Ethics & Society 1

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Philosophy 1320: Ethics and Society 5

Academic Semester/Term: 2021 Fall 6

Aug. 23, 2021 – Dec. 10, 2021 7

15021 - PHIL 1320 – 023 8

12870 - PHIL 1320 – 049 9

16367 - PHIL 1320 - D01 10

Fully Distance Education—No campus visits 11

Asynchronous Instruction: There will be weekly deadlines, but students will not be required to 12

attend any scheduled events or class meetings, online or offline. 13

Open Educational Resources (OER) No textbook purchase required 14

Course description (from catalog): Study of ethics, its recent focus on social problems and new fields 15

of inquiry, including environmental ethics, ethics in business, professions, technology and sport. Also 16

such global issues as poverty, minority rights, and stem cell research. Emphasis on development and 17

application of principles of critical thinking and moral reasoning. 18

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PHILOSOPHY 1320: ETHICS AND SOCIETY ............................................................................................ 1 20

COURSE INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................... 3 21

Contact Info ............................................................................................................................................. 3 22

Zoom Office Hours ............................................................................................................................................... 3 23

University Core Statements........................................................................................................................ 4 24

Learning Outcomes ................................................................................................................................... 5 25

Online Course Requirements ...................................................................................................................... 6 26

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Course Policies .......................................................................................................................................... 7 27

ASSIGNMENT GUIDELINES ................................................................................................................................. 8 28

Summary Guidelines ................................................................................................................................. 9 29

Dilemma Guidelines ................................................................................................................................ 11 30

Application Guidelines ............................................................................................................................. 15 31

WEEKLY ASSIGNMENT ARCHIVE ........................................................................................................................17 32

With Quick-Scan Deadlines ................................................................................................................................. 17 33

Assignment 01: Week One Orientation and Introduction ..............................................................................17 34

Wed. Aug. 25 / Thu. Aug. 26 ................................................................................................................................ 17 35

Assignment 02: Week Two - Demonstrating Habits of Careful Scholarship .................................................... 20 36

Wed. Sep. 1 / Thu. Sep. 2 ..................................................................................................................................... 20 37

Assignment 03: Week Three - First Summary of Ethical Teachings ............................................................... 22 38

Wed. Sep. 8 / Thu. Sep. 9 ..................................................................................................................................... 22 39

Assignment 04: Week Four – A Dilemma in the News.................................................................................. 24 40

Wed. Sep. 15 / Thu. Sep. 16.................................................................................................................................. 24 41

Assignment 05: Week Five - Second Summary of Ethical Teachings ............................................................. 27 42

Weds. Sep. 22 / Thurs. Sep. 23 ............................................................................................................................. 27 43

Assignment 06: Week Six - Application of One Summary to One Dilemma in the News .................................. 30 44

Weds. Sep. 29 / Thur. Sep. 30............................................................................................................................... 30 45

Assignment 07: Week Seven - Third Summary of Ethical Teachings .............................................................. 31 46

Weds. Oct. 6 / Thur. Oct. 7 ................................................................................................................................... 31 47

Assignment 08: Week Eight - Fourth Summary of Ethical Teachings............................................................. 33 48

Weds. Oct. 13 / Thur. Oct. 14 ............................................................................................................................... 33 49

Assignment 09: Week Nine – Another Dilemma in the News ........................................................................ 35 50

Wed. Oct. 20 / Thu. Oct. 21 .................................................................................................................................. 35 51

Assignment 10: Week 10 – Fifth Summary of Ethical Teachings ................................................................... 38 52

Weds. Oct. 27 / Thur. Oct. 28 ............................................................................................................................... 38 53

Assignment 11: Week Eleven - Application of One Summary to One Dilemma in the News ............................. 40 54

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Weds. Nov. 3 / Thur. Nov. 4 ................................................................................................................................. 40 55

Assignment 12: Week 12 - Summary of Ethical Teachings ........................................................................... 42 56

Weds. Nov. 10 / Thur. Nov. 11 .............................................................................................................................. 42 57

Assignment 13: Week 13 – Personal Summary of Ethical Values or Principles ................................................ 44 58

Weds. Nov. 17 / Thur. Nov. 18 .............................................................................................................................. 44 59

Assignment 14: Week 14 – Extra Credit Report on Philosophy Dialogues of Ethical Topics .............................. 46 60

Tue. Nov. 23 ....................................................................................................................................................... 46 61

Assignment 15: FINAL - Trending Dilemmas in The News ............................................................................ 46 62

Thu. Dec. 9 ......................................................................................................................................................... 46 63

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Course Introduction 65

Course section number, classroom, & meeting time: 66

15021 - PHIL 1320 – 023 67

12870 - PHIL 1320 – 049 68

16367 - PHIL 1320 - D01 69

Fully Distance Education—No campus visits 70

Asynchronous Instruction: There will be weekly deadlines, but students will not be required to 71

attend any scheduled events or class meetings, online or offline. 72

Open Educational Resources (OER) No textbook purchase required 73

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Contact Info 75

Instructor: Russell G Moses (Dr Mo) 76

Communication: Please communicate with your instructor, Dr. Mo, via email: [email protected] and 77

communications will be answered within 24 hours during weekdays. 78

Zoom Office Hours: Tue, Wed, Thu 5:00-6:00 PM Central (check CANVAS Announcements for a 79

link). Waiting Room will be enabled to ensure privacy of conversations. 80

Instructor’s Email: [email protected] 81

mailto:[email protected]

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Departmental phone: email preferred 82

Instructor’s office: Comal 115A (however, the instructor will be working online, not from the office) 83

Names & email addresses of TA’s, GA’s, laboratory assistants, graders, and supplemental instructors: 84

There are no TA’s, assistants, or graders for this course; the instructor will do all the grading. 85

University Core Statements 86

Mission: Texas State University is a doctoral-granting, student-centered institution dedicated to 87

excellence and innovation in teaching, research, including creative expression, and service. The 88

university strives to create new knowledge, to embrace a diversity of people and ideas, to foster 89

cultural and economic development, and to prepare its graduates to participate fully and freely as 90

citizens of Texas, the nation, and the world. 91

Shared Values: In pursuing our mission, we, the faculty, staff, and students of Texas State University, 92

are guided by a shared collection of values: 93

• Teaching and learning based on research, student involvement, and the free exchange of ideas 94

in a supportive environment; 95

• Research and creative activities that encompass the full range of academic disciplines—96

research with relevance, from the sciences to the arts, from the theoretical to the applied; 97

• The cultivation of character, integrity, honesty, civility, compassion, fairness, respect, and 98

ethical behavior in all members of our university community; 99

• A diversity of people and ideas, a spirit of inclusiveness, a global perspective, and a sense of 100

community as essential conditions for campus life; 101

• A commitment to service and leadership for the public good; 102

• Responsible stewardship of our resources and environment; and 103

• Continued reflection and evaluation to ensure that our strengths as a community always 104

benefit those we serve. 105

Campus Health, Wellness, and Safety: 106

• Reminder on 10 Guiding Principles for Health, Safety, and Wellness at Texas State, 107

including requirement to wear a cloth face covering and perform a self-assessment each day 108

before coming to campus. 109

• Importance of the Bobcat Pledge, including the shared responsibility to practice healthy 110

behaviors and follow the health and safety guidelines, which shows respect for others and 111

helps prevent the spread of COVID-19 on campus and in the surrounding community. 112

• Link to the Student Roadmap for more information on students’ return to campus. 113

https://www.txstate.edu/coronavirus/road-map/health-and-safety-measures.html

https://www.txstate.edu/coronavirus/road-map/face-coverings-masks.html

https://www.txstate.edu/coronavirus/road-map/self-assessment.html

https://www.txstate.edu/coronavirus/road-map/bobcat-pledge.html

https://www.txstate.edu/coronavirus/road-map/student-roadmap.html

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Statement on Civility and Compliance in the Classroom: Civility in the classroom is very important 114

for the educational process and it is everyone’s responsibility. If you have questions about appropriate 115

behavior in a particular class, please address them with your instructor first. Disciplinary procedures 116

may be implemented for refusing to follow an instructor’s directive, refusing to leave the classroom, 117

not following the university’s requirement to wear a cloth face covering, not complying with social 118

distancing or sneeze and cough etiquette, and refusing to implement other health and safety measures 119

as required by the university. Additionally, the instructor, in consultation with the department 120

chair/school director, may refer the student to the Office of the Dean of Students for further 121

disciplinary review. Such reviews may result in consequences ranging from warnings to sanctions 122

from the university. For more information regarding conduct in the classroom, please review the 123

following policies at AA/PPS 02.03.02, Section 03: Courteous and Civil Learning Environment, and 124

Code of Student Conduct, number II, Responsibilities of Students, Section 02.02: Conduct Prohibited. 125

Emergency Management: In the event of an emergency, students, faculty, and staff should monitor 126

the Safety and Emergency Communications web page. This page will be updated with the latest 127

information available to the university, in addition to providing links to information concerning 128

safety resources and emergency procedures. Faculty, staff, and students are encouraged to sign up for 129

the TXState Alert system. 130

Sexual Misconduct Reporting (SB 212): Effective January 2, 2020, state law (SB 212) requires all 131

university employees, acting in the course and scope of employment, who witness or receive 132

information concerning an incident of sexual misconduct involving an enrolled student or employee 133

to report all relevant information known about the incident to the university's Title IX Coordinator 134

or Deputy Title IX coordinator. According to SB 212, employees who knowingly fail to report or 135

knowingly file a false report shall be terminated in accordance with university policy and The Texas 136

State University System Rules and Regulations. 137

Learning Outcomes 138

General Education Core Curriculum (Code 040) 139

Language, Philosophy and Culture Component Outcomes 140

Students will explore behavior and interactions among individuals, groups, institutions, and 141

events, examining their impact on the individual, society, and culture. 142

Core Objectives/Competencies Outcomes: 143

Critical Thinking 144

Students will demonstrate creative thinking, innovation, inquiry, and analysis, 145

evaluation and synthesis of information. 146

Communication 147

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Students will effectively develop, interpret and express ideas through written, oral 148

and visual communication. 149

Social Responsibility 150

Students will demonstrate intercultural competence, knowledge of civic 151

responsibility, and the ability to engage effectively in regional, national, and global 152

communities. 153

Personal Responsibility 154

Students will relate choices, actions and consequences to ethical decision-making 155

