Question Description
Think of an ethical dilemma that you have faced or think you may be faced with in the future. If you are not comfortable addressing a dilemma you have faced or may face, you are welcome to explore a dilemma that has appeared in the news, a book, a movie, etc. (For example, one of my previous students explored the dilemma in the movie My Sister’s Keeper). Write an essay using the following questions to guide your paper.
The ethical dilemma that I decided to use was a simple one and the essay must be centered around this.
Ethical Scenario Proposal.
In the movie The Dark Knight Batman is faced with the dilemma of saving the love of his life or a police officer by the name of Harvey Dent. Officer Dent could possibly be the savior of Gotham City which is in dire need of a leader. Batman decides to save Dent, while his love interest perishes in an explosion. The Joker, who orchestrated the entire dilemma, wanted to give Batman who tries his hardest to be morally correct the opportunity to stray from his normal mindset. Although he struggled with the decision initially he realized that he could love again but the city would not have the opportunity to have a leader like Harvey Dent again. Batman has to question his own values when both Rachel Dawes and Officer Dent are kidnapped but weighs both situations accordingly. He put the good of the people and city above his personal values and preference.
- What are the facts of the ethical dilemma that you are discussing?
- What are the different options you can choose?
- How might different ethical approaches guide you in your decision making?
- Of the approaches that fit you best (egoism, utilitarianism, common good and so on) which approaches do you find most relevant to the situation and how might they guide you?
- What is the role of respect, responsibility, integrity, competence, and concern on your decision making?
- What role do the 6 core values of the University of Charleston (justice, equality, responsibility, integrity, respect and altruism) play in your decision making process.
- Summarize your decision.
- Consider your decision in retrospect. What worked well? What worked poorly? What would you do in the future if you found yourself with the same dilemma?
* The paper must be at least 750 words.
* You should be sure to cover as many of the questions above as possible (if necessary, print out your essay and highlight the portions of your paper that specifically address each of the questions above to insure that you are on the right track).
* Font should be Times New Roman (12 point font) and double-spaced.
* If references are used, they must be cited using APA or MLA style.
Other tips for success:
-Is your essay well organized?
-Is the thesis clear and does it appear towards the bottom of your introductory paragraph (it is usually the last sentence in an introductory paragraph)?
-Does each topic sentence clearly articulate the content of the entire paragraph (a topic sentence is generally the first sentence of every paragraph)?
-Does the essay contain any errors? (Again, it is best to print out a copy of your essay and check for spelling and grammar mistakes…please always remember that your word processor will not catch everything)
For help with your thesis, try this page of the Purdue OWL (https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/545/01/).
