Ethic and Civic Response

Part 1 “Ethics: The Art of Character” by Gregory Be about Be about Be about writes about what ethics are how they formed and ways to understand ethical decision making in the real world. One little chapter is all about “Good Society” and that’s the chapter that relates most to this course and this lesson. Be about states:What sort of education is required for civic virtue? Beyond the technical expertise needed to be a productive member of society citizens require “artes liberales:” the skills worthy of a free person that perfect language thought and character.We like to think we are ethical in our decision making but where do ethics come from? Well in a nutshell they come from the consensus of the people in a given society and they form a foundation for that society’s culture. As you work through materials for this course think about how you know what you know to be “right” as far as the decisions you make. Why do you feel the way you do? Who/what has influenced your ethical and moral decision-making processes?Understanding moral behavior asks us to think about how we treat one another. Using morals to guide behavior asks us to consider the quality of the contact we have with others.Beabout states that to be ethical is “to have formed ones life in such a way that through deliberate excellent actions one has confirmed and consolidated those qualities of character and intellect that make for a worthwhile human existence.” He further says that “[a]t its ancient core ethics is not primarily about words or theories or knowledge or rules. It is the art of character… Problems arise when ethics is conceived only in terms or rules. Life is complex so no set of rules can be specific enough to cover every circumstance. A rule-based approach tends to encourage searching for loopholes and gaming the system. Rules can conflict and often require interpretation. If ethics is nothing but rules then further rules will be needed to decide what to do when rules and interpretations conflict. Such problems show why it can be better to understand ethics as having to do first and foremost with character. Actions shape character including the action of following good rules… Ethics consists of learning to live well. It is a quest to develop and excel in the traits needed to flourish obeying rules while acquiring the wisdom to distinguish between good and bad ones.”How many times have you asked yourself: Is that the way I should treat someone else? Is that the way someone else should treat me? Because human beings can be critical of our own behavior we develop codes and norms to guide our behavior and this is where sociology (the academic discipline) aligns itself with philosophy (a system of thought or belief). The norms and codes that we as a society develop are what we mean when we talk about ethics.Ethics provides a framework which:-asks us to consider questions about how we ought to act in relationships and how we should live with one another. 2-asks us to consider whether our actions are right or wrong.-asks us how those character traits that help humans flourish (such as integrity honesty faithfulness and compassion) play out in everyday living.Ethical norms and principles have developed culturally as people have considered human relationships and how human beings act when they are at their best. Today those considerations have a practical use in the social world. For example we could be worried about any of the following questions in our everyday lives:-Should I keep my mouth shut when I know a neighbors child is getting into real trouble? When I think family violence is happening in my neighbor’s house?-Is it right to be chronically late for obligations because Im busy?-Do I laugh at a sexist or racist joke?-Should I cheat on this exam? Should I copy information into my essay? What excuse should I make to my professor that would get me an extension?Despite our many differences we share these everyday kinds of questions; this is the common “stuff” of human living and interacting. We also want to know the right way to approach these questions. There have been a few recent surveys and interestingly Americans named ethics or rather a decline in ethics as one of the most important problems facing the United States today.Most of us want to live an ethical life and to make good ethical decisions but we face some stumbling blocks to behaving ethically. Sometimes its hard to know what the right thing to do is. And sometimes theres a cost to doing the right thing. So we need a systematic way to approach living an ethical life. There are questions that if we use them every day can help us make moral decisions:-Did I practice being virtuous today? Virtues are “habits of the heart” we learn through modeling good behavior when we observe it in others around us. We learn how to behave through the loving actions of a parent or sibling a demanding but fair teacher a respectful supervisor or an honest shopkeeper. Learning how to behave though the virtuous actions of others shows us the best parts of ourselves.-Did I cross a line today that made me behave in way that is less than virtuous? Or did I choose to show integrity trustworthiness honesty compassion or the other virtues I was taught as a child?-Did I do more good than harm today? Did I consider the short term and long-term consequences of my actions?-Did I treat people with dignity and respect today? All human beings should be treated with dignity simply because they are human. People have moral rights especially the fundamental right to be treated as free and equal human beings not as things to be manipulated controlled or cast away.-How did my actions today respect the moral rights and the dignified treatment to which every person is entitled? Did I act with grace and compassion toward others even when it was difficult for me to do so?-Was I fair and just today? Did I treat each person the same unless there was some relevant moral reason to treat him or her differently? Justice requires that we be fair in the way we 3distribute benefits and burdens. Whom did I benefit and whom did I burden? How did I decide?-Was my community better because I was in it? What have I done to make my neighborhood a better place for myself and for my neighbors?