Category: Ethics

Topic #2
The movie The Insider tells the story of Jeffrey Wigand’s Whistle Blowing on his former employer Brown
& Williamson and their six largest competitors in the tobacco industry.
Write an essay in which you discuss the moral problem raised by Jeffrey Wigand’s contacting the CBS
News program 60 Minutes producer Lowell Bergman about his former employer and his telling his story
to 60 Minutes. Your essay should explain (and will be graded on):
Final Exam Essay Questions
PHI 6800 – Ethical Problems in Business and Society ©2020 Richard Legum, Ph.D., All Rights Reserved
1. The moral problems raised by Jeffrey Wigand’s telling the story to Lowell Bergman’s team at 60
minutes.
2. The moral importance of Trust and Truth in business and hence in the moral problems identified
above.
3. What make an action right according to the version of moral objectivism known as
Utilitarianism/Consequentialism and how the defenders of this theory would judge the morality
of incidents described above.
4. What make an action right according to the version of moral objectivism that is Kant’s
Deontology (Duty/Rule Based Moral Theory) and how defenders of this theory would judge the
morality of the incidents described above.
5. What you think is the correct moral evaluation of these incidents and how you would defend
this position.
General Directions:
Makes sure your essay reflects the concepts that were discussed in class and in the readings assign in
both classes (which will serve as the basis of you grade on the essay). Your essay should reflect your
understanding of the points made that we discussed in class. Before submitting your essay, make sure
you have discussed all five (5) items!
WARNING: Do NOT assume that the reader knows what you are talking about. Make sure to explain all
of your points.
Submission Details:
 The essay is to be submitted in Microsoft Word format.
 The essay should be done in 12 point Times New Roman or Cambria font and should be DOUBLE
SPACED.
***LINK TO VIDEO***
https://kingsborough.yuja.com/V/Video?v=1119690&node=4185362&a=917168839&autoplay=1

Introduction and Alignment
The United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) investigates charges of discrimination in the workplace and enforces federal laws that make it illegal to discriminate against individuals based on their “race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, transgender status, and sexual orientation), national origin, age (40 or older), disability or genetic information” (“EEOC Overview”, n.d.). The EEOC Newsroom provides an overview of litigation cases, research, and statistics. Reviewing the discrimination lawsuits provides evidence that continued disparate treatment occurs and validates the need for diversity efforts.
Upon completion of this assignment, you should be able to:
Examine recent EEOC litigation involving minoritized groups.
Resources
Use for Sources: EEOC Newsroom for recent press releases related to discrimination lawsuits
Assignment Instructions
Research and find a recent litigation case press release (resolved within the last two years) related to one of the minoritized groups (Blacks/African Americans, Latinos/Hispanics, Asians/ Asian Americans, Native Americans, and Multi-racial group members) from this week’s reading.
Following the formatting guidelines in the EEOC Press Release Analysis Template construct clear, rational responses for each of the sections, 2-pages total. You may use a Word document for the Google Doc template (be sure to share the Google Doc with your instructor prior to submission).
This assignment must be submitted in APA format (title page, headings, references page, etc.). Assignments not submitted in APA format will not be accepted. Use the assignment rubric to guide
Links below
https://www.eeoc.gov/newsroom/search
https://docs.google.com/document/u/3/d/19167Yb-AVYv27phMq7NwsRlaJJ0M-1Bmly6UackkH-4/mobilebasic

Each student will hand in a 2-3-page writing on Nancy’s “Justice.” The writing should have a summary of approximately one page followed by one to two pages of reflection/reaction. The bulk of the essay should be dedicated to responding to the thinker and the given text. Both the brief summary and reflection/reaction should exhibit careful reading, attention, and thoughtfulness; and essays will be graded according to the following rubric:
Writing must be virtually free of spelling and grammatical errors. Writing with more than three spelling or grammatical errors will be penalized 2 points. Writing with more than six spelling or grammatical errors will be penalized 3 points. Writing with more than ten spelling or grammatical errors will be penalized 6 points. Writing that does not meet the length requirement will be penalized 3 points. Writing that does not follow the prescribed formatting will be penalized 4 points.* Writing that does not exhibit thoughtful attention will be penalized 3 points. And, any originality report (TurnItIn, etc.) that returns a score of 20% or higher or an AI report over 30% will be an automatic zero.*
*All writing should be in 12pt, “Times New Roman” font and double-spaced with 1” margins.

