Contemporary Ethical Issues Paper Guidelines Monday ...

[Pages:1]Contemporary Ethical Issues Paper Guidelines

Purpose: The goal of this paper is for you to choose a topic that interests you and analyze it from an ethical perspective. This will require you to choose a topic that is broad enough to find resources, yet narrow enough to deal with opposing viewpoints in a brief paper.

Length 8-11 pages

Due Date: Monday, December 17th

Bibliographic Requirements: standard footnote or endnote (Chicago style)

Sources: At least four (journals, books, magazines, web sites, personal interviews)

Topic Choice: Check with Mr. Feldmeth by Monday, November 29th

Topics: You may choose to focus on a theme (affirmative action in college admissions, stemcell research, war crimes trials) or an event (Terry Schiavo case, University of Virginia honor code violations) with ethical implications. Again, carefully choose the range of your topic to assure coverage in a short paper. I have a number of ethics source books in my office that you may look through to find a topic of interest. In addition, Mrs. Winslow in the Library is an outstanding resource to point you in the right direction when you find your topic.

Expectations: Because the much more interesting ethical issues are right vs. right topics with significant gray areas, choose one that you care about and for which you can fairly present opposing perspectives. Carefully craft your arguments to make sure they have both evidence and a logical development of ideas. You will learn more from a topic about which you are still undecided. Be sure to apply ends-, care-, and rule-based reasoning to your discussion.

Past topics that have worked well:

1.

Confederate flag debate

1.

Therapeutic cloning

2.

Honor code violations, Univ. Of Virginia

2.

Cousin marriage

3.

Drug sales in developing countries

3.

Needle exchanges

4.

Supermodels and their effect on teenagers

4.

Cannibalism

5.

Second-hand smoking: a civil liberty issue?

5.

Online pornography

6.

Animal rights

6.

Terry Schiavo case

7.

Physician-assisted suicide

7.

(DNR) Do not resuscitate orders

8.

Women in combat

8.

HIV partner notification

9.

Industrial espionage

9.

Journalist's sources

10. Homosexual adoption

10. Performance-enhancing drugs

11. Child beauty contests

11. Anti-vivisection

12. Using children in medical tests

12. Paying college athletes

13. Lawyer-client, clergy privilege

13. Title IX equity issues

14. Professor Joseph Ellis lying about Vietnam service14. Drinking age

to students

15. Medical marijuana

15. Hate speech codes on college campuses

16. Conjoined twins

16. Polygamy's legalization

17. Stem cells

17. Laws restricting paparazzi

18. War crimes

18. Guns in the home

19. Suicide

19. Professor-student relationships

20. Salaries of ceos vs. workers

20. Animal experimentation

21. Prostitution as a victimless crime

21. Ayala case: having another child to save a dying 22. "nanny state" issues--Happy Meal restrictions,

child

23. Motorcycle helmet laws, nutritional

22. Hate speech on the Internet

24. Information posting at restaurants, etc.

23. The ethics of nuclear deterrence

25. Ayala case--having a child to save the life of

24. Title IX in college athletics

another

25. Abortion special cases

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