Professional Ethics in a Global Community (ASI 372)

Course Syllabus Fall 2002

Course Overview: Key ethical values of integrity, respect, trust, and fairness are central to all professions; likewise, all professions contribute to building and maintaining of just and viable communities. ASI 372, Professional Ethics in a Global Community, was designed to reflect the way that ethical concerns bridge several professional divisions. This course is open only to third year CORE students, and will be initiated in the Fall 2002 term as the CORE capstone seminar. As a CORE capstone seminar, we will share many common readings and met together frequently.

Catalogue Description: Virtues and responsibilities of professionals to self, clients, community, and world. Philosophical and religious approaches to ethical theory and decision-making. In-depth study of one of the following: business ethics, ethics and education, engineering ethics, philosophical or religious consideration of membership in a global community.

Instructor: Monalisa M. Mullins, e‑mail address: monalisa.mullins@notes.udayton.edu

My office is located in Chaminade Hall 228-b; ph 229‑3306. Office hours are TTH 7-8am and 2:45-5pm. An alternate appointment may be scheduled if these hours are inconvenient. If you have an after‑hours emergency, you may call me at home at 937-859‑7587.

Information for Students with Special Needs: To request academic accommodations due to disability, please contact the Office for Students with Disabilities, 002 Albert Emanuel Hall, phone 229-3684. If you have a self-identification form indicating that you have a disability which requires academic accommodations, please present it to me so we can discuss accommodations you might need in class.

The University’s Statement on Dignity: A primary assertion of both our religious and civil traditions is the inviolable dignity of each person. Recognition of and respect for the person are central to our life as a Christian and educational community and are what allow us to pursue our common mission while being many diverse persons. Thus, discrimination, harassment, or any other conduct that diminishes the worth of a person are incompatible with our fundamental commitment as a catholic university conducted in the Marianist tradition. Every person, regardless of race, color, creed, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age or disability shall be treated with respect and dignity. No person shall be subject to any sexual, racial, psychological, physical, verbal or other similar harassment or abuse, or be denied equitable consideration for access to employment and the programs, services, and activities of the university. For further information, please see http://www.udayton.edu/~diverse/divtoc.html

Policy Regarding Academic Dishonesty: Your Student Handbook reads as follows: "plagiarism consists of any of the following: quoting directly from any source of material ‑ including students' work and materials purchased from research consultants ‑ without appropriately citing the source and identifying the quoted material; knowingly citing an incorrect source, using ideas (i.e. material other than information that is common knowledge) from any source of material ‑ including other students' work and materials purchased from research consultants ‑ without citing the source and identifying the borrowed material."

Required Texts:

ASI 371-375 Reader CORE Integrated Studies

Goodman & Lesnick, The Moral Stake in Education. New York: Longman, Inc., 2001.

Tolstoy, Leo, The Death of Ivan Ilyich. New York: Bantam Books, 1981.

Course Objectives:

a. Students will understand the global dimensions of professional work and responsibility, building on the Core Program theme: Human Values in a Pluralistic Culture.

b. Students will explore the virtues and responsibilities of professionals in relation to self, clients, community, and world.

c. Students will be able to identify ethically problematic situations and will reflect critically on these situations in light of ethical principles and virtues.

d. Students will understand a range of theories and models of ethical decision making and be able to test them with case studies.

e. Students will explore the ethical dimensions of one of the professions or will give extensive consideration to membership in the global community using the methodologies of philosophy or religious studies.

f. Students will further develop their skills in synthesizing interdisciplinary themes of the Core program, with particular emphasis on autonomy, responsibility, and community.

g. Students will further develop skills in argumentation and analysis through written assignments and classroom discussion.

h. Students will further develop skills in research and communication, including the use of electronic sources and electronic methods of research and communication.

i. Students will further develop skills in collaborative learning with students in other disciplines and with professionals working in their chosen field.

Teaching Methodologies:

a. lectures (student outcomes: a-f)

b. discussion (student outcomes: f, g, i)

c. small group projects (student outcomes: g, h, i)

d. electronic discussions with classmates and professionals (student outcomes: h, i)

Procedures for Evaluating Teacher Candidate Performance:

a. essay exams (student outcomes: c, d, g). Two exams are required, which will be evaluated both for critical analysis and English composition. As a critical analysis, exams will be evaluated for accuracy and perceptiveness in capturing the main features of the selected topic. As compositions, they will be evaluated for clarity, spelling, grammar and organization. (50% of total course grade)

b. class discussions (student outcomes: a-h). Class participation counts for 25% of the total course grade. More than two absences will result in an automatic 50% reduction in the points reserved for class participation. There will be no exceptions for this deduction without written exemption from the Dean’s office for absences excused due to illness.

c. group research projects (student outcomes: f-i). The remaining 25% of the total course grade is reserved for participation in a small group projects which will require a Power Point presentation to the class. Presentations will cover topics discussed in class lectures, and will be evaluated by peers using an assessment rubric. The peer assessment rubric includes 3-5pts assigned in each of these four categories: academic content, aesthetic expression, creativity, and basic standards. Basic standards include these criteria: a) 8-12minutes for presentation b) audibility/clarity of presentation, and c) overall connection to presentation topic. I reserve the right to make discretionary judgments as needed regarding peer evaluations.

The grading scale used for this course is as follows:

A outstanding mastery (95-100pt)

A- excellent mastery (91-94pt)

B+ very good mastery (88‑90pt)

B very good mastery (85-87pt)

B- good mastery (81-84pt)

C+ good mastery (78-80pt)

C fair mastery (75-77pt)

C- fair mastery (71-74pt)

D+ poor mastery (68-70pt)

D poor mastery (65-67pt)

D- minimal mastery (60-64pt)

F failing to master (below 60pt)

Topical Outline:

Issues of diversity (student outcomes a-f)

Professional integrity (student outcomes a-f)

Theories of caring in educational contexts (student outcomes a-f)

Purposes of education in a democratic society (student outcomes a-f)

Course Calendar and Readings Schedule:

AUG 27 Introduction

AUG 29 SEARS; ASI Reader # 1

SEP 3 SEARS; ASI Reader # 2 & 3

SEP 5 Review common readings

SEP 10 SEARS; ASI Reader # 4, 5, 6 & 7

SEP 12 Review common readings

SEP 17 SEARS; ASI Reader # 8, 9 & 10

SEP 19 Review common readings

SEP 24 SEARS; ASI Reader # 11 & 12; The Death of Ivan Illych

SEP 26 Meeting with Professor Fischer’s class in HM 204

OCT 1 Review for exam

OCT 3 ASI exam on common readings

OCT 8 Return exams; Introduction to The Moral Stake in Education

OCT 10 Dilemmas for Moral Education: An Overview

OCT 15 School: A Moral Thicket (CH 2); p9-15 & p22-29

OCT 17 The Grammar of Morality (CH 3); p33-42, p63-69 & p72-73

OCT 22 The Nature… of Moral Judgments (CH 4); p74-79 &p105-113

OCT 24 Power Point Presentation Preparation

OCT 29 When Values Collide (CH 7); p183-190 & p206-212

OCT 31 Power Point Presentation Preparation

NOV 5 Pedagogical Preferences…(CH 8); p215-222 & 252-256

NOV 7 Power Point Presentation Preparation

NOV 12 Conclusions, The Moral Stake in Education

NOV 14 Power Point Presentation Preparation

NOV 19 Group Presentations 1-3 & Peer Review

NOV 21 Group Presentations 4-6 & Peer Review

NOV 26 Exam review & course evaluations

DEC 3 -5 SEARS for final projects