Reflect on the Case Study: Mr. Martinez media piece. Should Mr. Martinez be transferred to intensive care, where his respiratory failure can be treated by a ventilator, and by CPR if necessary, and his oxygen level can be monitored? Assume that doctors cannot contact Mrs. Martinez and must make this choice on their own. To help you reach an objective, ethically sound decision, draw upon concepts and arguments from your textbook and independent research. Support your decision with clear, concise, and correct examples, weaving and citing the readings and media throughout your answer.
Address the following:
The patient’s directives.
The patient’s quality of life.
The family’s stated preferences.
The cause of the patient’s current respiratory distress.
The moral issues associated with limiting life support.
The ethical principles most relevant to reaching an ethically sound decision.
Important considerations such as implications, justifications, and any conflicts of interest that might arise because of the patient’s respiratory failure.
You will be evaluated as to how well you:
Articulate the moral issues associated with limiting life support.
Demonstrate sound ethical thinking and relevant ethical principles when considering limiting life support.
Explain important considerations that arise when contemplating limiting life support.
Exhibit proficiency in clear and effective academic writing skills.
Assignment Requirements
Your paper should meet the following requirements:
Written communication: Written communication is free of errors that detract from the overall message.
APA formatting: Resources and citations are formatted according to current APA style and formatting guidelines. See the Evidence and APA Citation section of the Writing Center for guidance.
Length: 3–4 typed, double-spaced pages.
Font and font size: Times New Roman, 12 point.

I need you to review the rubric for the assignment and then the actual case file to understand the scenario its asking you to write about. Please do not use AI. this school has strict AI detection.

For this assignment propose a scenario where you or someone you know are confronted with a moral dilemma relating to cultural diversity and multiculturalism.
Cultural diversity refers to religious, sexual, racial, and other forms of social difference. A moral dilemma is a situation in which one must make a decision between two or more options such that the options involve seemingly ethical and/or unethical conduct. Address the following questions:
• What was the situation? What did the dilemma involve?
• What would a subjective moral relativist say is the right approach to the dilemma? Why would that kind of relativist say that?
• What would a cultural relativist say is the right approach to the dilemma? Why would that kind of relativist say that? Is that approach correct?
• What did you or the person confronting the dilemma decide to do? What moral justification did you or they give? Is that approach morally correct?
• Was there an objective moral truth (the objectively right thing to do) in this situation?
Why or why not?
Remember, the dilemma should be detailed with descriiption and dialogue. Regard the questions as requirements. This is an essay, so rather than simply providing a list of brief answers to questions, provide an in-depth reflection regarding a difficult ethical situation..

