ETHC445 Principles of Ethics
Week 1 Discussion
DQ1 Helen's Wisdom of Friends Dilemma
Textbook: Chapter 1, 5, 12 (section: "Introduction"; "The Classical Period"; and Appendix – "Writing about Moral Issues")
Lesson
Minimum of 1 scholarly source
Dilemma
Helen wants to move to a new community, and she is applying for a job with a small retail establishment. She is confident that she is fully qualified and will be able to perform well if she gets the job. The employer, however, has advertised for someone with three years of retail experience, and Helen only has two-and-a-half years. She is considering whether to exaggerate slightly on her resume in order to improve her chances of getting the job.
Helen asks three friends to offer their advice on what she should do.
Henry says, “Go ahead and claim three-and-a-half years of experience; they’re going to be so happy with your work that by the time they check (if they ever do) it won’t matter.”
Jennifer says, “I’m sure you’ll arrive at the best decision on your own; I’ve always known you to be an honest person.”
George says, “It is never all right to lie, even when you are unlikely to get caught and it seems relatively harmless to do so.”
Initial Post Instructions
For the initial post, address all of the following questions relating to the dilemma:
Upon which of the Three Primary Schools of Ethics is each of Helen’s friends relying? Explain your reasoning.
Can you imagine other people using the same approaches to arrive at different kinds of advice? Provide examples.
Do one of these Three Primary Schools of Ethics feel like the style you usually use already? Explain.
Follow-Up Post Instructions
Respond to at least two peers or one peer and the instructor. Further the dialogue by providing more information and clarification.
DQ2 Study of Ethics Philosophy
Textbook: Chapter 1, 5, 12 (section: "Introduction"; "The Classical Period"; and Appendix – "Writing about Moral Issues")
Lesson
Minimum of 1 scholarly source
Introduction
The study of ethics and philosophy is one that brings many different kinds of "thinkers" together. One person's philosophy on ethics is another person's philosophy on evil. We will be working this term on constructing personal ethical bases and understanding how ethical codes (both personal and professional) are created and followed.
To start us thinking about the different areas of philosophy and ethics, and how we fit into the different molds or world views, let's discuss the differences and similarities between these views. To do this, let's look at the role of right and wrong, laws which regulate behavior, principles vs. morality, and the role of ethics in our society.
Initial Post Instructions
For the initial post, address one of the following questions:
Do we need ethics if we have laws? Why or why not?
Examine the issues with changing our own views of ethics based on the situation we are in?
Can we "legislate" ethics? If so, how do you see this happening? If not, what are the obstacles to legislating ethics?
How does Aristotle's "virtue ethics" mirror your ethical view, or how is it different? Make sure to explain your reasoning.
Follow-Up Post Instructions
Respond to at least two peers or one peer and the instructor. Further the dialogue by providing more information and clarification.
ETHC445 Principles of Ethics
Week 2 Discussion
The Struggle of Good vs. Evil
Textbook: Chapter 3, 4, 12 (section: “The Medieval Period”)
Lesson
Minimum of 1 scholarly source
Introduction
Personal struggles with one's own tendencies, desires, lusts, and self-interest have placed people in conflict with other people and their own communities farther back than any of us can read. We read about the struggles of others in history – what about ourselves? Yes, us! What about our experiences of being ourselves? When we look back in history, we find people who are not so different from us – struggling with their human nature – and trying to live ethical lives in whatever way they can do so. They aspire to live ethical lives and find themselves failing again and again.
St. Augustine in the 5th Century held that although we feel free to make choices in life, our true nature as human beings includes a persistent disregard for what is good. On this view, we are sinners whose only hope for redemption lies in the gracious love of a merciful deity. Whatever I do on my own, Augustine would argue, is bound to be wrong; whatever I do right, must be performed by God through me.
St. Thomas Aquinas in the 13th Century brought Aristotle’s theories back into vogue, soon after St. Augustine’s death (if 800 years is soon, that is.) He allowed humanity to have a bit of secularity along with faith, and his ethics allows for a Natural Law, which can be found in the heart of man. Be sure to listen to the audio simulation in this week's lesson before posting in this discussion.
