Utilitarian alternatives to Act Utilitarianism

One problem for any utilitarian alternative to act utilitarianism, such as rule utilitarianism, is the feeling that act utilitarianism is the most natural form of utilitarianism. Other forms seen unmotivated, inconsistent, or irrational. This argument is found in Smart, Foot and Slote. It turns on the assumption that utilitarianism must be motivated by the "teleological motivation", the idea that one must derive one's entire moral theory from the notion of the good. I respond that act utilitarianism itself has a problem from the point of view of the teleological motivation, a problem solved, surprisingly, by several utilitarian alternatives including rule utilitarianism.     

Research on Teaching the Psychology of Women

Research into the impact of psychology of women courses (and women's studies, generally) has been conducted only infrequently. The literature consists largely of anecdotal reports of changes in attitudes toward women as a function of participating in such courses. Existing quantitative studies are usually limited to measures of pre-course to post-course attitude changes, and occasionally such changes are related to demographic factors. The purpose of this article is to review current studies and to suggest additional research approaches in this area. At least three methods are recommended for studying the effect of psychology of women courses. First, there is a need for comparative studies of two types: psychology of women course vs. other course comparisons, and psychology of women course vs. other related experiences (consciousness-raising groups, feminist therapy, etc.). Second, there is a need for follow-up assessment of students in these courses. Finally, in both the comparative and follow-up studies, behavioral measures should be used.