Week 10 - Ethics

Monday

Activity 1

Discuss what ethics is with your partner. Write down your ideas. Then read the following article and compare your ideas with the ideas in the article.

http://www.scu.edu/ethics/practicing/decision/whatisethics.html

What is Ethics?
Developed by Manuel Velasquez, Claire Andre, Thomas Shanks, S.J., and Michael J. Meyer
A few years ago, sociologist Raymond Baumhart asked business people, "What does ethics mean to you?" Among their replies were the following:
"Ethics has to do with what my feelings tell me is right or wrong."
"Ethics has to do with my religious beliefs."
"Being ethical is doing what the law requires."
"Ethics consists of the standards of behavior our society accepts."
"I don't know what the word means."
These replies might be typical of our own. The meaning of "ethics" is hard to pin down, and the views many people have about ethics are shaky.
Like Baumhart's first respondent, many people tend to equate ethics with their feelings. But being ethical is clearly not a matter of following one's feelings. A person following his or her feelings may recoil from doing what is right. In fact, feelings frequently deviate from what is ethical.
Nor should one identify ethics with religion. Most religions, of course, advocate high ethical standards. Yet if ethics were confined to religion, then ethics would apply only to religious people. But ethics applies as much to the behavior of the atheist as to that of the saint. Religion can set high ethical standards and can provide intense motivations for ethical behavior. Ethics, however, cannot be confined to religion nor is it the same as religion.
Being ethical is also not the same as following the law. The law often incorporates ethical standards to which most citizens subscribe. But laws, like feelings, can deviate from what is ethical. Our own pre-Civil War slavery laws and the apartheid laws of present-day South Africa are grotesquely obvious examples of laws that deviate from what is ethical.
Finally, being ethical is not the same as doing "whatever society accepts." In any society, most people accept standards that are, in fact, ethical. But standards of behavior in society can deviate from what is ethical. An entire society can become ethically corrupt. Nazi Germany is a good example of a morally corrupt society.
Moreover, if being ethical were doing "whatever society accepts," then to find out what is ethical, one would have to find out what society accepts. To decide what I should think about abortion, for example, I would have to take a survey of American society and then conform my beliefs to whatever society accepts. But no one ever tries to decide an ethical issue by doing a survey. Further, the lack of social consensus on many issues makes it impossible to equate ethics with whatever society accepts. Some people accept abortion but many others do not. If being ethical were doing whatever society accepts, one would have to find an agreement on issues which does not, in fact, exist.
What, then, is ethics? Ethics is two things. First, ethics refers to well based standards of right and wrong that prescribe what humans ought to do, usually in terms of rights, obligations, benefits to society, fairness, or specific virtues. Ethics, for example, refers to those standards that impose the reasonable obligations to refrain from rape, stealing, murder, assault, slander, and fraud. Ethical standards also include those that enjoin virtues of honesty, compassion, and loyalty. And, ethical standards include standards relating to rights, such as the right to life, the right to freedom from injury, and the right to privacy. Such standards are adequate standards of ethics because they are supported by consistent and well founded reasons.
Secondly, ethics refers to the study and development of one's ethical standards. As mentioned above, feelings, laws, and social norms can deviate from what is ethical. So it is necessary to constantly examine one's standards to ensure that they are reasonable and well-founded. Ethics also means, then, the continuous effort of studying our own moral beliefs and our moral conduct, and striving to ensure that we, and the institutions we help to shape, live up to standards that are reasonable and solidly-based.
This article appeared originally in Issues in Ethics IIE V1 N1 (Fall 1987)

Activity 2

What is work ethics? Read the following article after you make your definition.

http://www.allaboutphilosophy.org/what-are-work-ethics-faq.htm




What are Work Ethics









You are here: Philosophy >> Learn About Situational Ethics! >> What are Work Ethics
What are work ethics?

Work ethics include not only how one feels about their job, career or vocation, but also how one does his/her job or responsibilities. This involves attitude, behavior, respect, communication, and interaction; how one gets along with others. Work ethics demonstrate many things about whom and how a person is.

Work ethics involve such characteristics as honesty and accountability. Essentially, work ethics break down to what one does or would do in a particular situation. The begging question in a situation involves what is right and acceptable, and above board, versus what is wrong, underhanded, and under the table.

Throughout the last few years, there have been companies whose work ethic -- honesty, integrity and accountability -- have been rather shady and have a rather negative impact on other people. This has involved people looking the other way when people have done something questionable, or thinking it would not matter.

Work ethics, such as honesty (not lying, cheating, and stealing), doing a job well, valuing what one does, having a sense of purpose and feeling/being a part of a greater vision or plan is vital. Philosophically, if one does not have proper work ethics, a person’s conscience may be bothered. People for the most part have good work ethic(s); we should not only want to do, but desire to do the proper thing in a given situation.

Work ethics are intrinsic; they come from within. A question may involve where they came from, if they come from within. Philosophically, this may lead to various perspectives; however, the truth about work ethics, and where they come from are answered from a Christian worldview. Work ethics come from God the creator. God made humans in His image, and His word proclaims these various work ethics -- honesty, integrity, doing a job well, keeping things above board, and accountability factors.

The Christian worldview holds fundamentally to two central work ethics -- humility and the treatment of others. Humility is being humble, no task is too demeaning. Humility involves servitude, which emphasizes placing other peoples need before ones own. Treating others with decency and respect equate to the golden rule. The treatment of others involves loving your neighbor, loving your enemy, doing good to those who dislike you. It involves valuing others, and knowing they have worth.

Learn About Situational Ethics!