Initial Post Instructions
For the initial post, consider the sophistication and technology of the 21st century. Examine how the medieval account of human nature aligns with your own experience of human action. That is, do you observe (in yourself and others) an inclination toward evil instead of toward good? Explain and analyze your observations. Bring in examples of scenarios that bolster your view or that tend to bring your view (or others) into question.
Follow-Up Post Instructions
Respond to at least two peers or one peer and the instructor. Further the dialogue by providing more information and clarification.
ETHC445 Principles of Ethics
Week 3 Discussion
Living in Our State of Nature
Textbook: Chapter 6, 10, 12 (section: "The Modern Period")
Lesson
Minimum of 1 scholarly source
Introduction
Social contract theorists say that morality consists of a set of rules governing how people should treat one another that rational beings will agree to accept for their mutual benefit, on the condition that others agree to follow these rules as well.
Hobbes runs the logic like this in the form of a logical syllogism:
We are all self-interested.
Each of us needs to have a peaceful and cooperative social order to pursue our interests.
We need moral rules in order to establish and maintain a cooperative social order.
Therefore, self-interest motivates us to establish moral rules.
Hobbes looked to the past to observe a primitive “State of Nature” in which there is no such thing as morality, and that this self-interested human nature was "nasty, brutish, and short" – a kind of perpetual state of warfare.
Locke disagreed, and set forth the view that the state exists to preserve the natural rights of its citizens. When governments fail in that task, citizens have the right – and sometimes the duty – to withdraw their support and even to rebel. Locke addressed Hobbes's claim that the state of nature was the state of war, though he attribute this claim to "some men" not to Hobbes. He refuted it by pointing to existing and real historical examples of people in a state of nature. For this purpose he regarded any people who are not subject to a common judge to resolve disputes, people who may legitimately take action themselves to punish wrong doers, as in a state of nature.
Initial Post Instructions
For the initial post, address the following:
Which philosophy do you espouse?
How much authority should be granted to governments (e.g., the right to kill (death penalty/capital punishment/use of deadly force)? How much would you give up in return for safety?
If you side with Hobbes, do you support at any point recourse if the government violates its own contract (if so, you probably have a bit of Locke in your thinking)?
Follow-Up Post Instructions
Respond to at least two peers or one peer and the instructor. Further the dialogue by providing more information and clarification.
ETHC445 Principles of Ethics
Week 4 Discussion
Kant
Textbook: Chapter 9, 12 (section: "The Ethics of Duty")
Lesson
Minimum of 1 scholarly source
Introduction
Kant’s famous First Formulation of the Categorical Imperative reads, “Act only according to that maxim whereby you can at the same time will that it should become a universal law.” Kant taught morality as a matter of following maxims of living that reflect absolute laws. “Universal” is a term that allows for no exceptions, and what is universal applies always and everywhere. Lying, for any reason, is universally wrong. Be sure to listen to the audio simulation in this week's lesson before posting in this discussion.
Initial Post Instructions
For the initial post, select one of the following scenarios:
Consider the famous case of the Crazed Murderer. In your town the Crazed Murderer comes to your door looking for your friend and wanting to kill him. You know that your friend went home to hide. What do you tell the murderer? When he leaves and runs up the street to your friend’s house, what do you do?
Consider the positions for and against stem cell research. If stem cell research can benefit a large segment of the population (from repairing cells to curing diseases), is it our duty to continue with such research even if there is the potential to abuse such technology? If so, what steps should be taken to prevent such abuses. Apply the Three Primary Schools of Ethics to determine if stem cell research should be allowed or prohibited.
Follow-Up Post Instructions
Respond to at least two peers or one peer and the instructor. Address at least one peer who chose a scenario different from yours. Further the dialogue by providing more information and clarification.
