What is the assignment for this semester?

This session you will complete five case studies--or 'cases'. There are a variety of reasons for doing cases. In particular, the cases

• Provide students a forum for sharpening their critical/analytical skills.
• Give students the opportunity to explore their own ideas, within definite pre-defined boundaries.
• Allow students to exchange ideas and engage in debates without interference from the instructor.
• Engage students in "real-world" concrete ethical problems they are likely to encounter, either personally or indirectly, in their various professions.
• Help prepare students to meet criticism by fellow professionals with clearly stated, principled, and well-argued justification.
• Help prepare students to criticize fellow professionals with clearly stated, principled, and well-argued criticisms.
• Enable the instructor to evaluate the students' understanding of both theoretical and practical issues.

Given these purposes, it follows that the qualities a Case must have to count as a Good Case (read--"gets a good grade") are

1. Arguments are clearly stated in such a way that the conclusion and assumptions would be obvious to any student not taking this course.
2. Assumptions are clearly justified whenever they are controversial.
3. Theoretical assumptions are stated explicitly and the resulting argument does not deviate from these assumptions.
4. Steps taken in the course of an argument are clear in such a way that any student not taking this course would be able to follow them.
5. Wherever applicable, the arguments found in the various articles we have read should be utilized but should be restated in such a way that anyone not taking the course could understand the argument.

A few further comments may help.

First, the requirement that you clearly state the arguments does not imply that you should put them into the formally-valid-numbered-lines form that we adopt in class. Of course, that is absolutely the clearest way to state an argument. But it is also rather difficult to do for people who have not had a course in logic. So for these cases we strongly recommend that you write your arguments in paragraph form in such a way that the steps taken in the argument from the assumptions to the conclusion are clear.

Second, if you take as your theoretical assumption Kantian Ethical Theory, say, it is mandatory that you not suddenly start arguing about the unhappy consequences of an action as if you had assumed Eudaimonic Act Utilitarianism. In other words, stick to the theory you've assumed. In this case, you would need to stick to arguing on the basis of the relevant formulation of the Categorical Imperative.

Third, you should strive to write as clearly as possible. Try to avoid confusing your reader with complicated sentences and disconnected thoughts. Remember, you are gaining skills you will someday have to use. One of those skills is the ability to express your ideas in such a way that anyone can understand them. This does not mean that you will be graded on grammar per se. You should nevertheless strive as far as possible to express yourself clearly and effectively. If, in grading these cases, we are unable to understand what it is you are trying to say you will not be given the benefit of the doubt.

Fourth, it is important that your understanding of the issues as they are spelled out in the articles be reflected in your own arguments. Some very smart people have thought long and hard about these problems, and you should learn to rely--critically, of course--on what they have to say.