Teen Philosophy Discussion Group: Is It Legal, Ethical, or Moral?

In this ongoing course, the students will listen to a summary of a book, court case, or event. Each week will focus on a different topic. 
* This is NOT a debate class, this is a discussion class. Students are NOT required to read the entire book or article before class.*
After listening to the brief summary, students will engage in discussions and explain their stance as to:
1) If they believe there should be laws regulating the topic at hand
2) If the summary described something moral or immoral, in their personal opinion
3) If the summary described is ethical or unethical, in their personal opinion

Students will be reminded that nobody is "right" or "wrong" as each topic discussed could be argued both for and against, everyone has their own set of morals and ethics, and that we can engage in discussions with people with varying opinions. 
**Class minimum is necessary in order to engage in group discussions. 

Week 1 Beginning week of March 5th: Book summary: Stuck in Neutral, topic: euthanasia

Week 2 Beginning March 12: Book summary: The Giver, topic: utopian societies 


Week 3 Beginning March 19- Article summary: No Choirboy: Murder, Violence, and Teenagers on Death Row, topic: capital punishment for underage offenders

Week 4 Beginning March 26:  Article: Capital Punishment Timeline. (n.d) Clark County Prosecuting Attorney-The Death Penalty. Retrieved from: http://www.clarkprosecutor.org/html/death/timeline.htm 

Week 5 Beginning April 2: Book summary: Child Labor Then and Now: child labor 

Week 6 Beginning April 9 Continued discussion of child labor 

Week 7 Beginning April 16: Book summary: Fahrenheit 451, topic: censorship (literature)

Week 8 Beginning April 23 : Book Summary: The Sympathizer-Continued discussion of censorship (speech) 

Week 9 Beginning April 30: Animal Rights 

Dates below added pending enrollment 
Week 10  Beginning May 7: Animal Rights continued

Week 11 Beginning May 14th- Fairy tales

Week 12 Beginning May 21- Fairy Tales continued 

Week 14 Beginning May 28- Antarctica Lake Vostok- government, treaty, and do we need to leave it preserved or continue further research for scientific and historical reasons? 

Week 20 Beginning  June 4- Giants/ Gigantism- Should preserving skeletal remains be governed by laws, ethics, morals? Is there truth to mythology/legends? How can we explain the findings? 

Dates pending ***

Week 21 Beginning- Cloning- Book summary: Never Let Me Go

Week 22 Beginning  - Organ Harvesting- Book summary continued: Never Let Me Go and Pieces of Me. 

Week 23rd Beginning : GMOs- The pros, the cons, and do we need continuous research in this area? Are they legal in all countries? Why/ why not? Are they helping local/global issues? Are they hindering local/global issues? 

Week 24 Beginning : Research articles/studies- Should students receive grades? Do grades affect student behavior? Should students be able to grade their teachers/ professors? 

Week 25 beginning: Schools- Should homeschooling be legal or illegal? Why? Should standardized testing be required for in-person as well as homeschooled students? Should colleges rely on test scores for entry? Should schools require courses such as health, sex ed, physical ed, and drivers ed? Do schools need security guards? Should guards at schools be armed? Do schools need metal detectors? 

Week 26 beginning : Employment- Should there be laws pertaining to hiring? Should employers be allowed to conduct background and credit checks? Should people be denied a job based on visible tattoos/piercings? Should women who are pregnant be refused a job or let go from a job? Should employers allow individuals to practice/take off for holidays that are not nationally celebrated? 

Week  27 beginning : Employment continued

Week 28 beginning: Zoos and Circuses- Are they legal? Should there be laws protecting the animals / people? If so, how should the laws be regulated and enforced? Are they moral? Are they ethical? What would happen to the workers and animals if the zoos and circuses were shut down?? 

Week 29 beginning : Art and Music Censorship- Is it legal? moral? ethical? Do you think music should be censored? If so, when? How? By whom? What standards? Do you think art should be censored? If so, when? How? By whom? What standards?
Should art and music be censored like movies and video games? What type of music, if any should be censored?
Why would people want to censor music? Would censoring music deter or promote people from listening to it?
To what extent should it be censored? Should music VIDEOS be censored? 

Week 30 beginning  - double jeopardy 
Week 31 beginning - voting laws and regulations 
Week 32- Security and Officers
Week 33- Self-Defense 
Week 34 - Technology- Do we have sufficient technology? Is there a need for more? Is it hindering society? 
Week 35- Society, Happiness, and Purpose 
Week 36- Healthcare 
Week 37- Healthcare continued 
Week 38- role model, standards for role models  and celebrity salaries 

Week 39- Relationships
Week 40- Relationships continued
Week 41- Climate Change and Alternatives 


This is NOT a debate class, this is a discussion class. Students are NOT required to read the entire book or article before class. We will solely review a summary of each book/article at the beginning of each class. Based on the student's personal morals, ethics, and any background regarding laws in their area, they will engage in discussions with one another about the central idea presented in each book/article. 

My teaching style is fun, engaging, and student-centered. I enjoy adding animations, pictures, audio, videos, and tangible examples for students to remain engaged. I encourage and promote class discussion (both verbally and in the chatbox features)