ETHC445 Principles of Ethics
Week 5 Discussion
Dealing With Emergencies and Outcomes
Textbook: Chapter 2, 7, 12 (section: "The Ethics of Consequences"); review Chapter 9 (section: "The Munich Incident"), 10
Lesson
Minimum of 1 scholarly source
Introduction
The principle of utility involves maximizing happiness as a desirable outcome of decisions. Although it does not get directly said, there is an inverse intention to minimize the undesirable outcome of disaster. Utilitarian decisions are directed toward outcomes—that is, the consequences of decisions.
The 1972 Munich Olympics hostage situation was a high-tension moment, full of dangerous surprises and strategies to deal with the situation that did not work out for the best. Among the strategies was the idea to kill the leader of the terrorists so as to disrupt the terrorist plot and to allow a good outcome in which the hostages would be saved. In the situation, it was also entirely possible that a terrible outcome might occur in which all would die. The situation was an emergency.
The German legal system might eventually take the terrorists and their leader to trial, but first there was the need to end the hostage situation. The account in our text ends with, "But it was the lesser of two evils."
Initial Post Instructions
For the initial post, respond to the following as utilitarian ethicists:
How shall we reason through to the decision of the law enforcement authorities at the 1972 Munich Olympics?
How are we to balance protecting people versus allowing people to participate in and enjoy an event? After all, doing away with events entirely would be easier in terms of safety, but most people would say that that "solution" is worse than the problem.
Also, how does one approach dealing with threats in ways that do not alienate or marginalize groups of people? The Olympics bring this to the forefront, as it brings people together from literally all over the world in what is intended to be a welcoming environment.
Follow-Up Post Instructions
Respond to at least two peers or one peer and the instructor. Further the dialogue by providing more information and clarification.
ETHC445 Principles of Ethics
Week 6 Discussion
DQ1 Applying Rand's Objectivism
Textbook: Chapter 8
Lesson
Minimum of 1 scholarly source
Introduction
Ayn Rand’s Objectivist philosophy has been touted by her detractors as the philosophy of self-interested selfishness. Her four epistemological principles include the following:
Metaphysics: Objective reality of the world and the objects in it.
Epistemology: Reason as the one and only key to understanding.
Ethics: Self-interest not only in what behavior is but also what it should be.
Politics: Capitalism through the performance of deeds by individuals who are self-interested.
In the early 1960s, a student asked a spokesman for Objectivism what would happen to the poor in an Objectivist's free society. The spokesman answered, "If you want to help them, you will not be stopped." Based on Rand's works, Atlas Shrugged or The Fountainhead, one will conclude that this would be the answer Ayn would have given to that student as well.
Initial Post Instructions
For the initial post, address all of the following:
What do you conclude from the answer given by the Objectivist spokesperson?
Examine the notion that Objectivism, like moral relativism, is the opposite of ethics. Provide support for your position.
What clue in what she taught leads to your conclusion?
DQ2 Working Conflict Resolution Method
Textbook: Chapter 8
Lesson
Minimum of 1 professional ethics code
Introduction
Different ways to analyze ethical behaviors and dilemmas exist, and many of them will help direct you to the correct or "best" solution to a problem. As we discussed in Week 1, sometimes right vs. right or wrong vs. wrong decisions have to be made.
In the lesson this week, you are given three ethical dilemma resolution models to try out on a dilemma provided there. Please review that interactive before working on this assignment
Initial Post Instructions
For this discussion, address one of the following questions:
Review the sample solution to the Laura Nash method. Do you agree with that analysis? If so, what parts do you think really helped you work through the dilemma? If not, which parts do you not agree with?
Review the sample solution to the Front Page of the Newspaper method. Do you think this is one of those types of dilemmas for which this model works? If not, why not? If so, why? How did using this method help you work through the dilemma?
Review the sample solution to the Blanchard and Peale method. Do you agree with the analysis? If not, why not? If so, in what way did this help you analyze this dilemma?
Be sure to show that you have viewed the lecture and interactive and that you attempted an analysis for "high quality" posts this week.
