Readings
Cases
Synopsis
We began today by reviewing the syllabus and discussing the mechanics of the course. The requirements are relatively simple: Four Examinations, all as scheduled on the course's homepage and to be described more fully in the instructions later.
Two points of special note:
- The examinations increase in weight as the semester goes on, so early stumbles don't turn into disasters, and,
- No screens (laptops, tablets, smartphones, dumbphones, you name it) are permitted in class without special authorization from the Office of Students with Disabilities.
Students often ask what they need to do to succeed in this course. Let's start with how to definitely fail. My impression from experience is that those who sit in the back, disengaged and disinterested in the discussions, furtively trying to hide using their phones during class, and frequently missing class, almost invariably fail the course. So that is clearly what not to do, if you want to succeed in the course. That is,
- Barring illness or emergency, always attend class. Just being there matters most.
- As addictive as they are, stow your phone in your bag. Keep it out of reach, unless you are expecting an emergency notification that will require you to leave class early. Be present, alert, involved, and attentive for class, in short.
- Take careful notes, not just of what I write on the board, but of points I raise and repeat in class, and points and arguments raised by your peers.
- Spend approximately an hour a day, every day, outside of class going over the readings, handouts, and synopses from class. Be sure to review your own notes in light of my synopses to make sure you haven't missed anything.
- Since every theory and argument is named, compile a set of flashcards for the course with the name of the theory or argument on one side, and its statement on the other side. This will help facilitate studying for the examinations, where you'll be expected to recognize and be able to reason about the theories and their associated arguments (either for or against, as the case may be.)
Honestly, it all boils down to being present and prepared, both of which require consistent, dogged effort on your part. I realize this is a lot to ask. You have other courses vying for your time. You likely have a job (or two, or even three!) stretching you thin, to say nothing of all the demands family and friends can put on you. You also want, shockingly enough, to have time to spend with family, friends, and lovers. So there is a kind of audacity in pursuing a college degree. It says to the world, "I need to set time aside for my studies, because I have obligations to my future self I simply cannot ignore", which sounds trite until you put in the day-to-day grind of making it happen.
All that said, our discussions today were focused on two cases: Case: The Useful Sibling and Students' Little Helper. The former case is fascinating in part because so much hinges on it (a little girl's life, no less) and yet there are so many troubling reasons against saving her life.
With respect to the case, Students' Little Helper, we found good reasons for, and apparently equally good reasons against, Sara's taking Provigil for the LSAT. Indeed, the class on a whole was rather evenly about whether it was morally right or wrong for her to take the drug.
Cases like this, we say, are moral dilemmas. But what are moral dilemmas? We begin there next time by exploring further moral dilemmas so as to describe the features a case must have to constitute a genuine moral dilemma.