School/Faculty/Institute Faculty of Economics, Administrative and Social Sciences
Course Code POLS 341
Course Title in English Ethical Reasoning
Course Title in Turkish Etik Düşünce
Language of Instruction EN
Type of Course Ters-yüz öğrenme
Level of Course Orta
Semester Spring
Contact Hours per Week
Lecture: 3 Recitation: 0 Lab: 0 Other: 2
Estimated Student Workload 120 hours per semester
Number of Credits 5 ECTS
Grading Mode Standard Letter Grade
Pre-requisites None
Co-requisites None
Expected Prior Knowledge None
Registration Restrictions Only Undergraduate Students
Overall Educational Objective To enable students to evaluate diverse ethical systems in a critical manner.
Course Description This course introduces students to the complexity of moral phenomena. It identifies basic moral concepts. It explores different ethical systems with their strengths and limitations. Introductory texts are presented with primary readings from the history of philosophy such as Plato, Aristotle, Kant, Mill and Nietzsche. Towards the end of the course, it evaluates the application of moral theories into practice via explorations of important issues of everyday life such as sexism, racism and multiculturalism. Through critical engagement with these problems, students eventually cultivate their own attitudes towards these matters.

Course Learning Outcomes and Competences

Upon successful completion of the course, the learner is expected to be able to:
1) Identify basic concepts of moral philosophy via their correct use and with an understanding of their historical foundations
2) Interpret key texts from leading moral philosophers
3) Outline basic tenets of diverse moral systems with their strengths and limitations
4) Compare and contrast between competing ethical systems
5) Apply moral theory into practice through critical evaluation of everyday problems such as sexism, racism and multiculturalism
6) Help students formulate their own positions in writing regarding moral responsibilities, duties and values for their personal and professional lives
Program Learning Outcomes/Course Learning Outcomes 1 2 3 4 5 6
1) An ability to identify, formulate, and solve complex engineering problems by applying principles of engineering, science, and mathematics
2) An ability to apply engineering design to produce solutions that meet specified needs with consideration of public health, safety, and welfare, as well as global, cultural, social, environmental, and economic factors
3) An ability to communicate effectively with a range of audiences
4) An ability to recognize ethical and professional responsibilities in engineering situations and make informed judgments, which must consider the impact of engineering solutions in global, economic, environmental, and societal contexts
5) An ability to function effectively on a team whose members together provide leadership, create a collaborative and inclusive environment, establish goals, plan tasks, and meet objectives
6) An ability to develop and conduct appropriate experimentation, analyze and interpret data, and use engineering judgment to draw conclusions
7) An ability to acquire and apply new knowledge as needed, using appropriate learning strategies

Relation to Program Outcomes and Competences

N None S Supportive H Highly Related
     
Program Outcomes and Competences Level Assessed by
1) An ability to identify, formulate, and solve complex engineering problems by applying principles of engineering, science, and mathematics N
2) An ability to apply engineering design to produce solutions that meet specified needs with consideration of public health, safety, and welfare, as well as global, cultural, social, environmental, and economic factors S Homework
3) An ability to communicate effectively with a range of audiences N
4) An ability to recognize ethical and professional responsibilities in engineering situations and make informed judgments, which must consider the impact of engineering solutions in global, economic, environmental, and societal contexts S Derse Katılım,Sunum
5) An ability to function effectively on a team whose members together provide leadership, create a collaborative and inclusive environment, establish goals, plan tasks, and meet objectives S Derse Katılım,Sunum
6) An ability to develop and conduct appropriate experimentation, analyze and interpret data, and use engineering judgment to draw conclusions N Sunum
7) An ability to acquire and apply new knowledge as needed, using appropriate learning strategies S Derse Katılım,Sunum
Prepared by and Date BAŞAK KEKİ , January 2024
Course Coordinator CANSU GÜLEÇ
Semester Spring
Name of Instructor