Follow-Up Post Instructions
Respond to at least two peers or one peer and the instructor. Respond to one peer who chose a different question than you chose. Further the dialogue by providing more information and clarification.
ETHC445 Principles of Ethics
Week 7 Discussion
Business Ethics & the Hovercraft Debacle
Textbook: Chapter 11 (review), 12
Lesson
Link (website): Project Management Institute (PMI) Code of Ethics (Links to an external site.)
Link (website): National Society of Professional Engineers Code of Ethics (Links to an external site.)
Minimum of 1 scholarly source
Introduction
This week, we looked at two ethical codes— one for the Project Management Institute, and one for Engineers. Appropriate professional behavior, practice, and discipline varies among professions and reflects the needs and values of the professional society in question. In this discussion, you will assume professional roles as we work on a fictional scenario.
Scenario
It is 2020, and General Foryota Company opens a plant in which to build a new mass-produced hover-craft. This hover-craft will work using E-85 Ethanol, will travel up to 200 mph, and will reduce pollution worldwide at a rate of 10 percent per year. It is likely that when all automobiles in the industrial world have been changed over to hovercrafts, emission of greenhouse gasses may be so reduced that global warming may end and air quality will become completely refreshed.
However, the downside is that during the transition time, GFC's Hover-Vee (only available in red or black), will most likely put all transportation as we know it in major dissaray. Roadways will no longer be necessary, but new methods of controlling traffic will be required. Further, while the old version of cars are still being used, Hover-vee's will cause accidents, parking issues, and most likely class envy and warfare. The sticker price on the first two models will be about four times that of the average SUV (to about $200,000.) Even so, GFC's marketing futurists have let them know that they will be able to pre-sell their first three years of expected production, with a potential waiting list which will take between 15 and 20 years to fill.
The Chief Engineer (CE) of GFC commissions a study on potential liabilities for the Hover-vees. The preliminary result is that Hover-vees will likely kill or maim humans at an increased rate of double to triple over automobile travel because of collisions and crashes at high speeds -- projected annual death rates of 100,000 to 200,000. However, global warming will end, and the environment will flourish.
The U. S. Government gets wind of the plans. Congress begins to discuss the rules on who can own and operate Hover-vees. GFC's stock skyrockets. The Chief Engineer takes the results of the study to the Chief Legal Counsel (CLC), and together they agree to bury the study, going forward with the production plans. The Chief Project Manager (CPM), who has read the study and agreed to bury it, goes ahead and plans out the project for the company, with target dates and production deadlines.
Our class is a team of young lawyers, project managers, engineers, and congressional aides who are all part of the process of helping get this project off the ground. In fact, according to the first letter of your last name, you are the following team:
A-G: Attorney on the GFC team
H-N: Project Manager on the GFC team
0-S: Engineer on the GFC team
T-Z: Congressional Aide
Somebody sent a secret copy of the report to you at your home address. It has no information in it at all, except for the report showing the proof of the increase in accidents and deaths. The report shows, on its face, that the CE, CLC, CPM, and your Congressional Representative have seen copies of this report. On the front there are these words typed in red: They knew — they buried this. Please save the world!
Each of you feel a very loyal tie to your boss and your company/country. You all have mortgages, and families to feed. It is likely if you blow the whistle on this report, you will lose your job and your livelihood. You're not even sure who wrote the study in your envelope or who actually sent it to you.
Initial Post Instructions
For the initial post, address all of the following:
Utilizing your profession's code of ethics, what would be your first step?
Who would you talk to first?
Would you go to the press?
Would you go to your boss?
Should you do anything at all?
Research professional ethics codes with international scope to see the guidance given for dilemmas such as this.
Follow-Up Post Instructions
Respond to at least two peers (from any team) or one peer and the instructor. Further the dialogue by providing more information and clarification.
