Prince George’s Community College
Ethics Paper Writing Assignment
PHL-1330, Summer Term
Prof. Kurt F. Erhard
Purpose
This writing assignment is intended to offer the student an opportunity to demonstrate his/her understanding of ethical theories as applied to a contemporary moral issue covered in this course and the multi-faceted debate surrounding that issue. In addition, the student will be expected to give evidence of his/her skills in evaluating competing philosophical views, explaining, and defending his/her views on the issues raised, and a general proficiency in writing an argumentative essay.
Instructions
Select one of the following contemporary moral issues as the topic for your paper.
EUTHANASIA
WORLD HUNGER
TREATMENT OF ANIMALS
ENVIRONMENTAL ETHICS
CYBER ETHICS
Construct a good philosophical essay that includes each of the elements outlined below:
1. Identify in your title and on the title/cover page the contemporary moral issue you will examine. (Total possible points for this item: 10 pts.)
2. Paper Part #1: Offer a SUMMARY of the major issues, concepts, and distinctions relevant to the contemporary moral issue you have selected. (Suggestion: You may want to pattern this section of your paper after the “Introduction to the Moral Issues” section that Hinman includes at the beginning of each chapter in his book.) [Approximate length of this section should be about 1 page.] (Total possible points for this item: 25 pts.)
3. Paper Part #2: Summary of Selected Moral Theories [MINIMUN length for this section is 1 page] Shafer-Landau outlines eight major moral theories in chapters 5-18 in his book. SELECT TWO of the following moral theories – Divine Command Ethics, Natural Law, Ethical Egoism, Utilitarianism , Kantian Ethics, Social Contract Ethics, Feminist Ethics and Virtue Ethics – and offer a thorough summary account of each theory (e.g., primary advocate/s of the theory; concise statement of what the theory affirms or states regarding moral standards and moral judgments; etc.). (Total possible points for this item: 30 pts.)
4. Paper Part #3: Application of selected moral theories to the moral issue you selected [MINIMUN length for this section is 1 page] The goal for this section is to provide an analysis of how each theory would respond to the selected moral issue and what resolution each theory would offer to that moral issue. Be sure that you select theories that will lead to very different responses to the moral issue you chose for your paper! (Total possible points for this item: 35 pts.)
5. Paper Part #4: Select the theory that you judge offers the best response to the moral issue selected and DEFEND/ARGUE for your view. [MINIMUN length for this section is 1 ½ pages] The goal for this section is to offer a well-written argument that provides good reasons for your opinion that one theory is superior to the other theory in resolving and/or responding to the selected moral issue. (Total possible points for this item: 40 pts.)
The grammar and style of your essay will also be evaluated and will contribute to your total score on the assignment. (Total possible points for this item: 10 pts.)
Resources: Your available resources for this assignment are those used in this course: Hinman’s book, Shafer-Landau’s book and the Supplemental Resources provided on the course site. You may not use any outside resources for this paper (i.e. no internet research or searches). Be sure to properly cite and document all resources used in your paper and include a works cited page.
Any student who violates the “no outside research” instruction will receive a failing grade for the assignment.
All papers are subject to review for originality and possible plagiarism violations. If any violations are discovered, there will be a severe reduction in the grade for the paper and possible administrative action per the college’s policy against plagiarism.
Due Date: Your paper is due SUNDAY, JULY 21ST by midnight. Submit your paper electronically/online to the course site as specified in the course syllabus (p. 4). No extensions or late submissions will be allowed for this assignment.
Length: Your completed assignment should be between 1,000 – 1,750 words (approximately 4-7 pages). Your essay should conform to the writing rubric as explained in this assignment.
Format: Your assignment should be free from grammatical, spelling, and proofreading errors. Format your assignment with double-spacing in a standard, 12-point serif font (such as Times New Roman) and with 1” margins. Include a title/cover page with assignment information and your name.
Assessment: Maximum score for this assignment will be 150 pts. The paper’s score will be based on the following: compliance with all structural and formatting items stipulated for the assignment; quality of summary and depth of analysis of ethical theories covered in the paper; quality of explanation and defense of the student’s viewpoint on the theory that best resolves the moral issue, general quality of writing (style, grammar, spelling, etc.). See the point value for each section of the paper in the “Instructions” portion above.