Description of Course Goals and Curriculum
Main points:- Taught by a professor at the forefront of this field
- Extremely relevant to our modern-day life
- Relatively low workload but requires a lot of critical thinking and nuanced understanding of topics
Learning From Classroom Instruction
The basic classroom component can be divided into two large parts: lectures and precepts.
The lectures are in a typical large-lecture format, and are held two times a week in one of the largest rooms on campus, Mccosh 50. The lectures involve Professor Singer talking about the topic of the week, using slides with different facts, quotes and references to the reading. It can be beneficial to complete the readings prior to the lectures, because then you have a much better understanding of the topic and can better integrate the knowledge from the lectures into what you know; I find that if you don’t complete the readings, it may seem like we’re hearing random facts, and the relationship between the lecture and the reading is not as clear. Professor Singer will often have really interesting guest speakers as well, especially when it comes to topics that he is not an expert in; he really will invite an expert in the field to come in and give a talk to us! For example, I remember for the topic of population growth, he invited another ethicist to tell us more about the topic, and we got to learn of a different perspective than we’d seen previously. Furthermore, Professor Singer will sometimes do “debates” in class, where he brings in an ethicist with an opposing view to his, and they discuss their differences and similarities, while allowing students to ask questions. This allows every to understand a variety of different viewpoints, which is very helpful when it comes to working on the essays or just critically engaging with those who oppose you.
Precepts are run very differently. Precepts tend to be max 15 students and is structured as a class discussion between the preceptor and the students. The discussions focus on the readings assigned for the week, so it is critical to have completed the work prior to precept. Furthermore, students will be assigned different topics to present on, so you will ask questions and listen to other students presentations for most of these weeks. Each preceptor has different ways they choose to hold their precepts – for example, some would choose to have quizzes every week on the reading material, while others don’t. The precepts are also a great way to understand new perspectives and get new material for writing the essays, and the preceptor usually goes over complex topics that may be hard to understand.
Learning For and From Assignments
The main bulk of the work for this course is doing the readings and understanding them, because they can be difficult to parse and have dense ethical terms. However, the precepts and lectures are great ways to refine that knowledge and break down the complex topics a little bit in the case that there is something confusing. The preceptors are also extremely receptive to asking questions or meeting with them over phone and video chat. I would recommend taking notes on the readings and forming a study group to share notes and discuss the topics. Over the course, there are also smaller assignments; for example, in precepts, you may be asked to do a short 10-minute presentation on a certain topic, either from the course syllabus or of your own interest, to the class, and answer all questions regarding the given topic. This forces you to become an expert on a particular topic. Participation during the precept discussion also factors into grading.
However, the essays count for the largest bulk of the course. There are three essays in total, each counting for more than the last. The essays are written on prompts given by the instructors and course staff, and these prompts usually cover the topics in class up to that point and following the last essay. Although this may seem restrictive, the prompts are actually quite broad and vague, and there is at least one prompt for each topic covered in the syllabus. Furthermore, there is usually the option to write your own prompt with the permission of the preceptor. After you pick a topic, then comes the actual writing portion. This may seem particularly daunting, especially if one is not well versed in philosophical writing. However, there are actually many resources available. The preceptors give a document about how to write an ethical argument, which gives quite a few tips to help with getting started. Furthermore, the preceptors are extremely open to discussing your papers with you, through email or online. I have even shown my preceptor my draft and asked for his opinion regarding my thesis and arguments. Asking for help is important, and you should definitely take advantage.
Lastly, we have the final exam of the course. This course is quite unique in that the final exam is the point at which you get tested on the majority of the course material. Unlike the papers, which require more critical thinking and argument building, the final exam includes easier, “low-point” questions which ask about terms, definitions and simple facts and concepts from the readings. The exam is split into a short answer question, which includes the questions mentioned above, then two essays, which you write about prompts you pick on the exam. The essays are similar to the essays we wrote in class, although of a smaller scale and shorter. The prompts range over the full topic list in the class. This exam definitely requires more memorization, learning philosophers and theorems, and it’s important to review the slides and main topics. Writing a study guide may be particularly helpful. The essays are difficult to study for, but at this point you will have a lot of experience with essay-writing and crafting arguments. Make sure to leave a lot of time to study for the final as you may be reviewing much of the course material.