POLICIES AND REQUIREMENTS

Jean Kazez – jkazez@smu.edu

MWF 1:00, Hyer 110

Class blog: papsmu.blogspot.com (visit and subscribe)

Office hours after class and by appointment (Hyer 210)

                                                               

Course Description This course will explore the ethics of becoming a parent and then the ethics of being a parent.  We’ll read articles by contemporary philosophers as well as journalistic portrayals of real people’s dilemmas.  We’ll also discuss three movies.

General Goals  (1) Students will develop an ability to tackle moral problems analytically.  (2) Students will gain an understanding of the main issues in procreative ethics.  (3) Students will become better critical thinkers, writers and debaters. 

Philosophical & religious inquiry and ethics ii student learning objectives  Students will be able to demonstrate the ability to reflect on or apply the theoretical methods of, one of the fields of philosophy, religious studies, or ethics via a focus on a specific area or set of issues.

Women’s and gender studies minor  This course is eligible for credit towards the minor in Women’s and Gender Studies. Please inform me before the second week of classes that you wish to obtain WGS credit so we can initiate the proper paper-work.

Requirements

Homework – 12 assignments (2 dropped) – 30%

Paper I & II – 20% & 20%

Debate – 20%

Participation and Preparation – 10%

            Attendance (can lower grade)

Homework

1.     The point of homework is to help you do the readings analytically and prepare you for class discussion.

2.     Each assignment will be 1-2 typed pages.

3.     All the homework assignments will be at the class blog; they will be there a minimum of 48 hours before they’re due.

4.     Homework must be turned in at the very beginning of class. Otherwise, no credit.  Exception:  in case of documented illness or extracurricular activity, you can email me homework, but must do so before the next class meeting.

Papers  The two papers will give you the opportunity to develop your own ideas and hone writing and critical thinking skills.  Length: 6 pages each.

Debates  We will have five structured debates. You’ll sign up for the debate of your choice at the beginning of the semester.

Participation and Preparation Your participation grade will be based on factors like how attentive you are (being distracted by laptops and cellphones are negatives) and how constructively you contribute to class discussion. A constructive contributor has carefully read and thought about the day’s readings or movie. You ought to spend an hour or two per class on the readings, but more when you are assigned homework or movies.

Attendance  Attendance is required. Try not to miss any classes, but if it can’t be avoided, stay within a budget of 5 absences. I do not need to see excuses if you are within your budget.  If you use up your budget due to chronic illness (be prepared to present documentation at that point) I will increase it.  Otherwise, each additional absence will be penalized by a one point reduction in your final course grade. 

Documentation   Due dates cannot be changed except for reasons of illness, participation in official SMU athletic events, and similar circumstances.  Be prepared to document excuses.  

Extracurricular Activities  “Students participating in an officially sanctioned, scheduled university extracurricular activity should be given the opportunity to make up class assignments or other graded assignments missed as a result of their participation. It is the responsibility of the student to make arrangements with the instructor prior to any missed scheduled examination or other missed assignment for making up the work.”

Disability accommodations  “Students needing academic accommodations for a disability must first be registered with Disability Accommodations & Success Strategies (DASS) to verify the disability and to establish eligibility for accommodations. Students may call 214-768-1470 or visit www.smu.edu/alec/dass.asp to begin the process. Once registered, students should then schedule an appointment with the professor to make appropriate arrangements.”

Religious Observance  “Religiously observant students wishing to be absent on holidays that require missing class should notify their professors in writing at the beginning of the semester, and should discuss with them, in advance, acceptable ways of making up any work missed because of the absence.”  (University Policy No. 1.9.).

Grades  90-100:  Very accurate, very insightful, relatively minor flaws.  80-89: Some very good work, but also some significant gaps.   70-79: You've learned something, but missed many important things as well. 60-69: You’ve mastered a small amount of the material.  50-59: No mastery. 0-49: Nothing turned in, no effort at all, plagiarism, etc.

Honor Code  Violation of SMU's honor code will not be tolerated.  Every piece of work you turn in must be entirely your own.  Writing a paper means both expressing your own thoughts, and expressing them in your own words.   You may not copy passages from our texts, from any other texts, or from the internet, even if the passages are brief.  No one else may write a paper for you, whether in whole or in part.  In a typical case (for example, a student turns in a paper mostly cut-and- pasted from several web sites), the penalty for violating the honor code will be an "F" in the course. On top of this grade penalty, the case may be presented to the honor council, which may decide to take further disciplinary action, such as suspension or dismissal from the university.