Course Requirements

1. Class Attendance: This course requires you to logon and participate in our discussion group a minimum of two times per week and to adhere to the posting deadlines. Two posts are the minimum for a passing grade, but does not guarantee the grade; two very weak posts could give you a "D" or less and one or no posting at all that week will usually give you a grade of "F" for that week. I will give you a discussion grade around week 5 and then at the end of the course (total two grades). Please review the Assignments page for the specific weeks when the discussion grades will be posted to Blackboard. You must actively participate in class discussions in order to receive the exams and to be allowed to submit assignments. For discussion and grading guidelines see grades. See "Online Discussion" below for more information. Your postings must be supported from our readings or the online lectures. The class weeks run from Friday through the following Thursday morning and once the week is over, additional posts are not counted.

2. Class Preparation. Taking notes over or outlining the material is recommended not only for class participation but for assistance with the examinations. You should come to each class able to discuss the main issues of the assignment, all terminology, concepts, etc., be familiar with the study questions, if applicable, for each assignment, and you could be asked during our online class to present the main points of an article or reading or to respond to a question raised by another student. Discussion leaders should plan on posting an outline of the reading and listening assignments by Monday.

4. Online Discussions: Learning in the distance education environment cannot be passive. If you do not enter into the online classroom --do not post a contribution to the discussion -- we have no way of knowing you have attended class. So you are not only responsible for logging on, and logging on by the posting deadlines, but you must contribute to the learning process by posting your thoughts and ideas which are an outcome of your readings or our class discussions. Learning is an action process which we all must participate if it is to be successful. You are required to logon to our discussion group at least twice per week (this is the minimum not the recommended number of times). A discussion question based on that week's reading will be posted by the professor Thursday evening and you are required to make one or more response to the question and subsequent discussion by Noon on Monday. Your second (third, fourth, fifth, etc.) responses must be completed by Thursday Noon. Your response must be supported with information ( use page numbers) from the readings; I am not simply asking for your opinion. Two times is the minimum for each week, but you should plan to participate in the discussion more often. I highly recommend you logging on several times each week even if you do not plan to post. Again, two posting per week is the minimum, not the recommended number. For the Discussion Guidelines and Grading Standards click here. In addition to your weekly participation, you will be asked to be discussion leader at least once during the semester. During the first week of the semester I will ask for volunteers, but if no one does, then I will volunteer you by the beginning of the second week. Once you are volunteered you're in, so if you absolutely cannot fulfill your leadership role for a particular week, let me know before I choose the week's leaders. Discussion leaders should plan on logging on at least once each day.

5. Substitute Discussion Assignments. There are nine discussion weeks and I realize that sometimes life intrudes and for whatever reason you may not be able to attend class every week. You have the option of substituting writing assignments for three of those weeks. The grade on your writing assignment will substitute for that particular week's discussion grade. The writing assignment can be submitted within the 48 hours before the discussion week begins (Friday morning), anytime during the discussion week itself and up to 48 hours after the discussion week ends (Noon on Thursday). The assignment consists of a very detailed outline of all the readings for that week. I want to be able to read your outline and see that you have analysized and understood the material for that week. The assignment should be emailed to me within the time frame discussed above and grades will be assigned in five point increments: 100, 95, 90, 85, and so on. Writing assignments cannot substitute for poor discussion grades or serve as extra credit.

6. Study Guides: Some weeks have study guides available to help you in preparing for class. Prior to "attending" each class you should be reasonably familiar with the answers involved in responding to each of the study questions. If you are unsure of the proper response or you are unclear about your response, do not hesitate to raise your questions in class discussion. The guides will also assist you in your exam preparation. If you are the week's discussion leader, you should have most, if not all, of these prepared for the class.

7. Research Paper. A critical issues paper over an area in ethics and business is required; this is not a paper on any issue in business, it is a paper which focuses on a moral issue in business. You are asked to produce a short research paper over a controversial moral issue in business. This is not a paper over a business or technology issue; it is a paper over a clearly defined moral dilemma in business. The following should assist you in preparing for and writing your paper. All research papers must be submitted to Turnitin.com. The link can be found on Blackboard. Before you begin your paper be sure you understand all the components.

