Equity & Ethics



Equity & EthicsSub-ThemesWho and What is Right?EmpowermentDegrees of ResponsibilityJustice and FairnessUnit QuestionsWhat are some of the factors that create inequality? How have inequalities shaped our world? What is my role and responsibility in addressing inequalities?What is the relationship between rights and responsibilities?Who decides what is right? Why should we do the right thing? How can I act on the right thing?How does one become an ethical person?IntroductionDefinitionsEthics: The study of values, of how we should live.Used interchangeably with morals and values; beliefs; standards by which we live and make decisions.Denotes systematic, rational reflection upon a particular behaviour.Values:Standards or ideals which serve as guides to conduct and decision-making. (Conneely, 1990)Five Cornerstones to Ethical BehaviourDo what you ______________ you will _____________.Never ___________________ information given to you in _______________________.Accept ____________________ for your own ___________________________.Never become _________________________ in a __________________.Avoid accepting _____________________ that compromise your ability to perform in the best interests of the ___________________________. (Manske, 1987)QueryWhere do we get ethics from? _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Why is it important to use ethical behaviour? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________What are the steps to ethical decision-making?4953002032000(Boatman, 1987)Case Study #1David had recently been invited to join a group of kids from his school on Facebook. Since he was somewhat shy around other people and had only recently begun to hang out with these guys, David felt good about being asked to join the group. And, to be sure, it was a lot of fun at first. Until one day.David logged onto Facebook and was disgusted by what he saw. Somebody had posted a photo of a girl in their class and altered it with Photoshop. The image made it look like she was the only girl at a party of boys, scantily dressed, holding a beer, and laughing. The caption under the picture was filled with four-letter words and mentioned her name. David hardly knew the girl, but he did know that she had a reputation as a straight edge and that she was often teased about it. He also knew that this would be very hurtful to her if she ever found out.David knew it was a private online group and anything posted there was supposedly for the members’ eyes only. But what if someone in a group you belong to posts something offensive—like this photo? Won’t anyone who sees it think it’s from the whole group? David also wondered who else might be able to see what is posted. Can people who aren’t members look at the postings without the group knowing? David knew the other members would think he was overreacting if he made an issue about it. But he also knew that the photo made him feel guilty, a sure sign that his moral compass was tugging at him. So, now what?Should he say something to the other guys and risk looking like a weirdo? He was sure they would just tell him to lighten up. Should he drop out of the group? That would mean the photo stayed out there and he would just be ignoring the problem. He had a teacher he really respected who he could talk to, but what if the whole thing snowballed into a discipline issue at school? What would happen then? And if he talked to his parents, they might take away his internet access. David felt stuck. All he did was agree to join a group. Why was this such a problem? What, if anything, should he do?22860023000800Use the Steps to Ethical Decision Making to determine what David should do:Discussion Questions Which of the options David lists for responding to this dilemma makes the most sense to you? Is there another better idea he may not be thinking of?What would you do in this situation? If you think it depends on what the photo consists of, where would you draw the line? Why? Can you explain?Do you think people should be able to say anything they want if they feel they are on a list that holds their confidentiality? Why? Why not?Have you or someone you know ever been in a similar situation? What happened? How do you feel about how the situation was handled?Have you ever felt uncomfortable about something but couldn’t exactly explain why? How did you react to your discomfort? Ignore it? Act on it? How?If any of the rest of the class or school community gains access to the page with the girl’s photo, do you think the school should discipline the boys? Is this a school issue? Why/why not?Is this a community issue if no one but the boys ever see it?Do we have any ethical responsibility when using the Internet? If so, how would you define that responsibility?What is a moral compass? Do you have one? Does everyone? How can you tell when someone is acting in accordance with his/her own moral compass?Case Study #2Noah faced his earliest ethical dilemma in the first grade. Most of the time he felt quite happy at school; he liked his teacher and had a lot of friends from different groups. But there was one thing he really didn’t like at all. Every day he saw the same boy in his class tease and bully the same girl during recess. The boy never bothered Noah, but was very careful to tease the girl where teachers couldn’t see it happen, or during times adult supervision was scarce. It was the same thing every day: the boy would approach the girl, call her names, and follow her until she was just on the verge of crying. Then he would laugh and walk away saying, “I was just kidding!”What was hardest for Noah to deal with was the fact that no one ever said anything to the teachers. Sometimes he or someone else would try to stick up for the girl, but that only stopped the teasing that day. It would just begin again the next. And every day Noah struggled with the same thorny question of whether or not to tell on the bully.Noah feared that if he went to a teacher it would get out that he was the one who tattled, and he didn’t want the boy to start bullying him instead. He also knew how most of the kids in his class felt about tattletales. There was a very strong code of silence around teasing and bullying. Yet, he hated to watch this poor girl brace herself every day when the recess bell rang.So, the dilemma in Noah's first grade mind was, should he tattle, or should he ignore it?Discussion Questions What would you do if you were in Noah’s shoes? Have you ever been there? Do you regret or are you proud of your decision now?Have you ever been told on by someone because you were doing something wrong? What was your immediate reaction? What do you remember about how you felt about your behavior at the time?How does the idea of “intention” play into whether or not to tell on someone?Have you ever told on someone just to watch them get into trouble, or to add to the drama? What did it feel like? How is that choice different from telling on someone in order to put a halt to something you think is bad?Do you think the code of silence around telling on someone changes as one gets older? Is it the same in first grade as it is in middle school? High school?Paragraph WritingWrite an expository (to inform or to instruct) paragraph in which you provide an explanation about one of the following terms. Be sure to use the terms in the context of the case studies. Ethical responsibilityMoral compassCode of SilenceFormat of paragraphIntroduce your topic Define the term (in your own words)Provide further explanation/detailGive examples (when do people have ethical responsibility; what determines one’s moral compass)Conclude by explaining how this concept/phenomenon is importantDON’TSDon’t use the pronoun “you”Don’t make it into a moral teaching (i.e., don’t preach at your audience)Don’t begin with a sentence like this one: “I’m going to talk about . . . “EvaluationDemonstrates a solid understanding of the term/10Provides extensive explanation to reinforce the definition/5Uses declarative statements (not “I’m going to . . .”) /3Introduction and conclusion/2Correct syntax/5Total:25 ................
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