Philosophy 108: Moral and Social Problems

Instructor: Gary Zabel, Ph.D
Philosophy Department Phone: (617) 287-6530
E-mail Address: gary.zabel@umb.edu
Office Hours: M 2:30-3:30/Wed 2:30-3:30
5^th Floor of Wheatley, Room 035

The purpose of this course is to provide students with the opportunity to investigate, discuss, and debate some of the moral and social problems raised by the assertion, expansion, and possible disintegration of imperial power in the 21st Century. We will begin with an historical analogy to our current period - namely, the development of ethical responses in ancient philosophy to the fall of the independent Greek city-states and the rise of empires based first in Macedonia and later in Rome. We will then examine the unique moral difficulties raised by the assertion of imperial power over the last 200 years, as well as one version of what at least claims to be a struggle against it, namely the tradition of political Islam, sometimes called Islamic fundamentalism. Finally, we will consider the attempt by imperial powers to control their domestic populations through the development of new techniques of incarceration, surveillance, and biological intervention.

Requirements:

1)     1 take-home exam
2)     3 four-to-six page papers
3)     Regular class attendance and participation

Grading: The exam and three papers each constitute 20% of your final grade; class attendance and participation constitute the remaining 20%.

Readings: All readings are on this website and can be accessed through the links below. You will need Adobe Reader in order to read the PDF files. If you don't already have it, you can get it free at: http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html

1. Ethics in the Age of Empire