Instructions: This assignment is the first step to the Ethical Analysis Essay that you will work to complete throughout the term. These assignments require that you analyze a film’s ethical dimensions that include its characters and the story.
First, select a film from the list of available works. If you cannot access these films, you may select a different film, but you will require prior approval from your instructor.
Films for Ethical Analysis Essay
The Jacket (2005) (R) - A Gulf war veteran is wrongly sent to a mental institution for insane criminals, where he becomes the object of a doctor’s experiments, and his life is completely affected by them. The film centers on a wounded Gulf war veteran who returns to his native Vermont suffering from bouts of amnesia.
Extraordinary Measures (2010) (PG) - John Crowley is a man on the corporate fast-track, with a beautiful wife and three children. Just as his career is taking off, he learns that his two youngest kids have a fatal disease. John leaves his job and devotes himself to saving their lives. He joins forces with Dr. Robert Stonehill, a brilliant but eccentric scientist. Together they battle the medical and corporate establishment, racing against time for a cure.
Contagion (2011) (PG 13) - When Beth Emhoff returns to Minnesota from a Hong Kong business trip, she attributes the malaise she feels to jet lag. However, two days later, Beth is dead, and doctors tell her shocked husband that they have no idea what killed her. Soon, many others start to exhibit the same symptoms, and a global pandemic explodes. Doctors try to contain the lethal microbe, but society begins to collapse as a blogger (Jude Law) fans the flames of paranoia.
Joe vs. the Volcano (1990) (PG) (Comedy)–Joe Banks is dying, but his life has pleased him anyway. When a millionaire offers him the opportunity to die and to help others by doing so and in the meantime, to live like a millionaire, Joe grabs the opportunity. His absurdist journey to his demise helps him discover the meaning of existence.
Beethoven (1992) (PG) (Comedy)-A family adopts a St. Bernard puppy, to the chagrin of the father. The puppy grows and causes mishap after mishap. The father’s and family’s love for the dog is tested when a corrupt veterinarian kidnaps the dog for a deadly experiment.
Outbreak (1995) (R) (Drama)–An airborne virus threatens the world, beginning in a California town. A team of doctors is brought in to contain the situation. The doctors must fight against the clock to save the town and its residents after the Army is called in.
The Rainmaker (1997) (PG 13) (Drama)–A new attorney works for a less-than-reputable lawyer and meets a paralegal. An insurance company refuses to pay coverage for a woman’s dying son, and the new lawyer and paralegal team up to fight.
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks (2017) (NR) (Documentary)–This tells the story of an African-American woman who died in 1951 at age 31 of cervical cancer. Her legacy, the HeLa cell line, was taken from her tumor while she was still alive.
The Father (2020) (PG 13) (Drama)-A man begins to doubt those he loves and even his own mind as he refuses help from his daughter as he ages.
Dallas Buyers Club (2013) (Drama)-An electrician learns he has AIDS and has just 30 days left to live. He smuggles unapproved drugs into the U.S. and joins with a fellow AIDS patient to sell the treatments to people who can’t wait for science to find a treatment.
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (1994) (R) (Horror)-Viktor Frankenstein recounts events from his life regarding a creature he brings to life from assembled body parts of dead people. He abandons the creature and the creature seeks revenge upon its maker.
Take Care of Maya (2023) (PG 13) (Drama)- A family experiences a nightmare after their daughter exhibits unusual symptoms and they seek medical help.
Next, view the film and then write a planning document using the following subheadings: 1) Introduction 2) Ethical Analysis. The planning document should be a minimum of 250 words in length (excluding title and references pages).
Introduction (Film Synopsis) – Recommended one paragraph
Brief film synopsis in your own words that includes the medical ethical dilemma present in the film and what happens in the film, including the ending.
Ethical Analysis – Recommended one to two paragraphs
Identify the ethical theory you have chosen to apply to the film. Briefly explain how the theory you selected applies to the film. Select one:
Virtue Ethics – Core Principles – telos, virtue, eudaimonism
Kantian Ethics – Core Principles – duty, universality, impartiality, reciprocity
Utilitarian Ethics – Core Principles – welfare, impartiality, sum-ranking, consequences
Identify the core principles of the ethical theory that apply to a medical ethical issue present in the film. Briefly explain how at least one of these core principles applies to the medical ethical issue. (You will expand upon this in the final essay and incorporate all of the core principles for your selected theory.)
APA Formatting – Your planning document must be written using APA format (including APA-approved fonts – e.g., Calibri or Times New Roman 12-point fonts). It should be double-spaced and include a title page and references page. Include in-text citations and references as needed for sources that support your work.
Required Citations and References – You will need to provide in-text citation(s) and reference for the film you select as well as course materials (media or readings) you use to inform your planning document. (USLO 7.4)
