Case Study: Creating an Ethics Case Study

Prior to beginning work on this assignment, read the required resources for the week, complete the Week 2 content in the PHI208: Ethics & Moral ReasoningLinks to an external site. interactive, watch the UtilitarianismLinks to an external site. video, and review the Reading PhilosophyLinks to an external site. video from the Week 1 discussion.

Overview

In this written assignment, you will create an ethics case study based on provided topics, resources, and ethical questions. Your tasks here are to present the case study and the information necessary to consider it. You will choose one of the ethical questions provided with the case study and discuss the central moral controversy the question addresses. You will also briefly apply utilitarianism to the case study. This written assignment should be an assignment and include the following sections and headings.

Part 1: Introduction, Case Study

In this section, you will create the case study. To complete this section,

• Choose a case study from the selection provided by your instructor in the Week 2 announcement titled “Week 2 Case Studies.”
• Present a brief introduction to the case study.
• Discuss background information provided in one of the resources.

This section should be around 300 words.

Part 2: Ethical Question

In this section, discuss one of the ethical questions provided with the case study. To complete this section,

• State the ethical question you have chosen to discuss and place it at the beginning of the section in bold font.
• Discuss the ethical question by considering two or more of the following:
  • What is the central moral controversy at the heart of the ethical question?
  • What ethical or societal values are at stake in the question?
  • Who is impacted by the issue or moral controversy?
  • What might it say about us as individuals or society depending on how we answer the ethical question?

This section should be around 150 words.

Part 3: Position Statement

In this section, you will formulate a position statement that answers the ethical question, and then support the position statement. To complete this section,

• Formulate a position statement that directly answers the ethical question. For example, if the ethical question is “Is it moral for public schools to use corporal punishment to discipline students?” Your position statement would be either “It is moral for schools to use corporal punishment.” or “It is not moral for schools to use corporal punishment.”
• Discuss reasons that support your position statement. The reasons should be moral or value-based as opposed to statistical or other information-based reasons. For example, the use of corporal punishment in public schools is rare, but this is fact and not a moral reason; so it would not provide much support for the position statement.

This section should be around 150 words.

Part 4: Opposition Statement

In this section, you will provide a statement that directly opposes the position statement and discuss reasons that support it. To complete this section,

• Formulate a statement that opposes your position statement. For example, if your position statement was “It is not moral for schools to use corporal punishment,” then your opposing position statement would be “It is moral for public schools to use corporal punishment.”
• Discuss reasons that support your opposition statement. As in the preceding section, these reasons should also be moral or value-based as opposed to statistical or other information-based reasons.

This section should be around 150 words.

Part 5: Application of Utilitarianism

In this section,

• Explain the principle of “the greatest good for the greatest number.”
• Consider how this principle would support your position or opposing position statement.

This section should be around 100 words.

The Case Study: Creating an Ethics Case Study assignment

• Must be four to five double-spaced pages in length (not including title and references pages) and formatted according to APA StyleLinks to an external site. as outlined in the Writing Center’s APA Formatting for Microsoft WordLinks to an external site. resource.
• Must include a separate title page with the following in title case:
  • title of assignment in bold font
    • Space should appear between the title and the rest of the information on the title page.
  • student’s name
  • name of institution (The University of Arizona Global Campus)
  • course name and number
  • instructor’s name
  • due date
• Must utilize academic voice.
  • See the Academic VoiceLinks to an external site. resource for additional guidance.
• Must include an introduction and conclusion paragraph.
  • Your introduction paragraph needs to end with a clear thesis statement that indicates the purpose of your assignment.
  • For assistance on writing Introductions & ConclusionsLinks to an external site. and Writing a Thesis StatementLinks to an external site., refer to the Writing Center resources.
• Must use at least two scholarly sources.
  • The Scholarly, Peer-Reviewed, and Other Credible SourcesLinks to an external site. table offers additional guidance on appropriate source types. If you have questions about whether a specific source is appropriate for this assignment, please contact your instructor. Your instructor has the final say about the appropriateness of a specific source.