-Was I better because I was in my community? Was I able to see beyond my own interests to make my community stronger? Was I able to draw on my communitys strengths to help me in my own process of becoming more human?Everyday ethical reflection must occur before we can effectively confront the larger moral questions. A person who wants to take moral leadership must also take responsibility for whats going on inside his or her own self. We can all choose to be good moral leaders and that choice is ours to make. We share a responsibility for creating the external world that we live in. We can decide to project either a spirit of light or a spirit of shadow on others and project either a spirit of hope or a spirit of despair…. We have a choice about what we are going to project and in that choice we help create the world that is.When we practice good ethics as a community we are upholding our civic responsibility. In the United States today there is arguably no better time to become civically responsible. When YOU are civically responsible youre showing those around you that youre ready and willing to participate in our society and its specific form of democratic governance. These singular actions that you complete are multiplied across the nation and help us to feel as if we are a part of the big picture that makes up society. When we dont complete our civic responsibility our democracy suffers.Being civically responsible wont fix all of our social problems but it will make us a stronger nation. Too many times Ive heard people say “well whats the point. My candidate didnt get elected so Im not going to bother voting anymore.” Or something to the effect of “the US is going downhill people are only out to do what benefits themselves. They dont care about me so why should I care about them?” Thats the exact opposite of being civically responsible! Civic responsibility is crucial to democracy. In the US civically participating guarantees that we are upholding the values outlined in the Bill of Rights of the U. S. Constitution. These specific values include freedom justice equality due process diversity tolerance authority and privacy. The goal of civic responsibility is that we participate responsibly in our society.Just like when we show ethically sound judgment civic responsibility requires supporting the community civic action setting a positive example and adopting values that benefit ALL of us. Civic action means engaging in the political system: vote! Adopting beneficial values requires accepting and utilizing values that benefit society instead of the individual and this is in fact the core of learning about sociology. Setting a good example involves acting in an ethical manner in regard to society’s guidelines laws and rules.You will be asked to draw on this information for your response related to ethics and civics (see the file on Slaves in Tulsa next) so make sure you understand the information above and below.What is Ethics?A set of principles of right conduct 4A theory of moral valuesA study of the choices an individual (or a group organization community nation etc.) makes and being able to DEFEND those choices as morally rightWhy is Understanding Ethics Important?Ethics are a cultural component of societyWho decides what is ethical?The individual?Society?What is Civic Responsibility?Civic responsibility requires YOUR action and social participationA core element of democratic societyComes as a result of ethical decision makingA Framework for Ethical Decision MakingWhen we have to make ethical decisions (everyday!) Beabout says that we really only need consider one big rule: The Golden Rule. In other words we should always treat others as we would like them to treat us and if we do then we engage in ethical decision making. Nonetheless sometimes we still get caught up in political cultural and social norms and values which do not take into account the Golden Rule. But if we do remember to use it we cannot help but understand that we have a moral duty to respect other human beings (regardless of circumstance) as we hope they would also respect us. There is one big question we can ask when thinking about our own responsibility to duty:What argument is most compelling to justify my action (or lack of action)?There are also some steps we can use to help us do a “gut-check” to make sure were making ethical choices:STEP 1: Gather the factsQuestions to ask: who what where when how and whyAssemble as many facts as possible before proceeding and don’t jump to conclusionsSTEP 2: Define the ethical issuesIdentify the ethical issue(s) in the situationSTEP 3: Identify the playersIdentify all of the groups/people who may be impacted by the situationExplain why these people or groups have an interest Ethic and Civic Response – Part 2After having read and understood the Got Ethics – Part 1 (found under the files option for the course) fully read the instructions below and the expert to complete this assignment. Reminder: this assignment is measuring the Core Abilities for this course – model ethical and civic responsibility. Your response must be written in APA or MLA format. This means:Size 12 Times New Roman or Calibri FontUniform double spacing throughout the entire document and a new page for the works cited page First page identifying information which includes your name my name the course title and the date properly formattedIndent each paragraph one-half inchInclude in-text citations for every entry on your works cited list properly formatted Write in FIRST PERSON (this is not normally acceptable for MLA papers but for sociology classes this is the standard for academic writing) with a professional academic and neutral toneUse of References This assignment requires the use of references. You are required to use a minimum of two references. References to include must be book/lecture and Part 1 of Got Ethics Lesson; you must include a works cited page that properly connects to your in-text citations. ASSIGNMENT INSTRUCTIONSFirst read the following excerpt below and then follow the instructions for what you need to do to complete the assignment.Slaves in TulsaCould slavery still exist in the United States? According to Kevin Bales the United States imports about 50000 slaves every year (as qtd. In Carl 2011). In February 2002 the Midwestern