St. Petersburg College
Department of Applied Ethics
College of Policy, Ethics and Legal Studies

 

COURSE SYLLABUS

 

PHI 1600 Section # 1414

Studies in Applied Ethics

0490 – Fall 2014

 

 

 

Syllabus Addendum:  http://www.spcollege.edu/addendum/index.php

 

Disability Resources
Campus Security 727-791-2560

 

INSTRUCTOR:

Name:  Professor Tom Derzypolski

Email:  derzypolski.tom@spcollege.edu
Phone:  813-420-3064

Office Hours:

   Monday 11:00 AM-2:00 PM, W, TH, FR 1:00-3:00 PM and by appointment

Office Location:  Clearwater Campus, ES 213-H

Instructor Web Page:  http://www.spcollege.edu/instructors/id/58

 

                                            

ACADEMIC DEPARTMENT:  

Dean:  Dr. Susan Demers

Office Location:  SS 165, Clearwater Campus

Office Number:  727-791-2501
Email:  demers.susan@spcollege.edu

 

Academic Chair:  Adeniji Odutola

Office Location:  Tarpon Springs Campus, LY 1114

Office Number:  727-712-5812

 

COURSE INFORMATION:

Course Description:
Prerequisite: (REA 0002 and ENC 0020) or EAP 1695 or appropriate score on the SPC placement test.  This 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.


GORDON RULE INFORMAITON:

This is Gordon Rule Course and partially satisfies the SBE 6A – 10.30 writing requirements outlined in the General Education Requirements. A Student must complete the "Gordon Rule” writing assignments and earn a minimum grade of “C” in order to earn credit for this course. In addition, the "Gordon Rule" writing assignments will be graded for grammar, spelling and punctuation. PHI 1600 is a Gordon Rule Class. A Gordon Rule Class requires students to demonstrate college-level writing skills through multiple assignments. 

 

While Gordon Rule assignments will be identified in specific writing instructions it is expected that all written work either posted or submitted reflects your best writing.  Proof reading errors in spelling, grammar, punctuation, or the use of “texting shortcuts” will have an adverse impact on your grade.

 

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 TEXTBOOK & OTHER RESOURCE INFORMATION:

Required Textbook: This class requires the purchase or lease of Ethics Applied Edition 7.0.  (Manias, Monroe & Till, Pearson Education). 

 

ISBN 13-978 1 256 82535 7
ISBN 10-1 256 82535 2

 

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

 

MEETING INFORMATION:

This is a blended class with required meetings Mondays 2:00-3:15 PM in ES 111 and online. 

 

IMPORTANT DATES:

Course Dates:  August 18, 2014 – December 12, 2014

Withdrawal Date:  October 23, 2014

Financial Aid: http://www.spcollege.edu/pages/dynamic.aspx?id=800
St. Petersburg College Academic Calendar: 
http://www.spcollege.edu/calendar/

 

DISCIPLINE SPECIFIC INFORMATION: 

There are weekly chapter assignments which include readings, review and analysis questions, and a chapter quiz.  In addition there will be individual and group projects and assigned scholarly abstracts and reflections.  A midterm and a final will be given along with an individual code of ethics project.

 

All assignments are posted on ANGEL. All work will be submitted online.

 

Required Interaction: your participation grade is based on a combination of in class discussion, online participation, attendance, and weekly assignments.  Your grade is a reflection of your understanding, key concepts and application of the specific chapter being discussed. All work must be proof read and represent academic style.   All work not assigned as an in class activity must be typed.

 

Participation credit is not given if absent for class or for missed online deadlines.   

 

Participation illustrates that you are engaged in the class, the discussions, and  group assignments.   

 

If you arrive late after the sign-in sheet was circulated or attendance was taken you must let me know immediately after class ends in order to receive participation credit.  If you do not let me know immediately after class you will be unable to change your absence.  You will have access to your attendance and all of your graded work on ANGEL.  If an absence is disputed I rely on the sign-in sheet to certify attendance. 

 

OTHER:

 

For all assignments, encyclopedias, blogs and Wikipedia may not be used for references in this class.  You must use the SPC Online Library and must use scholarly sources appropriate to the assignment.

 

Use Arial black font. The uses of color fonts, italics or other font styles are not acceptable.  In addition shortcuts often used while texting are not acceptable. Writing, revision and proof reading are important and must be a representation of your best and your original work.

 

You can generally expect to receive comments from me on your work.  My goal is to have your submitted work posted within three days of the due date. I will post a notice if there is a delay in getting an assignment back to you.