ETHC445 Principles of Ethics
Week 8 Discussion
Personal Ethics Statement
Textbook: Review all chapters
Lesson
Minimum of 1 scholarly source
Optional Resources
The following resources may be useful but are not required for this activity:
Link (website): Ring of GygesLinks to an external site. (for those who wish to read the whole story)
Dilemma
One of the great examples of ethics and morals in all of literature comes from Plato who wrote about the Ring of Gyges in The Republic, Book II, starting at paragraph 359a.
The story goes that Gyges was a shepherd in the service of the King. In a most unusual circumstance he came upon a dead man, removed the man's ring, and discovered that it made him invisible. He conspired to take the periodic report of the shepherds to the King - once there he seduced the Queen and eventually took control of the Kingdom by conspiring with the Queen. Plato continues the story:
Suppose now that there were two such magic rings, and the just put on one of them and the unjust the other; no man can be imagined to be of such an iron nature that he would stand fast in justice. No man would keep his hands off what was not his own when he could safely take what he liked out of the market, or go into houses and lie with any one at his pleasure, or kill or release from prison whom he would, and in all respects be like a God among men. Then the actions of the just would be as the actions of the unjust; they would both come at last to the same point. And this we may truly affirm to be a great proof that a man is just, not willingly or because he thinks that justice is any good to him individually, but of necessity, for wherever any one thinks that he can safely be unjust, there he is unjust. For all men believe in their hearts that injustice is far more profitable to the individual than justice, and he who argues as I have been supposing, will say that they are right.
Initial Post Instructions
For this discussion, address the following:
Create a personal ethical philosophy and explain from which philosophies you created it and why the contents are important and meaningful for you. List its precepts.
Take your personal ethical philosophy statement and use it to work through the famous case of the Ring of Gyges. This story raises the question of what sanctions prevent people from just taking any liberties they are inclined to take. The whole subject of ethics, seen in large scale, is that of accepting and living under moral standards.
What would you do if you had that second ring?
What else within this course helps in responding to this fictitious situation or in explaining it?
Follow-Up Post Instructions
Respond to at least two peers or one peer and the instructor. Are they holding true to their own personal ethical philosophies in their resolutions of the dilemma? Further the dialogue by providing more information and clarification.
ETHC445 Principles of Ethics
Week 1 Assignment
Paper Ethical Memoir
Textbook: Chapter 1, 5, 12 (section: "Introduction"; "The Classical Period"; and Appendix – "Writing about Moral Issues")
Lesson
Instructions
Using the ethical memoir from your introductory discussion, compose a paper that describes the moral-ethical dilemma that you encountered and what the outcome of that dilemma was in more detail. This assignment is a revised and extended version of the introductory discussion. Address the following questions:
Did you solve the dilemma? If so, how? If not, what were the repercussions or consequences?
What would you do differently if faced with the same problem today?
What is the importance of good ethics?
Why should we be concerned about our actions?
Remember, the dilemma should be detailed with description and dialogue. Regard the questions as prompts, not an ordering of your responses. This is not a Q&A essay, but rather a graceful reflection regarding a difficult ethical dilemma you faced.
Cite the textbook and incorporate outside sources, including citations.
Writing Requirements (APA format)
Length: 2-3 pages (not including title page or references page)
1-inch margins
Double spaced
12-point Times New Roman font
Title page
References page
ETHC445 Principles of Ethics
Week 2 Assignment
Paper or Presentation – Ethical Dilemma Analysis
Textbook: Chapter 3, 4, 12 (section: “The Medieval Period”)
Lesson
Minimum of 2 scholarly sources
Dilemmas
Review the following ethical dilemmas:
A newspaper columnist signs a contract with a newspaper chain. Several months later, she is offered a position with another newspaper chain, offering a higher salary. Because she would prefer making more money, she notifies the first chain that she is breaking her contract. The courts will decide the legality of her action, but what of the morality? Did the columnist behave ethically?
An airline pilot receives his regular medical checkup. The doctor discovers that he has developed a heart murmur. The pilot only has a month to go before he is eligible for retirement. The doctor knows this and wonders whether, under these unusual circumstances, she is justified in withholding information from the company regarding the pilot's condition.