Scenario
You are the superintendent of a high school district engaged in a debate over requiring all incoming freshmen to sit for an entrance exam. Students will be placed in college-preparatory courses (including several advanced placement courses) OR a standard track based on the entrance exam results. Thus, students who perform well on the entrance exam will be grouped with students of similar advanced academic abilities. Many parents and teachers have strong opinions about this proposed policy (both for and against). You have been asked to conduct a presentation for the upcoming school board meeting, at which many parents and teachers will be present.
Directions
First, read the following articles:
“The Pygmalion Effect in Distance Learning: A Case Study at the Hellenic Open University” (Niari et al., 2016).
“Positive Adult Education, Learned Helplessness and the Pygmalion Effect” (Cobos-Sanchiz, 2022).
You may also wish to read the following popular press articles:
“Another last-minute change could come to high school admissions process” (Elsen-Rooney, 2022a).
“’Gifted’ more diverse ; Black, Hispanic students double after test tossed” (Elsen-Rooney, 2022b).
“The Access Trap” (Heller, 2022).
Next, develop a 1-page handout (Microsoft Word) explaining the Pygmalion Effect and the practice of ability grouping. Your audience for this handout should be the school board meeting attendees. Imagine that you have to explain the Pygmalion Effect and ability grouping to them. You must be creative and use images and graphics to help illustrate the principles. You should indicate both the pros and cons of these practices. Please be sure to cite graphics/images properly in APA format as if you were going to publish them in a journal article (see Ch. 7 of the APA manual).
Finally, write a 1–2 -page paper to accompany your handout answering the following questions:
How have you experienced the effects of the Pygmalion effect in educational or organizational settings? What informal practices do educators engage in that illustrate the Pygmalion effect? What are the impacts of these informal practices on educational settings?
What has been your experience with the practice of ability grouping? Is this strategy ethical, or is it unethical? To support your conclusions, evaluate the impact of ability grouping policies on your educational setting using evidence from Niari et al. (2016) and Cobos-Sanchiz et al. (2022).
References

Abortion is always a sticky subject. Taking the notions of care ethics and relationships in moral matters into consideration, present a researched argument that there are times when having an abortion is the morally right thing to do.
Before you post, please thoroughly edit your writing to ensure it is professional and academic. For more details about how the initial post and peer replies are graded, see the “Discussion Guidelines” and “Grading Rubric” linked below.

