PHIL 2380

Phil 2380 is again being offered Tuesday/Wednesday evenings in the July-August term!

The course outline is posted below. If you have any questions, contact: mkocsis@connect.carleton.ca

Course outline & reading schedule

PHIL 2380*

Introduction to Environmental Ethics
Academic term: Summer 2008
Class schedule: Tuesday & Wednesday evenings 6:05pm-8:55pm
Classroom: 318 Southam Hall

Instructor: Michael Kocsis
Office: Room 329B, Floor 3A Paterson Hall
Email: mkocsis@connect.carleton.ca
Phone: 613-520-2600 (philosophy department office)
Office Hours: Tuesday @ 4pm (also by appointment)

Course website: http://phil2380.blogspot.com/

Course Description

This course introduces students to the field of environmental ethics. We will discuss issues such as vegetarianism, animal rights, sustainability, stewardship, and eco-radicalism, mainly from the perspective of philosophy and ethics. We explore major philosophical ideas such as property rights, utilitarianism, Kantianism, virtue ethics, feminism and Marxism. Discussions about environmental issues can sometimes seem frustrating and futile, but as we will see, the field of environmental ethics offers some useful ways of making progress.

Evaluation

The course involves; i) two in-class tests, and ii) a final examination to be held in the August exam period. Details will be explained in class. Review questions will be posted before each test on the course webpage.

30% - In-class test (Wed. July 16th usual classroom - Southam 318)
30% - In-class test (Wed. July 30th usual classroom - Southam 318)
40% - Final exam (Scheduled during exam period, Aug 14-19)

Textbooks and Resources

The required course readings are found in a “course reading package” available for purchase at Haven Books on Seneca St. You will benefit from reading the assigned material before lectures.
A folder kept in the library’s “course reserve” section contains additional/background reading resources. The course webpage (http://phil2380.blogspot.com/) contains our weekly reading schedule, course announcements, and course materials.

Services for Students with Disabilities

Carleton is committed to ensuring that information and resources are as accessible as possible. Special services for students with disabilities are provided by the Paul Menton Centre. Students should contact the centre (500 University Centre, telephone: 520-6608; email: pmc@carleton.ca; web: http://www.carleton.ca/pmc ) in order to receive appropriate assistance and accommodations.

Statement on Plagiarism

All course work deemed to be in violation of Carleton’s policies on academic honesty will be handled according to the procedures and penalties set out in the 2005-2006 Academic Calendar (“Academic Regulations”, sec. 14.0). It is the responsibility of each student to understand the meaning of “plagiarism” as defined in the Calendar, and to avoid both committing plagiarism and/or aiding plagiarism by others.

Writing Tutorial Service

Those who feel apprehensive about their writing skills might consider contacting the Academic Writing Centre. They provide tutorials and regular workshops throughout the academic year. (For appointments: 229 Paterson Hall; tel: 520-6632; web: http://www.carleton.ca/wts )

PHIL 2380 - Reading Schedule

1. Wed. July 2 Introduction

2. Tues. July 8 Animal Rights and the Vegetarianism Debate

George Orwell, “Shooting an Elephant”
Michael Allen Fox, “Arguments for Vegetarianism”

3. Wed. July 9 Human-centred Ethics

from the Book of Genesis
St. Thomas Aquinas, from Sum Contra Gentiles & Sum Theologica
Lynn White Jr., “The Historical Roots of our Ecological Crisis”

4. Tues. July 15 Private Property

John Locke, “The Creation of Property”
Garrett Hardin, “The Tragedy of the Commons”
George Monbiot, “The Tragedy of Enclosure”

VIDEO: “The Promise of the Land”

5. Wed. July 16 Utilitarianism

***TEST #1***

Peter Singer, “All Animals are Equal”
Joseph Desjardins, “Ethical Theory and the Environment”

6. Tues. July 22 Kantian Ethics

Kant, “Duties to Animals”
Regan, “The Case for Animal Rights”

7. Wed. July 23 Virtue Ethics

Paul Taylor, “The Ethics of Respect for Nature”
Aristotle, from Physics, On the Soul and Politics

VIDEO: “Learning from Ladhak”

8. Tues. July 29 Ecosystems

Aldo Leopold, “The Land Ethic: Conservation as a Moral Issue”
Devall & Sessions, “Deep Ecology”

9. Wed. July 30 Political Ecology (Part 1)

***TEST #2***

Wouter Achterberg, “Sustainability, Community and Democracy”
Neil Carter, “Worker Co-operatives and Green Political Theory”

10. Tues. August 5 Political Ecology (Part 2)

Karen J. Warren, “The Power and Promise of Ecological Feminism”
Murray Bookchin, “What is Social Ecology?”
Callicott & Nelson “An Ojibwa Worldview and Environmental Ethic”

11. Wed. August 6 Environmental Issues

Dave Foreman, “Strategic Monkeywrenching”
Louis Pojman, “Population and World Hunger”
Anderson & Leal, “Free Market Environmentalism”
Mark Sagoff, “Free Market versus Libertarian Environmentalism”

12. Tues. August 12 Conclusions

Amartya Sen, “Why we Should Save the Spotted Owl”
Andrew Light, “Taking Environmentalism Public”

Exam period — August 14-19 (incl. Saturday)