Departmental Learning Outcomes for Phil 1320: 156

1) After completion of Phil 1320, students will be able to demonstrate improvement in 157

critical thinking skills. 158

2) After completion of PHIL 1320, students will be able to demonstrate improvement in their 159

understanding of the major approaches to ethics and their application to contemporary moral 160

problems in society. 161

Additional instructor course outcomes (optional): 162

• Students will learn how to research the history of ethical principles and values through active 163

critical inquiry into “primary source texts of ethical teachings,” learning how to distinguish 164

such materials from secondary source materials, encyclopedias, commentaries, summaries, 165

etc. 166

• Students will learn how to carefully document source materials according to standards of 167

professional scholarship. 168

• Students will learn how to fairly represent ethical teachings from a variety of cultures and 169

historical periods. 170

• Students will learn how to formally present dilemmas of ethical choice between options of 171

action relevant to contemporary individuals and groups. 172

• Students will learn how to test the relevance of ethical values and principles to contemporary 173

ethical dilemmas through deliberations structured around formal application exercises. 174

• As a result, students will develop a critical, scholarly context for creating and assessing values 175

and principles that may be critically evaluated and applied to personal and social life before 176

us. 177

Online Course Requirements 178

This is an online-only course. Please make sure you are ready for online-only education: 179

Do you have access to the technology required? 180

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• Have you considered the time-management skills that are required? 181

• Here is a handy self-assessment: https://ready.distancelearning.txstate.edu/ 182

• You may access CANVAS via internet browser or mobile app. To access CANVAS via internet 183

browser, CHROME is recommended, FIREFOX is compatible; however, the following 184

browsers do not work well: MS EXPLORER and SAFARI. 185

• Here is the student guide to CANVAS: 186

https://community.canvaslms.com/docs/DOC-10701-canvas-student-guide-table-of-contents 187

• If you are having difficulty with CANVAS functionality, please contact CANVAS support: 188

https://itac.txstate.edu/support/canvas 189

Course Policies 190

Syllabus: The complete syllabus is available for download under the CANVAS course main “Files” 191

menu. Relevant sections of the syllabus will also be posted separately under “Files” and “Discussions.” 192

Readings will be found via internet links at courselinks.cc (no registration or login required) or in the 193

library’s electronic materials (login required). No textbook purchase is required. For orientation on 194

how to evaluate links and carefully cite electronic sources according to MLA style, 195

see: Lesson "00 – Scholarship and Style” at courselinks.cc 196

Schedule of Weekly Assignments will be found below and will be organized at the CANVAS course 197

site in a series of Discussions labeled by Week. 198

Late penalties: 199

Assignments are usually due at midnight 11:59 pm on the due date listed. A letter grade 200

deduction will apply to late assignments, at the rate of one letter grade per day, beginning 201

after midnight, usually 12:01 a.m. Weekly Discussions will be locked at Sunday midnight; 202

after that, late work will no longer be accepted. 203

Comments on the work of three other students are also usually due at midnight a day or two 204

after the assignment due date. Missing or insufficient comments will suffer a penalty of 10 205

points each. Comments more than a day late will suffer a five-point penalty for the first day 206

late. After that, late comments will not be counted. 207

Academic Honesty is a matter of taking responsibility for the role you play in your own education. 208

This means preparing yourself and doing your part to establish a healthy educational learning 209

experience for everyone. Texas State University has an honor code, which you may review here: 210

http://www.dos.txstate.edu/handbook/rules/honorcode.html 211

Religious Holy Days: A full statement of university policy is available on-line: 212

http://www.txstate.edu/effective/UPPS/UPPS-02-06-01.HTML 213

https://ready.distancelearning.txstate.edu/

https://community.canvaslms.com/docs/DOC-10701-canvas-student-guide-table-of-contents

https://itac.txstate.edu/support/canvas

http://www.dos.txstate.edu/handbook/rules/honorcode.html

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Classroom Civility in online-only communication: Please make a special effort to strike a tone of 214

respect and support. Also, be mindful of privacy issues. What students share online in the context of 215

the class stays online in the context of the class. What students may know about each other offline 216

stays offline. 217

The Course Grade will be determined by adding up points from weekly Assignments. Each 218

Assignment will be worth 100 points. The final grade will be determined on the basis of a percentage 219

of the final total: 90% =A; 80%=B; 70%=C; 60%=D; 50% or lower=F. Students may check grading 220

status at the CANVAS course Gradebook. For a discussion of late penalties that may be applied to 221

each Assignment, please see discussion of Assignments and Comments under the late penalties 222

section above. 223

Accessibility: Your well-being and success in this course are important to me. I recognize that there 224

are *multiple* ways to learn and that this multiplicity should be acknowledged in the design and 225

structure of university courses and the evaluation of their participants. Thus, I encourage students 226

registered in the course to communicate their learning styles and comprehension requirements. 227

Every student is entitled to a meaningful and stimulating learning experience. Disabled students are 228

also strongly encouraged to avail themselves of the services provided by the campus Office of 229

Disability Services (ODS: www.ods.txstate.edu) including the provision of note-takers, extra time for 230

assignments, transcribers, and sign-language interpreters. Official letters from ODS are welcome. 231

Academic Assistance is available at: 232

• the Student Learning Assistance Center (SLAC) www.txstate.edu/slac/ 233

• and the Writing Center www.writingcenter.txstate.edu/ 234

Assignment Guidelines 235

Before we get started, are you wondering, what is ethics? What are values and principles? 236

Ben Benjamin, PhD offers a concise overview at: 237

https://www.massagetoday.com/articles/10521/Ethics-Values-and-Principles 238

Values can be named in one word (“honesty”). Principles are stated in sentence form (“We 239

will be honest at all times”). Please see the TXST “Shared Values” statement above or online. 240

Do you share the values? 241

Also, please make sure that your schedule and computer access will not impede your progress 242

in this course. 243

Where documentation of sources is required, please get started at the courselinks.cc page on 244

Lesson 00-Scholarship and Style under the Study Topics menu. 245

http://www.txstate.edu/slac/

http://www.writingcenter.txstate.edu/

https://www.massagetoday.com/articles/10521/Ethics-Values-and-Principles

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After our first-week introduction, assignments will be formally organized as Summaries, 246

Dilemmas, or Applications: 247

1. A Summary presents worthwhile ethical teachings from one “primary source text of 248

ethical teaching” that you will find linked to course resources at courselinks.cc or via 249

library search. 250

2. A Dilemma presents one problematic situation that calls for ethical deliberation. For 251

the purposes of this course, a “genuine ethical dilemma” presents a choice (a) between 252

two preliminary options for action, (b) where the choice is forced between options, 253

because they cannot both be carried out, and (c) where each option has some ethical 254

credibility or worthiness expressed in terms of ethical values or principles, but it is 255

difficult to determine which option constitutes the better ethical course of action. 256

3. An Application of summary to dilemma will explore how ethical teachings, presented 257

in a summary, would affect deliberation toward a difficult choice between two 258

options, as presented in a dilemma. Before starting work on an Application exercise, 259

please be sure that you have selected a Summary to apply to a Dilemma. 260

Summary Guidelines 261

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SUMMARY of Ethical Teachings from “One Primary Source Text” 263

A summary of ethical teachings presents ethical values or ethical principles for guiding human 264

actions or purposes. Material for a summary will be found in one “primary source text of ethical 265

teachings” taken from course readings. For an overview of how “primary source text” is defined, see 266

Assignment “00–Scholarship and Style” at courselinks.cc. The usual summary will be five paragraphs 267

(of at least five sentences each), with MLA style citations and work(s) cited. 268

In a summary of ethical teachings, the writer does not mention anything about a dilemma that is to 269

be deliberated. Neither does the writer take any strong position on the validity of the teaching. This 270

is just the place to listen with care and to learn from the ethical teachings of one primary source text. 271

Unless otherwise noted, a summary must be taken from course materials covered since the last 272

summary. 273

Minimum grading criteria: a summary of ethical teachings will be at least five paragraphs of five 274

sentences each, including at least three direct quotes, properly cited, with work cited. 275

Course requirements for MLA citations: 276

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Each direct quote from a “primary source text of ethical teachings” must be followed by a 277

required (parenthetical) in-text citation, and the in-text citation should include location 278

information where available. Since we are working with internet sources, location 279

information will often not come in the form of page numbers; however, locations should be 280

identified if the text is marked with book number, chapter number, section number, verse, 281

paragraph number, etc. If paragraphs are not numbered, you do not need to count them. 282

At the end of your assignment, you are required to list your work(s) cited by placing the 283

work(s) cited after the last paragraph of the assignment. For further reminders about “primary 284

source texts,” MLA style, and course rules see “00–Scholarship and Style” at courselinks.cc. 285

Some MLA style requirements may vary at the discretion of your grader. Please remember 286

that if the name of a person comes first in the work cited, it must be the name of the author, 287

not the editor, translator, or webmaster. 288

In summaries, direct quotes are required: for the purpose of this short assignment, a quote should be 289

one complete sentence that expresses a value or principle to guide ethical assessment of human 290

actions or purposes. The sentence should be carefully selected from a primary source text that offers 291

ethical guidelines for human actions or purposes. Do not use Wikipedia or other encyclopedic sources 292

here. Review guidelines for identifying “primary source texts” at “Lesson 00: On Scholarship and 293

Style” at courselinks.cc 294

For formal clarity, prepare a summary according to the following five paragraph template: paragraph 295

numbers are not required for summaries. 296

1. Introduction paragraph: Set the stage. What is the purpose of this short paper? Which 297

“primary source text of ethical teaching” will be summarized? (Make sure it’s not an 298

encyclopedia!) Who is the author? 299

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2. Second paragraph: begin to develop the main task. Present the first required quotation (of 301

your choosing) and discuss in your own words what you take the teaching to mean. 302

(Make sure you don’t refer to a dilemma!). Please be sure to introduce your quote, present 303

the direct quote, and discuss the meaning of the quote. The direct quote should be 304

embedded in a presentation that leads the reader toward the quote and helps the reader 305

understand why it has been selected as a worthwhile ethical teaching. For all body 306

paragraphs, a wholesome paragraph will be five sentences, and the quote will fall in the 307

second or third sentence, not the first or last. 308

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3. Third paragraph: continue to develop the main task. Present the second quote, etc. 310

(Remember, every quote requires an in-text citation in parentheses, with location 311

information when available, such as bk., ch., par., p.) 312

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4. Fourth paragraph: complete the main task. Present the third quote, etc. 314

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5. Fifth paragraph: conclusion. Summarize your overall findings. Considered all together, 316

what does the text teach us about ways to guide human purposes and actions? Your 317

conclusion should be specific in reference to the actual key teachings presented in the 318

materials covered, with at least one key term recovered per body paragraph. Beware of 319

using vague or general terms instead of precise, actual terms used in the primary source 320

text. Please remember, the purpose of the exercise is to listen carefully and fairly 321

represent the teachings of a primary source text. 322

Dilemma Guidelines 323

DILEMMA for ethical deliberation 324

General Guidelines: A Dilemma presents a problematic situation that calls for ethical 325

deliberation (a) between two preliminary options for action, (b) where the choice is forced 326

between options, because they cannot both be carried out, and (c) where each option has 327

some ethical credibility or worthiness expressed in terms of ethical values or principles, but 328

it is difficult to determine which option constitutes the better ethical course of action. 329

