PHIL 2045 - Professional Ethics

North Terrace Campus - Semester 2 - 2017

It is essential for professionals in any field to have an understanding of the ethical problems and principles in their field. But anyone, no matter what their job, must deal with many other professions as well. Part of professional ethics is the understanding of the ethics of other professions: how they interact and what can be expected from them as correct ethical behaviour. In turn, any professional will benefit from a critical scrutiny of their own ethics by those from other professions. The general principles of professional ethics will be examined, as well as the distinctive problems of the different fields. The course is taught in six modules of four lectures and two tutorials each, covering the ethics of several major professions: Business Ethics, Media Ethics, Police Ethics, Medical Ethics, Legal Ethics, and Research Ethics. Topics covered will also include: the nature of a profession, professional codes of ethics, confidentiality, whistle-blowing, the responsibility of business to the environment, uses and abuses of human research, and animal ethics in research.

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Course Details

Course Code	PHIL 2045
Course	Professional Ethics
Coordinating Unit	Philosophy
Term	Semester 2
Level	Undergraduate
Location/s	North Terrace Campus
Units	3
Contact	Up to 3 hours per week
Available for Study Abroad and Exchange	Y
Prerequisites	At least 12 units of Level 1 ARTS including 3 units of Philosophy; exceptions for students from Faculty of Engineering, Education, Law and Science or by permission of course coordinator
Incompatible	PHIL 2023 or PHIL 3023
Assessment	Essay 1 (2000 words) 40%, Essay 2 (2000 words) 40%, Tutorial presentation & written summary 20%

Course Staff

Course Coordinator: Dr Denise Gamble

Lecturers Dr. Denise Gamble

Course Timetable

The full timetable of all activities for this course can be accessed from Course Planner.

Course Learning Outcomes

LO 1 Understanding of the nature of professionalism and ethical challenges inherent in professionalism

LO 2 Knowledge and understanding of prominent normative ethical theories and frameworks – consequentialist, deontological, contractualist, and virtue based

LO 3 Ability to identify specific ethical challenges and dilemmas confronting members of a range of professions (business, media, police, law, medicine, research)

LO 4 Ability to engage in ethical analysis and reasoning in relation to case studies exemplifying ethical dilemmas in specific professions

LO 5 Ability to engage effectively in small-group learning activities organised around case-study analyses

LO 6 Ability to research appropriate material in relation to set questions in writing essays meeting the highest standards of rigor and clarity

University Graduate Attributes

This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop the Graduate Attribute(s) specified below:

University Graduate Attribute	Course Learning Outcome(s)
Deep discipline knowledge informed and infused by cutting edge research, scaffolded throughout their program of studies acquired from personal interaction with research active educators, from year 1 accredited or validated against national or international standards (for relevant programs)	1, 2, 6
Critical thinking and problem solving steeped in research methods and rigor based on empirical evidence and the scientific approach to knowledge development demonstrated through appropriate and relevant assessment	3,4
Teamwork and communication skills developed from, with, and via the SGDE honed through assessment and practice throughout the program of studies encouraged and valued in all aspects of learning	5
Career and leadership readiness technology savvy professional and, where relevant, fully accredited forward thinking and well informed tested and validated by work based experiences	1,3
Intercultural and ethical competency adept at operating in other cultures comfortable with different nationalities and social contexts able to determine and contribute to desirable social outcomes demonstrated by study abroad or with an understanding of indigenous knowledges	1,2,3
Self-awareness and emotional intelligence a capacity for self-reflection and a willingness to engage in self-appraisal open to objective and constructive feedback from supervisors and peers able to negotiate difficult social situations, defuse conflict and engage positively in purposeful debate	5

Learning Resources

Required Resources

Text: Ethics for the Professions. John Rowan & Samuel Zinaich, Jnr. Wadsworth. 2003
Reading material for lecture background and case analyses will also be scanned and posted online.

Recommended Resources

Joan C. Callahan, Ethical issues in professional life, Oxford University Press, 1988.
Alan H. Goldman, The moral foundations of professional ethics, Rowman and Littlefield, 1980
Ruth F. Chadwick, (ed.) Ethics and the professions, Avebury, 1994.
Justin Oakley, Dean Cocking, Virtue ethics and professional roles. Cambridge University Press, 2001

Online Learning

http://www.library.adelaide.edu.au/guide/philosophy/prof_ethics.html

Lectures will be posted on Canvas prior to weekly workshops.
A Guide to writing essays in Philosophy is posted on Canvas.
Essay topics will be posted on Canvas.
Case studies will be posted weekly on Canvas for case analyses in Workshops.
Weekly MCQ mini-tests will be posted (and marked) on Canvas.

Learning & Teaching Modes

A weekly 3-hour workshop will incorporate (1) review of lecture material/content already posted online in Canvas prior to the session;
and (2) case analysis and/or tutorial type discussions on set questions in small groups where topics are related to lecture material. Some sessions will also include guest speakers.
Assessed mini-tests on provided reading associated with each workshop to be completed online within a week of the workshop.

