Applied Ethics Project:
Recommendations for the Austin Ethics Committee
OVERVIEW:
In this project, you will fulfill assignments that lead to a report for a hypothetical “Austin Ethics Committee” on a topic in Applied Ethics. You will select and research an area of specialization, identify an urgent ethical problem within this area, evaluate and compare the potential solutions offered by the approaches we’ve studied in class, recommend your own solution to the ethical problem after considering these approaches, and anticipate and consider potential objections to your solution. In other words, you will apply what you’ve learned in class to help Austin leaders make ethical decisions in your own community!
METHOD:
Step 1: Become a specialist in one Applied Ethics area.
Select an Applied Ethics area of specialization from among the modules in the unit (World Hunger, Environmental Ethics, etc.).
Open the folder for your Applied Ethics area, read the required materials, and watch the required videos in your chosen area of specialization. Take notes in order to identify a specific ethical problem in this area.
Step 2: Identify and research an urgent ethical problem in this area
Identify and research an urgent ethical problem in Austin using a news source from today or within the last week. This should be a very specific question that is relevant to Austin (or a specific location if you live elsewhere). Be sure to consider the following questions:
How is this an ethical problem (as opposed to a legal problem, a scientific problem, etc.)?
How is it an ethical problem? (How might reasonable people disagree on how they think the problem should be solved? Be sure NOT to choose a question with an obvious answer where everyone would likely agree—if we all agree, it’s not really a problem.)
Are there any terms that need to be defined as you identify the problem?
Do you need to clarify how this problem differs from any similar problems?
Here is an example to get you started: According to an Austin Monthly article on May 10, 2024, due to overcrowded conditions, “[v]olunteers had been told the shelter needed to rehome 60 dogs or the city manager’s office could decide to euthanize roughly 30 dogs on the city’s urgent placement list this week” (DeLaura). The question arises as to whether it is ever ethical to euthanize animals facing crowded conditions at the Austin Animal Shelter, and if so, what are those conditions? I will look at this question from a number of different ethical approaches before recommending __”.
Step 3: Write your report to the Austin Ethics Committee.
Evaluate the problem using each approach we have learned in class, along with any resources in your area of specialization folder. Note that ChatGPT-generated, Sparknotes, and similar sources will not be accepted. You should have at least 9 paragraphs (250 words, or around ½ page each) plus a Works Cited list. Here are the paragraphs that you should include in the report:
An Introduction with background information on the problem and a statement of your recommendation (See Step 2 above). You may not know what you will recommend when you begin writing the paper—that’s fine. Just leave that blank and come back to it at the end once you’ve had a chance to consider all the following approaches.
Consider the problem from a Virtue Ethics approach (Aristotle and/or Confucius).
Consider the problem from a Deontology approach (Kant’s duty ethics and/or approach to dignity).
Consider the problem from a Utilitarian approach (Bentham’s Classic Utilitarianism or Mill’s Utilitarianism).
Consider the problem from a Relational Ethics approach (Care ethics, Ubuntu ethics, and/or Native American ethics—incorporating a reflection from your own service-learning experience in some form).
Consider the problem from the perspective of Rawlsian Justice or Nussbaum’s Capabilities Approach.
Recommend your own solution to the problem on the basis of your evaluation of the above approaches.
Consider counter arguments to your solution. How might someone disagree with your proposed solution? If you aren’t sure what the possible counterarguments might be, ask a classmate to critique your solution in the Discussion Board.
End with a paragraph that is your conclusion as to why we should still support your solution despite the counter arguments, and tell us why answering this question is important—why does it matter for Austin residents?
A Works Cited list MUST be included at the end of the paper. See the guidelines below for how to format this list. BE SURE TO ALPHABETIZE your entries! These references must refer to the citations in your paper. Every sentence that is not your own thought should be cited in parentheses in the paper with a reference to this Works Cited list at the end of the paper.
Step 4: Submit your final report to the Austin Ethics Committee
Check that you are using the following format and style:
Papers should be around 4-6 pages, double-spaced and in 10- or 12-point font.
Margins should be one inch.
Submit as a .doc (MS Word) or .pdf (Adobe) file.
Take care not to use the ideas, words, or arguments of anyone else without properly documenting the source.
All references should be in MLA style (see the MLA Documentation Style page on the ACC library website, and see the example at the end of these instructions). Note that MLA style includes your information in the upper left-hand corner of the first page (instead of a cover sheet), your title centered and spaced 2 lines beneath that information, a header beginning on the second page that includes your last name and title, and page numbers beginning on the second page (anywhere on the page is fine). To get your header to disappear on the first page in MS Word, go to the header area and click on ‘Different first page.’ Do not use boldface to emphasize words—use italics if needed. Use hanging indent for your Works Cited page. Please do not leave extra lines between paragraphs. And, again, YOU MUST DOUBLE SPACE your essays.
Submit the paper in the Applied Ethics—Submit Here portal.