An office worker has had a record of frequent absence. He has used all his vacation and sick-leave days, and has frequently requested additional leave without pay. His supervisor and co-workers have expressed great frustration because his absenteeism has caused bottlenecks in paperwork, created low morale in the office, and required others to do his work in addition to their own. However, the individual believes he is entitled to take his earned time and additional time off without pay. Is he right?
Rhonda enjoys socializing with fellow employees at work, but their discussions usually consist of gossiping about other people, including several of her friends. At first, Rhonda feels uncomfortable talking in this way about people with whom she has a close relationship; but then she decides it does no real harm, and she feels no remorse for joining in.
Instructions
This is a group activity. Your instructor will assign your group at the beginning of the week. You may wish to meet throughout the week to share ideas. Collaborate with your team, using email, phone meetings, or any collaboration tool you find useful or prefer.
Use the resources assigned for this week and additional research to decide which ethical dilemma you believe is most problematic and why. Address the following:
Apply the ideas of "good vs. evil," "wrong vs. right," and "ought/should be vs. what is."
Determine the ways in which Augustine and Aquinas would have solved the problem. In what ways do Augustine and Aquinas differ and why?
Present your finding as individuals and as a team in one of the following ways:
A written report
An oral presentation (using VoiceThread or a PowerPoint narrated slide show)
Writing Requirements (APA format)
Length: 2-3 pages (not including title page or references page)
1-inch margins
Double spaced
12-point Times New Roman font
Title page
References page (minimum of 2 scholarly sources)
ETHC445 Principles of Ethics
Week 4 Assignment
Paper & Presentation – Greater Good Analysis
Textbook: review previous chapters
Lesson
Minimum of 2 scholarly sources
Dilemmas
Review the following dilemmas:
The Mayor of a large city was given a free membership in an exclusive golf club by people who have received several city contracts. He also accepted gifts from organizations that have not done business with the City, but might in the future. The gifts ranged from $200 tickets to professional sports events to designer watches and jewelry.
A college instructor is pursuing her doctorate in night school. To gain extra time for her own studies, she gives her students the same lectures, the same assignments, and the same examinations semester after semester without the slightest effort to improve them.
Todd and Edna have been married for three years. They have had serious personal problems. Edna is a heavy drinker, and Todd cannot keep a job. Also, they have bickered and fought constantly since their marriage. Deciding that the way to overcome their problems is to have a child, they stop practicing birth control, and Edna becomes pregnant.
Instructions
This is a group activity. You will work in the same groups as before. You may wish to meet throughout the week to share ideas. Collaborate with your team, using email, phone meetings, or any collaboration tool you find useful or prefer.
For this assignment, addresses each dilemma in this assignment. For each dilemma, address the following:
Identify the consequences of the actions taken
Determine whether the actions taken represented a greater good, who would benefit from the good, and whether the consequences ethically justify the decisions and actions.
How would Locke have addressed or solved the problem? You may also address whether or not your team agrees with Locke and, if not, state how you would address it differently. Be sure to explain your reasoning.
Your group will submit both of the following:
A written reportthat discusses all three ethical dilemmas in depth (Be sure to give equal time to each dilemma.)
An oral presentation (using VoiceThreador a PowerPoint narrated slide show) that summarizes the report and examines the ethical ideas beyond the particulars of the dilemmas.
Writing Requirements (APA format)
Length: 2-3 pages (not including title page or references page)
1-inch margins
Double spaced
12-point Times New Roman font
Title page
References page (minimum of 2 scholarly sources)
ETHC445 Principles of Ethics
Week 6 Assignment
Memo – You Decide
Textbook: Chapter 8; review previous chapters
Lesson
Link (file): Memo TemplatePreview the document
You Decide (See page in Week 6)
Minimum of 2 scholarly sources
Instructions
This assignment presents a difficult and painful medical dilemma, with you in an imagined professional role. Go through the You Decide scenario and make the decision it calls for. Then, compose an official memorandum that will be kept for the record and could potentially be read not only by your Peer Review Committee but also by those involved in charitable fundraising, which supports hospital development, as well as by others with financial interests in the decision.
