Philosophy 220: Contemporary Moral Issues

For information, notes and other class resources, click on the appropriate links.

Syllabus Fall 2011

David Brooks New York Times editorial on Moral Literacy and Moral Egoism

Extra Credit Assignment for Exam 1

Extra Credit Assignment for Exam 3


 

Notes

Introduction to Moral Theory and Sexual Morality

Catholic Natural Law Theory and Human Sexuality

Natural Law Theory and Homosexuality

Kantian Moral Theory and the Liberal View on Sexual Morality

Consequentialism and Pornography

Rights Based Theories and Pornography

Virtue Theories and Adultery

The Moral Status of Psychotropic Drug Use: Boaz and Wilson

Addiction: Goodin and Shapiro

Abortion: Background and John Paul II

Abortion: Warren and Thomson

Abortion: Marquis

Death Penalty: Kant and Nathanson

Death Penalty: van den Haag, Bedau, Liebman, et.al.

The Moral Status of War

The Moral Status of Terrorism

The Moral Status of Torture

Hunger and Poverty: Hardin

Hunger and Poverty: Singer and Arthur

Hunger and Poverty: Sen and O'Neill

The Moral Status of the Non-Human World: Singer and Cohen

The Moral Status of the Non-Human World: Regan, Warren and Curnutt

The Moral Status of the Non-Human World: Baxter and Taylor


Study Guides

Study Guide for Exam 1

Study Guide for Exam 2

Study Guide for Exam 3

Study Guide for Exam 4


Essay Prompts

Reflection Paper #1

Reflection Paper#2


 

Links

Scroll down to find links to sites that offer information on moral issues that we are discussing this semester, and on others that you've expressed interest in but we will not be able to cover. These sites are intended as a resource for class discussion and your personal consideration of these issues. Some contain content that could be found offensive. SURF AT YOUR OWN RISK. Please let me know if any of the links are broken.

 

A good general starting point is the Ethics Updates Home Page. It has a ton of information, links, etc. on all of the topics we will consider this semester.

 

Sexual Morality

Society for the Philosophy of Sex and Love

Prostitutes Education Network

Prostitution Research and Education

SEP on Pornography and Censorship

Pornography: Research Advances and Policy Considerations

The Hateful and the Obscene: Studies in the Limits of Free Expression

Miller Lite Commercial

 

Capital Punishment

These sites are general resources for information and links on capital punishment. I recommend starting with the Death Penalty Information Center. It has a wealth of information that is easy to find and access.

Death Penalty Information Center

Death Penalty Links

Amnesty International

Derechos Human Rights

Death Penalty Annotated Bibliography

Capital Punishment Research Group

ASC Critical Criminology Division

Death Penalty News & Updates

Punishment and the Death Penalty

Death Row Inmate Web Ring Home Page

These are reports on capital punishment available on the web.

Amnesty: Juveniles and the Death Penalty

Amnesty: Innocence and the Death Penalty

CNN: Wrongful Convictions

Frontline: "Angel on Death Row"

Texas Death Row: Images

United Nations

The Case Against the Death Penalty

Juvenile Death Penalty Today

The Death Penalty Today

The Death Penalty

On the Value and Inviolability of Human Life

These sites address some of the legal issues involved

Death Penalty Law Material

Capital Defender's Toolbox

Federal Death Penalty Cases

American Civil Liberties Union

Southern Center for Human Rights

National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers

Death Penalty Page

These are abolitionist sites.

Friends Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty

Links Toward Abolition

National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty

Hands off Cain

Amnesty International-USA

Catholics Against the Death Penalty

A Declaration of Life

Moratorium 2000

Tennessee Coalition to Abolish State Killing

These are retentionist sites.

The Pro Death Penalty Web site

Justice For All

 

Hunger and Poverty

These are general information sites, most of them providing statistical information.

Welfare Information Network.

Century Foundation

National Center for Children in Poverty

National Center for Education Statistics

Poverty Statistics at the U. S. Census Bureau

These sites offer analysis and evaluation of policy proposals and issues.

American Public Human Services Association

American Enterprise Institute

Brookings Center on Urban and Metropolitan Policy

Cato Institute

Center for Law and Social Policy

Center on Urban Poverty and Social Change

Institute for Research on Poverty

National Association of Welfare Research and Statistics

Statenet: The Welfare Project

The Urban Institute

These are a few more interesting sites.

Poverty Program of the Brennan Center for Justice (NYU Law)

Center for Economic and Social Justice

Catholic Social Teaching: Food for Thought

Network: A National Catholic Social Justice Lobby

Welfare Reform Information on the Internet

EPN Welfare And Families Links

 

Animal Rights

Sites offering general resources for those interested in the issue. Most of them offer their own links pages.

Animal Rights FAQ

Animal Protection Institute (A nonprofit organization dedicated to advocating for the protection of animals from cruelty and exploitation.)

Animal Rights.net (Links and essays debunking animal rights claims. Anti-AR.)

PETA: People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals

Meat is Murder: The Animal Rights FAQ (Angry Vegans get in your face)

Earthline (Directory of Environmental, vegetarian and Animal Rights Web Sites)

Animal Liberation (A radical wing of the AR movement)

 

The Environment

Essay on the problem of the commons