Depending upon the assignment, dilemmas may focus on discrete cases or general trends, and the 330

primary agent may be an individual or a group. Nevertheless, a dilemma preserves the three 331

parameters listed above: two options for action, forced choice, and balanced ethical credibility, 332

yielding a problematic situation where ethical deliberation is required. 333

Dilemmas should reflect some relevant, contemporary predicament that presents some possible 334

choice concerning “mature” experience going forward. Agents confronting choices should be college 335

graduates or older, at a calendar date no older than this week. Any dilemma that presents an 336

individual agent prior to college graduation or which presents options that have been resolved in 337

some time past will be subject to a 25 percent penalty. 338

Presentation of a formal dilemma includes a well-developed paragraph (paragraph two) that sets the 339

scene leading up to presentation of options for deliberation. 340

Note: a genuine ethical dilemma is different from knowing very well what is ethical but facing an 341

enticing—and clearly unethical—temptation. In other words, the ethical credibility of each option in 342

a dilemma should have nearly equal weight. If you find yourself using terms like cheat, lie, or steal to 343

describe a course of action, there is a high probability that there is a low level of ethical difficulty in 344

the dilemma, and the grade will suffer accordingly. 345

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Show the ethical difficulty of the deliberation facing the agent by presenting at least two preliminary 346

options for action. Explain why each option has ethical credibility, expressed in terms of ethical 347

values or ethical principles (not cost-benefit payoffs that can be calculated quite apart from any 348

ethical reflection). Discuss why it appears to be ethically difficult to choose between the options. For 349

clarity of formal presentation, label these preliminary options (a) and (b) as indicated in the five-350

paragraph template below. 351

Dilemma exercises developed for this course should not indicate which option is or should be chosen. 352

That will be the subject of an application exercise. So be sure to stop the action at the moment of 353

choice, but prior to any decision or course of action. For clarity of formal presentation end the 354

dilemma with a question that rehearses the preliminary options which lie ahead. Where do we go 355

from here? 356

Minimum grading criteria call for five paragraphs in MLA style, with citations provided when 357

appropriate (for example, wherever the writer makes reference to public facts that can be 358

documented or when the writer draws upon dilemma materials published elsewhere). Personal 359

choice dilemmas commonly do not require documentation. Dilemmas that involve social choices 360

should document evidence of research into social behaviors or trends. 361

Ethical Dilemma Cases: In a “me dilemma” the primary agent is an individual facing an ethical choice 362

of a personal or professional nature. The agent asks, “what will I do?” In a “we dilemma” the primary 363

agent is a large group (at least as large as a town or town-sized corporation) facing an ethical choice of 364

collective action. In a “we dilemma” the question is “what will we do?” 365

In a “Me Dilemma,” an individual agent is facing a personal or professional choice. (Remember, the 366

agent must be a college graduate or older.) Imagine the scenario. Give the primary agent a name. 367

Name the major players or entities that are involved. Describe the particular actions and events that 368

have led to the need for some difficult ethical choice on the agent’s part. This exercise encourages 369

students to creatively preview difficult ethical choices that may confront them in life after 370

graduation, whether in the realm of the workplace, family, or personal relationships. If it is important 371

to your educational objectives (if you want this course to be directly related to your major) be sure to 372

consider professionals who are qualified in your major field of study facing individual choices that are 373

most relevant to your major field of expertise. However, if you look at your university education as a 374

“liberal arts” preparation for life more broadly considered, then you do not need to confine your 375

ethical interests to your major field of study. You may consider the human predicament in its widely-376

engaging variety. 377

In a “We Dilemma,” a large group is facing a choice of collective action. In this course the “we 378

dilemma” may involve a choice between social habits or patterns of behavior. Please see the 6-Step 379

(Heuristic) Thinking Method for Creating and Testing a “Social Habit” Dilemma below.* 380

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Five-paragraph template for dilemmas of any type: 381

1. Introduction: What is the purpose of this short paper? Preview the dilemma very briefly. Is it 382

a “me dilemma” or a “we dilemma”? Who is the primary agent (for a “me” dilemma, give the 383

primary agent a name; for a “we dilemma,” name the group or community that will be 384

making the collective choice; name the company, town, etc.). 385

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2. Second paragraph: begin to develop the main task. Summarize the situation that requires 387

some choice. Summarize the background story that leads up to a choice of action, with at least 388

one citation to a news source when a news source is required. Wholesome body paragraphs 389

will have at least five sentences: 390

For a personal choice (me) dilemma, name the individual who is the primary agent 391

and tell a particular story that has brought them to the point where a choice between 392

options is called for. 393

For the social habit (we) dilemma, name the community that is the primary agent and 394

tell the story that has brought them to the point where a choice between options is 395

called for. The community should be at least as large as a town or a town-sized 396

business. What is the problem that “we” face? 397

3. Third paragraph: Now that the background story has been told, present the first option for 398

action. Label this paragraph (a). Put the label at the very beginning of the first sentence of the 399

paragraph. In the first sentence, briefly state the action that is to be considered. What is the 400

first preliminary option for action? Present two ethical values or principles that would 401

support evaluating this action as ethically plausible, right, or good. Present one ethical value 402

or principle that would support evaluating this action as ethically implausible, wrong, or bad. 403

This should be an ethical deliberation, not a cost-benefit analysis. 404

4. Fourth paragraph: Present the second option for action. Label this paragraph (b). Put the label 405

at the very beginning of the fist sentence of the paragraph. In the first sentence, briefly state 406

the action that is to be considered. What is the first preliminary option for action? Present 407

two ethical values or principles that would support evaluating this action as ethically 408

plausible, right, or good. Present one ethical value or principle that would support evaluating 409

this action as ethically implausible, wrong, or bad. This should be an ethical deliberation, not 410

a cost-benefit analysis. 411

5. Fifth paragraph: Recap the options that are to be deliberated. Bring the reader to a state of 412

ethical suspense. Keep it open-ended. This exercise presents a problem; do not indicate a 413

solution. For formal clarity, end the dilemma with a question mark. Reinforce the question as 414

such: what is to be done? 415

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416

*A 6-Step (Heuristic) Method for Creating and Testing a Social Habit Dilemma 417

What is a dilemma between choices of social habits? Here is a recommended process for 418

generating a dilemma between choices of social habit. Recall the three requirements of an 419

ethical dilemma: there must be at least two options for action; the choice between options is 420

forced (one cannot do both); they present a balance of ethical credibility. 421

Step One: Identify a major problem facing humanity in the coming decades. This is an 422

important first step. The exercise will work with a significant social problem. 423

Step Two: consider a social habit that appears to accelerate the tendency toward the problem. 424

This may require some time to think about. What are some common practices that are widely 425

shared? 426

Step Three: does the social habit involved in Step Two have ethical credibility, nevertheless? 427

Are there ethical values and principles that support the social habit, despite the fact that it 428

may be contributing to a problem? If the social habit has ethical credibility, label the habit 429

(a). If the social habit leading to a problem has no ethical credibility, then we have a “follow 430

through problem” but not a dilemma. A “follow through” problem is a real problem, but not 431

the kind of problem that we are deliberating in these formal exercises. If there is no ethical 432

credibility for the social habit under consideration, reconsider steps one and two. 433

Step Four: once an option (a) is identified, is there a social habit that we could choose in place 434

of (a)? Test the choice between habits to see if it constitutes a genuine ethical dilemma (see 435

Step Five). 436

Step Five: Test the choice of habits for the criteria of a genuine ethical dilemma. Does the 437

second habit constitute a “forced choice” such that social habits (a) and (b) cannot be carried 438

forward together? Does the second social habit have ethical credibility of comparable weight 439

to that of the first social habit? 440

Step Six: If the second habit satisfies the requirements of an ethical dilemma in relation to (a), 441

label the second social habit (b). If the second habit fails one of the tests for a genuine ethical 442

dilemma, retrace the steps of this process and try again. 443

Write a five-paragraph dilemma using the dilemma template from assignment guidelines 444

above, using the (a) and (b) options discovered in this exercise. Remember that the strongest 445

dilemmas are the ones most difficult to decide from an ethical point of view and which 446

present choices that cannot both be carried out together. Look for difficult ethical dilemmas, 447

not colossal temptations or “follow-through” problems. 448

Ethics & Society 15

Application Guidelines 449

APPLICATION of Summary to Dilemma 450

Before you begin this exercise, be sure that you have selected (1) one completed summary (which 451

does not mention any dilemma); (2) and one completed dilemma (which does not include ethical 452

teachings from any summary). 453

In the application exercise, the writer will deliberate the dilemma AS IF the primary agent (whether 454

individual “me” or group “we”) in the selected dilemma were to be guided by teachings presented in 455

the selected summary. An application does not ask what you would do. An application does not ask 456

what a primary agent would do independently, on the basis of motivations that have nothing to do 457

with the summary. An application exercise asks how the summary would tend to guide deliberation 458

toward a course of action in dilemmas of difficult ethical choice. Therefore, for the purposes of this 459

assignment, be very clear about which course of action would be chosen. This is not the place to 460

evade or equivocate. In ethical deliberation of genuine dilemmas, a conclusion demands action. An 461

action must be chosen. In this exercise, action must be chosen on the basis of teachings found in a 462

summary. 463

Considering that summaries have at least three direct quotes, the usual application will have at least 464

three guidelines or criteria to consider. For each guideline or quote, the writer should clearly express 465

what the guideline indicates and how it would be applied to the facts of the particular dilemma under 466

deliberation. For formal clarity, number the three paragraphs that discuss the three main teachings 467

(1), (2), and (3), as shown in the five-paragraph template below. 468

For formal clarity introduce your ethical author or text by name early in each paragraph of the 469

application and make clear references to the author or text as you continue to apply the quotes and 470

criteria. This will help to clarify the task before you, which is to examine the relevance of ethical 471

teachings in light of a present-day problem. 472

In each deliberation paragraph, paraphrase the ethical teaching that is being applied and discuss the 473

meaning of the teaching’s values or principles in the context of the options under consideration. Do 474

not paste the direct quote. 475

End each deliberation paragraph and the concluding paragraph with a final sentence that describes 476

what action will be taken if the agent is guided by the values and principles discussed in the 477

paragraph. An action is different than a value or principle, so be sure to clarify the action (a or b, will 478

or won’t, do or don’t) that follows from the ethical deliberation. The conclusion of an ethical 479

deliberation is a course of action. Describe what the agent will do or won’t do. 480