In the memo (use the Memo Template), explain your decision and your reasoning for it. Include the following:
Who benefits from what you decided? Explain why.
Who gets denied a needed benefit? Explain why.
You will see notice that there is time pressure in the simulated situation, so remember that you would not have the luxury to dawdle in the decision-making process, and as the decision maker, you would not have the luxury of consulting a broad spectrum of advisors. It falls on you to decide!
Include in the memo the utilitarian ethical philosophy of John Stuart Mill (from the lesson last week) and one other ethical philosopher of your choosing that we have studied to date. Use both of those philosophies to bolster your decision.
Writing Requirements (APA format)
Length: 2-3 pages (not including title page or references page)
1-inch margins
Double spaced
12-point Times New Roman font
Title page
References page (minimum of 2 scholarly sources)
ETHC445 Principles of Ethics
Week 8 Assignment
Paper & Presentation – Reflective Assessment
Textbook: Review all chapters
Lesson
Minimum of 1 scholarly source
Introduction
You began this session considering a moral-ethical dilemma you yourself faced that you either resolved or failed to resolve, but hopefully learned from. You may never have given much thought to ethical theory nor what ethical premises/paradigms you have unconsciously held.
Instructions
Now that you have had an opportunity to explore ethics formally, create a reflective assessment of your learning experience and the collaborations you engaged in throughout this session. You will submit both of the following:
A written reflection
An oral presentation using VoiceThread or a PowerPoint narrated slide show. If you choose to do a VoiceThread, be sure to submit the link to the VoiceThread and make it so the instructor is authorized to view it. If you need help in doing so, please call the Chamberlain help desk for aid.
For the written reflection, revisit your ethical memoir and address the following:
What ethical theory best applies to your experience?
Which significant author you have studied most speaks to your own ethical paradigm as you are (re)forming it now?
If you did not resolve your ethical dilemma when you experienced it, what would you do now and why?
For the oral presentation, briefly summarize your memoire and explore your process of transformation in this course.
Discuss your experiences of the course, your beginnings and where you are now. Consider your interaction in discussions and groups.
Are we a society of learners who greatly benefit from interactions?
Or are we islands, whose individual systems and beliefs are exclusive to ourselves?
Writing Requirements (APA format)
Length: 1.5-2 pages (not including title page or references page)
1-inch margins
Double spaced
12-point Times New Roman font
Title page
References page (minimum of 1 scholarly source)
ETHC445 Principles of Ethics
Week 3 Course Project Milestone Proposal
Textbook: review previous chapters
Lesson
Minimum of 1 scholarly source
Introduction
This week, we will begin the course project that will be due in Week 7. Review the full instructions for the Course Project (located in Week 7) before working on this milestone activity.
The project has 3 milestones:
Week 3: Proposal
Week 5: Annotated Bibliography
Week 7: Final Paper
Instructions
This week, create a proposal that references 1 scholarly source for the research project you intend to complete.
Locate and describe a central controversy that requires deft and subtle handling.
Include an introduction and thesis (that would work for the Week 7 Course Project) to the best extent that you know it at this point in time.
A title page is not needed.
Writing Requirements (APA format)
Length: 1-2 pages (not including references page)
1-inch margins
Double spaced
12-point Times New Roman font
References page (minimum of 1 scholarly source)
ETHC445 Principles of Ethics
Week 5 Course Project Milestone Annotated Bibliography
Textbook: review all chapters
Lesson
Minimum of 5 scholarly sources (This includes the source from Week 3 Proposal.)
Instructions
Create a complete annotated bibliography for 5 academic scholarly sources (including your source from Week 3). Include the following:
Introduction and thesis for your paper (to the best extent as you know it at this time)
Publication details
Annotation (a detailed reading of the source)
The annotation section should include the following:
Summarize key points and identify key terms (using quotation marks, and citing a page in parentheses).
Describe the controversies or "problems" raised by the articles.
