Environmental Ethics


Philosophy 224
Environmental Ethics
Fall, 2011

Professor: Paul Thagard

Office hours (HH368): TTh 1-2, and by appointment.

Email: pthagard@uwaterloo.ca. Phone: extension 33594.

Web page: http://cogsci.uwaterloo.ca/courses/phil224.html.

Time: TTh, 11:30-12:50, HH 1101.

Textbook: A. Wellington, A. Greenbaum, and W. Cragg, Canadian Issues in Environmental Ethics, 1997.

Marks will be based on:

3 assignments, due in class Sept. 29, Oct. 27 (not Oct. 20), and Nov. 24, worth a total of 25%.
Instructions for assignment 3.
3 exams, in class, Oct. 6, Nov. 3, and Dec. 1, each worth 25%. Students are responsible for material in textbooks, lecture notes, and lectures.
Exam questions will be partly be based on the review questions in the lecture notes.
Assignments and exams must be completed on schedule except for documented cases of serious medical problems or family emergencies. Travel plans and workload from other courses are not legitimate excuses.

Description: This course will examine ethical issues related to the environment, including climate change, resource use, nature preservation, and environmental justice.

Week	Dates	Topic	Reading
1	Sept.13-15	Introduction	Text, Introduction (not ch. 1)
2	Sept. 20-22	Animals	Text, ch. 10, ch. 9
3	Sept. 27-29	Animals, Assignment 1	Text, ch. 11-12
4	Oct. 4-6	Nature, Exam 1	Text, ch. 13
5	Oct. 11-13	Nature	Text, chs. 14-16
6	Oct.18-20	Justice	Text, chs. 17-20
7	Oct. 25-27	Justice, Assignment 2	Text, chs. 21-22
8	Nov. 1-3	Justice, Exam 2	Text, ch. 24
9	Nov. 8-10	Resources	Text, chs. 1-3
10	Nov. 15-17	Resources	Text, chs. 4-5
11	Nov. 22-24	Resources, Assignment 3	Text, chs. 6-7
12	Nov. 29-Dec. 1	Climate, Exam 3	Gardiner

From the Faculty of Arts:

All students registered in the courses of the Faculty of Arts are expected to know what constitutes an academic offense, to avoid committing academic offenses, and to take responsibility for their academic actions. When the commission of an offense is established, disciplinary penalties will be imposed in accord with Policy #71 (Student Academic Discipline). For information on categories of offenses and types of penalties, students are directed to consult the summary of Policy #71 (Student Academic Discipline) which is supplied in the Undergraduate Calendar. If you need help in learning how to avoid offenses such as plagiarism, cheating, and double submission, or if you need clarification of aspects of the discipline policy, ask your course instructor for guidance. Other resources regarding the discipline policy are your academic advisor and the Undergraduate Associate Dean.

Faculty of Arts information on plagiarism and other offences.