Once again: for purposes of these graded application exercises, the agent must deliberate to a choice 481

of action. Even when the appropriate choice appears very difficult to decide, the agent must 482

Ethics & Society 16

deliberate toward the better action that would be indicated by the ethical values and principles of a 483

selected summary. Close calls make good deliberations, allowing the writer to develop a felt tension 484

between options. But in the end, if it is a genuine ethical dilemma, then some choice is forced upon 485

the agent. What is the better ethical choice? The writer has discretion in development of dilemmas, 486

in selection of primary source texts, and in selecting quotes from a text. Do your best to generate an 487

interesting and fruitful deliberation that guides action going forward. Exercises which evade ethical 488

choice will be subject to failing grades. 489

For formal clarity, conclude your application exercises with a clear choice of action. Make it clear: 490

your final sentence should state clearly – here is what should be done. 491

Five paragraph template for applications: 492

1. Introduction: What is the purpose of this exercise? Which summary will be applied to 493

which dilemma? Name the author and title of the ethical teachings. Include a one or two 494

sentence reminder of who the “me” or “we” agent is, and briefly identify the (a) and (b) 495

options under deliberation. 496

497

2. Second paragraph: begin to develop the main task. Label this paragraph (1). Place the 498

number at the beginning of the first sentence of the paragraph. Name the author or title 499

of the ethical teachings and remind the reader of the first quote you selected in your 500

summary by paraphrasing the quote. Do not re-paste the direct quote here. After 501

presenting a paraphrase of the first teaching, discuss how the ethical values and principles 502

of the teaching would apply to the context of this case. Then analyze how that ethical 503

teaching would guide deliberation toward a course of action in the dilemma under 504

consideration. Be very clear about the course of action. A wholesome body paragraph will 505

have five sentences. In the last sentence of the paragraph, declare the choice of action 506

that would follow: Here is what should be done (either a or b). 507

508

3. Third paragraph: continuing to develop the main task. Label this paragraph (2). Apply 509

guidelines above to the second quote of your summary. Conclude the paragraph with a 510

clear statement: Here is what should be done (either a or b). 511

512

4. Fourth paragraph: completing the main task. Label this paragraph (3). Apply guidelines 513

above to the third quote of your summary. Answer the question of what should be done 514

(either a or b). 515

516

5. Fifth paragraph: conclusion. If the primary agent were guided by the teachings presented, 517

which course of action would be chosen as a result of the above deliberations? Do not 518

simply restate or affirm general principles, values, or teachings. Be sure to show how 519

Ethics & Society 17

these ethical teachings would point to a course of action. The conclusion of an ethical 520

deliberation is action. The last sentence should describe that action. 521

Weekly Assignment Archive 522

With Quick-Scan Deadlines 523

524

The following materials provide an archive of Weekly Assignments as they are posted at the start of 525

the semester. But in an online course, Assignments may be slightly edited or revised as the course 526

goes forward. If the online version of an Assignment is edited or revised, it becomes the official 527

Assignment for grading purposes. 528

Monitor the CANVAS Announcements section and your txstate.edu inbox on a daily basis to keep up 529

with any changes, advisories, or other communications. 530

Assignment 01: Week One Orientation and Introduction 531

Wed. Aug. 25 / Thu. Aug. 26 532

Welcome to PHIL 1320 Ethics and Society! This week we will introduce ourselves to each other and 533

get a general orientation to our online-only course. 534

FIRST, some general info about the course: 535

• Welcome to Phil 1320 Ethics and Society! 536

• An online-only, asynchronous course. 537

• No campus activities required. No common meeting times online. 538

• Open Educational Resources (OER) No textbook purchase required. 539

• Weekly assignments due midnight Wednesdays; comments to fellow students due midnight 540

Thursdays. 541

Please make sure you are ready for online education 542

• Do you have the technology? 543

• How are your time-management skills? 544

• Here is a handy self-assessment: https://ready.distancelearning.txstate.edu/Links to an external 545

site. 546

• You may access CANVAS via internet browser or Mobile App. 547

• Via internet browser, CHROME is recommended, FIREFOX is okay; do not use MS EXPLORER 548

or SAFARI. 549

• Below is a link to the CANVAS student help guide: 550



Ethics & Society 18

https://community.canvaslms.com/docs/DOC-10701-canvas-student-guide-table-of-contents (Links 551

to an external site.) 552

Communication Policy: If you have any questions or concerns, please email your instructor—Dr Mo 553

at [email protected]—and your email will be answered within 24 hours during weekdays. 554

SECOND, let’s begin work on this week’s Discussion 555

The first assignment is due by midnight Wednesday of the first week of class. 556

Objectives: This week we want to: 557

• preview materials for student success in this course, and 558

• introduce ourselves to each other, demonstrating that we can use the most important tool for 559

graded course work: CANVAS “Discussions.” 560

PREPARATION (this homework should be completed no later than Tuesday midnight): 561

(1) Locate the "Canvas Student Guide" and familiarize yourself with the resources available there: 562

https://community.canvaslms.com/docs/DOC-10701-canvas-student-guide-table-of-contents (Links 563

to an external site.) 564

565

(2) Download the complete Syllabus from our CANVAS course site [in pdf format], located under the 566

“Files” tab in the left main menu, and read the course objectives and course policies (especially 567

penalties for late work.) 568

(3) Locate the curated archive of links to "surface web" readings at: 569

https://courselinks.cc/study-topics/ (Links to an external site.) 570

(a) the courselinks.cc site requires no login or registration 571

(b) please pay special attention to the guidelines found under topic "00 -- Scholarship and Style" 572

https://courselinks.cc/study-topics/00-scholarship-and-style/ (Links to an external site.) 573

574

• budget at least one hour of your time to familiarize yourself with basic features of MLA style 575

documentation (using direct quotes, providing in-text citations in parentheses, and supplying 576

a Work Cited). Some format issues such as double space, indents, or margins are not so 577

important for the work in this online course, but accurate, professional documentation of 578

direct quotations is required in MLA style. 579

• review courselinks.cc guidelines for identifying "primary source text of ethical teaching" at 580

the link above 581





https://courselinks.cc/study-topics/

https://courselinks.cc/study-topics/00-scholarship-and-style/

Ethics & Society 19

GRADED TASKS: 582

1. Discussion DUE by Wednesday midnight (11:59 pm). 583

Open your favorite word processor and write two paragraphs as follows: 584

Caution: if you decide to compose directly into a CANVAS window, be sure to save often to prevent 585

loss of work. Technical difficulties with CANVAS should be addressed to CANVAS help. 586

(A) In a paragraph of at least 150 words, introduce yourself to your classmates, sharing only what you 587

are comfortable sharing. Typical information includes hometown, major, career ambitions, previous 588

interest in the subject of the course, relationship status, and things you are doing outside the course. 589

(B) In a short paragraph (no minimum word count) affirm or attest that you have (i) 590

reviewed CANVAS help for students, (ii) downloaded the course syllabus and reviewed the (a) 591

learning objectives and (b) course policies, especially the late penalties, and (iii) located and reviewed 592

(a) courselinks.cc guidelines on MLA documentation and (b) how to identify a "primary source text of 593

ethical teaching." 594

When you have composed and saved the two paragraphs, go to the Discussion for Assignment 01 and 595

"Reply to Discussion” (do not reply to another reply). Then paste your work into the text box for your 596

discussion (attachments will not be graded). You should be able to revise your work and tweak the 597

format. Just make sure that your revisions are time-stamped prior to the deadline, or the work will be 598

subject to late penalties. 599

2. Comments DUE by Thursday midnight (11:59 pm). 600

Comment on three discussions by fellow students. Welcome at least three of your classmates with 601

supportive comments that demonstrate you have read their introductions carefully. Pick out some 602

features of their introduction for acknowledgment and response. 603

Please keep comments upbeat and supportive. Please do not pile into the first few discussions. Please 604

be sure to observe “the scroll down rule”⎯ if a discussion already has 3 comments, keep scrolling, 605

and spread the attention to others. 606

Grading advisory: Grades for Discussion conversations and comments will be provided no later than 607

5pm Tuesday after the "comments due" deadline. Missing, late, or incomplete comments will be each 608

subject to ten-point deductions. Comments that are a day late will suffer a 5-point penalty. After one 609

day late (after midnight Friday), comments do not count. 610

Please pay attention to formal guidelines. Did you write two recognizable paragraphs? Did you meet 611

word-count requirements when stipulated? Was your answer complete? Did you cover all the 612

Ethics & Society 20

questions asked? Multiple letter grade deductions will be applied to poor formatting, failure to meet 613

word counts, or incomplete responses. 614

Also, please pay attention to comment requirements. Multiple letter grade deductions will apply to 615

invalid, late, or missing comments—or to comments that ignore “the scroll down rule." 616

Finally, please remain mindful of late penalties. If you revise your work, make sure the revision is time-617

stamped prior to the deadline, or late penalties will apply. 618

Assignment 02: Week Two - Demonstrating Habits of Careful Scholarship 619

Wed. Sep. 1 / Thu. Sep. 2 620

Objectives: in this Assignment we will focus on three skills necessary for student success in this 621

course. 622

• Identify which readings may be counted as a "primary source text of ethical teachings" 623

• Identify which sentences convey ethical values or principles. 624

• Present direct quotes of ethical teachings from primary source texts with quote marks, 625

parenthetical in-text citation, and a Work Cited in MLA (9th Edition) format. 626

PREPARATION (this homework should be completed no later than Tuesday midnight) 627

(1) Budget time for of review topic "00 - Scholarship and Style" at courselinks.cc to refresh your 628

memory of guidelines for MLA style citation and location of "primary source text of ethical teaching." 629

Link below: 630

https://courselinks.cc/study-topics/00-scholarship-and-style/ (Links to an external site.) 631

(2) Navigate to the first study topic, "01 - Ancient Egypt" at Courselinks: (https://courselinks.cc/study-632

topics/01-ancient-egypt/ (Links to an external site) 633

Look over the whole page, then budget time to browse a half-dozen links presented there. 634

Identify which links or readings count as "background, encyclopedia, or summary" (useful to read, 635

but not "primary source texts of ethical teachings")? 636

Identify which links or readings count as "primary source texts of ethical teachings" because they 637

directly convey the voices of ancient Egyptian authors. In a “primary source text” the author speaks 638

for themself. 639

(3) Select "one primary source text of ethical teaching" from the Egypt links or readings and budget 640

time to locate a sentence that conveys an ethical teaching. An ethical teaching conveys an ethical 641

value or principle that suggests an ethical guide to human activity, e.g., “love your enemies.” 642