State whether you agree or disagree and give reasons.
Locate one or two quotations to be used in the final research project.
Evaluate the ways in which this article is important and has helped you focus your understanding.
Example Publication
APA Reference
Mezirow, J. (2003). Transformative learning as discourse. Journal of Transformative Education, 1(1), 58-63.
Annotation Example
In this article, Mezirow (2003) makes a distinction between "instrumental" and "communicative" learning. "Instrumental learning" refers to those processes which measure and gage learning, such as tests, grades, comments, quizzes, attendance records and the like. "Communicative learning," on the other hand, refers to understanding created over time between individuals in what Mezirow calls "critical-dialectical-discourse," (p. 59) which is a fancy way of saying, important conversation between 2 or more speakers. Another key idea Mezirow discusses is "transformative learning," (p. 61) which changes the mind, the heart, the values and beliefs of people so that they may act better in the world. Mezirow argues that "hungry, desperate, homeless, sick, destitute, and intimidated people obviously cannot participate fully and freely in discourse" (p. 59). On the one hand, he is right: there are some people who cannot fully engage because their crisis is so long and deep, they are prevented. But, I don't think Mezirow should make the blanket assumption that everyone in unfortunate circumstances is incapable of entering the discourse meaningfully. One thing is certain: if we gave as much attention to the non-instrumental forms of intelligence--like goodness, compassion, forgiveness, wonder, self-motivation, creativity, humor, love, and other non-measured forms of intelligence in our school curriculums, we'd see better people, actors in the world, and interested investigators than we currently have graduating high school.
Writing Requirements (APA format)
Length: 1-2 paragraphs per annotation
1-inch margins
Double spaced
12-point Times New Roman font
Title page
ETHC445 Principles of Ethics
Week 7 Course Project Milestone Final Paper
Minimum of 5 scholarly sources (This includes the sources from the annotated bibliography. Additional sources may be included as appropriate.)
Instructions
This week you will submit your final paper.
The paper should include the following:
Create your own 4-6 paragraph "dilemma” based on the controversial topic you chose in Week 3.
Summarize the dilemma.
Identify the key points of the dilemma.
Define the key terms associated with the dilemma.
Analyze the conflicts or controversies involved in the dilemma.
Provide an original point of view relative to the dilemma and the issue it signals.
Apply Kant’s Categorical Imperative to the dilemma.
Apply one other method you have encountered in lecture material and the readings.
State which of the two methods you selected you prefer and why.
Use the 5 articles from your annotated bibliography. (Additional academic scholarly research from the past 5 years can be included as well.)
Include a reference page at the end of your paper in APA format that includes your bibliography with the annotations removed and any other sources used in your final paper.
Paragraphs
Paragraphs are composed around topics, which naturally and organically emerge from a complex, focused, and sophisticated thesis.
Each paragraph explores one topic and one topic only.
Topics directly relate to the thesis and are not theses in and of themselves.
The paragraph completely and fully develops and explains the topic and provides details, examples, illustrations, and quotations from research as well as from the primary texts.
Topics and paragraphs rise above commonplace thinking and summary.
Quoted material is used powerfully to support analytical points (and not as padding).
There is a graceful transition to the next paragraph.
The ideas explored are significant, substantive, and instructive.
Ideas/topics support the overarching thesis so that the paper is a unified whole, and not a concatenation of appended mini-essays.
Grammar/Mechanics/Style
Grammar refers to the correct usage of Standard American English.
Mechanics refers to idiomatic conventions (capitalization of proper nouns, spelling, and punctuation).
Style refers to persuasiveness, sophistication, wit, and transcendent quality.
Sentences should be varied in length and complexity without loss of clarity or precision of meaning.
Style makes a paper a pleasure to read.
Writing Requirements (APA format)
Length: 8-10 pages (not including title page or references page)
1-inch margins
Double spaced
12-point Times New Roman font
Title page
References page (minimum of 5 scholarly resources – remove annotations; format hanging indents)
Pagination (upper right of the page)
