Seminar Content and Assignments
Preliminaries
- Seminar content pages
- Your name and e-mail address
- Your alias for the blog. Remember that if you wish to remain anonymous (to everyone except me), then use the alias that you assigned to yourself during the meeting of the seminar for assignments 2 and 3 inside this blog.
- Use your real name for the two assignments that you send to me by e-mail (i.e., the survey/questionnaire and the evaluation form).
- If you have any questions or problems, please let me know.
Content
- Your “moral orientation.” If one of the terms or phrases below appeals to you as the goal of moral action, it might indicate which ethical theory you think is the “right” one and perhaps the one that you follow or by which you try to live your life. Click on the link for each of the following four “moral orientations” for further information on the theory to which the terms/phrases apply. You need to know something about each of the theories, but be sure that you look more deeply into the one you think is the right one. Read or watch at least two of the content links at the site for each theory so that you are sure you are familiar with the theory and its major concepts and principles.
- Greatest Happiness. This is Utilitarian moral theory. The morally right and good thing to do is to produce the greatest happiness for the greatest number.
- Duty . This is deontology. The morally right thing to do is to act on duty, where duty is determined by pure reason; and where duty requires that we always treat humanity as intrinsically valuable.
- Character & Community . This is virtue ethics. It is an ethical theory in which one contends that the ultimate goal of life is happiness/the good life, and one of the most important means to its achievement is the development of good character in the community of which one is a part.
- Self . This is ethical egoism. The morally right thing to do is to act on one’s own self-interest and to recognize that everyone else ought to do the same. Helping others is insulting and demeaning to them, indicating that they are incompetent and thus incapable of taking care of themselves.
- Institutional Ethical Expectations. As a member of an academic community, and in order for that community to be able to continue to offer benefits and to satisfy expectations of its members, every person is expected to adhere to institutional rules and policies. If you are not famliar with the UCF Creed and the UCF Golden Rule, you should click on these links to be sure that you are aware of them.
Assignments
- Fill out the survey first. Download the file, fill it out, and e-mail it to me at stanlick(at)mail.ucf.edu. Make sure that the subject line is your last name and Survey. So the subject line would be like this: Smith Survey. This is due by November 12 at 5:00 p.m. The survey is available at: http://sites.google.com/site/ucfacademicethicsseminar/survey-and-evaluation-form .
- What, in your considered view, is the most serious breach of morality that can be committed by a) a student and b) a faculty member? Why is this the case? Critically evaluate the position of ONE other person using one of the moral theories above in Part 1 of the Content of the seminar. Post your essay (and reply) here in the appropriate link for Assignment 2 but NOT as an attachment. Make sure the content is typed or pasted directly into the page. Your essay should be equivalent to approximately 2 pages in length. Your essay is due by November 12 at 5:00 p.m. The reply should be about 1-2 pages in length and is due by November 16.
- What if YOU created the rules and expectations at this university or in your chosen profession? Think about this: If you were responsible for writing a list of 10 rules encompassing the expectations for every student at this university, or for every person in your chosen profession, what would those rules be? Create a list of those 10 rules for either a student or for a professional in your field, explaining briefly WHY you chose/created each rule. This is due on November 16, 2009 by 5:00 p.m. and is to be posted in the link in the side bar for Assignment 3. No replies are required.
- Seminar evaluation form. The evaluation form is here: http://sites.google.com/site/ucfacademicethicsseminar/survey-and-evaluation-form. Download the file, fill it out, and e-mail it to me at stanlick(at)mail.ucf.edu. Make sure that the subject line is your last name and Evaluation. So the subject line would be like this: Smith Evaluation. This is due on November 16, 2009 by 5:00 p.m.
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