GRADED TASKS 643


https://courselinks.cc/study-topics/01-ancient-egypt/ (Links%20to%20an%20external%20site)

https://courselinks.cc/study-topics/01-ancient-egypt/ (Links%20to%20an%20external%20site)

Ethics & Society 21

1. Discussion DUE by Weds. midnight (11:59 pm). 644

Open your favorite word processor and write one paragraph and one work cited as follows: 645

(A) In a paragraph of at least 150 words, introduce one quote of ethical teaching from “a primary 646

source text of ethical teachings” from Ancient Egypt and present the quote in proper MLA style with 647

direct quote marks followed by a parenthetical in-text citation. A wholesome paragraph has five 648

sentences. When presenting direct quotes for this class, a well-selected quote of one sentence should 649

appear in the second or third sentence, never the first or last. Avoid an opening sentence like “the 650

quote I found;” instead write a sentence that presents an idea. Write a sentence or two explaining 651

why you selected the quote and what you think it is teaching. Please do not agree or disagree with 652

the teaching; just listen carefully and then convey with fairness and empathy what you think the 653

teaching is trying to communicate. 654

(B) After a clear line break and line space, compose a Work Cited in the format indicated by MLA 9th 655

edition. (Do not worry about the hanging indent.) 656

Here is a reminder of the usual order of elements: Author Last Name, Author First Name. Title of 657

Source. Title of Container, Other Contributors (such as Editor or Translator), Name of Publisher or 658

Website, Date, URL. 659

When you have composed and saved the paragraph and work cited, go to the Discussion for 660

Assignment 02 and "reply” to the Discussion guidelines (do not reply to another reply). Then paste 661

your work into the text box for your discussion (attachments will not be counted). You should be 662

able to revise your work. Just make sure that your revisions are time-stamped prior to the deadline, or 663

the work will be subject to late penalties. 664

(C) Double-check your citations and work cited. If there is a name in the first position of the work 665

cited, is it the name of the author (not editor, translator, or webmaster). Is every direct quote 666

followed by an in-text citation? If location information is provided by your source (paragraph 667

numbers, section numbers, etc.) did you place the number that locates your quote in the in-text 668

citation? Did you spell out the name of the web site or web publisher prior to the URL? 669

670

2. Comments DUE by Thursday midnight (11:59 pm). 671

Comment on three discussions by fellow students. A valid comment has three sentences that (a) name 672

and thank your fellow student for their work, (b) paraphrase an ethical teaching presented in the 673

student's work, (c) state a problem that the ethical teaching would resolve, and (d) say why the 674

resolution indicated by the teaching would be ethically valuable. The reason you give should “add 675

value” to the discussion. Do more than redefine or reword the teaching. Do more than restate reasons 676

already provided by the text or student. Add value: put something into the discussion that was not 677

there before your comment. 678

Ethics & Society 22

Please keep comments upbeat and supportive. Please do not pile into the first few discussions. If a 679

discussion already has 3 comments, keep scrolling down, and spread the attention to others (the 680

“scroll down” rule). 681

Grading Advisory: Grades for Discussion discussions and comments will be posted no later than 5pm 682

Tuesday after the "Comments due" deadline. Missing, late, or incomplete comments will be each 683

subject to ten-point deductions. 684

Please pay attention to formal guidelines. Did you write a paragraph with a quote taken from a 685

“primary source text of ethical teaching”? Did you supply an in-text citation (in parentheses) and a 686

Work Cited in MLA style? Did you adhere to word counts when they are stipulated? 687


invalid, late, or missing comments. Did you remain mindful of the "scroll down" rule? 689

Finally, please remain mindful of late penalties. If you revise your work, make sure the revision is 690

time-stamped prior to the deadline, or late penalties may apply. 691

Assignment 03: Week Three - First Summary of Ethical Teachings 692

Wed. Sep. 8 / Thu. Sep. 9 693

Objectives: this week we will extend the summary skills necessary for student success in this course. 694

• Identify which links at courselinks.cc lead to one "primary source text of ethical teachings" 695

• Identify which sentences convey ethical values or principles. 696

• Present direct quotes of ethical teachings from primary source texts with quote marks, 697

parenthetical in-text citation, and Work Cited in MLA 9th Edition format. 698

• Compose a 5-paragraph essay that presents the sense of what the teachings say to us. 699

Preparation (budget time to complete this homework no later than Tuesday midnight) 700

(1) Look again at topic "00 - Scholarship and Style" to refresh your memory of guidelines for MLA 701

style citation and location of "primary source text of ethical teaching" 702

https://courselinks.cc/study-topics/00-scholarship-and-style/ 703

(2) Select a topic: either "02 - Hinduism" 704

https://courselinks.cc/study-topics/02-hinduism/ 705

or "03 - Buddhism" 706


https://courselinks.cc/study-topics/02-hinduism/

Ethics & Society 23

https://courselinks.cc/study-topics/03-buddhism/ 707

(3) Browse a half-dozen links from either topic, Hinduism or Buddhism 708

Which links lead to "background, encyclopedia, or summary" (which are not "primary source texts of 709

ethical teachings")? 710

Which links lead to "primary source texts of ethical teachings"? 711

(4) Select "one primary source text of ethical teaching" from Hinduism or Buddhism and locate three 712

sentences that convey ethical teachings. 713

(5) Under the main course “Files” menu, review syllabus guidelines for writing a Summary, including 714

the 5-paragraph template. 715

Graded Tasks 716

(A) Discussion DUE by Wednesday midnight (11:59 pm). 717

Open your favorite word processor and write a five-paragraph summary, following syllabus 718

guidelines, with clear line breaks between paragraphs. 719

After a clear line break and line space following the last paragraph compose a Work Cited in the 720

format indicated by MLA 9th edition. (Don't worry about the hanging indent.) 721

Here is the usual order of elements: Author Last Name, Author First Name. Title of Source. Title of 722

Container, Other Contributors (such as Editor or Translator), Name of Publisher or Website, Date, 723

URL. 724

When you have composed and saved the paragraphs, go to the Discussion for Assignment 03 and 725

"reply” to the Discussion guidelines (do not reply to another reply). Then paste your work into the 726

text box for your discussion (attachments will not be counted). You should be able to revise your 727

work. Just make sure that your revisions are time-stamped prior to the deadline, or the work will be 728

subject to late penalties. 729

(B) Comments DUE by Thursday midnight (11:59 pm). 730





https://courselinks.cc/study-topics/03-buddhism/

Ethics & Society 24







Grading Advisory: Grades for Discussion conversations and comments will be provided no later than 741

5pm Tuesday after the "Comments due" deadline. Missing, late, or incomplete comments will be each 742

subject to ten-point deductions. Comments that are one day late will suffer a 5-point penalty. After 743

one day late, comments do not count. 744

Please pay attention to formal guidelines. Did you select "one primary source text" of "ethical 745

teachings"? Did you write five recognizable paragraphs? Did you include three quotes properly 746

formatted with quote marks, parenthetical in-text citation, and Work Cited? Multiple letter grade 747

deductions will be applied to selection of texts that are not "primary source texts" or "ethical 748

teachings." Grade deductions will continue to apply to poor formatting or incomplete responses. 749


invalid, late, or missing comments. Did you observe the “scroll down rule”? 751


time-stamped prior to the deadline, or late penalties will apply. 753

Assignment 04: Week Four – A Dilemma in the News 754

Wed. Sep. 15 / Thu. Sep. 16 755

Objectives 756

• How to recognize, create, and formally present a genuine ethical dilemma 757

• How to distinguish ethical problems from non-ethical problems 758

• How to distinguish between two kinds of ethical problems: (1) temptations or trivial 759

problems of analysis, where what to do ethically is clear enough to guide ethical action; (2) 760

genuine ethical dilemmas or significant problems of analysis. 761

• How to formally clarify options of a genuine ethical dilemma. 762

Preparation (this homework should be completed no later than Tuesday midnight) 763

A. Read this (10 minutes): 764

Ethics & Society 25

For purposes of this course, we will want to explore ethical difficulties, and improve our ability 765

to formally clarify options for ethical deliberation. 766

In the first instance we want to distinguish between problems that have obvious ethical 767

emphasis and problems that don’t. Let's use a football analogy. It’s fourth down, five seconds 768

on the game clock, and the coach needs to call a play. What play should he call? Pass or run? 769

This is a difficult situation, some choice should be made, but it raises no obvious ethical 770

emphasis. The coach needs to call the best play possible. And the pressure is on. Many 771

problems of action are difficult, but they do not raise ethical questions. We just want to do our 772

best. 773

For purposes of this course, an ethical problem will be identified when the choice between (at 774

least) two options for action involves ethical questions of moral right or good (dictionary 775

definitions will be good enough here). But once we have eliminated problems that have no real 776

ethical focus, there are two general kinds of problems that do have ethical emphasis that we 777

want to consider, so that we can focus on one kind and discard the other. We will call these 778

two general kinds of ethical problems (1) problems of how to follow through with a choice 779

that is ethical; we’ll call them follow-through problems and (2) problems that involve choosing 780

what is ethical within a genuine ethical dilemma, or dilemma problems. 781

Follow-through problems will not be a focus for formal exercises in this course. In this kind of 782

ethical difficulty, the agent has a sense that an option for action is ethical while other options 783

are not; follow-through appears difficult, but not because we are puzzled about what is ethical. 784

Perhaps unethical options have tempting features of pleasure or enrichment such that the 785

agent experiences “a feeling of difficulty" in overcoming the temptation. Perhaps the ethical 786

option involves risk, pain, or self-sacrifice, so we say it is a “difficult situation.” But the 787

difficulty does not arise from trying to discover what is ethical in the first place. These are real 788

human difficulties, to be sure, but they present no real problem in knowing which course of 789

action is ethically preferable. The problem lies in carrying through on one's ethical assessment, 790

doing the right thing despite temptation or fear. 791

My favorite example of a follow-through problem is the found wallet. If the wallet has two 792

dollars in it, we recognize that the right thing to do is return it with the money inside. If the 793

wallet we find is stuffed with hundred-dollar bills, we begin to waver, but not because we are 794

confused about what is the right thing to do. We are simply tempted by the cash payoff. If we 795

decide to keep the money, we will probably also decide to keep it quiet, because we know it's 796

not the right thing to do. If we give it back with all the money intact, we may tell a story of 797

how “difficult it felt.” But it was not an ethical dilemma. It was a follow-through problem. 798

A genuine ethical dilemma satisfies three parameters: (1) there are at least two options for 799

action, (2) the choice between options is forced because we cannot do both, and (3) each 800

choice is ethically credible because it could be considered right or good in some aspect. I won't 801

