Simon Fraser University
Engaging the World

Course Outlines

Fall 2017 - PHIL 825 G100

Selected Topics in Social and Political Philosophy (5)

Genealogies of Morality

Class Number: 8234

Delivery Method: In Person

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    Sep 5 – Dec 4, 2017: Mon, 5:30–9:20 p.m.
    Burnaby

Description

COURSE DETAILS:

Selected Topics: Genealogies of Morality  

[Note: this course is to be taught concurrently with PHIL 421W.]

Important note regarding enrollment: instructor consent is required for all students apart from Philosophy graduate students. 

Increasingly, scholars have suggested that we can best understand morality by studying its history.  And, of course, the popular consensus is that evolutionary histories are of great value, here.  But genealogies of morality are not new.  After all, Hobbes, Hume, Rousseau and Nietzsche all argued that moral values are best understood historically.  However, their preferred mode of explanation was cultural; each of them believed that in order to best understand morality, you needed to appreciate the ways in which human cultures have crafted moral values. In this course, we will study both evolutionary and cultural approaches to the study of morality with an eye to a crucial question: which philosophical problems, if any, can a genealogy of morals actually help us to solve?

COURSE-LEVEL EDUCATIONAL GOALS:




Grading

  • One long term paper (5,000-7,000 words) 75%
  • Class participation 10%
  • Short presentation 15%

Graduate Studies Notes:

Important dates and deadlines for graduate students are found here: http://www.sfu.ca/dean-gradstudies/current/important_dates/guidelines.html. The deadline to drop a course with a 100% refund is the end of week 2. The deadline to drop with no notation on your transcript is the end of week 3.

Registrar Notes:

SFU’s Academic Integrity web site http://students.sfu.ca/academicintegrity.html is filled with information on what is meant by academic dishonesty, where you can find resources to help with your studies and the consequences of cheating.  Check out the site for more information and videos that help explain the issues in plain English.

Each student is responsible for his or her conduct as it affects the University community.  Academic dishonesty, in whatever form, is ultimately destructive of the values of the University. Furthermore, it is unfair and discouraging to the majority of students who pursue their studies honestly. Scholarly integrity is required of all members of the University. http://www.sfu.ca/policies/gazette/student/s10-01.html

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS