Ethical Decision Making Spring 2014
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Course Syllabus
MLS 610-08D: Ethical Decision Making
SPRING 2014
Triad Center
Monday 6:00-8:50 p.m.
Structure: Course meets one evening per week for lecture, dialogue, and participation; additional
discussion threads will be conducted via the Blackboard system.
Course Prerequisites: Graduate Standing
Instructor:
Dr. Chris Poulos
Office: Department of Communication Studies, Ferguson Building # 115, UNCG
Office Hours: By appointment
Contact: [email protected]; 336.316.1010 (home); 336.686.2514 (cell)
Course Purpose/Catalog Description: This course emphasizes various ethical philosophies, principles,
and approaches to decision making. We will also learn to identify, understand, and address the ethical
dimensions of strategic, persuasive, relational, and dialogic communication patterns and practices in
public, professional, interpersonal, and family life contexts.
Detailed Course Description:
Consider…
 Have you ever found yourself wondering how to respond to a difficult situation?
 Have you ever found yourself in a quandary? A moral dilemma? A moment of temptation?
 Have you ever wondered if every situation you face demands absolute honesty? Or is a little lie—
or a bit of deception now and then—acceptable?
 Have you ever wondered what integrity really means? What does it mean to be a “good” person?
What are the dimensions of good character?
 Do you follow (or pretend to follow) an ethical “code” or “credo”?
 Have you wondered about how should you make decisions that involve ethical matters? What are
the “golden rules” of the game of life (or the game of ethics)? What does it mean to live “the good
life?”
 Have you ever considered, or been stumped by, how to proceed? Have you felt your conscience
calling, but felt uncertain how you should respond?
In this course we will learn about the history and evolution of ethical thinking and ethical decision
making. We will examine various theories and approaches to ethics, and apply them to examples, cases,
and contemporary issues. We will also learn to identify, understand, and address the ethical dimensions of
strategic, persuasive, relational, and dialogic communication patterns and practices in public, professional,
interpersonal, and family life contexts. The course is designed to assist you in critically analyzing how
ethics, decisions, and communication intersect in everyday life, and how clarity about ethics can help you
guide your actions.
The emphasis of our discussions and your projects will be in exploring your role as a functioning
human in society and your responsibility for affecting the larger social condition through ethical decisionmaking and communication practices. We will read and study—and talk about—a variety of perspectives
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upon which ethical standards may be based. We will interrogate ethics as a response and responsibility in
interaction, paying particular attention to the topics of compassion, conscience, service, forgiveness, and
reconciliation. We will identify the questions that ethical reflection and ethical communication raise as
starting points for practical decision-making that promotes collaboration and cooperation. Along the way,
we will examine specific cases, films, speeches, stories, problems, issues, and actions that will help us to
flesh out our own “ethical visions” for our lives.
Course Objectives/Student Learning Outcomes:
After taking this course, you will have acquired useful knowledge about the significant
intersections between the strategic, relational, and ethical uses of communication and decision-making
patterns that seek to engage, inform, and persuade. From this knowledge, you will be able to:
1. Identify the potential ethical dimensions and practices within various contexts: interpersonal,
family, organizational/institutional, community, and public;
2. Reflect on and refine your own bases for evaluating and judging the ethical dimensions of
communication and decision making in a personal vision of ethics;
3. Formulate criteria for communicative and decisive action that can withstand scrutiny from
alternative perspectives;
4. Develop speaking and writing skills that are sensitive to relevant audience dispositions, beliefs,
and alternative perspectives on topics related to an ethical life;
5. Build and maintain your own ethical voice; and
6. Write, speak, respond, and decide critically and creatively when facing ethical challenges.
Attendance: This is a discussion-driven class, so your active attendance and participation is vital to our
success. Attendance at each class session is expected.
Participation: Notice that 20% (200 points) of your grade total is for participation. Active participation
in dialogue is a primary learning process that makes your education possible. I expect you to participate
actively in class discussions. Speak up! Offer your insights, ideas, conjectures, critical evaluations,
responses to questions, and so on, as we engage in discussion. Offer relevant examples from daily life, the
media, the arts, etc., to illuminate discussion; bring in items (articles, newspaper clippings, video clips,
exercises, etc.) to spur discussion; think and respond actively and creatively. By attending class regularly
and actively participating, you will not only be better prepared for your writing assignments and for
successful completion of this course, you will also help make this course a more valuable and enriching
experience for us all!
Academic Integrity: I suppose, in a course on ethics, this kind of goes without saying, but I’m expected
to say it anyway: No cheating or plagiarism! Here’s some more detail, excerpted from the Academic
Integrity web page at http://academicintegrity.uncg.edu/:
“Academic integrity is founded upon and encompasses the following five values: honesty, trust,
fairness, respect, and responsibility. Supporting and affirming these values is essential to promoting and
maintaining a high level of academic integrity. Each member of the academic community must stand
accountable for his or her actions. As a result, a community develops in which students learn the
responsibilities of citizenship and how to contribute honorably to their professions.
If knowledge is to be gained and properly evaluated, it must be pursued under conditions free from
dishonesty. Deceit and misrepresentations are incompatible with the fundamental activity of this academic
institution and shall not be tolerated. Members of the UNCG community are expected to foster in their
own work the spirit of academic honesty and not to tolerate its abuse by others.
Responsibility for academic integrity lies primarily with individual students and faculty members
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of this community. A violation of academic integrity is an act harmful to all students, faculty and,
ultimately, the University.”
Note: If you are wondering, or have further questions about academic integrity, see me or
read the entire Academic Integrity web page.
Disability:
If you have a disability or special need, which I should be aware of or for which special
accommodations need to be made, please see me privately during my office hours (or make an
appointment).
Evaluation Methods and Guidelines for Assignments:
General: Evaluation will be based upon the quality of writing, in-class and Blackboard-based
discussion/participation, and formal presentation of your “ethical vision.”
Study: Reserve plenty of time outside of class to conduct your independent work (writing, re-writing,
reading, re-reading, developing questions, etc.). Learning is a process, not an event. Work hard, and you
will reap great rewards! Everything worthwhile requires effort…
Reading: Reading for this course will be central to the conduct of class discussions. We will discuss the
readings in class, so reading assignments are to be completed prior to the day for which they are listed.
Writing/Research:
 In-class written reflections: For each class session, you have been asked to read an important text for
consideration. As a way to engage the reading dialogically, on select days you will spend time, in
class, reflecting upon and writing responses to the reading, based on a question posed by me. These
written reflections will also serve you in crafting portions of drafts for various chapters of your ethics
book (see below). From time to time, you will be asked to share these written reflections orally in
class.
 “My Book of Ethics”: Your major writing assignment in this course will be to construct a book about
how ethics and ethical communication have impacted your life. Each chapter will be approximately 5
pages in length:
o Chapter 1: This chapter will consist of a story about ethics in your life. Consider a
time/moment/event/situation in your life when you had to consider what the ethical path would
be. Have you ever been tempted to lie, to cheat, to steal? Have you ever been placed in an
ethical dilemma? Have you ever been driven to make an ethical (or unethical) decision? How
did this situation affect you, and how did you handle it? What role did your ideas of “virtue”
(goodness), “duty” (rules/ obligations) or “consequences” play in your decision making
process? Write this chapter in story form, with a “moral” or ethical reflection section at the
end.
o Chapter 2: This chapter is a reflective essay on the importance of ethical communication in
your close personal relationships (family, friends, colleagues) and in your community
(neighborhood, organizations/ institutions, town, etc.). Reflect carefully and thoughtfully upon
the factors and considerations that drive your approach to communicating with others you
encounter in your life, with a special emphasis on the need for an ethical sensibility in
encountering diverse points of view, backgrounds, histories, and ways of seeing/perceiving the
world. How mindful are you of how you treat others? How do you go about building trust in
your relationships? What do you do to build rapport with friends, associates, colleagues, and
neighbors? What role does conscience play in your everyday communication?
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o Chapter 3: This chapter is a reflective essay on challenging situations in your life, and how
your ethical sensibilities and commitments temper or guide your ways of handling difficult
obstacles or conflicts. How do you handle situations that fire up your anger, frustration,
anxiety, or fear? What do you do when someone challenges you, or “calls you out?” Have you
ever experienced—or perpetrated—betrayal? How do you handle conflict in your life? What
might you do differently in difficult situations to make the process of communicating better,
and to potentially change the outcomes for the better?
o Chapter 4: This chapter is your opportunity to respond openly and actively to any of the topics,
themes, films, or other texts we have examined this semester, and to offer your own thoughtful
reflection on the meaning and import of the theme/film/text for you and your ethical life.
o Chapter 5: “My ethical vision”—This chapter will offer your ethical vision for your life. Here,
you will outline your own “ethical credo,” crafted from an extended reflection on this
semester’s experience of studying, discussing, and coming to a deeper understanding of how
ethical communication can work to build strong relationships and communities. Here you will
outline your own critical/creative choice and application of an ethical approach (or
combination of approaches) we have studied this semester (e.g., virtue, duty, consequentialist,
dialogic, Buddhist, etc.) to everyday life decisions. This chapter will also serve as a script for
your “ethical vision” speech.
Oral Presentation: “My ethical vision/This I believe”: This is an individual 10—12 minute presentation,
consisting of your ethical reflections on key issues, and your ethical vision for your future, based on your
learning in this course. In this speech, drawn from the final chapter of your Ethics Book (see below), you
will offer your own code (credo) of ethics, and outline how you will practice ethics in your life, using a
case example to illustrate application of your code. There will be a question & answer session at the end
of each presentation.
Skillful discussion/dialogue: This is a course that requires your active engagement in ongoing, lively
conversation about ethics, about key ethical themes and questions, about overarching life problems,
issues, challenges, obstacles, dilemmas, decisions, and so on. We will actively employ group discussion
and dialogue processes, practices, and exercises on a weekly basis. For this teaching methodology to
succeed, your active and skillful participation will be necessary.
Blackboard Discussion: Additionally, each week, you will participate in a critical/reflective discussion
thread on the Blackboard system. This discussion is designed to supplement our in-class discussion of the
week's subject matter. I will raise a question for your consideration, and offer you the opportunity to
respond. You will also have the opportunity in this forum to raise your own questions for discussion, offer
an insight relevant to our current topic/theme/case/film/issue, or develop your own interpretation or
application of a theme, principle, practice, or theory we are examining in class.
Grading/Evaluation
Assignment
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5 + Final book draft
Blackboard Participation
In-class participation
Points
100
100
100
100
100
100
200
Ethical Decision Making Spring 2014
Ethical Vision Speech
Total
Scale:
930-1000 = A
900-929 = A830-869 = B
800-829 = B730-769 = C
700-729 = C
5
200
1000
870-899 = B+
770-799 = C+
Required Texts
Blackburn, S. (2003). Being good: A short introduction to ethics. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Buber, M. (1980/1953). Good and evil. New York: Prentice-Hall.
The Dalai Lama (1999). Ethics for the new millennium. New York: Riverhead Books.
Various readings on e-reserves (accessed via Blackboard) and web links (in schedule below)
Topical Outline/Course Schedule
January 13
Ethical Visions
Documented Visions: The Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and “I Have a Dream”
Communication, ethics, virtue, & happiness
Video: Bodhisattva in Metro (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVoVmDHXjI4)
This I Believe: Alexandra Shuman’s “The Essentials to Happiness” (http://thisibelieve.org/theme/love/)
Ethical commitments and codes/credos
Example: NCA Credo for Ethical Communication
(http://www.natcom.org/uploadedFiles/About_NCA/Leadership_and_Governance/Public_Policy_Platfor
m/PDF-PolicyPlatform-NCA_Credo_for_Ethical_Communication.pdf)
A roadmap for our course
Read: The Declaration of Independence:
http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/declaration_transcript.html + MLK’s "I Have a Dream!"
speech: http://www.uncg.edu/~cnpoulos/cnpmlkspch.html + “Letter from a Birmingham Jail”:
http://www.africa.upenn.edu/Articles_Gen/Letter_Birmingham.html
January 20
No class—Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday
January 27
Some Threats to Ethics
The four corners of ethics: Virtue, Duty, Consequence, and Dialogue
Contemporary issue: Deception and Discourse
Film: Thank you for Smoking
Read: Blackburn, Part 1 (Seven Threats to Ethics), pp. 1-50
February 3
Virtue and Truth and the Human Heart
Contemporary issue: Goodness
This I Believe: Josh Stein’s “The Triumph of Kindness” (http://thisibelieve.org/theme/goodness-kindness/
Exercises: Crafting an ethical vision + Virtue-driven decision making
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Video: JFK’s Inaugural Address (A Call to Action)
Read: Buber, pp. 7-14 + 31-50+ 107-113 + Psalm 12 (http://bibles.org/eng-NRSV/Ps/12) + selections
from Aristotle (http://www.interlog.com/~girbe/virtuesvices.html) and Benjamin Franklin
(http://www.artofmanliness.com/2008/06/01/the-virtuous-life-wrap-up/) +
JFK’s Inaugural Address (http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/jfkinaugural.htm)
Due: Chapter 1
February 10
Some ethical Ideas: Birth, Death, Desire, Pleasure
Contemporary issue: The Death Penalty
Film: Dead Man Walking
Read: Blackburn, pp. 56-86 + Capital Punishment and Homicide: Sociological Realities and Econometric
Illusions (http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/node/1275)
February 17
Foundational Ethics (Duty, Reasons, etc.)
