Discussion Directions
There is one discussion you will need to participate in this week. Select the button below to access the thread.
IN THE SUBJECT HEADER PLEASE INDICATE THE OPTION YOU’VE CHOSEN.
Week 2 Discussions
To receive full credit for Discussions this week, you must post:
One (1) “Original Post” addressing one
of the three question choices. Minimum of 250 words. Due Sunday at
11:59PM ET. Your Original Post must answer the question fully in all its
parts and address possible objections to your ethical reasoning. You
must also connect your Original Post to the course by having at least
one full sentence quote and citation from one of the Required Readings
of the week or the Case Study. The quote should be word for word and
contained inside quotation marks and then followed by an inline
citation. Once you quote
something or even reword something you did not originally write then you
need to have it in a reference section at the end of the post (again in
MLA format). Please refer to the following resources for help on MLA
citation.
MLA Citation
MLA Citation Examples
Two (2) “Response Posts”
to classmates who answered the other two questions (one each). Minimum
of 100 words. Due Monday at 11:59PM ET. Your Response Post needs to
analyze and consider the ethical reasoning of two of your classmate’s
Original Posts. In addition to your reaction to your classmate’s
Original Post, your Response Post must ask one or two questions
of your classmate’s Original Post. Consider how you might disagree with
your classmate’s Original Post, or ask your classmate to clarify some
part of their Original Post that you didn’t understand.
Two (2) “Reply Posts”
answering the questions of two classmates who asked questions in their
Response Posts to your Original Post. Minimum of 50 words. Due Tuesday
at 11:59PM ET. In your Reply Posts, answer as best you can the questions
raised by your classmates. It is in the interactions of Original,
Response and Reply posts that you will achieve the learning goals of the
week.
Notes:
Please refer to the Discussion Guidelines and Rubric for further guidance on how your discussions will be graded.
Do not cite or use internet sources other than those provided under the Readings and Learning Materials. In other words, use only the learning materials and links provided in this course.
No
one can get full credit unless all three questions have an Original
Post; since everyone is required to make one Original Post to answer one
question and two Response Posts to the other two questions they did not
answer, but that their classmates did. Thus, it is a group effort to
make sure that all three questions have Original Posts, so please help
us achieve this goal each week.
If
no one, or only one person, posts a Response Post to your Original Post
you will not be penalized for lacking two Reply Posts.
Discussion questions labeled normative ethics will ask you to think about the practicality of the “rules” of the moral theory you are studying that week; questions labeled applied ethics will ask you to think about how to apply the moral theory in a contemporary dilemma; questions labeled meta-ethics
will ask you to consider the meaning and significance of the principal
ethical concepts. Choosing one kind of question one week, and another in
another week will help you gain the ability to discuss ethics from a
variety of perspectives.
IN THE SUBJECT HEADER PLEASE INDICATE THE OPTION YOU’VE CHOSEN.
DISCUSSION QUESTION CHOICE #1: Normative Ethics: The Practicality of Egoism, Contractarianism
What
are the benefits and drawbacks to Egoism and Contractarianism in the
practical, ethical dilemmas of everyday life? Use your understanding of
the readings, your own experiences and ethical reasoning to make your
argument. Make sure to address possible objections to your argument.
DISCUSSION QUESTION CHOICE #2: Metaethics: The Meaning of Self-Interest?
What does it mean to ethically
pursue your own self-interest in your unwritten social contract as a
U.S. citizen? Use your understanding of the readings, your own
experiences and ethical reasoning to make your argument. Address
possible objections to your argument.
DISCUSSION QUESTION CHOICE #3: Applied Ethics: Political Perk?
Read the following ethical dilemma from the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics:
Should the mayor accept “political perks” as part of his job? Nadler, Judy, “Political Perk or Part of the Job?” Markkula Center for Applied Ethics (2006)
How
does Egoism and Social Contract Theory help us make sense of Mayor
Gibson’s ethical dilemma? What unwritten “contract” does a politician
have with her constituents that affects her ethical behavior? Use your
understanding of the readings, your own experiences and ethical
reasoning to make your argument. Make sure to address possible
objections to your argument.
