Sunday, October 18th by 11:59pm
140 points
Length: 5-6 pages (double-spaced)
Choose a contemporary moral issue to discuss. You can choose a topic we have covered in class, something we will cover in the future, or one that we will not discuss at all. Examples: death penalty, animal rights, abortion, war, torture, drug legalization, euthanasia, cheating, immigration, healthcare, cloning, stem cells, genetic engineering, etc. You can pick something specific if you’d like (for example: a specific instance of police brutality, the current dilemma over the border wall and its funding, a historical situation, one of the MANY ethical dilemmas that COVID has raised, etc.). Be creative and pick something that you are passionate and opinionated about. Or pick an ethical dilemma you are currently dealing with, and use this as an opportunity to work through it (I’m the only one who will read your paper and it will all be confidential). Pick something controversial (meaning, don’t choose something that pretty much everyone agrees is either right or wrong), so that you have enough to work with.
You may use sources other than your textbook, but I encourage you not to. Check with me if you need help finding good sources on your topic. If you are using sources other than your textbook, you will need to include a bibliography/works cited page and citations throughout your paper.
Wikipedia is NOT a credible source for a college paper.
If you choose to quote something from a source, be sure to cite your source properly to avoid plagiarism. You may use any citation method you are comfortable with (APA, MLA, etc.) as long as you are consistent. I would rather you NOT use additional sources. I already know what those people think about these topics, I want to know what YOU think about it. That being said, if you are going to include specific examples, statistics, etc., you will need to back that up with a reputable source. If your only source is your textbook, you will need to cite it consistently throughout your paper when you quote/paraphrase it, but you will not need a works cited page since I obviously know the publication information for it.
Remember that any instance of plagiarism results in an automatic F for this course, and you will NOT be able to make up any assignments.
Summarize your topic. Be sure to define exactly what you will be discussing and why it is controversial. For example: there are different conceptions of what constitutes euthanasia, make sure you make it clear how you are using the term. This should take you less than one page for sure. If you are using a personal ethical dilemma, be sure to give me a summary of the situation and context (should still take less than one page).
Once you have discussed your topic, analyze it from the viewpoint of at least two different ethical theories we will discuss (like Utilitarianism, Social Contract Theory, Kantianism, Ethics of Care, Virtue Ethics, etc.). Applying the moral standards of the theory, discuss whether you think they would be for or against your contemporary moral issue. Do not try to figure this out by using the internet, not all people who will identify as Utilitarian (for example) will respond the same way to moral controversies. Instead, think about what the theory tells us to consider when making moral choices, and decide if you think they should be for or against your action.
Avoid the urge to discuss every theory we talked about. I would rather have you get really into detail with two than to say a few sentences about all of them. It may be a good idea to choose one theory you think would find your topic/action morally wrong, and one that would think it is morally right. This will give you more to discuss. I also recommend avoiding something like Ethical Subjectivism or Egoism, since you will not be able to say more than a couple of sentences about them (Do you think it’s right? Then it is! Does it benefit you? Then it’s right!). Relativism could work, depending on your topic, but you’d need to examine (in detail) how the society/culture in question would view the action (as opposed to just saying, “They could do it if their society says they could”).
It is worth keeping in mind that the Divine Command Theory makes no claims about which moral issues are right/wrong. It is about the ORIGIN of morality, not about what we should do in any given situation. You should not use it as one of your theories for this reason. The Divine Command Theory wouldn’t be “for” or “against” any ethical dilemma since it does not give us any sort of procedure to apply to specific ethical situations. That being said, if you are writing about an issue that people tend to only be for/against because of religious reasons (like homosexuality, for example), then you can use religion as one of your theories. If you choose to do this, make sure you do enough research to be able to back up the reasoning. Meaning, you better be able to explain why many Christians think their religion tells them that homosexuality is morally wrong.
After you analyze your ethical theories, spend a little time doing a compare/contrast, giving your own opinions, or some other interaction with the topic and material. Here is an opportunity to use your opinions, and do your own thinking. I will not grade you based on whether or not I agree with you. Rather, I will look at how well thought-out your discussion is. If you have a personal experience that is relevant to your opinions on the topic, you are welcome to share it (though this should appear at the end of your paper and should probably take up less than one page). You do not have to share your own opinions if you do not want to, and could just do an objective pros and cons kind of thing.
Although content is the most important aspect of this assignment; grammar, spelling, and sentence structure will be taken into account. Please be sure to read your paper carefully before turning it in to avoid simple mistakes. ACC Learning Labs can assist you with common errors, so utilize that resource if you are worried about your writing or don’t know how to cite/make a bibliography. You can find links to all the online tutoring help in the Helpful Links to Resources and Information Folder under Course Materials. No matter what, you MUST proofread it.
Please use Times New Roman 12 pt font, double-spaced. Do not alter the margins of your pages to stretch or condense the length of your paper. I think 5-6 pages is the amount of time it should take you to do everything I am asking you to do. But if you can provide a detailed analysis and exploration of your topic in slightly less than 5 pages or slightly more than 6, I’d rather have it that way than manipulated to look longer/shorter (or to have a bunch of “fluff” added that doesn’t need to be there). Don’t waste half a page giving me some epic introduction, or some pointless summary conclusion—this is a short paper, just get to the point and use your space wisely.
-Proofread your entire paper carefully and clean it up please
-If you are using sources other than your textbook, make sure you include the works cited/bibliography in the end of your paper (just put it in the same document at the end)
-Make sure your paper is in a format that is compatible with Blackboard. If you turn in a pages document, I will NOT be able to open it, download it, or otherwise read it. The IT department can help you find a free alternative if you need it
-This will be heavily checked for plagiarism, and you will fail this whole class if you cheat on this paper, so please make sure you haven’t forgotten to cite and/or quote your information