Overview/Objectives:
Playing and watching sport is universal among all human cultures. Sport is a significant part of growth and character development, a significant venue for social interaction, and a major commercial activity. As such, sport is well worth taking seriously from the moral perspective. Through this course, students will gain depth of understanding of the many moral issues in sports and also will be able to identify and make arguments about sport from the moral point of view.
Instructor information:
- Brandon Gillette
- Office: 3100 Wescoe
- Office Hours: Monday through Thursday after class for a while (usually an hour or more)
- Email: [email protected]
- Important: There is more than one Brandon Gillette at KU. If you lookup my email on the KU web page instead of the syllabus or course website, be sure to select the right one! The other Brandon Gillette has standing permission from me to play whatever joke he likes on students who email him instead of me.
- Note: Email is the best way to contact me. A distant second is the department mailbox (if you can even find it). Also, sometimes I am just in my office during the day. Feel free to stop by at any time. You may also talk to me or email to set up an appointment if you are unable to see me during office hours.
Evaluation:
2 exams:
- Higher Exam Score: 45% of the total grade
- Lower Exam Score: 35% of the total grade
Attendance:
- 20% of the total grade
Course information, including the assignment schedule, is available at www.bgillette.com
Grading Scale:
I will abide by the standards of quality as described in University Senate Rules and Regulations, available here: https://documents.ku.edu/policies/governance/USRR.htm#art2sect2
The numerical scores corresponding with the letter grades will be as follows. When final scores are calculated, I will round to the nearest whole number.
- 100-90 A
- 89-80 B
- 79-70 C
- 69-60 D
- 59-0 F
Lateness/Make-up Policy:
I do not accept homework outside of class, except in extreme circumstances (i.e. hospitalization). I realize that unexpected things occur frequently, and that some of these things are even out of your control, but a small number of homework assignments is not going to make or break your grade. If you are absent on a day that homework is collected or scored, then you will not receive credit for that homework assignment (barring aforementioned extreme circumstances). Make-up exams will be permitted in extreme circumstances at the discretion of the instructor, and may be offered for reduced credit. The earlier I am notified about an absence due to extreme circumstances on an exam day, the more likely it is that a make-up exam will be allowed. Written assignments will lose 10% of their original value each day that they are late. In the event that you know you will miss an exam day, you may be permitted to take an exam early, provided I am notified well in advance.
Course Text:
The book is Fair Play: The Ethics of Sport by Robert Simon (Third Edition). Please get this book as soon as possible if you have not already. The ISBN is 0813343682. The book is available at the University Book Store and the Jayhawk Bookstore, and perhaps elsewhere as well.
There will be other readings, and those will be linked on the course website.
Academic Honesty:
I will abide very strictly to the University’s policies on academic honesty. Violations of academic honesty policies can result in loss of credit for exams or assignments, and in some circumstances can result in loss of credit for the course. See University regulations here: https://documents.ku.edu/policies/governance/USRR.htm#art2sect6