1st Paper: In this pre-workshop reading reflection, you will write a 600-800 word essay (approx. 2-3 pages double spaced). Your
response should substantially and thoughtfully engage with AT LEAST THREE readings – including at least one
from EACH of the disciplinary perspectives (Moral/Political Philosophy & Media Studies). Reflection papers
should not be summaries but, rather, are opportunities for you to critically reflect on readings from both disciplines, and
to use these readings to engage thoughtfully with the ethical themes related to the topic of technology, such as the
relationship between knowledge, power, and surveillance. You are encouraged to identify questions, connections to
other readings, and ideas triggered by the readings
Readings for this paper are:
Mona Simion. (2023). Knowledge and Disinformation. Episteme, 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1017/epi.2023.25
Mark Coekelbergh. (2023). Democracy, Epistemic Agency, and AI: Political Epistemology in Times of Artificial
Intelligence. AI and Ethics, 3, 1341-1350. https://doi.org/10.1007/s43681-022-00239-4
Virginia Eubanks. Automating Inequality: How High-Tech Tools Profile, Police, and Punish the Poor. New York: St Martin’s
Press. Chapter 1: From Poorhouse to Database
I have attached all of these readings
2nd Paper: In this pre-workshop reading reflection, you will write a 600-800 word essay (approx. 2-3 pages double spaced) that
responds to the following lines of inquiry, in light of the readings:
1) What difference (if any) does it makes that any given observer of (or contributor to) the debate over the
ethical management of Artificial Intelligence possesses certain prior theological or philosophical commitments?
(i.e., does it matter that one’s starting point includes a theistic worldview, or perhaps a proclivity towards
embracing consequentialism or deontology, etc.?); and
2) How would you characterize the existing and the expected effect of a rapid acceleration of the use of Artificial
Intelligence in the workplace? Based on what you know (and what you read for today’s unit of our course), do
you expect an amplification of currently observed effects, or might we expect something qualitatively different
from what we have witnessed thus far?; and
3) What labor issues are emerging from the use of algorithmic management? In what ways are these distinct
from ethical issues that have arisen in the workplace previously?
Reading for this paper:
Encountering Artificial Intelligence: Ethical and Anthropological Investigations, AI Research Group for the Centre for
Digital Culture of the Dicastery for Culture and Education of the Holy See, edited by Matthew J. Gaudet, Noreen
Herzfeld, Paul Scherz and Jordan J. Wales. Eugene, Oregon: Pickwick Publications, August 2024.
This book-length Vatican document is available at this url link: https://jmt.scholasticahq.com/article/91230-
encountering-artificial-intelligence-ethical-and-anthropological-investigations
Read the following chapters:
Preface (pp. x – xii)
Introduction (pp. 1-23)
Chapter 1 “Approaches to AI Ethics” (pp. 24-40)
Chapter 2 “AI and the Human Person” (pp. 43-68)
Chapter 6 “Artificial Intelligence and Catholic Social Teaching” (pp. 147-60)
“Message of Pope Francis for World Day of Peace, 1, January 2024: Artificial Intelligence and Peace.”
Available via Blackboard or, directly at the Vatican website (in several languages) at:
https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/messages/peace/documents/20231208-messaggio-
57giornatamondiale-pace2024.html
SOCIOLOGY
Rob Kitchin. (2017). Thinking critically about and researching algorithms. Information, Communication & Society, 20(1),
14-29.
Mike Cook. (2021). The Social Responsibility of Game AI. 2021 IEEE Conference on Games (CoG), Copenhagen, Denmark,
2021, 1-8.
Jamie Woodcock. (2021) The Limits of Algorithmic Management: On Platforms, Data, and Workers’ Struggle. The South
Atlantic Quarterly, 120(4), 703-713.
Sherry. (2020) Living as a Turker. Notes from Below, Issue 13: From the Workplace.
Alice Barker. (2020). Cycling in the City. Notes from Below, Issue 13: From the Workplace.
John Holland. (2020). Amazon Inquiry. Notes from Below, Issue 13: From the Workplace.
Igor Burtan. (2020). The Work that Helps You Get Back to Streaming. Notes from Below, Issue 13: From the Workplace.
I have attached all of the readings
3rd Paper: In this pre-workshop reading reflection, you will write a 600-800 word essay (approx. 2-3 pages double spaced). Your
response should substantially and thoughtfully engage with AT LEAST THREE readings – including at least one from EACH
of the disciplinary perspectives (Bioethics & Social Work). Reflection papers should not be summaries but,
rather, are opportunities for you to critically reflect on readings from both disciplines, and to use these readings to
engage thoughtfully with the ethical themes related to the topic of technology, such as the relationship between social
and structural justice, and the ways in which algorithmic tools can reify inequalities or ameliorate them. You are
encouraged to identify questions, connections to other readings, and ideas triggered by the readings.
Readings for this paper:
Specker Sullivan, Laura. (2023). “Health and Digital Technology Partnerships: Too Close for Comfort?” Oxford Handbook
of Digital Ethics. Edited by Carissa Veliz. Oxford University Press.
McKeown, M. (2021). “Structural injustice.” Philosophy Compass, 16(7), e12757. https://doi.org/10.1111/phc3.12757
Taylor, Linnet. (2017). ‘What is data justice? The case for connecting digital rights and freedoms globally’
,Big Data & Society, 2, 1-14.
Goldkind, Lauri, Wolf, Lea, & LaMendola, Walter. (2021).
‘Data justice: social work and a more just future’
, Journal of Community Practice, DOI: 10.1080/10705422.2021.1984354
Pohl, Barbara and Goldkind, Lauri. (2023) ‘AI Folk Tales: How nontechnical publics make sense of artificial intelligence’, Research Handbook on Artificial Intelligence and Communication, 246-266.
All readings are attached
It is important to have at least the first paper done by May 14th at 8am or sooner.

Please complete the following self-assessments (Johnson, 2021) and report your findings in your journal:
SA5.1 (The Organizational Justice Scale)
SA5.2 (The Self Report Altruism Scale)
Questions to consider as you write your journal reflection:
SA 5.1: What does your score reveal about your perception of justice in your organization? How can your organization act more justly? Do you think others in your organization share your perspective?
SA 5.2: What does your score reveal about your willingness to help others? How can you engage in more altruistic behavior?