ETHC 101
Ethical Application Essay Assignment Instructions
Overview
This assignment requires you to take your comparative analysis from the previous essay assignment and apply it to an ethical issue covered in this course. You will write a 1000–1200-word essay (not including footnotes, the title page, table of contents, and bibliography) that combines your insights and arguments into a single carefully-articulated work. Format should be 12pt, Times New Roman font and in one of the three major writing styles (MLA, APA, or Turabian). A template will be provided.
Instructions
First, choose an issue in applied ethics that greatly interests you. You may choose one the following topics we cover in this course: abortion, euthanasia, racism, poverty/wealth, environmentalism, homosexuality, transgenderism, capital punishment, or church and state issues.
Your essay should be divided into five parts:
1. Introduction. Choose one of the applied issues approved for this assignment (see above). Begin your paper with a brief introductory paragraph that clearly states your goals, thesis, and method. (minimum 50 words)
2. Summarize the prominent ethical principles and positions at stake on this applied issue (minimum 250 words)
3. Articulate a detailed application based on the framework you defended in the first essay. For example, if you defended a Christian ethic, how is your application shaped by a Christian ethic? If you defended another framework, how is your application shaped by that theory? (minimum 350 words)
4. Lastly, provide at least one counter argument to your position based on the other framework you analyzed in the first essay assignment and respond to it. For example, if you wrote against utilitarianism in your first essay, how would a utilitarian object to your argument? How would you respond to that objection? (minimum 350 words)
5. Bibliography. Remember, your citations and bibliography do not count toward the 1000-word requirement.
Be sure to carefully define your terms, articulate the strengths and weaknesses of each position, and defending your position. You are expected to support your position with rational arguments, fitting examples, and expert sources. Any quotes or information used from sources other than yourself must be cited. Summarize whenever possible and do not use large quotations.
You will be penalized for falling short or exceeding the word count. This is a university-level writing assignment and therefore it must be carefully proofread, free of grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors. Do not use slang, emoticons, or abbreviations (as if you are texting or sending an email to a friend).
You are expected to cite at least two of the textbooks and at least two external, academic sources in your essay. These external sources would include books, journal articles, periodicals, and similar publications. You may use online sources, but DO NOT use websites such as Wikipedia, online dictionaries, online encyclopedias, and blogs as these do not count as academic sources and should not be used. Biblical references are encouraged but will not count as an academic source.
Note: Your assignment will be checked for originality via the Turnitin plagiarism tool.
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