PHL 218 Project Guidelines and Rubric

Competencies

In this project, you will demonstrate your mastery of the following competencies:

1. Explain how ethical frameworks aid in understanding human actions
2. Explain how cultural differences affect ethical decision-making
3. Analyze the ethical considerations related to an issue

Overview

We live in a global society with complex issues. These issues come with ethical dilemmas that must be considered if we are to address them effectively. We must take a broader approach by working with people from diverse cultures, perspectives, and ethical standards. Recognizing that these perspectives and norms may differ from our own, our decision-making process must be open to understanding and possibly integrating these different views. To do that, we must recognize our ethical and cultural biases and open ourselves up to working with the different ethical frameworks and cultural biases that we might encounter.

 Earlier in this course, you examined the differences between professional and global ethics and the different ideologies of ethical thinking as they relate in a global society. Throughout the term, you’ve completed assignments that examined a single global ethical issue from different perspectives and expressed your own personal ethical standards as you understand them.

Directions

For this project, you will look at the background of ethics as it relates to your chosen topic and complete your detailed examination of that topic by applying the ethical frameworks you feel are most significant to the topic, including your own. Then you will reflect on your process of ethical decision making and look at your chosen topic from a different ethical perspective that may not reflect your own.

Specifically, you must address the following:

Part One: Summarize the Background of Ethics
In this section, you will look at the background of ethics, how ethics differ based on ideologies, and why frameworks of ethics are used throughout various cultures.

1. Explain how ethical frameworks are related to human actions.
   1. How do ethical frameworks influence human actions?
   2. How do morals and values differ from ethics?
2. Describe the difference between professional ethics and global ethics.
   1. Support your description/explanation with sources.
3. Describe the difference between Western, Eastern, and Indigenous Tribal ethical ideologies.
   1. Why have cultures developed ethical frameworks?
   2. What are the characteristics of Western ethical ideologies?
   3. What are the characteristics of Eastern ethical ideologies?
   4. What are the characteristics of Indigenous Tribal ethical ideologies?
   5. What are the differences between Western, Eastern, and Indigenous Tribal ethical ideologies?
   6. Support your description/explanation with sources.
4. Explain the purpose of using an ethical framework as it relates to your topic.
   1. What purposes does an ethical framework serve?
   2. How does culture influence the creation of an ethical framework?

Part Two: Analyze Your Chosen Topic
In this section, you will look at how ethics inform and influence decisions.

1. Explain how your chosen topic is framed by an ethical framework.
2. Explain which ethical frameworks have influenced the historical decision making regarding your topic.
   1. What evidence do you have for your answer?
3. Discuss the impact of ethical decisions on your chosen topic.
4. Discuss the ethical topic from an alternative perspective from your own.
   1. For example, if your perspective is from a Western ethical ideology, how would you look at this topic from the perspective of Eastern or Indigenous Tribal ethical ideology?
   2. How would you explain, from an ethical perspective, the validity of this alternative perspective?
   3. Support your description/explanation with sources.

Part Three: Reflect on Ethical Decision Making
In this section, you will reflect on the process of your ethical decision making. You will not be providing a solution for a problem, but looking at the steps you would take, or should take, in discussing, examining, and evaluating the ethical aspects of possible outcomes.

1. Describe ways that your cultural influences shape your morals and values.
   1. Support your description/explanation with sources.
2. Explain how your cultural or individual biases impact the ethical decisions you make about your chosen topic.
   1. Support your description/explanation with sources.
3. Discuss ways that your cultural influences impact your ethical decisions when considering your chosen topic.
   1. Support your description/explanation with sources.
4. Explain how diverse ethical perspectives can add value when working toward addressing your chosen topic.

What to Submit

To complete this project, you must:

Submit the completed Project Template as a four- to six-page Microsoft Word document. Use at least five sources, including videos and textbooks from this course and any additional sources from the Shapiro Library. Sources should be cited according to APA style.

Project Resources
This resource contains the topic ideas and resources for the project.