Fall 08 Course Outline

Below is the course outline for PHIL 2380 in the fall term. The course is enhanced by WebCT, therefore announcements, info, and discussion will take place on our WebCT website.



PHIL 2380*
Introduction to Environmental Ethics


Academic term: Fall 2008
Class schedule: Wednesday evenings 6:05pm-8:55pm
Classroom: 3380 Mackenzie

Instructor: Michael Kocsis
Office: Room 329B, Floor 3A Paterson Hall
Email: mkocsis@connect.carleton.ca
Phone: 613-520-2600 (philosophy department office)
Office Hours: 4:30-5:30pm Wednesdays (also by appointment)
WebCT course website: http://lms.carleton.ca

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 will explore philosophical ideas such as property rights, utilitarianism, Kantianism, virtue ethics, feminism and Marxism. Discussions about environmental issues can sometimes leave us feeling frustrated, 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 December exam period. Details will be given in class. Review questions will be posted prior to each test on the course webpage.

· 30% - In-class test #1 (Wed. Oct. 1st - usual classroom - 3380 Mackenzie)
· 30% - In-class test #2 (Wed. Oct. 29th - usual classroom - 3380 Mackenzie)

Check WebCT one week before test for Test Review Questions

· 40% - Final exam (Scheduled by Carleton during exam period)

Check WebCT one week before exams begin for Final Exam Review Questions



Textbooks and Resources

The course has one required textbook, which is a “course reading pack” available for purchase at Haven Books on Seneca St. You will benefit from reading the assigned material before lectures.

Log onto our WebCT webpage (login: http://lms.carleton.ca/) for the reading schedule, course announcements, course outline, and other educational tools you may benefit from.


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 2007-2008 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. September 10 Introduction

· VIDEO: “The Promise of the Land”

2. Wed. September 17 The Debate about Vegetarianism

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

3. Wed. September 24 Human-centred Ethics

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

· VIDEO: “Net Loss: The Storm Over Salmon Fishing”

4. Wed. October 1 Property Rights

ü TEST #1 (first half)

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

5. Wed. October 8 Utilitarianism

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

6. Wed. October 15 Kantian Ethics

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


7. Wed. October 22 Bio-centrism & Virtue Ethics

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

· VIDEO: “Learning from Ladakh”

8. Wed. October 29 Ecosystems & Ecocentrism

ü TEST #2 (first half)

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

9. Wed. November 5 Political Ecology (Part 1)

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

10. Wed. November 12 Political Ecology (Part 2)

· Karen J. Warren, “The Power and Promise of Ecological Feminism”
· Murray Bookchin, “What is Social Ecology?”

11. Wed. November 19 Problems with Holism

· Dave Foreman, “Strategic Monkeywrenching”
· Callicott & Nelson “An Ojibwa Worldview and Environmental Ethic”

12. Wed. November 26 Conclusions

· Andrew Light, “Taking Environmentalism Public”
· Final exam review


Carleton exam period — December 4-20th