JAN 19

1: JAN 19. Course Introduction

First Day of Class Information

• Welcome - personal introduction and welcome. (Some student introductions.)

• About the Course (Overview of course focus. Detail to follow.)
• Course Websites: SharePoint, Wiki & Courses.alfino.org (Some student introductions.)

• Overview of Teaching Approach.

• 1. Student choice in work and grading scheme - Your "grading scheme" (the assignments you will be graded on) has both required and optional elements. You can customize up to 30% of your grading scheme to suite your learning style or motivations in the course.
• 2. Transparency grade information and student work - You will see most of the writing and scoring for required writing assignments. This will require the use of pseudonyms.
• 3. Opacity of grade information, peer comments, and student identity - Like blind review in academic life.
• 4. Writing Enhanced - Students participate in reviewing and evaluating student writing. This also requires the use of pseudonyms. (Some student introductions.)

• Succeeding in the Course:

• Prep Cycle - view reading notes as you are reading, read, note, quiz, evaluate preparation. Hierarchy of skills and goals.
• Reading - Keep track of the time you spend reading for the course. Mark a physical text. Contact me if your reading quiz scores are not what you expect.
• Writing - Try to learn the rubric, read other students' writing and compare scores, discuss your writing with me, especially during office hours.
• Keep in mind course research questions Major_Ethics_Course_Questions (Some student introductions.)

• Required Assignments and Default Grade Weights for your Grading Scheme

• Points 35-65% default = 55%
• Position Paper 1 15-25% default = 20%
• Position Paper 2 20-30% default = 25%

• More About the Course (Orientation, Content, major research questions)

• Naturalism in Ethics -- What if Ethics has its origins in our natural history? Why this is/was a radical claim.
• Fields of study represented in the course: Biology, Psychology, Moral Psychology, Evolutionary Psychology, Behavioral Economics, Philosophy, Political Science, Sociology, History
• First six weeks:

• 1. Lots of theory from the fields mentioned above directed toward our research questions Major_Ethics_Course_Questions
• 2. Exercises in "moral phenomenology" (discussion and writing about morality drawing on your experience). Also in Ethics news.

• Next nine weeks: Major Applied Topics:

• The nature of political and moral difference, and implications
• Justified Partiality
• Empathy
• Moral Responsibility Skepticism and Alternatives

• Zoom

• Video on/off
• Synchronous attendance. Send excuses for absence prior to class, if possible.
• If you miss class, please try to view the recorded class within 24 hours.
• Try think of ways to personalize the virtual experience: examples from last semester - put up a pic for video off. Share something about where you are. Dogs, cats, music, etc.

• First Day TO DO list

• Make sure you can find the three course websites and that you understand what information and tools each provides.
• Browse some links on the course wiki page
• Find reading for next class on wiki and pdfs from courses.alfino.org
• Buy Jonathan Haidt, "The Righteous Mind"
• Keep an eye out for Ethics News!
• Sign up for in person attendance. Feel free to sign up for three or four classes at a time. If that crowds others out we might need limit signups to each next class.