Aet585

AET 585 Ethics and Decision Making
Fall 2007-2008

OFFICE MATTERS:

Office : Room B139 in the Social Sciences Building.
Office hours : Tue 14:40-16:30; Wed 14:40-15:30. Other meeting times with the instructor are also possible by prior appointment.
Office phone :On campus: 5339; off campus: 210-5339. You can leave a message on the answering machine.
E-mail : esayan@metu.edu.tr

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

Many human actions, including ethical behavior, involve free decisions (or so we generally assume). We frequently find ourselves in situations in which we need to make a decision. In such situations we have a set of alternative courses of action that we can take, but typically some or all of these actions involve uncertainties as to their consequences. The problem is which of these alternative actions is the most rational one to undertake relative to the information available, and given the risks involved in each one of them. Decision theory is the formal, mathematically oriented study of conditions of rational decision-making. The major aim of this course is to provide an introduction to the fundamentals of decision theory. Our emphasis in this course will be on grasping of concepts rather than on mathematical technicalities.

We shall also be interested in the question of how considerations of rationality combine with considerations of ethicality. Can the techniques of decision theory help us decide which alternative action is the most ethical, and not just rational, one to undertake relative to the information available, and given the risks involved?

In addition to our major focus on decision theory, we shall devote a week or two at the end of the semester to discussion of a chosen problem in applied ethics. This will be a problem that involves interesting decision-making complications.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS:

  • There will be two midterms. These midterms will be composed, for the most part, of questions requiring short answers, such as true-false, fill-in-the blank, and multiple-choice questions. There may be, however, a couple of “classical-style” questions on the exams, each requiring at most half-a-page-long answer. There will be no class presentations by students.
  • You will also be required to write a short paper. The length of the paper should not be less than 4 and more than 6 pages (not including the “References” section). The pages must be double-spaced (i.e. about 24-25 lines per page) and written in Times New Roman with 12 pts font or its equivalent. Papers outside these length limitations will lose points for being too short or too long. The paper is due during the second week of the final-exams week. The topic of the paper must be related to the course material. You are advised to consult with me and get my approval about the topics you want to choose for your papers. Your paper must comply with the academic norms of format and style.
  • Attendance to classes is required. You will be expected not only to attend but also to actively participate in class discussions by asking questions, answering questions, and showing genuine interest in the problems being discussed. Class attendance and participation in class discussions will significantly affect the student’s grade.
  • These requirements of the course will be weighted as follows:

1. Midterm : 32,5 %
2. Midterm : 32,5 %
Paper : 25 %
Attendance and participation in class discussion : 10 %

The final letter grades for the course will be assigned via an “informal curve” to be set up on the basis of the students’ total scores at the end of the semester.

  • The first midterm will be given around the middle of the semester and the second midterm will be given after the end of classes. The exact days and hours of the midterms will be announced later. The second midterm will be noncomprehensive.
  • Make-ups for the exams will normally be given in cases of certified illness or certified emergency.

TEXT:

Our major text will be:

Michael D. Resnik, Choices: An Introduction to Decision Theory (Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1987).
In addition, there will be readings related to a chosen problem in applied ethics.