FInal Exam & Turnitin.com

The final exam has three parts which must be submitted as a single document to Turnitin.com.

Scheduled Final Exam Dates:

Phil 2310 Section 116 [TT 12:30-1:45] => Tuesday 7 May, 10:30-12:30

Phil 2310 Section 117 [TT 2-3:15] => Monday 6 May, 10:30-12:30

THERE WILL BE NO IN-CLASS FINAL EXAM. YOU MUST SUBMIT YOUR EXAM TO TURNITIN.COM ON THIS SCHEDULE:

The Turnitin.com submission deadline for Section 117 is 12:30 pm Monday 6 May.

The Turnitin.com submission deadline for Section 116 is 12:30 pm Tuesday 7 May

Final Exam

Part 1 (40%): On philosophical ethics in the movie, The Island.

For this part students will have to rent and study the movie, The Island. It is available for $3.99 at Amazon and iTunes. Some students have been able to find it at a site for free. This 2005 movie stars Ewan McGregor and Scarlett Johansson. It was directed and produced by Michael Bay.

Prepare an essay explaining the key notions of the five (5) major ethical theories we studied  before religious ethics: Aristotle‘s Virtue Ethics or Ethics of Happiness (Eudaimonistic Ethics), Kant’s Deontological Ethics, Mill‘s Utilitarianism, Ethical Egoism and Moral Relativism. Give one paragraph for each of these. After each paragraph add another paragraph about a character from the movie that exemplifies that kind of ethical thinking. Explain why you think that character in the movie does exemplify that ethical thinking.

For this part students will have to rent and study the movie, The Island. It is available for $3.99 at Amazon and iTunes. Some students have been able to find it at a site for free.

Part 2 (20%): Exam questions on religious ethics and Chinese ethics. You must answer four questions, one each from a, b, c, d. Each answer is worth up to 5 points.

2.a.1. Compare and contrast the notion of an afterlife and its importance in Judaism, Christianity and Islam in light of classroom discussions with Profs. Goldin, Oktay and Taylor.

2a.2. What does the Torah include and how is it used in Jewish practice?

2.b.1. What is jihad in Islam and how are the greater and the lesser jihad distinguished?

2.b.2. In what respects is the ethical thought of Aristotle similar to what is found in ethical teachings in Islam as related by Prof. Oktay?

2.c.1. Is Natural Law ethics a specifically Christian teaching? Explain.

2.c.2. What are basic or fundamental human goods and how do they function in Natural Law ethics?

2.d.1. Explain traditional Chinese filial piety and its ethical importance in China today according to the account of Prof. Wang. What is the other ethical notion important in China today after the 1949 revolution?

2.d.2. What is to be learned about the nature of ethics from our classroom discussion of filial piety from an anthropological viewpoint in American and China?

Part 3 (40%): (i) What did you find most valuable for your own ethical thinking in this class? (ii) State at least two objections to your view that might be made by someone who would disagree with your view. (iii) Then respond to those objections and defend your view.