 

Student email sent via ANGEL is responded to on a daily basis (Monday-Friday). Please use the ANGEL email for all correspondence with the instructor. Do not submit assignments to me via my college email.  In addition to my posted office hours, you may reach me every evening (Monday-Thursday) during my scheduled virtual office hours online between 9:00 and 10:15 PM.

 

If you leave a voice mail message please leave your first and last name, your class section 1414 along with a phone number so that your call can be returned.  With over 150 students please do not leave me a message identifying you as “a student in your ethics class.”  If your call is not returned from me within a day – please call me again.  Often times I am not able to accurately understand or retrieve phone numbers left on voice mail.

 

If you experience a technical issue with ANGEL you are encouraged to use the SPC Technical Support Call Center which is open seven days each week from 7:00 AM until midnight.  Phone:  727-341-4357.

 

Naming Conventions: In order to facilitate the tracking of assignments and correspondence with the instructor, please use the following naming conventions. It is requested that you communicate using your ANGEL email account.  If you feel you need to reach me sooner, please either send a text or call me.   

 

The following information must be present all assignments:

     Name

     Phi 1600-1414

 

Discussion Policy: Discussions are critical to the success of your learning experience.  Classroom discussions and expired online discussions obviously cannot be made up.

 

Chapter Questions for Review:  You will find review and/or analysis questions at the end of each chapter.  Many chapters will have a review/analysis question assignment.  You must always include the question along with your answer.  Do not just submit answers.  Please number questions as they appear in your book.  10 points are generally deducted for submitting answers to review/analysis questions without including the question.

 

ATTENDANCE:

The college-wide attendance policy is included in the Syllabus Addendum. The policy notes that each instructor is to exercise professional judgment and define “active participation and publish that definition in each syllabus.  For this class, attendance is defined as weekly participation in assigned online projects, discussions, and research.  You will be graded heavily (50%) on participation. On most assignments participation cannot be made up.  Discussion board assignments may never be made up after the discussion closes.

 

GRADING:  

There are three components that will determine your final grade for the semester.  They include:   participation (50%); quizzes, midterm/final (25%) and a code of ethics project (25%).

Scale:  A = 90-100
             B= 80-89

             C= 70-79

             D= 60-69

             F= 59 and below

 

ASSIGNMENTS: 

Assignments are evaluated on the basis 0 to 100 percent. Progress and improvement demonstrated during the semester are important aspects of evaluation and learning. I prefer working with percent averages for a variety of reasons. A student can stumble from time to time especially during the beginning of a semester.  With a specific point system the student may be “locked in” and prevented from earning a higher grade. This discouragement could well jeopardize learning and student success.

 

The final grade is a determination of the students work throughout the semester consistent with the goals and objectives of the course along with an evaluation of the quality of the work assigned and completed on time.

 

Can a student pass the course with an A on the final exam and an F average for the semester?   No. However, the student might do very well if the opposite is the case. In other words if the student has consistently demonstrated progress but does not do well on a final exam the likelihood for a passing grade in my opinion is more of an advantage to the student.

 

I am aware that there are very good arguments for using different techniques to evaluate student progress.   When I was a student I found that my preference was not always considered. One of the unavoidable necessities associated with the academic journey is a measurement of individual performance.  I am most impressed with student demonstrated progress.  

In all assignments you will find an emphasis on critical thinking which I believe is the centerpiece of the class.  It is never necessary to agree on different points of view during the discussion of ethical dilemmas.  It is however, always necessary to respect the views of everyone.  Inappropriate online or behavior will not be tolerated. 

 

The midterm is a take-home activity.  You may use open book resources and you must work on it by yourself. You will have a least one week to complete it.  The midterm is not a memorized list of facts or formulas.  It is an application of the critical thinking process to a specific case study.

 

A weekly quiz will be given online for most units.  The final examination is an essay which is to be completed online.    

 

Extra credit opportunities may be given throughout the semester.  Earned extra credit will be used to help you get a high B average to an A, or C to B, etc. 

 

I am happy to have you in the class and will do everything I can to help you.  You have access to me via telephone, email, voice mail and text.  In addition to my on campus office hours you can also reach me four evenings weekly during my “virtual office hours.”   I will post additional times when I am available in the Clearwater library tutoring center.

 

 

Professor Tom Derzypolski
Preferred Phone:  813-420-3064

 

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Clearwater
ES 213-H

11:00-2:00
3:15-4:15

                                                                                                                                By appointment

 

1:00 – 3:00 PM

1:00-3:00 PM

1:00-3:00 PM

Virtual

9:00-10:15PM

9:00-10:15PM

9:00-10:15PM

9:0010:15 PM

 

 

Office Location:  Clearwater Campus, ES 213-H

 

 

If you decide to drop the course please talk to me first!  I am here to help you.

