Instructor: Professor Hagop Sarkissian
Email: hagop.sarkissian@baruch.cuny.edu
Office hours: Please schedule an appointment by emailing me at the address above. We will use Zoom (video or audio).
Format: Asynchronous: I will be recording content for the course (mostly videos) for you to study / watch on your own, in conjunction with the readings. I will send out reminders of readings and assignments at least twice per week via Blackboard to make sure we all stay on pace.
- Course Description
- Course Learning Goals
- 🌟 How to Use this Website 🌟
- Course Schedule and Readings
- Assessments & Grading
- Tips for Success in this Course
- Other Course Policies
- FAQ
Course Description
Do we have responsibilities towards others, or merely to ourselves? What is a good life? Are there actions that are absolutely right or wrong, or is morality relative to culture or personal perspective? Who decides what is right and wrong? We will explore these questions at an introductory level, using resources from the history of philosophy as well as the arguments of contemporary philosophers. As part of this course, we will learn to think and to reason as philosophers do.
NOTE: This is a zero textbook course. All readings and other content will be hosted on this site.
NOTE: There is no syllabus for this course. This website is the course, and includes all the elements of a normal syllabus in the links and sections below.
Course Learning Goals
Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:
- Understand and articulate various theories concerning the nature and status of morality, including divine command theory, simple subjectivism, and cultural relativism
- Understand and articulate the basic arguments underlying normative ethical theories such as utilitarianism, deontology, contractualism, libertarianism, egalitarianism, etc.
- Both generate and criticize arguments for and against each of the above theories in the context of ethical reasoning and deliberation, and use them to think through particular cases or dilemmas
🌟 How to Use this Website 🌟
Be sure to read through the link below to familiarize yourself with how this website is organized. Do not go directly into the readings without getting your bearings first.
Course Schedule and Readings
This is a zero textbook course. All readings and video content will be hosted on this site, and can be found through the link below:
Weekly Course Topics and ReadingsAssessments & Grading
This course will include various assessments of your learning. Click the link below to learn more.
Assessments and Grading for Global Ethics (Fall 2023)Tips for Success in this Course
Eight Tips for Succeeding in this Asynchronous CourseOther Course Policies
Click on the toggles for further information:
FAQ
READINGS
GRADING
FURTHER READING