Ethics & Society 26

give any examples for this kind of ethical difficulty because I will be asking you to generate 802

examples. And if I do not give an example, your responses will be much more diverse and 803

interesting. But in general, you can think of a genuine ethical dilemma as taking the form of 804

“to do or not to do” when each option has ethical credibility. 805

Formal presentation of an ethical dilemma will have at least two options for action. For formal 806

clarity, we will label them (a) and (b). And we will consider how each option, if carried out, 807

would have some ethical credibility to it, in other words, it would be right or good in some 808

respect. When evaluating the (a) and (b) options we will want to explore ethical strengths and 809

weaknesses—why it would be right or good to do, and why it would be wrong or hurtful. 810

To sum up the discussion so far, a genuine ethical dilemma satisfies three criteria: An ethical 811

dilemma presents a primary agent facing some difficult deliberation between (1) at least two 812

courses of action (a or b) going forward, (2) a choice is forced between the options because 813

both cannot be carried out, and (3) each option has some ethical credibility, which makes 814

ethical choice between options difficult to decide. Depending upon the dilemma, the primary 815

agent may be an individual or a group. It can be a “me dilemma” or a “we dilemma”. In either 816

case, deliberation between at least two preliminary options appears difficult to decide from an 817

ethical point of view. 818

Finally, in order to achieve full credit for formal presentation of an ethical dilemma, please 819

make sure that the dilemma is a current one, representing a real future going forward, 820

involving an adult who is at least of college-graduate age looking forward in history. 821

Significant penalties (two or three letter grades) will be applied to dilemmas where agents are 822

college age or younger, or where choices reflect reruns of settled issues in history. In other 823

words, for purposes of this course, genuine ethical problems pertain to actual forced choices for 824

the future of our human experience (after graduation from college); otherwise, dilemmas will 825

face several grade penalties for irrelevance. The study of Ethics is only necessary when we are 826

deliberating difficult ethical choices for a real future. 827

B. Only after reading the above (10 mins.) read the syllabus breakout for Dilemma Guidelines 828

under the main course Files menu. 829

830

C. Scroll news articles posted no earlier than Sat., Sept. 11, 2021. Look for an article that suggests 831

a “genuine ethical dilemma” for a group or individual. Identify (a) and (b) options for action 832

and test them to be sure that they pose a genuine ethical dilemma, not a follow-through 833

problem. 834

Graded Tasks 835

I. DISCUSSION DUE Weds. midnight (11:59 pm). 836

Ethics & Society 27

Based upon a recent news article, create a 5-paragraph Dilemma (“me dilemma” or “we dilemma”) 837

following syllabus guidelines. In the second paragraph, be sure to name your primary agent and 838

summarize the specific news event or situation that inspires the dilemma (with citation and work 839

cited to your news source). After that, be sure to clearly label the (a) and (b) paragraphs. And don't 840

forget to leave the dilemma open ended; this week you just want to present the dilemma fairly, in a 841

way that does not betray any preferred solution on your part. Save your work and then go to the 842

CANVAS Discussion for this week’s Assignment and "reply" to the discussion guidelines. Paste your 843

dilemma and revise as necessary; just remain mindful of the time stamp, because revisions after the 844

deadline will result in late penalties. 845

II. COMMENTS DUE by Thur. midnight (11:59 pm). 846


and thank your fellow student for their work, (b) briefly restate the ethical dilemma in the student's 848

work, and (c) assess an ethical strength or weakness of the dilemma, i.e. what feature of the dilemma 849

best meets the 3 criteria for a “genuine ethical dilemma.” Add value with your reason. Put something 850

into the discussion that has not already been stated as such. 851

Please keep comments upbeat and supportive. Focus on strengths. Please do not pile into the first few 852

discussions. If a discussion already has 3 comments, keep scrolling down, and spread the attention to 853

others (the “scroll down” rule). 854





Please pay attention to formal guidelines. Did you write five clearly distinguishable paragraphs? Did 859

you name your primary agent? Are paragraphs three and four labeled (a) and (b)? Did you leave the 860

choice between options open-ended so that the reader is left wondering what should be done? Is this 861

a genuine ethical dilemma, not a follow-through problem? Multiple grade deductions will be made 862

for poor formatting, incompleteness, or failure to present a genuine ethical dilemma. 863



866

Assignment 05: Week Five - Second Summary of Ethical Teachings 867

Weds. Sep. 22 / Thurs. Sep. 23 868

Objectives: this week we will reinforce skills necessary for student success in this course. 869

Ethics & Society 28

• Identifying which links at courselinks.cc lead to "primary source texts of ethical teachings" 870

• Identifying which sentences convey ethical teachings 871

• Presenting direct quotes of ethical teachings from primary source texts with quote marks, 872


• Composing a 5-paragraph essay that presents the sense of what the teachings say to us. 874


(1) Look again at topic "00 - Scholarship and Style" to review guidelines for MLA style citation 876

and location of "primary source text of ethical teaching" 877


(2) Select a topic: either "04 – Confucianism and Taoism" 879

https://courselinks.cc/study-topics/04-confucianism-and-taoism/ 880

or 881

"05(a) – Classical American" 882

https://courselinks.cc/study-topics/05-classical-american-philosophy/ 883

or 884

"05(b) – Norse Eddas" 885

https://courselinks.cc/study-topics/05b-indigenous-legacies-norse-eddas/ 886

(3) Browse a half-dozen links from either topic above. 887

Which links lead to "background, encyclopedia, or summary" (which are not "primary 888

source texts of ethical teachings")? 889


(4) Select "one primary source text of ethical teaching" from a topic above and locate three 891


(5) Review syllabus guidelines for writing a Summary, including the 5-paragraph template. 893

Graded Tasks 894

I. Discussion DUE by Wednesday midnight (11:59 pm). 895


guidelines. 897

After a clear line break and line space compose a Work Cited in the format indicated by MLA 9th 898

edition. (Don't worry about the hanging indent.) 899


https://courselinks.cc/study-topics/04-confucianism-and-taoism/

https://courselinks.cc/study-topics/05-classical-american-philosophy/

https://courselinks.cc/study-topics/05b-indigenous-legacies-norse-eddas/

Ethics & Society 29

Here is the usual order of elements for a work cited: Author Last Name, Author First Name. Title of 900

Source. Title of Container, Other Contributors (such as Editor or Translator), Name of Publisher or 901

Website, Date, URL. 902

When you have composed and saved the paragraphs and Work Cited, go to the Discussion Topic for 903

this week and "reply" to the Discussion guidelines. Then paste your work into the text box for your 904

discussion (attachments will not be counted). You should be able to revise your work. Just make sure 905

that your revisions are time-stamped prior to the deadline, or the work will be subject to late 906

penalties. 907

II. Comments DUE by Thursday midnight (11:59 pm). 908















Please pay attention to formal guidelines. Did you select one primary source text of ethical teachings? 923

Did you write five recognizable paragraphs? Did you include three quotes properly formatted with 924

quote marks, parenthetical in-text citation, and Work Cited? Multiple letter grade deductions will be 925

applied to selection of texts that are not "primary source texts of ethical teachings." Grade deductions 926

will continue to apply to poor formatting or incomplete responses. 927


invalid, late, or missing comments. 929



Ethics & Society 30

Assignment 06: Week Six - Application of One Summary to One Dilemma in 932

the News 933

Weds. Sep. 29 / Thur. Sep. 30 934

Testing the relevance of ethical teachings to contemporary ethical dilemmas. What can we learn by 935

asking the question: What would ____ do? Just keep in mind that our question is more precise: what 936

would ____ do if they were simply following their own ethical teachings? 937

Objectives: this week we will focus on skills necessary for student success in this course. 938

1. How to test the value of ethical teachings in deliberations of contemporary ethical dilemmas. 939

2. How to compose a 5-paragraph essay that presents a sense of how a set of ethical teachings 940

would guide deliberation in a contemporary ethical dilemma. 941


(1) Read syllabus guidelines for Application exercise 943

(2) Review the “Dilemma in the News” that you wrote for Week 4 or ask the professor’s 944

permission (via email or CANVAS message) to select another student’s “Dilemma in 945

the News.” In the message, be sure to name the student and the (a) and (b) choices of 946

the dilemma that you would like to work with. 947

(3) Select one summary that you have written for this course (see Week 3, or Week 5, 948

pick one). 949

(4) Be prepared to answer the question, if the primary (“me” or “we”) agent in the 950

Dilemma were to be guided by nothing but the ethical teachings of the selected 951

Summary, what would they choose to do? 952

Graded Tasks 953

I. Discussion DUE by Weds. midnight (11:59 pm). 954

Open your favorite word processor and write a five-paragraph application exercise, following syllabus 955

guidelines. Be sure that the introductory paragraph briefly restates the (a) and (b) options of your 956

“Dilemma in the News.” Be sure that you have "paraphrased" (not re-quoted) the ethical teachings of 957

the Summary that you selected; be sure that you have labeled three body paragraphs 1, 2, 3 where 958

you apply the three teachings from your summary. And be sure that the last sentence in each of the 959

last four paragraphs clearly states what is to be done, (a) or (b). 960

When you have completed the exercise, go to the Discussion Topic for this week’s Assignment and 961

"reply" to the Discussion guidelines. Then paste your work into the text box for your discussion 962

(attachments will not be counted). You should be able to revise your work. Just make sure that your 963

revisions are time-stamped prior to the deadline, or the work will be subject to late penalties. 964

II. Comments DUE by Thurs. midnight (11:59 pm) Jul. 8 965

Ethics & Society 31

Comment on three discussions by fellow students. A valid comment is at least one complete sentence 966

that (a) thanks the fellow student for their work, (b) restates an ethical application of teaching to 967

dilemma, and (c) assesses a strength of that application. ("I think the application of teaching (y) to 968

dilemma (x) was really instructive because . . .”) Please keep comments upbeat and supportive. Please 969

do not pile into the first few discussions. If a discussion already has 3 comments, keep scrolling down, 970

and spread the attention to others (the “scroll down” rule). 971





Please pay attention to formal guidelines for applications. Did you write five paragraphs? Are the 976

middle three paragraphs labeled (1), (2), and (3)? Do you make clear reference to the author 977

and teaching at the beginning of each paragraph? In the numbered paragraphs do you paraphrase 978

teachings from the summary you selected? Do you clearly apply the teaching to indicate which 979

option of action would be selected? Does each of the numbered application paragraphs conclude with 980

a clear course of action -- what would be done? Does the final summary paragraph briefly summarize 981

results of the above deliberations and clearly conclude with an action - what would be done? 982

