Reference no: EM133488457

Case Study Assignment

It is often difficult to understand an ethical theory solely from the perspective of the theory-itself. A better way of learning is to instead find moments where theories are able to be applied to specific cases such that the inner workings of the theories might better be explored.

In these short papers, students are tasked with the job of critically analyzing and assessing a specific case study from the perspective on an ethical theory. One of these papers will later be revised and resubmitted as the final paper for the semester. It is estimated that a strong paper will be in the area of 4-5 pages long. However, a particularly careful student who is able to make precise and clear arguments might do this in 3, whereas a longwinded student might need 7 pages to write a strong paper. I am more concerned about the quality of the argument than the length of the paper.

Papers should include the following sections, either rigidly defined or tacitly performed:

Question A. A detailed description of the case being studied. This should include descriptive elements outlining the case, relevant background information to explain the context of the case, and the specific ethical quandaries which need to be assessed.

Question B. A description of the ethical theory being used for the paper. This should demonstrate the student understands the foundational moral principles of the theory, what explanatory power the theory holds, and how this theory can be used to resolve other moral questions.

Question C. An assessment of how proponents of the chosen ethical theory would attempt to respond to the case study. Would the theorists approve of the choices being made? Critical of some decisions but not others? Provide an interesting third perspective not considered in this dilemma? This part of the paper should make at least three normative claims about the relationship between the practical situation and the ethical theory to show how one helps understand the other.

Question D. Finally students should provide one criticism pointing at the weakness of assessing or understanding the case study from this ethical perspective. Does this case demonstrate a blind spot the theory is ill-equipped to handle, or perhaps it would require the people in the case to agree with something they might be uncomfortable with.