Schedule · Phil 3701: Ethics

Date	Module	Readings	Due Dates
2025-09-03	Introduction	Course overview Lon Fuller, The Morality of Law (1969), Appendix [CourseWorks > Files] N.B. Discussion sections do not meet this week.
2025-09-08	Starting with cases	Reproductive rights: Moral status analyses I Roe v. Wade (1973); Maher v. Roe (1977); Harris v. McRae (1980) [CourseWorks] Planned Parenthood v. Casey (1992) [CourseWorks] Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization (2022) [CourseWorks]	Please complete this “Getting to Know You” survey by 5pm the day before (or as soon as possible if you are joining late)
2025-09-10	Starting with cases	Reproductive rights: Moral status analyses II Judith Thompson, “A Defense of Abortion” (1971)
2025-09-15	Starting with cases	Reproductive rights: Socially engaged analyses I Lina-Maria Murillo, “Espanta Cigüeñas: Race and Abortion in the US-Mexico Borderlands” (2023), pp. 795–96, 799–809, 813–20 In-class screening: The Janes (2022), directed by Tia Lessin & Emma Pildes, 102 min
2025-09-17	Starting with cases	Reproductive rights: Socially engaged analyses II Amy Reed-Sandoval, Socially Undocumented: Identity and Immigration Justice (2020), chap. 4 Optional: Ding, “Pregnant Persons as a Gender Category: A Trans Feminist Analysis of Pregnancy Discrimination” (2025)
2025-09-22	Now, theories	Consequentialist theories I Jeremy Bentham, An Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation (1789), chap. 1 Ursula K. Le Guin, “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas” (1973) [CourseWorks]	Writing exercise I due to CourseWorks by midnight
2025-09-24	Now, theories	Consequentialist theories II John Stuart Mill, Utilitarianism (1861), pp. 1–14, 23–28, 34–36, 52–58, 88–96
2025-09-29	Now, theories	Deontological constraints I Philippa Foot, “The Problem of Abortion and the Doctrine of the Double Effect” (1967) [CourseWorks]
2025-10-01	Now, theories	Deontological constraints II Judith Thomson, “Killing, Letting Die, and the Trolley Problem” (1976)
2025-10-06	Now, theories	Kant I Immanuel Kant, Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals (1785), 4:387–90, 393–94, 401–3, 408–16, 420–37 [CourseWorks]
2025-10-08	Now, theories	Kant II No new readings
2025-10-13	Now, theories	Virtue ethics I Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics I.1–5, 7–9, 13; II.1–9; X.6–9 [CourseWorks]
2025-10-15	Now, theories	Virtue ethics II Julia Annas, “Being Virtuous and Doing the Right Thing” (2004)
2025-10-20	Now, theories	Care ethics I Nel Noddings, Caring (2013 [1984]), pp. xiii, 7–29, 95–98	Writing exercise II due to CourseWorks by midnight
2025-10-22	Now, theories	Care ethics II Alison Jaggar, “Caring as a Feminist Practice of Moral Reason” (1995)
2025-10-27	Midterm exam	Midterm review N.B. I have a scheduling conflict and need to move today’s office hours to this Wednesday (same time).
2025-10-29	Midterm exam	Midterm exam (our usual time & classroom)	Midterm course lexicon due in person in hard copy
2025-11-03	Midterm exam	Fall break (no class)
2025-11-05	The social turn	Ethics of knowledge & ignorance I Miranda Fricker, Epistemic Injustice (2007), Introduction and chap. 1 In-class screening: Kokomo City, directed by D. Smith, 73 min
2025-11-10	The social turn	Ethics of knowledge & ignorance II Elena Ruíz, Structural Violence: The Makings of Settler Colonial Impunity (2024), chap. 2 (skim pp. 129–56)
2025-11-12	The social turn	Ethics of knowledge & ignorance III Fricker, Epistemic Injustice, chap. 7 and Conclusion N.B. The Barnard philosophy department’s program planning meeting is noon to 1pm, so my office hours will be cut short but come chat with us about our spring courses over in Milbank 326!
2025-11-17	The social turn	Ethics of knowledge & ignorance IV Nora Berenstain, “Structural Gaslighting” (2025) Prof. Berenstain visits on Zoom!
2025-11-19	The social turn	Non-ideal ethics I Charles Mills, “Ideal Theory as Ideology” (2005)	Draft term paper due to CourseWorks by midnight
2025-11-24	The social turn	Non-ideal ethics II Christine Korsgaard, “Taking the Law into Our Own Hands: Kant on the Right to Revolution” (2008)
2025-11-26	The social turn	College recess (no class)
2025-12-01	The social turn	Existentialist ethics I Jean-Paul Sartre, selections from “Existentialism Is a Humanism” (1946) [CourseWorks]
2025-12-03	The social turn	Existentialist ethics II Simone de Beauvoir, selections from The Second Sex (1949) [CourseWorks]
2025-12-08	Final exam	Final exam review	Peer reviews due to CourseWorks by midnight
2025-12-10	Final exam	Reading day (no class)
2025-12-15	Final exam	Final exam, 1:10–3:10pm (tentative date & time, location TBD)	Final course lexicon due in person in hard copy; revised term paper due to CourseWorks by midnight

2025-09-03

Introduction

Course overview

Lon Fuller, The Morality of Law (1969), Appendix [CourseWorks > Files]

N.B. Discussion sections do not meet this week.

