Instructions
See the general instructions in the Essay Discussion Instructions section of the course menu.
Once you choose which question you’d like to write about, write your essay and post it in the discussion board and also save it as a Word document.
To create your post, click the blue Create Thread button.
To be able to read and respond to others’ posts, you will first need to
publish your own post. Your first post is the one that will be
graded–a blank post WILL be graded if it is your first post in the
board. You can save your post as a draft, but it will not be published
for students to view, nor will it be queued for grading until you click
the Submit button.
When you refresh the board, after you publish your
post, it will allow you to view everyone’s posts. If you hover your
cursor at the bottom of a post, the button to reply to that student’s
post will appear.
Use your course texts to help you respond to the topic, and when
you quote and summarize from the course texts, include information about
the page reference.
You are discouraged from using additional sources.
If you do choose to use an outside source, be sure to cite your source,
just as you do when you use the course texts. If you use a quotation or
an example from a website, cite the website’s url and the date
accessed.
Once you are ready for your classmates to read it, post the thread
containing your essay. Then go to the TurnItIn dropbox section here in
Blackboard and post your Word document into the dropbox. You do not need
to include your response to another student in the file that you upload
to TurnItIn.
Finally, read your classmates’ posts. A complete assignment includes your written response to at least one essay besides your own–part
of your score is based on your reply to at least one of your
classmate’s posts. It should be a meaningful reply that continues the
discussion, points out something good about the post, and makes a
constructive suggestion for improvement.
Essay Length tips–To answer these topics completely, it takes a
minimum of 450 words. Use the topic questions and the scoring rubric to
see if your draft responds fully to all parts of the question. A
complete thoughtful answer is more important than word count.
Topics for your Essay, Choose one
Topic A:
Compare the advantages and disadvantages of act-utilitarianism and
virtue ethics. Which do you think is the better theory? How would you
combine the two approaches to fashion a better theory?
Topic B:
Suppose you have an opportunity to either: (1) send $800 to an area
suffering from famine to save a dozen people from starvation or (2)
give the money to your little sister to buy books for college. Which
would you do? Why? Explain which moral theory aligns with your decision
making process.
Topic C:
According to Kant, why is breaking a promise or lying immoral? Do
you agree with his reasoning? Why or why not? Can you imagine a case
where one ought to lie or break a promise? Explain.
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