Readings are subject to change. Check the online syllabus before reading. Please refer to the learning management system (LMS) for all assignment deadlines and expected deliverables.

Week 1

Week 2

  • 1/17 Martin Luther King, Jr. Day; no classes, university offices closed
  • 1/20 Core and Logical Structure of Arguments
    • Reading:
      • WA 2 & 3

Week 3

  • 1/24 Utilitarianism
    • Reading
      • Quinn 2.1-2.3, 2.7-2.8
  • 1/27 Deontology & Social Contract Theory
    • Reading
      • Quinn 2.6, 2.9
    • Assignments
      • HW 1

Week 4

  • 1/31 Stakeholder Analysis & Virtue Ethics
    • Reading
      • In a Different Voice by Carol Gilligan, pp. 24-39 (course LMS)
      • Virtue Ethics, Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
      • Quinn 2.10-2.11
    • Assignment
      • Please come to class with a short quote from one of the readings that you find interesting
  • 2/3 - Professional Ethics

Week 5

  • 2/7 Evidence
  • 2/10 Honesty and Dishonesty
    • Reading
      • Chapter “The Context of our Character, Part 1: Why We Are Dishonest, and What We Can Do About It” from “Predictably Irrational” by Dan Ariely (electronic reserve)
      • Quinn Appendix A: Plagiarism
      • American University Honor Code
      • Previous Term Paper, Shared with Permission

Week 6

  • 2/14 Privacy
    • Reading
      • Quinn Chapter 5, Chapter 6 through 6.5, 6.7
  • 2/17 Privacy and the Government
    • Reading
      • Quinn Chapter 6.8-end
    • Assignment
      • HW 3

Week 7

Week 8

  • 2/28 Responding to Alternate Views & Argument Structures
    • Reading
      • WA 5 & 6
  • 3/3 Midterm

Week 9

  • 3/7 Spring break; no classes, university offices open Monday through Friday
  • 3/10 Spring break; no classes, university offices open Monday through Friday

Week 10

Week 11

Week 12

  • 3/28 The NSA and Edward Snowden
    • Reading
    • Assignment
      • Add the name of a person involved in these events to the class discussion forum on the course LMS. Pick someone no one else has chosen yet. Take notes on what is said about them as you watch the Frontline documentary, and supplement that by doing some research online (Wikipedia is adequate in most cases). This counts towards your class participation grade. Come to class prepared to tell us:
        • Who is this person? What is their background and what is their job?
        • What role did they play in these events? Tell their story
        • What important choices did they make?
        • What happened to them as a result?
        • How would you evaluate their choices?
        • Relevant people include NSA employees, politicians, lawyers, journalists, etc.
  • 3/31 Review and Catching Up

Week 13

  • 4/4 Term Paper Discussion
    • Come to class prepared to talk about your term paper
    • Reading
      • WA 11
    • Assignments
      • Term Paper First Draft
  • 4/7 Do Artifacts Have Politics?
    • Reading
      • Do Artifacts Have Politics?” by Langdon Winner (electronic reserve)
      • WA 10

Week 14

  • 4/11 Work and Wealth
    • Reading
    • Assignments
      • Term Paper Peer Review
  • 4/14 Visual Arguments
    • Reading
      • WA 9

Week 15

Week 16

Finals

  • 4/28 Final Exam
    • 11:20AM-01:50PM