and will be withdrawn from the course.

· Adequately completing the quizzes, assignments, posts and reply posts for each unit will count as attendance for online for that week.

· Attending class weekly each Tuesday, will count as attendance for that day in class.

If the student needs to withdraw prior to the ‘W’ date of 60% of the semester, students must withdraw themselves through myspcollege. Students who self-withdraw after the 60% point will receive a grade of WF, which will show as an F on transcripts.

Veterans’ Attendance Policy: Instructors are required to maintain attendance records and report students with VA benefits who are absent for two consecutive classes.

SPECIAL ACCOMMODATIONS
If you wish to request accommodations as a student with a documented disability please make an appointment with the Learning Specialist on campus. If you will need assistance during an emergency classroom evacuation, please contact your campus learning specialist immediately about arrangements for your safety. The Office of Services for Students with Disabilities can be reached at 791-2628 or 791-2710 (CL and EPI), 341-4758 (SP/G), 394-6289 (SE), 712-5789 (TS), 341-3721 (HEC), 341-4532 (AC), or 341-7965 (DT). http://www.spcollege.edu/central/ossd

DISCIPLINE SPECIFIC INFORMATION:

When a unit’s due date has passed, you can no longer receive credit for the assignments that were due as part of that unit.

Failure to post during the first two weeks will result in being dropped for non-participation.

Discussion boards - all students must be respectful and stay on topic. Personal conversations, and off topic conversations should be conducted through personal e-mail. If conversations go too far off topic or are disrespectful they will be deleted. Students who continue to go be disrespectful will be dropped from the class.

WITHDRAWING FROM CLASS: Any student wishing to withdraw from the course must do so his or her self online in the MY SPC registration area found at http://www.spcollege.edu. Instructors cannot withdraw students. It is the student’s responsibility to use MYSPC to withdraw from the class and inform the instructor before that date. If you quit attending class without telling me that you wish to withdraw, you risk getting an F instead of a W. College rules require that students leaving the course after “the last date to withdraw” must receive a grade of A, B, C, D or F (in rare cases, I). Instructors can no longer change a student’s status in any course from credit to audit. Students must make that change through the SPC’s Registration Office during the first week of classes.