 .

During class:  Please respect others by turning your cell phone off.  Food and beverages are discouraged in class.  It is not permitted to bring a child to class with you. Video, photographs or audio taping is not permitted. 

 

Review the schedule below in order to get an idea of your assignment work load during this semester.  It is tentative and subject to change.  During an average week you will be required to read assigned chapters, complete written review and or analysis questions, a reflection or a quiz.  You will be required to do out of class research in the form of an abstract.  More information will be discussed on the specifics of each of these assignments.

 

If you have not already done so, invest some time early in the semester getting familiar with the SPC online library resources.  As stated earlier you may not use encyclopedias, blogs or Wikipedia as a source citation for any assignment in this class.

 

All work cited must follow either APA or MLA guidelines. 

 

If you have a tendency to work ahead, it is safe to work through chapter 7.  Do not turn in work early.

 

Online Student, Faculty and Staff Expectations and Performance Targets.

http://www.spcollege.edu/ecampus/help/expectations.htm

Online /Student Conduct

 

STUDENTS’ EXPECTATIONS AND INSTRUCTOR’S EXPECTATIONS

My Expectations of You

What you can Expect of Me

*Be open to new information and ways of learning!

*Understand how to use the SPC online library.
• Read all of the course information carefully.
• Check for new announcements via ANGEL on a regular basis (at least three times weekly).
• Keep up with the course schedule and deadlines. Submit all assignments on time.
• Participate in class activities and discussions.
• Do not disappear: you may contact me via the course e-mail and voice-mail. 
• Monitor your grades throughout the course and notify me of any dispute in a timely manner via e-mail.
• Maintain honesty and respect toward your classmates and instructor.

*Access to the Internet and the use of a computer that will enable you to submit your work in either .doc or .rtf format are requirements.  I am not able to open other document formats.

*An understanding of the SPC Academic Honesty Policy.

 

• Prompt responses to your e-mail inquiries generally no later than the following weekday.  You may also contact me by email, office phone, FAX and TEXT messaging.

 

* In addition to my physical office hours schedule every week I post online office hours with a phone number where you can reach me.   You may call my home phone if you need to reach me immediately or if you believe I have not returned your call. My home phone number is listed on the syllabus.


• Help in understanding course material and assignments.

• Timely feedback. Assignments will be graded, and scores posted in ANGEL, within 3 days of the assignment deadline.


• Concern for your success in this course and a willingness to work with you within the requirements of the course.

• Respect for you and your ideas.

 

 

 

 

STUDENT SURVEY OF INSTRUCTION:

The student survey of instruction is administered in courses each semester.  It is designed to improve the quality of instruction at St. Petersburg College.  All student responses are confidential and anonymous and will be used solely for the purpose of performance improvement.

 

CALENDAR
(Refer to LESSON TAB for actual assignment and due dates)

The outline below is tentative and subject to change.  It is provided to give you an overview of the course along with target dates for specific assignments.

All assignments will be announced in class and on ANGEL.

 

Additional chapters may be added.

 

 

 

Tentative Schedule (For specific assignments rely on the course LESSON TAB)

 

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ASSIGNMENT

 (Week 1)  Chapter 1 "The Foundations of Ethics"

(Week  2)  Chapter 2  "The Ethics Environment" Chapter 3 "Dimensions of Moral Development"

(Week  3)  Chapter 4  "Critical Thinking"  Chapter 18 "Codes of Ethics"

(Week  4)  Chapter 5  "Consequential Ethical Theories" and Chapter 21 "Emerging Technologies and Cyber Ethics"

(Week  5)  Chapter 6  "Non-consequential Ethical Theories, Part I"

(Week 6)   Chapter 7  "Non-consequential Ethical Theories, Part II"

 

(Week 8)  Midterm

 

(Week 9)  Chapter 12 "Death and Dying"

(Week 10)  Chapter 8 "War and Terrorism"

(Week  11) Chapter 16 "Professional Ethics" and Chapter 17 "Business Ethics"

(Week 12)  Chapter 19  "The Employment Relationship:  Rights, Responsibilities and Respect"

(Week 13)   Code of Ethics Project Due, Chapter 20  "Business and Society as Stakeholders"

(Week 14)  Chapter 22 "Government Ethics"

(Week  15) TBA

Final Exam