Ethical Theory & Moral Reasoning

Instructor Information

• Instructor: Dr. Miriam Adler (Assistant Professor of Philosophy)
• Email: madler@university.alkimi.ai
• Office: Lovell Hall 244
• Office Hours:
  • Tuesday & Thursday: 3:30–5:00 p.m. (In person, Lovell Hall 244)
  • Monday: 4:00–5:00 p.m. (Virtual via Zoom; link posted in Canvas)
  • Also available by appointment.

Course Description

Consequentialism, deontology, virtue ethics, contractualism, and metaethics, applied to contemporary moral problems in medicine, technology, and public policy. PHIL 305 provides an advanced, analytically rigorous investigation of normative ethical theory, metaethics, and contemporary applied moral problems. Students examine consequentialism, Kantian deontology, Rossian intuitionism, contractualism, and virtue ethics to interrogate the fundamental foundations of moral obligation, value, and character. In the metaethical domain, the course explores moral realism, error theory, expressivism, and moral knowledge. These theoretical frameworks are systematically applied to urgent real-world dilemmas in biomedical ethics, artificial intelligence, climate justice, and global inequality.

Prerequisites

PHIL 101 or PHIL 205.

Measurable Student Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of PHIL 305, students will be able to:

1. Analyze Normative Ethical Theories: Articulate, compare, and critically evaluate the core principles and justifications of consequentialist, deontological, virtue-theoretic, and contractualist ethical frameworks.
2. Evaluate Metaethical Positions: Analyze foundational debates concerning moral ontology, moral psychology, moral skepticism, expressivism, and the objectivity of moral claims.
3. Apply Ethical Theories to Contemporary Issues: Apply competing normative principles to complex contemporary dilemmas in biomedical ethics, technological innovation, and intergenerational climate justice.
4. Identify and Critique Moral Arguments: Reconstruct and critique sophisticated moral arguments in philosophical literature, identifying hidden premises, equivocation, and vulnerability to counterexamples.
5. Compose Advanced Philosophical Arguments: Write sustained, research-based philosophical papers that defend an original normative thesis, engage alternative perspectives charitably, and withstand critical scrutiny.

Required Course Materials & Approximate Costs

1. Russ Shafer-Landau, ed. Ethical Theory: An Anthology. 3rd ed., Wiley-Blackwell, 2018. Approx. $45 digital rental, $80 print purchase.
2. Alkimi Applied Ethics Case Packet and Contemporary Readings. Free digital case materials provided on Canvas.
3. Total estimated cost: $45 to $80.

Generative AI Policy (AI Level 1: AI Not Permitted for Graded Work)

In accordance with Alkimi University Academic Policies (Student Handbook §5.8), PHIL 305 operates under AI Level 1.

• What is permitted: You may use generative AI tools to look up encyclopedia definitions of normative ethical terminology or check citation formatting for bibliography entries.
• What is prohibited: You may not use generative AI to construct ethical arguments, write moral dilemma analyses, draft research paper sections, or generate answers on examinations.
• Disclosure: All submitted essays must conclude with an explicit academic integrity statement certifying: 'I declare that this paper represents my own original moral reasoning and writing without generative AI assistance.'

Grading Components and Weights

• Midterm Examination: 20% (In class, Thursday, October 1)
• Normative Theory Paper: 20% (Due Friday, September 25 at 11:59 p.m.)
• Applied Ethics Term Essay: 25% (Due Friday, November 20 at 11:59 p.m.)
• Weekly Reading Responses: 15% (Weekly analytical reading responses submitted in Canvas on Mondays at 11:59 p.m.; lowest score dropped)
• Seminar Participation & Case Debates: 5% (Active, prepared contributions to seminar discussions and ethical case debates)
• Comprehensive Final Examination: 15% (Thursday, December 17, 2026, 10:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.)

Grading Scale (Alkimi University Standard)

• A: 93–100% | A-: 90–92%
• B+: 87–89% | B: 83–86% | B-: 80–82%
• C+: 77–79% | C: 73–76% | C-: 70–72%
• D+: 67–69% | D: 60–66% | F: Below 60%
• Extra credit: No extra credit assignments are offered in PHIL 305. Course grades are based on rigorous engagement with regular reading responses, essays, and exams.

Course Schedule (Fall 2026)

Course Policies

Attendance Policy

Upper-level moral philosophy seminars require active, thoughtful, and consistent student participation in Lovell Hall 320. Attendance is required for all meetings. Students are allowed up to two unexcused absences; each subsequent absence lowers the course grade by one-third of a letter grade. Missing more than five sessions results in failure of the course. Students who miss the first two class meetings without notifying the instructor may be dropped. Students may miss class for religious observance without penalty if they notify the instructor in writing within the first two weeks of the semester (by Wednesday, September 9, 2026). Absences for university-sponsored activities (athletics, performances, conferences) are excused with a letter from the sponsoring office at least one week in advance.

Late Work Policy

Formal essays lose one-third of a letter grade per calendar day overdue and will not be accepted more than four days after the deadline. Reading responses must be posted prior to the seminar discussion to receive credit.

Final Exam Policy

The final examination (Thursday, December 17, 2026, 10:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.) is scheduled by the University Registrar and can't be moved without the Dean's written approval (Faculty Handbook §5.5). A student with three or more final exams on the same calendar day may reschedule one of them. Requests go to the instructor of the middle exam by the last day of classes. For this term, send the request by Wednesday, December 9, 2026 (Student Handbook §6.4).