Workload

The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.

To complete the course successfully students will be required to (1) attend each 3-hour workshop where attendance record will be kept (3 hours); (2) read material relevant to completing weekly online mini-test (2 hour); (3) reading and research in relation to two major essays (7 hours or 3.5 hours for each essay). [An average of 12 hours per week or 144 hours over semester.]

Learning Activities Summary

Weekly 3-hour Workshop - Review pre-posted lecture and engage in small group activity in the form either of tutorial-type discussion in relation to pre-set questions, or case study analyses. Workshop schedule to be posted online prior to commencement of course.
Weekly online minitest on reading in relation to weekly workshop lecture and reading.

UNIVERSITY GRADUATE ATTRIBUTE	STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES
Deep discipline knowledge	1, 2, 6
Critical thinking and problem solving	3, 4
Teamwork and communication skills	5
Career and leadership readiness	1, 3, 4
Intercultural and ethical competency	1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Self-awareness and emotional intelligence	3, 5

Small Group Discovery Experience

Weekly workshops will utilize activities around case studies and ethical reasoning as small group discovery activities.

The University's policy on Assessment for Coursework Programs is based on the following four principles:

Assessment must encourage and reinforce learning.
Assessment must enable robust and fair judgements about student performance.
Assessment practices must be fair and equitable to students and give them the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.
Assessment must maintain academic standards.

Assessment Summary

Participation in at least ten weekly workshop small-group discussions and case analyses (1 mark to make a maximum total of 10 marks).
Completion of ten weekly online mini-tests. Mini-tests will take the form of Multiple Choice Questions with a maximum of 5 marks per test available. The final mini-test assessment mark will be the average of best ten results.
Two major essays of 2500 words on set questions coverning the two halves of the course, each essay worth 40% of total mark.

ASSESSMENT TASK	TASK TYPE	WEIGHTING	LEARNING OUTCOMES
Contribution to workshop activies	Formative	10%	3,4,5
Completion of workshop-related online mini-tests	Formative and Summative	10%	1,2,3
Two 2500 word research essays	Summative	80% (Each essay weighted at 40%)	1,2,3,6

Assessment Detail

Guidelines on writing an essay in Philosophy will be provided.

Submission

Essays will be electronically uploaded and marked on Canvas.

Course Grading

Grades for your performance in this course will be awarded in accordance with the following scheme:

M10 (Coursework Mark Scheme)
Grade	Mark	Description
FNS		Fail No Submission
F	1-49	Fail
P	50-64	Pass
C	65-74	Credit
D	75-84	Distinction
HD	85-100	High Distinction
CN		Continuing
NFE		No Formal Examination
RP		Result Pending

Further details of the grades/results can be obtained from Examinations.

Grade Descriptors are available which provide a general guide to the standard of work that is expected at each grade level. More information at Assessment for Coursework Programs.

Final results for this course will be made available through Access Adelaide.

Student Feedback

The University places a high priority on approaches to learning and teaching that enhance the student experience. Feedback is sought from students in a variety of ways including on-going engagement with staff, the use of online discussion boards and the use of Student Experience of Learning and Teaching (SELT) surveys as well as GOS surveys and Program reviews.

SELTs are an important source of information to inform individual teaching practice, decisions about teaching duties, and course and program curriculum design. They enable the University to assess how effectively its learning environments and teaching practices facilitate student engagement and learning outcomes. Under the current SELT Policy (http://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/101/) course SELTs are mandated and must be conducted at the conclusion of each term/semester/trimester for every course offering. Feedback on issues raised through course SELT surveys is made available to enrolled students through various resources (e.g. MyUni). In addition aggregated course SELT data is available.

Students will receive extensive formative feedback on their first essay, as well as opportunities for consultation, and less extensive feedback but opportunities for consultation in relation to second essay.

A response to SELTS indicating actions that will be taken regarding the conduct or modifications of the content or assessment of the course if any are considered justified after consideration of student evaluation of the course.
Student Support
Policies & Guidelines
This section contains links to relevant assessment-related policies and guidelines - all university policies.
Fraud Awareness

Students are reminded that in order to maintain the academic integrity of all programs and courses, the university has a zero-tolerance approach to students offering money or significant value goods or services to any staff member who is involved in their teaching or assessment. Students offering lecturers or tutors or professional staff anything more than a small token of appreciation is totally unacceptable, in any circumstances. Staff members are obliged to report all such incidents to their supervisor/manager, who will refer them for action under the university's student’s disciplinary procedures.

The University of Adelaide is committed to regular reviews of the courses and programs it offers to students. The University of Adelaide therefore reserves the right to discontinue or vary programs and courses without notice. Please read the important information contained in the disclaimer.

Authorised by:	Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President (Academic)
Maintained by:	Course Outlines Administrator