- Points to Remember:
(1) The minimum length of the paper is at least eight full pages (2500 plus words) with at least six quality sources used in your research. By "quality sources", I mean books or articles that have footnotes and a solid bibliography. Newspapers, newsletters, magazines, etc., usually do not meet this standard. Your Works Cited and Bibliography pages do not count toward the minimum length. In addition, the books for our course will not count toward the minimum number of sources. As the course progresses, I will post to Blackboard helpful information on evaluating whether a source fits the scholarly criteria.
(2) If you are not sure what a quality source is then either review the materials from your Critical Inquiry class or ask your instructor.
(3) When you submit your paper be sure to include not only your Works Cited section but your Bibliography as well.
(4) Your paper should use non-sexist language (e.g., if you are speaking of everyone do not use "man").
(5) The topic must be approved by the instructor. Around the seventh week of the semester, a one to two page summary (approximately 500 words) plus your bibliography is due. In this summary you must clearly state what your paper's thesis question is (for example, should hackers be sentenced to death for hacking?) and what some of the moral concerns of the dilemma ar. Paper whose topics are not approved will not be accepted.
(6)Remember Danney's rule of thumb: The quality of your paper is dependent upon the quality of your sources.

- Overview of Research Paper: Select an issue which involves some moral controversy in business and about which you have not reached a firm decision. Be sure to limit the issue such that it can be treated in an approximately eight to twelve page paper. Be sure you objectively discuss some pros and cons of the issue. More quality sources can be used and are encouraged, but be very careful about loading the argument in favor of the position to which you are most inclined. All the sources you review must be included in your bibliography. Use critical thinking and argumentation skills in analyzing research findings of opponents' and proponents' positions (hint: review your Critical Inquiry course notes and book). Examine their reasoning and stay objective and emotionally detached. Finally, state you own conclusion as the answer to the research question and then use a normative ethical theory to defend and argue for your conclusion Basically your paper will be:

A. Introduction: introduce topic and explain why your moral issue is important. End the introductory paragraph with the statement of your research question (e.g., the question I will research is . . .) . You may have more than one paragraph in the introduction, but for an eight to twelve page paper it should not extend beyond one page.

B. Body: Depending on the type of paper you are writing, the body could have three sections: opponents' views, proponents' views, your conclusion and rationale. For example, in section one of the body, you will objectively analyze and discuss the opponents' view. Section two will be the proponents and in the final section you will state the conclusion you have reached and why you made this conclusion.

C. Theory: here you will use one normative ethical theory to defend and support your conclusion. This section should be approximately two pages in length. Review the Justification section of the Moral Reasoning Guidelines. This section is worth about 20% of your overall paper grade.

D. Conclusion: pull your paper together by restating your basic arguments and conclusion and then state what you want your reader to have gotten out of your research.

8. Moral Reasoning: Using the Moral Reasoning Guidelines, we will at time practice analyzing a case study from our textbook. The main emphasis of this assignment is the application of a normative ethical theory (see the Desjardins book and my streaming video), the Justification part, to your dilemma and solution. This is a similar exercise to the one which you completed in your Ethical Analysis course and what you will have to do when you take the capstone course, Moral Issues in Society.

9. Academic Integrity: Students are expected to maintain high standards of academic integrity in all work for this course. Dishonesty in any work will result in a grade of "F" for the course and a letter to the Dean of New College will be sent. Plagiarism is a form of academic dishonesty that may result in the same penalty. In cases of mitigating circumstances, the instructor may assign a lesser penalty. Once a grade of "F" has been assigned on the basis of academic dishonesty, the student may not withdraw from the course.

10. Computer Competencies: All undergraduate and New College students who entered St. Edward's University the Fall 1999 semester are required to satisfy the Computer Competency Requirement (CCR). The CCR modules comprise Introduction to Computers, Introduction to Email, Introduction to Netscape and the World Wide Web, Basic Library Research, Introduction to Word Processing, and Introduction to Spreadsheets. Students must satisfactorily complete a web-based test over each module in order to fulfill this requirement. More information about the CCR is available through IT or by calling 464-8816.