Through theory and case studies, this course explores issues of ethical analysis in the context of public service and public policy. Three major sections cover respectively issues of responsibility in public service, justice and welfare, and environmental ethics. The weekly syllabus of readings will give you a complete idea of the range of issues and topics we will discussion.

Course requirements: You are expected to come to class having done the reading listed on the syllabus for that day, and prepared to ask questions about it and discuss it. Each student will prepare a presentation on some issue in the readings for the previous week's class once during the semester. Beginning January 20 and every other week until April 7 you will hand in a 2-4 page justified opinion paper. You are not required to hand in a paper on the day around which you are scheduled to do a presentation. In addition to the five justified opinion papers which are on the class readings, you will write a 18-15 page term paper on a subject of your choice related to the course material. See end of this syllabus for a more complete description of these requirements.

The following books are on sale at the Pitt Book Center and they are also on reserve in the GSPIA library:

Jon Elster, Local Justice, Russell Sage Foundation

Amy Gutmann and Dennis Thompson, ed., Ethics and Politics: Cases and Comments, Kendall Hunt.

Dennis Thompson, Political Ethics and Public Office, Harvard University Press.

Mark Sagoff, The Economy of the Earth, Cambridge University Press.

Jeremy Waldron, Liberal Rights, Cambridge University Press.

Larry May, Sharing Responsibility, University of Chicago

Milton Friedman, Capitalism and Freedom, University of Chicago

The following additional books are on reserve in the GSPIA library, and required readings are drawn from them:

Sessela Bok, Lying: Moral Choice in Public and Private Life

Robert Goodin, Green Political Theory

Robert Goodin, Utilitarianism as a Public Philosophy

Laura Westra and Peter Wenz, Faces of Environmental Racism

Richard Hofrichter, Toxic Struggles: The Theory and Practicw of Environmental Justice

Norman Daniels, Justice and Justification: Reflective Equilibrium in Theory and Practice

In addition, there are a few required readings on reserve in the GSPIA library as xeroxed articles in folders.

TOPICS AND SCHEDULE

Thompson, Chapter, 1, "Democratic Dirty Hands,"; Bok, "Lies for the Public Good;" xerox folder on reserve; Cases from Gutmann and Thompson: "Disinformation for Qaddafi," "The New York Fiscal Crisis," and "Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers."

Thompson, Chapter 2, "The Moral Responsibility of Many Hands," May, Chapter 2, "Shared Responsibility and Racist Attitudes;" Steven Cohen and William Eimicke, "Is Public Entrepreneurship Ethical?: A Second Look at Theory and Practice," reserve folder. Paper due.

January 27: Sharing responsibility

May, Chapter 4, "Groups and Personal Value Transformation," Chapter 5, "Negligence and Professional Responsibility," and Chapter 6, "Collective Inaction and Responsibility." Goodin, "Apportioning Responsibility," in Utilitarianism...; Gutmann and Thompson cases: "The Space Shuttle Challenger, " "The Reactor Safety Study."; HUD scandal, xerox folder on reserve.

Thompson, Chapter 3, "Official Crime and Punishment," and Chapter 6, "Paternalistic Power,"; Gutmann and Thojmpson, Chapter 8, "Liberty and Paternalism." Paper due.

Friedman, Chap 1, "The relation between eocnomic freedom and political freedom," Chap 2, "The role of government in a free society; Allen Buchanan, "A Critical Introduction to Rawls' Theory of Justice," xerox folder on reserve; David Crocker, "The Hope for a Just, Participatory Democracy in Costa Rica," xerox folder on reserve.

Friedman, Chap 6, "The role of government in education," Chap 8, "Monopoly and the social responsibility of business and labor," Chaps 10-12 on income distribution, social welfare, and poverty policy. "Boston's Taxicab Problem," xerox folder on reserve. Paper due.

Jeremy Waldron, "Welfare and the Images of Charity," "Social Citizenship and the defense of welfare provision," "Homelessness and the Issue of Freedom," all in Waldron, Liberal Rights. Goodin, "The State as a Moral Agent," in Utilitarianism...

