California State University
Northridge, fall 09
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Instructor |
Christopher Pallotti |
e-mail |
pallotc@lavc.edu |
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Phone Web-site |
818-947-2600 ext 8190 filosofia.pageout.net |
Office Hours |
Tuesdays or Thursdays from
12:45 – 1:45 ST-516 |
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The course Business Ethics is designed
to present a number of philosophical themes:
varying concepts of ethics, state, and justice, rules of the marketplace
as well as a range of case studies. The course looks at the concept of profit
and what it means to gain profit fairly. Underlying this study will be the discussion
of the concepts of fair play and fair distribution and what businesses and
businesspersons should know and think about them.
My Teaching Philosophy:
I see myself as a facilitator of learning. My goal
as a facilitator is to assist you—my student—in any way possible to help you
succeed and to reach your goals. All of
us have strengths and weaknesses; let’s work together to harness our strengths
and to nurture our weaknesses. Please let
me know if I can be of help to you. I am
most interested in seeing you engage with the class and the class
material. Please visit me during my drop
in hours if you have any concerns.
1.) The course will introduce you to
ethical
theory and political philosophy as they relate to business.
2.) The course will help you to develop critical thinking skills concerning
your own business practices.
3.) The course will provide
a general frame of reference from which you will effectively be able to
identify, analyze and evaluate arguments related to business ethics.
4.) The main goal of this course is to give you a
solid grounding in ethical theory and its application to business so that you can come to better informed
and intelligent decisions about what to do.
Attendance and
participation: both are highly encouraged. Your presence in the classroom
is crucial to your learning experience as is participation
in lectures. This is your class; by
participating and expressing your ideas and opinions you will make it a more
personal and valuable learning experience.
Do not be afraid to sound ignorant.
A big part of the education process involves learning how to articulate
your thoughts and that takes practice. Students
who come to every class on time will receive bonus points: 20-on time, every time, 15-1 absent/late. Barring emergencies or prior
engagements, leaving class early is counted as an absence. Coming to class late will also take you out
of the running for attendance extra-credit; both behaviors are rude and disrupt
the atmosphere of learning. If you come
late, please exit/enter quietly from the back of the class.
Test days: do not miss them, as make-up tests are given only for extenuating circumstances i.e. severe illness. If you are too sick to come to class, please call before the test and be
prepared to show evidence of illness.
Extra credit: Since academic excellence includes ambition, students having difficulty
with the material can raise their grade with extra credit. We can discuss the form and content of extra
credit (10 points) later on in the
course. Also, if you are having
trouble grasping the material, do not hesitate to contact me.
Academic Integrity: CSUN students are expected to maintain high standards of
honesty and ethical behavior. All
assignments submitted in fulfillment of course requirements must be the
student's own work and any acts of academic dishonesty will be taken very
seriously. Penalties may include an ‘F’
for the course.
Academic
Freedom: Students and faculty have the right to freely express their
opinions and views. Please see the CSUN
handbook for further information.
Learning
Disabilities: Anyone with a learning disability should
speak to the Center on Disabilities (ext. 2684) to discuss accommodations. They
are there to serve your needs, and they will notify me in writing about any
necessary accommodations. I will work with any reasonable demand to make sure
that you can maximize your learning experience.
Academic
Difficulties: Philosophy involves the
study of difficult concepts and ideas, so you must study for this course. I recommend that you all form study groups or consult me if you are having any
difficulties. I am here to help you
succeed, so please let me know how I can help you to do that. Also, please note that there is an academic
skills tutor and a writing skills tutor available. If you have trouble crafting essays, I
suggest that you contact the writing skills center (ext. 2033).
How to
succeed in this class:
a.) pay attention in lectures and write everything that is on the board as
well as everything I say.
b.) do the reading homework and know that the purpose of studying is to
answer and to generate questions: generating questions while reading makes your
learning experience more fruitful and personal.
Do the readings and come to class with questions.
c.) give yourself time to absorb and to memorize the material.
Evaluation: 400 is the maximum score
for the course
1.) 2—100 point exams; mid-term and a final. The exam questions will largely be drawn from
class lectures, but I will also take questions directly from the readings and
in-class assignments. Exam format: scantron--multiple choice, true/false, and short
answer/essay.
2.) 1—50 point mini-essay—3 to 4 pages.
(prompt to follow shortly) Handing in late work is highly inadvisable! 1 day late will result in a 15% penalty, 2
days late 25%, etc. The maximum penalty
is 50%, but in no case will I accept submissions after 1 week.
3.) 8—12.5 point short in-class group assignments. The questions will be derived from readings
in your text, so do the reading before class so as to get the most points you
can. Be sure to divide the work among
the whole group. Not showing up for
these assignments can have a significant negative impact on your grade; it is
highly advisable that you come for and do all of them.
4.) 1—50 mini-presentation. (prompt to follow shortly)