Course Contents

Week Subject
1) Introduction
2) Ethical Relativism: Who is to Judge What’s Right and Wrong?
3) Ethics and Religion: Divine Command Theory
4) Ethical Egoism & Nietzsche
5) Kant and Ethics of Duty
6) Moral Luck
7) Utilitarianism & Mill
8) Virtue Ethics & Aristotle
9) Ethics of Rights
10) Theories on Justice
11) Feminist Ethics
12) Ethics of Diversity: Race, Ethicity and Multiculturalism
13) Environmentalist Ethics
14) A Case in Applied Ethics: Abortion
15) Examination Period
16) Examination Period
Required/Recommended ReadingsThe Coursepack will include excerpts from: Aristotle. The Nicomachean Ethics in Theories of Ethics: An Introduction to Moral Philosophy with a Selection of Classical Readings, Gordon Graham, New York: Routledge, 2011. Cudd, Ann E. and Leslie E. Jones. A Companion to Applied Ethics, R. G. Frey and Christopher Heath Wellman (eds), USA: Blackwell Publishing, 2003. Edmonds, David and Nigel Warburton. Philosophy Bites, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2010. Hinman, Lawrence M. Ethics: A Pluralistic Approach to Moral Theory, USA: Thomson Wadsworth, 2008. Kant, Immanuel. The Foundations for the Metaphysics of Morals in Introduction to Philosophy: Classic and Contemporary Readings, Louis Pojman, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004. King, Martin Luther Jr. “Letter from Birmingham Jail” (online). Mill, John Stuart. Utilitarianism in Theories of Ethics: An Introduction to Moral Philosophy with a Selection of Classical Readings, Gordon Graham, New York: Routledge, 2011. Nagel, Thomas. Mortal Questions in Introduction to Philosophy: Classic and Contemporary Readings, Louis Pojman, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004. Nietzsche, Friedrich. Twilight of the Idols, Beyond Good and Evil in Theories of Ethics: An Introduction to Moral Philosophy with a Selection of Classical Readings, Gordon Graham, New York: Routledge, 2011; and in Introduction to Philosophy: Classic and Contemporary Readings, Louis Pojman, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004. Plato. Euthyphro in Philosophy: History and Readings, (eds.) Samuel Enoch Stumpf and James Fieser, New York: McGraw-Hill, 1994. Pojman, Louis. Ethics: Discovering Right and Wrong, London: Thomson Cooperation, 2008.
Teaching MethodsFlipped learning methods such as Perusall, class discussions, presentations and response paper essays.
Homework and ProjectsWeekly assigned texts, group presentations, weekly Perusall questions and two short response papers
Laboratory WorkNone
Computer UseNone
Other ActivitiesNone
Assessment Methods
Assessment Tools Count Weight
Attendance 14 % 20
Homework Assignments 14 % 30
Presentation 1 % 20
Paper Submission 2 % 30
TOTAL % 100
Course Administration kekib@mef.edu.tr
0212 395 36 00
Attendance and active participation are required. There would be no late presentations and late assingments unless medical report provided. MEF university values academic integrity. Therefore all students must understand the meaning and consequences of cheating, plagiarism and other academic offences under the code of student conduct and disciplinary procedures. Any improper behavior, academic dishonesty or plagiarism is subject to the YÖK Disciplinary Regulation. Within the framework of MEF University's Artificial Intelligence Policy, it is aimed to integrate artificial intelligence into educational processes and promote its ethical use. The full text of the policy document can be accessed here: https://www.mef.edu.tr/tr/duyurular/mef-universitesi-yapay-zeka-politikasi-v2-yayimlandi

ECTS Student Workload Estimation

Activity No/Weeks Hours Calculation
No/Weeks per Semester Preparing for the Activity Spent in the Activity Itself Completing the Activity Requirements
Course Hours 14 3 3 84
Presentations / Seminar 1 3 1 4
Homework Assignments 14 1 1 28
Paper Submission 2 1 1 4
Total Workload 120
Total Workload/25 4.8
ECTS 5