Elster, Chapters 1-3, Introduction and Problems of Local Justice Paper due.

Elster, Chapter 4, "Consequences of Local Justice"; Norman Daniels, "Health care needs and distributive justice," and "Rationing Fairly: Programmatic considerations," in Justice and Justification. Cases in Gutmann and Thompson, "Defunding Organ Transplants in Arizona," and "Affirmative Action at AT&T." Term paper proposal due.

Sagoff, Chaps 2-5: "At the shrine of Our Lady of Fatima, or Why political questions are not all economic," "The allocation and distribution of resources," "Fragile prices and shadow values," "Values and preferences." Paper due.

Sagoff, chap 6-9, "Nature and the National idea," "Can environmentalists be liberals?" "Property and the values of land," "Where Ickes went right; or Reason and rationality in environmental law."

Robert Goodin, Chapter 3 of Green Political Theory, "The Unity of the Green Programme." Winona La Duke, "A Society Based on Conquest cannot be Sustained," Celene Krauss, "Blue Collar Women and Toxic-Waste Protests: The Process of Politicization," both in Hofrichter, Toxic Struggles; Daniel Wigley and Kristin Shrader-Frachette, "Consent, Equity and Environmental Justice," in Westra and Wenz. Paper due.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

There will be no examinations in this course. You are expected to come to class having done the reading listed on the syllabus for that day. Your major graded work will consist of writing five short papers and one long paper. In addition you will make two short presentations during the semester.

Justified opinion papers - Beginning January 20 and every other week until April 7 you will write a 2-4 pages paper in which you make a claim and provide a connected step by step set of reasons to support that claim. Your claim should relate directly to something in the readings due for that week or the previous week. You may develop a point in the readings, synthesize several different points from different readings, give an argument against something in the readings, bring points in different readings into a conversation with each other. When you are talking about points in the readings, you should say enough in the way of summary so that it is clear how you understand them. But the main task of your paper is to state some claim that you believe and then to give clear and cogent reasons for it. The purpose of these papers is for you to develop your thinking in a coherent way on some of the ideas that strike you in the course, and for you to develop your skills in writing clearly and making cogent arguments. I will comment on all papers. Thus these papers also serve as a means for conversation between you and me throughout the course.

Presentation related to class discussion - Each of you will do one presentation during the semester on some issue in the readings and class discussion from the previous week. Some of the presentations may be in teams of two. The format of the presentation is like that of justified opinion papers. The purpose of your presentation is to raise questions about the previous week's readings, to argue for a position about something said in them, or to provide some further background that will contribute to the learning of your fellow students. Your presentation is meant to be a discussion starter. You need do no additional reading other than the required readings for class for this presentation. You will not be required to hand in a justified opinion paper at the time in the semester when you are giving a presentation. Thus although there are six short papers listed on the syllabus, you will be required to write five. Presentations will not be formally graded, but will be considered as part of your class participation.

Term paper - You will write a research term paper of 18-25 doubled spaced typewritten pages pursuing in greater depth than we are able to in class some topic that particularly interests you. For this paper you are expected to find articles and books in addition to required readings for class on your subject. I will try to help you figure out how to find materials on your topic. Your paper should not be merely a book report, however, but should state a thesis and argue for it. On March 17 you will hand in a two page term paper proposal. In this proposal you will state a question which you aim to answer in your paper, and explain how you plan to go about answering that question. You will attach a bibliography of articles and books you have identified as directly pertinent to answering that question. Proposals will not be graded; their purpose is for me to give you comments and guidance on your project.

Term paper presentations - We will devote time in the last two sessions of our class for you to present briefly to others in the class the question and argument of your term apepr. Thus you will prepare a seven minute presentation on your paper for one of these sessions.

GRADING - Your final grade will be apportioned roughly as follows: 15% class participation; 40% term paper; 45% justified opinion papers. Included in class participation is your attendance and contribution to the learning of others by means of class presentations and participation in discussion.