Activity 3

Watch the following video titled “Paparazzi vs celebrities”. Then share your ideas with your partner.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wmu9e4FvWRs

Watch the following video on “Ray Muray – Paparazzi expert”. What is new for you in the video? Then discuss work ethics of Paparazzi within the framwork of the following codes of ethics.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2QZ6xoqNP0

Codes of Media Ethics





http://ethics.iit.edu/codes/coe/media.alliance.aus.coe.html


CS
EP
Center for the Study of Ethics in the Professions at IIT
Home >> Codes of Ethics Online >> Media >> Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance, Australia
Organization: Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance, Australia
Source: Media Alliance website
Date Approved: Undated
Other Version(s) in our Codes
of Ethics Online Collection: None
Disclaimer: Please note the codes in our collection might not necessarily be the most recent versions. Please contact the individual organizations or their websites to verify if a more recent or updated code of ethics is available. CSEP does not hold copyright on any of the codes of ethics in our collection. Any permission to use the codes must be sought from the individual organizations directly.
Media Alliance Code of Ethics
Respect for truth and the public's right to information are fundamental principles of journalism. Journalists describe society to itself. They convey information, ideas and opinions, a privileged role. They search, disclose, record, question, entertain, suggest and remember. They inform citizens and animate democracy. They give a practical form to freedom of expression. Many journalists work in private enterprise, but all have these public responsibilities. They scrutinise power, but also exercise it, and should be accountable. Accountability engenders trust. Without trust, journalists do not fulfil their public responsibilities. Alliance members engaged in journalism commit themselves to
Honesty
Fairness
Independence
Respect for the rights of others
1. Report and interpret honestly, striving for accuracy, fairness and disclosure of all essential facts. Do not suppress relevant available facts, or give distorting emphasis. Do your utmost to give a fair opportunity for reply.
2. Do not place unnecessary emphasis on personal characteristics, including race, ethnicity, nationality, gender, age, sexual orientation, family relationships, religious belief, or physical or intellectual disability.
3. Aim to attribute information to its source. Where a source seeks anonymity, do not agree without first considering the source’s motives and any alternative attributable source. Where confidences are accepted, respect them in all circumstances.
4. Do not allow personal interest, or any belief, commitment, payment, gift or benefit, to undermine your accuracy, fairness or independence.
5. Disclose conflicts of interest that affect, or could be seen to affect, the accuracy, fairness or independence of your journalism. Do not improperly use a journalistic position for personal gain.
6. Do not allow advertising or other commercial considerations to undermine accuracy, fairness or independence.
7. Do your utmost to ensure disclosure of any direct or indirect payment made for interviews, pictures, information or stories.
8. Use fair, responsible and honest means to obtain material. Identify yourself and your employer before obtaining any interview for publication or broadcast. Never exploit a person’s vulnerability or ignorance of media practice.
9. Present pictures and sound which are true and accurate. Any manipulation likely to mislead should be disclosed.
10. Do not plagiarise.
11. Respect private grief and personal privacy. Journalists have the right to resist compulsion to intrude.
12. Do your utmost to achieve fair correction of errors.
Guidance Clause
Basic values often need interpretation and sometimes come into conflict. Ethical journalism requires conscientious decision-making in context. Only substantial advancement of the public interest or risk of substantial harm to people allows any standard to be overridden.
If you feel an Alliance member is in breach of the code, you can lodge a complaint using the process outlined here [see website for link].

Activity 4

Tell your partner how media ethics works in your country.

Tuesday

Refer to the following web page and choose an ethic related subject. Read the articles and write your view in a paragraph.

http://www.ethics.org.au/about-ethics/ethics-centre-articles/ethics-subjects/general-ethical-issues/index.html

Week 9 - Practice Exam

This week is practice final exam week. Before you take the exam in class, please refer to the following links to have some individual exam practice.


http://www.learn4good.com/languages/spec_english_toefl.htm


http://demo.toeflibtcourse.com/toefl_RIs.htm


http://demo.toeflibtcourse.com/toefl_LI_11as.htm

http://www.testpreppractice.net/IELTS/Free-Online-IELTS-Practice-Tests.aspx

http://www.esl-lab.com/

Week 8 - A DAY IN THE LIFE OF...

Monday

You are going to read about a day in the life of Irina, a teacher of English in Estonia. I will give you a copy of the reading and exercises in class.

Tuesday

Listening

Go to the following link and listen to the material titled “ Classical music with shining eyes” by Benjamin Zander

http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/benjamin_zander_on_music_and_passion.html

Vocabulary

Buttock

Impulse

Take off

Gasp

Entire

Don’t mind

Tone-deaf

Dig

Occur to someone

Procrastinator

Deceptive

Make a vow

Comprehension

Part one – One buttock player

Identify four groups of attitude towards classical music.

Which group do you belong to?

Part two – No one is tone-deaf

What examples does the speaker give to show that no one is tone deaf?

Part three – Feeling Chopin

How does Chopin’s prelude make you feel?

Part four – Shining Eyes

Can you explain what the speaker means by the following.

Who am I being that my ..... eyes are not shining?

Listen to the story in the last part and explain the meaning of the following.

“I will never say anything that couldn’t stand as the last thing I ever say”

Writing


1. Discuss the following quotation in a paragraph

“Creativity involves breaking out of established patterns in order to look at things in a different way.” Edward de Bono

2. Explore the following sites for some writing practice.


http://www.englishonline.net/


http://www.eslgo.com/classes/write/


http://www.triond.com/?rf=91&lp=211&gclid=CJCE_q6TjJsCFQZfswodpEWEqA



Thursday


You are going to read about a day in the life of Jonathan Edwards, an athlete. I will give you a copy of the reading and exercises in class.