Exercise: Rules for Living?/Duty-based decision-making
Contemporary issue: Guns and Gun Rights
Film: Bowling for Columbine (selected scenes)
Read: Blackburn, pp. 108-128 + U.S. State Constitutions:
http://www2.law.ucla.edu/volokh/beararms/statecon.htm
Guns in Starbucks: http://www.economist.com/blogs/democracyinamerica/2013/09/guns-and-coffee
February 24
Freedom/Constraint and Rights/Consequences
Exercise: Values and Decisions/Consequence-based decision-making
This I Believe: Robert A. Heinlein on “Our Noble, Essential Decency”
(http://thisibelieve.org/theme/community/page/2/)
Contemporary issue: Torture
The Ethics of Torture: http://abcnews.go.com/US/video?id=8485190 +
Read: Blackburn, pp. 86-107 + The UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights:
http://www.un.org/Overview/rights.html + BBC on Torture: http://www.bbc.co.uk/ethics/torture/
Due: Chapter 2
March 3
Good and Evil
Contemporary issue: Hate
Film: The Laramie Project
Read: Buber, pp. 99-106 + 115-143
March 10
No class—Spring Break!
March 17
Ethics and Being
Contemporary issue: Caring for our planet
Film: Koyaanisqatsi
Ethical Decision Making Spring 2014
Read: The Dalai Lama, pp. 1-63
March 24
Ethics and the Person
Contemporary issue: The American Dream (poverty, ethnicity, and opportunity)
Film: Stand and Deliver
Exercise: Crafting a personal ethical vision
Read: The Dalai Lama, pp. 81-121
Due: Chapter 3
March 31
Friendship, Acknowledgement, and Dialogue
Exercise: Dialogue Circle/Dialogue-derived decision-making
This I Believe: Mary Courtright’s “The Forging of Courage” (http://thisibelieve.org/theme/courage/)
Read: Hardwig, In Search of an Ethics of Personal Relationships + Hyde, The Life-Giving Gift of
Acknowledgement + Poulos, Accidental Dialogue (e-reserves)
April 7
Compassion and Forgiveness
Contemporary issue: Truth and reconciliation
Film: Long Night’s Journey into Day
Read: The Dalai Lama, pp. 123-158
April 14
The Web of Interbeing
Contemporary issue: Income inequality
Wealth Inequality in America: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPKKQnijnsM
Job Creators? http://www.addictinginfo.org/2013/05/11/banned-ted-talk-job-creator-myth/
Obama on Inequality: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TXFBW4ObxWE
Read: The Dalai Lama, pp. 161-199
Due: Chapter 4
April 21
Various Religious Perspectives on Ethics

Buddhism: The Eightfold Path http://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/8foldpath.htm

Judaism: The Ten Commandments http://www.crystalinks.com/tencommandments.html

Christianity: The Sermon on the Mount
http://www.uncg.edu/~cnpoulos/cnp305sermononmount.html
This I Believe: Susan Hall’s “A Powerful Act of Love” (http://thisibelieve.org/theme/love/page/2/)
Contemporary issue: Gay marriage
Activity: Dialogue circle on Ethics, religion, spirit, dialogue
Read: The Dalai Lama, pp. 201-237 + Pew Forum on Gay Marriage:
http://www.pewforum.org/2013/12/19/gay-marriage-around-the-world-2013/ + Sullivan’s “Why Gay
Marriage is Good for America”: http://www.newsweek.com/andrew-sullivan-why-gay-marriage-goodamerica-68453
April 28
Final class meeting
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Ethical Decision Making Spring 2014
Final speeches: This I believe/My ethical vision
Due:
 Written—Final (polished) book, including Chapter 5
 Oral—Ethical Vision speech
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