city of Tulsa Oklahoma was shocked to learn that they had slaves working in their midst. Workers recruited by a Mumbai (formerly Bombay) India company signed contracts for labor overseas. Many paid the recruiting company which was working with a US employer to recruit trained and experienced welders a fee of more than $2000 to gain employment in the United States. Workers who agreed to the recruitment rules were issued visas and sent to Tulsa Oklahoma where they worked as welders for an American industrial equipment manufacturer.The workers left their country with a promise of long-term residency good jobs and high pay. What they found was significantly different. upon arrival the workers visas and work permits were confiscated by the American company; the workers were told this was for the “safekeeping” of the documents. The group lived in barracks on the factory grounds sometimes working 12 hour days and earning as little as $2.31 an hour. The company’s food was substandard and many workers had to share beds because of the shortage of space. In the barracks a sign stated that workers who attempted 2to leave would be sent back to India. Armed guards patrolled the grounds. Many workers also reported verbal threats and deliberate intimidation to keep them on the property and the property was surrounded by chain-link fence with barbed wire. All of the gates to the property were locked and anything that the workers required (food clothes necessities) were brought into the property by the company. The only time that the workers were allowed to leave was for Sunday church services and they were bused to and from a local church which was minutes from the companys campus and were watched by guards during the service. As conditions for the workers deteriorated a few of the workers were able to make contact with the local churchs minister who was appalled at the conditions the workers described. A plan was made to free the workers from these circumstances and the minister and the congregation were able to assist the workers with escape. One the workers were freed the US employer claimed they were not involved in slavery or human trafficking and any fault was that of the Mumbai labor recruiting company. The employer claimed that the workers were merely temporary trainees so they did not deserve the minimum wage or other employment benefits. The US Equal Employment Opportunity Council (EEOC) and the courts saw the matter differently and found the company guilty of exploiting the workers. A fine of $1.2 million provided about $20000 for each worker.After the case broke many local community members helped the Indian workers find legitimate jobs and immigration hearings allowed them to legally stay in the country. With new jobs the workers sought to make their American dreams come true. This case has a happy ending largely because it occurred in a country with a free press and a strong government. Unfortunately most contract labor occurs in countries without either of these two important components (Overall Michael as qtd. in Carl 2011).What You Need to DoThe points of view presented to you in “Slaves in Tulsa” illustrate some issues related to global stratification. Some common points of view that people have about this type of issue are:Some people believe that people who come from less developed nations and work in the US for less than minimum wage may do so because they are better off than they would have been had they stayed in their home country.Some suggest that this type of labor is beneficial to the economy of the US (to have workers who work for less than minimum wage and who perform jobs that other Americans do not want to do); others believe that it is detrimental to American workers who feel that these people are taking their jobs.Some believe that when you come to the US for work under any circumstances (documented or undocumented) then you should be protected under the law and given the same rights as all.Your task is to think about the reading and answer the following:1. What are the ethical issues presented in the reading?2. What ethical responsibility would/do you have regarding this information?In response to the above prompts you are required to incorporate information from the Ethic and Civic Response Part 1 (as stated earlier regarding references). Also you must apply C. Wright Mill’s concept sociological imagination in explaining your stance on the ethical issues involved in the reading. 3This assignment requires you to follow APA or MLA format. This means that you need to follow the instructions above. You need to complete your work in full sentences and in paragraph format. A brief introduction subsequent paragraphs which answer the questions above and a brief conclusion are required. You should be able to complete this assignment in two to three typed and correctly formatted pages (this estimate is only the body of your paper and does not include the works cited page).How You will be ScoredYour assignment will be graded using this rubric:Critical ItemsExemplaryProficientAcceptableBelow ExpectationsUnacceptableEthical Awareness—correctly and fully identifies the ethical issues in this reading incorporates course materials—35%Consistently articulates ethical principles and references course lesson materialsOften considers ethical principles and references some course lesson materialsOccasionally considers ethical principles and references course lesson materials marginallySeldom considers ethical principles and rarely references course lesson materialsDoes not identify ethical principles and/or does not reference course lesson materialsPersonal Ethical Application—clearly and fully relates personal awareness and responsibility by relating personal action to learned materials—35%Consistently applies personal ethical principlesOften applies personal ethical principlesOccasionally applies personal ethical principlesSeldom considers personal ethical principlesDoes not demonstrate personal ethical considerationFormatting—sentence structure grammar MLA formatting spelling works cited and in-text citations thesis statement clear introduction conclusion logical paragraph construction and clear support for thesis statement PerfectNear PerfectAcceptableNot AcceptableNot Acceptable Requirements: 2-3 PAGE PAPER ‘