2025-09-08

Starting with cases

Reproductive rights: Moral status analyses I

Roe v. Wade (1973); Maher v. Roe (1977); Harris v. McRae (1980) [CourseWorks]
Planned Parenthood v. Casey (1992) [CourseWorks]
Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization (2022) [CourseWorks]

Please complete this “Getting to Know You” survey by 5pm the day before (or as soon as possible if you are joining late)

2025-09-10

Starting with cases

Reproductive rights: Moral status analyses II

Judith Thompson, “A Defense of Abortion” (1971)

2025-09-15

Starting with cases

Reproductive rights: Socially engaged analyses I

Lina-Maria Murillo, “Espanta Cigüeñas: Race and Abortion in the US-Mexico Borderlands” (2023), pp. 795–96, 799–809, 813–20
In-class screening: The Janes (2022), directed by Tia Lessin & Emma Pildes, 102 min

2025-09-17

Starting with cases

Reproductive rights: Socially engaged analyses II

Amy Reed-Sandoval, Socially Undocumented: Identity and Immigration Justice (2020), chap. 4
Optional: Ding, “Pregnant Persons as a Gender Category: A Trans Feminist Analysis of Pregnancy Discrimination” (2025)

2025-09-22

Now, theories

Consequentialist theories I

Jeremy Bentham, An Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation (1789), chap. 1
Ursula K. Le Guin, “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas” (1973) [CourseWorks]

Writing exercise I due to CourseWorks by midnight

2025-09-24

Now, theories

Consequentialist theories II

John Stuart Mill, Utilitarianism (1861), pp. 1–14, 23–28, 34–36, 52–58, 88–96

2025-09-29

Now, theories

Deontological constraints I

Philippa Foot, “The Problem of Abortion and the Doctrine of the Double Effect” (1967) [CourseWorks]

2025-10-01

Now, theories

Deontological constraints II

Judith Thomson, “Killing, Letting Die, and the Trolley Problem” (1976)

2025-10-06

Now, theories

Kant I

Immanuel Kant, Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals (1785), 4:387–90, 393–94, 401–3, 408–16, 420–37 [CourseWorks]

2025-10-08

Now, theories

Kant II

No new readings

2025-10-13

Now, theories

Virtue ethics I

Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics I.1–5, 7–9, 13; II.1–9; X.6–9 [CourseWorks]

2025-10-15

Now, theories

Virtue ethics II

Julia Annas, “Being Virtuous and Doing the Right Thing” (2004)

2025-10-20

Now, theories

Care ethics I

Nel Noddings, Caring (2013 [1984]), pp. xiii, 7–29, 95–98

Writing exercise II due to CourseWorks by midnight

2025-10-22

Now, theories

Care ethics II

Alison Jaggar, “Caring as a Feminist Practice of Moral Reason” (1995)

2025-10-27

Midterm exam

Midterm review
N.B. I have a scheduling conflict and need to move today’s office hours to this Wednesday (same time).

2025-10-29

Midterm exam

Midterm exam (our usual time & classroom)

Midterm course lexicon due in person in hard copy

2025-11-03

Midterm exam

Fall break (no class)

2025-11-05

The social turn

Ethics of knowledge & ignorance I

Miranda Fricker, Epistemic Injustice (2007), Introduction and chap. 1
In-class screening: Kokomo City, directed by D. Smith, 73 min

2025-11-10

The social turn

Ethics of knowledge & ignorance II

Elena Ruíz, Structural Violence: The Makings of Settler Colonial Impunity (2024), chap. 2 (skim pp. 129–56)

2025-11-12

The social turn

Ethics of knowledge & ignorance III

Fricker, Epistemic Injustice, chap. 7 and Conclusion

N.B. The Barnard philosophy department’s program planning meeting is noon to 1pm, so my office hours will be cut short but come chat with us about our spring courses over in Milbank 326!

2025-11-17

The social turn

Ethics of knowledge & ignorance IV

Nora Berenstain, “Structural Gaslighting” (2025)

Prof. Berenstain visits on Zoom!

2025-11-19

The social turn

Non-ideal ethics I

Charles Mills, “Ideal Theory as Ideology” (2005)

Draft term paper due to CourseWorks by midnight

2025-11-24

The social turn

Non-ideal ethics II

Christine Korsgaard, “Taking the Law into Our Own Hands: Kant on the Right to Revolution” (2008)

2025-11-26

The social turn

College recess (no class)

2025-12-01

The social turn

Existentialist ethics I

Jean-Paul Sartre, selections from “Existentialism Is a Humanism” (1946) [CourseWorks]

2025-12-03

The social turn

Existentialist ethics II

Simone de Beauvoir, selections from The Second Sex (1949) [CourseWorks]

2025-12-08

Final exam

Final exam review

Peer reviews due to CourseWorks by midnight

2025-12-10

Final exam

Reading day (no class)

2025-12-15

Final exam

Final exam, 1:10–3:10pm (tentative date & time, location TBD)

Final course lexicon due in person in hard copy; revised term paper due to CourseWorks by midnight