Multiple grade deductions will be made for poor formatting, incompleteness, or failure to clearly 983

communicate deliberation of action. 984



Assignment 07: Week Seven - Third Summary of Ethical Teachings 987

Weds. Oct. 6 / Thur. Oct. 7 988

Objectives: this week we will reinforce skills necessary for student success in this course. 989











Ethics & Society 32

(2) Select a topic: either "06 – Plato" 999

https://courselinks.cc/study-topics/06-plato/ 1000

or 1001

"07 - Aristotle" [Ethics only; NOT Metaphysics, or On the Soul, or Poetics, etc.] 1002

https://courselinks.cc/study-topics/07-aristotle/ 1003

(3) Browse a few links from either topic above. 1004




ADVISORY: BE SURE TO SELECT TEXTS OF ETHICAL TEACHINGS (Aristotle’s 1008

Ethics, not Aristotle’s "Metaphysics," “On the Soul,” or “Poetics,” etc.) 1009


sentences that convey ethical teachings. If you chose Aristotle, please be sure that no more 1011

than one quote is from Book One. 1012


Graded Tasks 1014



guidelines. 1017





URL. 1022

When you have composed and saved the paragraphs and Work Cited, go to the Discussion Topic for 1023

this week’s Assignment and "reply” to the Discussion guidelines. Then paste your work into the text 1024

box for your discussion (attachments will not be counted). You should be able to revise your work. 1025

Just make sure that your revisions are time-stamped prior to the deadline, or the work will be subject 1026

to late penalties. 1027

II. Comments DUE by Thurs. midnight (11:59 pm). 1028



https://courselinks.cc/study-topics/06-plato/

https://courselinks.cc/study-topics/07-aristotle/

Ethics & Society 33










Please pay attention to formal guidelines. Did you select one primary source text of ethical teachings? 1040

Did you write five recognizable paragraphs? Did you include three quotes properly formatted with 1041

quote marks, parenthetical in-text citation, and Work Cited? Multiple letter grade deductions will be 1042







1049

Assignment 08: Week Eight - Fourth Summary of Ethical Teachings 1050


Objectives: this week we will demonstrate mastery of skills necessary for student success in this 1052

course. 1053











Ethics & Society 34

(2) Select a topic: either "08(a) – Philosophy in Religion - Platonism" 1063

https://courselinks.cc/study-topics/08a-philosophy-in-religion-platonism/ 1064

or 1065

1066

"08(b) ) – Philosophy in Religion - Aristotelianism" 1067

https://courselinks.cc/study-topics/08b-philosophy-in-religion-aristotelianism/ 1068








Graded Tasks 1076

I. Discussion DUE by Wednesday midnight (11:59 pm) Jul. 21 1077


guidelines. 1079





URL. 1084

When you have completed the paragraphs and Work Cited, go to the Discussion Topic for this 1085

Assignment and "reply” to the Discussion guidelines. Then paste your work into the text box for your 1086



penalties. 1089






https://courselinks.cc/study-topics/08a-philosophy-in-religion-platonism/

https://courselinks.cc/study-topics/08b-philosophy-in-religion-aristotelianism/

Ethics & Society 35








This week’s grading is based upon an expectation of mastery. This is your fourth summary. Have you 1102

mastered the formal guidelines? Did you select one primary source text of ethical teachings? Did you 1103

write five recognizable paragraphs? Did you include three quotes properly formatted with quote 1104

marks, parenthetical in-text citation, and Work Cited? Multiple letter grade deductions will be 1105







1112

Assignment 09: Week Nine – Another Dilemma in the News 1113

Wed. Oct. 20 / Thu. Oct. 21 1114

Objectives 1115

• How to recognize, create, and formally present a genuine ethical dilemma 1116

• How to distinguish ethical problems from non-ethical problems 1117

• How to distinguish between two kinds of ethical problems: (1) temptations or trivial 1118

problems of analysis, where what to do ethically is clear enough to guide ethical action; (2) 1119

genuine ethical dilemmas or significant problems of analysis. 1120

• How to formally clarify options of a genuine ethical dilemma. 1121


1. Read this refresher (10 minutes): 1123

For purposes of this course, we will want to explore ethical difficulties, and improve our ability 1124

to formally clarify options for ethical deliberation. 1125

Ethics & Society 36

In the first instance we want to distinguish between problems that have obvious ethical 1126

emphasis and problems that don’t. Let's use a football analogy. It’s fourth down, five seconds 1127

on the game clock, and the coach needs to call a play. What play should he call? Pass or run? 1128

This is a difficult situation, some choice should be made, but it raises no obvious ethical 1129

emphasis. The coach needs to call the best play possible. And the pressure is on. Many 1130

problems of action are difficult, but they do not raise ethical questions. We just want to do our 1131

best. 1132

For purposes of this course, an ethical problem will be identified when the choice between (at 1133

least) two options for action involves ethical questions of moral right or good (dictionary 1134

definitions will be good enough here). But once we have eliminated problems that have no real 1135

ethical focus, there are two general kinds of problems that do have ethical emphasis that we 1136

want to consider, so that we can focus on one kind and discard the other. We will call these 1137

two general kinds of ethical problems (1) problems of how to follow through with a choice 1138

that is ethical; we’ll call them follow-through problems and (2) problems that involve choosing 1139

what is ethical within a genuine ethical dilemma, or dilemma problems. 1140

Follow-through problems will not be a focus for formal exercises in this course. In this kind of 1141

ethical difficulty, the agent has a sense that an option for action is ethical while other options 1142

are not; follow-through appears difficult, but not because we are puzzled about what is ethical. 1143

Perhaps unethical options have tempting features of pleasure or enrichment such that the 1144

agent experiences “a feeling of difficulty" in overcoming the temptation. Perhaps the ethical 1145

option involves risk, pain, or self-sacrifice, so we say it is a “difficult situation.” But the 1146

difficulty does not arise from trying to discover what is ethical in the first place. These are real 1147

human difficulties, to be sure, but they present no real problem in knowing which course of 1148

action is ethically preferable. The problem lies in carrying through on one's ethical assessment, 1149

doing the right thing despite temptation or fear. 1150

My favorite example of a follow-through problem is the found wallet. If the wallet has two 1151

dollars in it, we recognize that the right thing to do is return it with the money inside. If the 1152

wallet we find is stuffed with hundred-dollar bills, we begin to waver, but not because we are 1153

confused about what is the right thing to do. We are simply tempted by the cash payoff. If we 1154

decide to keep the money, we will probably also decide to keep it quiet, because we know it's 1155

not the right thing to do. If we give it back with all the money intact, we may tell a story of 1156

how “difficult it felt.” But it was not an ethical dilemma. It was a follow-through problem. 1157

A genuine ethical dilemma satisfies three parameters: (1) there are at least two options for 1158

action, (2) the choice between options is forced because we cannot do both, and (3) each 1159

choice is ethically credible because it could be considered right or good in some aspect. I won't 1160

give any examples for this kind of ethical difficulty because I will be asking you to generate 1161

examples. And if I do not give an example, your responses will be much more diverse and 1162

Ethics & Society 37

interesting. But in general, you can think of a genuine ethical dilemma as taking the form of 1163

“to do or not to do” when each option has ethical credibility. 1164

Formal presentation of an ethical dilemma will have at least two options for action. For formal 1165

clarity, we will label them (a) and (b). And we will consider how each option, if carried out, 1166

would have some ethical credibility to it, in other words, it would be right or good in some 1167

respect. When evaluating the (a) and (b) options we will want to explore ethical strengths and 1168

weaknesses—why it would be right or good to do, and why it would be wrong or hurtful. 1169

To sum up the discussion so far, a genuine ethical dilemma satisfies three criteria: An ethical 1170

dilemma presents a primary agent facing some difficult deliberation between (1) at least two 1171

courses of action (a or b) going forward, (2) a choice is forced between the options because 1172

both cannot be carried out, and (3) each option has some ethical credibility, which makes 1173

ethical choice between options difficult to decide. Depending upon the dilemma, the primary 1174

agent may be an individual or a group. It can be a “me dilemma” or a “we dilemma”. In either 1175

case, deliberation between at least two preliminary options appears difficult to decide from an 1176

ethical point of view. 1177

Finally, in order to achieve full credit for formal presentation of an ethical dilemma, please 1178

make sure that the dilemma is a current one, representing a real future going forward, 1179

involving an adult who is at least of college-graduate age looking forward in history. 1180

Significant penalties (two or three letter grades) will be applied to dilemmas where agents are 1181

college age or younger, or where choices reflect reruns of settled issues in history. In other 1182

words, for purposes of this course, genuine ethical problems pertain to actual forced choices for 1183

the future of our human experience (after graduation from college); otherwise, dilemmas will 1184

face several grade penalties for irrelevance. The study of Ethics is only necessary when we are 1185

deliberating difficult ethical choices for a real future. 1186

2. After refreshing yourself on the above discussion (10 mins.) also refresh yourself on 1187

the syllabus breakout for Dilemma Guidelines under the main course Files menu. 1188

1189

3. Scroll news articles posted no earlier than Sat., Oct. 16, 2021. Look for an article that 1190

suggests a “genuine ethical dilemma” for a group or individual. Identify (a) and (b) 1191

options for action and test them to be sure that they pose a genuine ethical dilemma, 1192

not a follow-through problem. 1193

Graded Tasks 1194

I. DISCUSSION DUE Weds. midnight (11:59 pm). 1195

Based upon a recent news article, create a 5-paragraph Dilemma (“me dilemma” or “we dilemma”) 1196

following syllabus guidelines. In the second paragraph, be sure to name your primary agent and 1197

summarize the specific news event or situation that inspires the dilemma (with citation and work 1198

Ethics & Society 38

cited to your news source). After that, be sure to clearly label the (a) and (b) paragraphs. And don't 1199

forget to leave the dilemma open ended; this week you just want to present the dilemma fairly, in a 1200

way that does not betray any preferred solution on your part. Save your work and then go to the 1201

CANVAS Discussion for this week’s Assignment and "reply" to the discussion guidelines. Paste your 1202

dilemma and revise as necessary; just remain mindful of the time stamp, because revisions after the 1203

deadline will result in late penalties. 1204

II. COMMENTS DUE by Thur. midnight (11:59 pm). 1205


and thank your fellow student for their work, (b) briefly restate the ethical dilemma in the student's 1207

work, and (c) assess an ethical strength or weakness of the dilemma, i.e. what feature of the dilemma 1208

best meets the 3 criteria for a “genuine ethical dilemma.” Add value with your reason. Put something 1209

into the discussion that has not already been stated as such. 1210

Please keep comments upbeat and supportive. Focus on strengths. Please do not pile into the first few 1211

discussions. If a discussion already has 3 comments, keep scrolling down, and spread the attention to 1212

others (the “scroll down” rule). 1213





Please pay attention to formal guidelines. Did you write five clearly distinguishable paragraphs? Did 1218

you name your primary agent? Are paragraphs three and four labeled (a) and (b)? Did you leave the 1219

choice between options open-ended so that the reader is left wondering what should be done? Is this 1220

a genuine ethical dilemma, not a follow-through problem? Multiple grade deductions will be made 1221

for poor formatting, incompleteness, or failure to present a genuine ethical dilemma. 1222



