I. Course Description

This course examines in detail how one justifies ethical choices and the nature of controversy resulting from differences in ethical perspective. It examines the role of education in relating values to behavior, and of personal choice to social choice. It looks at policies that purport to pursue various educational values, the conceptions of justice underlying them and their relationship to both the mechanisms and actualities of benefit-cost distributions in our society.

The CD for the course will be available the first night of class. It is:

Rozycki, Documents and Exercises: Ethics and Values in Education, CD NewFoundations Press 2008

A pdf of the Ethics workbook is available : OUT OF PRINT

The class will be divided in teams of two. Each member of the team will be responsible for one of the two required texts. You should wait until after the first class to obtain the texts after consulting with your team member, unless you want both.

Available on line are the recommended texts,

Hinman, Lawrence M. Ethics: A pluralistic approach to moral theory Thomson/Wadsworth 2003

Weston, Anthony A 21st Century Ethical Toolbox Oxford U Press 2001

Other materials and articles will be developed as needed.

(See, especially, the websites of Professor Danney Ursery at St. Edward's University in Austin, Texas.)

Other suggested readings:

The Lucifer Effect: Understanding How Good People Turn Evil by Philip Zimbardo (see Zimbardo's site at http://www.lucifereffect.com/ .

Moral Mazes: The World of Corporate Managers by Robert Jackall (Paperback) (ISBN 0-19-506080-6). You can find a review at http://www.ibe.org.uk/teaching/review_8.htm

II. Major Course Objective: Through student and instructor presentations, reading, critique, and discussion, the participant will understand and be able to analyze ethical controversies and those ideological, economic and other factors which have shaped educational policy and practice.

III. Learning Activities

Teaching methodologies will include the use of case study analysis techniques, lectures, dialogue, diagnostic sessions, visual displays, question and answer periods, situational simulations and immediate evaluation feedback.

IV. Evaluation: Evaluation : grades will be primarily based on a term paper. This will be 75% of your grade. Also, a series of "mini-comps" will be given. These will be based on class discussions and readings and administered so as to mimic the actual Doctoral Comprehensive Examinations. Passing grades on 80% of them is required (but not sufficient) to achieve the grade of A.

Grades Range from A (4.0), A- (3.7), B+ (3.3), B (3.0), B- (2.7), C (2.0), F (0.0). Incompletes (I) will be given for good reason if work remains unfinished at the end of the semester. The highest makeup grade for an incomplete is a B.

V. Requirements (click for details)

A. Individual Papers presented on specific topics from the texts.. (Click for Samples with critiques)

B. Critiques written in reaction to the presentations of other classmates.

C. Passing grades on 60% of in-class minicomps.

D. A final paper responding to the class critiques of the original presentation

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VIII. Writing Process (see chart)

a. Every participant will write and distribute the initial draft a major paper (M) for presentation (up to 2400 words)

b. Every participant will write and distribute an 1600 word critique (C) of 2 other M's.

c. Every participant will respond to those critiques in discussion that follows a 10 minute partial reading and fuller (up to 30 minutes) presentation of the original or rewritten M.

d. A final paper reworked from the major presentation responding to critiques by classmates and instructor is due by the last session.

IX. Default Calendar (Planned for twenty participants -- to be adjusted with student participation to address student research interests)

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