Assignment 10: Week 10 – Fifth Summary of Ethical Teachings 1225



course. 1228



Ethics & Society 39








(2) Select a topic: either "09 – Epicurean Family" 1238

https://courselinks.cc/study-topics/09-epicurean-family/ 1239

or 1240

"10 – Stoic Family" 1241

https://courselinks.cc/study-topics/10-stoic-family/ 1242








Graded Tasks 1250



guidelines. 1253





URL. 1258





https://courselinks.cc/study-topics/09-epicurean-family/

https://courselinks.cc/study-topics/10-stoic-family/

Ethics & Society 40


penalties. 1263























1286

Assignment 11: Week Eleven - Application of One Summary to One Dilemma 1287

in the News 1288

Weds. Nov. 3 / Thur. Nov. 4 1289

Testing the relevance of ethical teachings to contemporary ethical dilemmas. What can we learn by 1290

asking the question: What would ____ do? Just keep in mind that our question is more precise: what 1291

would ____ do if they were simply following their own ethical teachings? 1292

Objectives: this week we will focus on skills necessary for student success in this course. 1293

1. How to test the value of ethical teachings in deliberations of contemporary ethical dilemmas. 1294

Ethics & Society 41

2. How to compose a 5-paragraph essay that presents a sense of how a set of ethical teachings 1295

would guide deliberation in a contemporary ethical dilemma. 1296


(1) Read syllabus guidelines for Application exercise 1298

(2) Review the “Dilemma in the News” that you wrote for Week 9 or ask the professor’s 1299

permission (via email or CANVAS message) to select another student’s “Dilemma in 1300

the News.” In the message, be sure to name the student and the (a) and (b) choices of 1301

the dilemma that you would like to work with. 1302

(3) Select one summary that you have written for this course from Week Seven, Week 1303

Eight, or Week Ten (just pick one of them). 1304

(4) Be prepared to answer the question, if the primary (“me” or “we”) agent in the 1305

Dilemma were to be guided by nothing but the ethical teachings of the selected 1306

Summary, what would they choose to do? 1307

Graded Tasks 1308


Open your favorite word processor and write a five-paragraph application exercise, following syllabus 1310

guidelines. Be sure that the introductory paragraph briefly restates the (a) and (b) options of your 1311

“Dilemma in the News.” Be sure that you have "paraphrased" (not re-quoted) the ethical teachings of 1312

the Summary that you selected; be sure that you have labeled three body paragraphs 1, 2, 3 where 1313

you apply the three teachings from your summary. And be sure that the last sentence in each of the 1314

last four paragraphs clearly states what is to be done, (a) or (b). 1315

When you have completed the exercise, go to the Discussion Topic for this week’s Assignment and 1316

"reply" to the Discussion guidelines. Then paste your work into the text box for your discussion 1317

(attachments will not be counted). You should be able to revise your work. Just make sure that your 1318

revisions are time-stamped prior to the deadline, or the work will be subject to late penalties. 1319


Comment on three discussions by fellow students. A valid comment is at least one complete sentence 1321

that (a) thanks the fellow student for their work, (b) restates an ethical application of teaching to 1322

dilemma, and (c) assesses a strength of that application. ("I think the application of teaching (y) to 1323

dilemma (x) was really instructive because . . .”) Please keep comments upbeat and supportive. Please 1324

do not pile into the first few discussions. If a discussion already has 3 comments, keep scrolling down, 1325

and spread the attention to others (the “scroll down” rule). 1326



Ethics & Society 42



Please pay attention to formal guidelines for applications. Did you write five paragraphs? Are the 1331

middle three paragraphs labeled (1), (2), and (3)? Do you make clear reference to the author 1332

and teaching at the beginning of each paragraph? In the numbered paragraphs do you paraphrase 1333

teachings from the summary you selected? Do you clearly apply the teaching to indicate which 1334

option of action would be selected? Does each of the numbered application paragraphs conclude with 1335

a clear course of action -- what would be done? Does the final summary paragraph briefly summarize 1336

results of the above deliberations and clearly conclude with an action - what would be done? 1337

Multiple grade deductions will be made for poor formatting, incompleteness, or failure to clearly 1338

communicate deliberation of action. 1339



Assignment 12: Week 12 - Summary of Ethical Teachings 1342



course. 1345










(2) Select a topic: either "11 – Modern Contract Theory" 1355

https://courselinks.cc/study-topics/11-modern-contract-theory/ 1356

or 1357

"13 – Women’s Age in Philosophy" 1358

https://courselinks.cc/study-topics/13-womens-age-in-philosophy/ 1359

or 1360


https://courselinks.cc/study-topics/11-modern-contract-theory/

https://courselinks.cc/study-topics/13-womens-age-in-philosophy/

Ethics & Society 43

"14 – Liberation Philosophy" 1361

https://courselinks.cc/study-topics/14-liberation-philosophy/ 1362

or 1363

"15 – Civil Rights" 1364

https://courselinks.cc/study-topics/15-civil-rights/ 1365

1366








Graded Tasks 1374



guidelines. 1377





URL. 1382





penalties. 1387






https://courselinks.cc/study-topics/14-liberation-philosophy/

https://courselinks.cc/study-topics/15-civil-rights/

Ethics & Society 44


















Assignment 13: Week 13 – Personal Summary of Ethical Values or Principles 1410



course. 1413

• students will develop a critical, scholarly context for creating and assessing values and 1414

principles that may be critically evaluated and applied to personal and social life before us 1415

• composing a 5-paragraph essay that presents a student’s personal sense of values and 1416

principles 1417


• Review syllabus guidelines for writing a Summary, including the 5-paragraph template. 1419

• Instead of harvesting three quotes from course readings, make a note of three values or 1420

principles that characterize your own personal approach to ethical purpose. 1421

Graded Tasks 1422


Ethics & Society 45

Open your favorite word processor and write a five-paragraph summary of three values or principles 1424

that characterize your own personal approach to ethical purpose. The three body paragraphs will 1425

present your values or principles instead of presenting harvested quotes from primary source texts of 1426

ethical teachings. If you feel like it is necessary, you may harvest one quote that is really important to 1427

your own personal approach. However, the intent of this exercise is to empower you to speak from 1428

your heart in your own words. 1429

If you did harvest one quote, please be sure to use quote marks, in-text citation, and a Work Cited in 1430

the format indicated by MLA 9th edition. (Don't worry about the hanging indent.) 1431



URL. 1434





penalties. 1439



and thank your fellow student for their work, (b) paraphrase a value or principle presented in the 1442

student's work, (c) state a problem that the value of principle would resolve, and (d) say why the 1443













Ethics & Society 46

Assignment 14: Week 14 – Extra Credit Report on Philosophy Dialogues of 1456

Ethical Topics 1457

Tue. Nov. 23 1458

1459

No comments are required this week. And deadlines for timely reports have passed. Happy 1460

Thanksgiving! 1461

To earn up to 100 points of extra credit you may: 1462

1. Attend a talk scheduled for the Philosophy Dialogue Series (but not a Talk of the 1463

Times discussion) 1464

1465

2. The Philosophy Dialogue Series will offer programs from Sept. 13 through Nov. 1466

5. Here is a link to the updated schedule, which will be published in early Sept. 1467

http://www.txstate.edu/philosophy/dialogue-series/Dialogue-Schedule.html 1468

1469

3. Write a “Summary” style report (of five paragraphs) citing three key ideas that 1470

may be considered useful for ethical evaluation. The ideas may be direct quotes 1471

or paraphrases. The work cited will reference the dialogue session. See MLA 1472

guidelines on how to write a work cited for “Speeches, Lectures, or other Oral 1473

Presentations. 1474

1475

4. Post your work to this Discussion in a timely manner, within two weeks of the 1476

Dialogue that you attended. 1477

Assignment 15: FINAL - Trending Dilemmas in The News 1478

Thu. Dec. 9 1479

Testing the relevance of dilemma, summary, and application skills to news of the week. 1480

Write a 5-paragraph “opinion piece” in your favorite word processor and paste it into this week’s 1481

forum: 1482

Paragraph 1: Very briefly summarize a story that has appeared in the news no earlier than 1483

Nov. 27. 1484

Paragraph 2: Explain why this particular story exemplifies a larger trend in ethical dilemmas 1485

(either of the “me” or “we” kind) that we will likely face in the future. It may be just one 1486

story, but explain why there are likely to be many stories like it to come in the next decade or 1487

two. Therefore, how the story suggests (a) and (b) choices for a trending dilemma. 1488

http://www.txstate.edu/philosophy/dialogue-series/Dialogue-Schedule.html

Ethics & Society 47

Paragraph 3: Present a quote from any “primary source text of ethical teaching” from any 1489

summary that you have written this semester (including the quote you selected from Ancient 1490

Egypt) and show how it would guide action in the direction of the first option (a), indicating 1491

the importance of the value or principle in addressing not only this story but a larger trend 1492

that the story represents. 1493

Paragraph 4: Present a quote from any other summary of a “primary source text of ethical 1494

teaching” that you have written this semester (including the quote you selected from Ancient 1495

Egypt, if you did not use it in paragraph 3) and show how it would guide action in the 1496

direction the second option (b), indicating the importance of the value or principle in 1497

addressing not only this story but a larger trend that the story represents. Please be sure that 1498

paragraphs 3 and 4 work with quotes from two different weeks not two quotes from the same 1499

week. 1500

Paragraph 5: Present a value or principle of your own, in your own words, and show how it 1501

would guide action toward one of the options, therefore, agreeing with one of the choices 1502

above but disagreeing with the other. State briefly a defense of your contribution to the 1503

storehouse of wisdom. And state briefly why you find it ethically preferable to the competing 1504

alternative. Be sure to show how your evaluation pertains to the ethical values and principles 1505

involved, not just the outcome. And say why you think it is ethically preferable to meet the 1506

trending dilemma in this way. 1507

For grading purposes, please do not neglect citations and works cited in MLA style. You will 1508

have three works cited: two primary sources of ethical teachings and one news story. 1509

No comments due 1510

Grading Advisory: In paragraphs 3 and 4, did you select two quotes from two different weeks? In 1511

paragraph 5 did you speak from your heart in your own words? 1512

Have a Great Break and a Wonderful Life! 1513

Documents

Ethics & Society 1