Research Paper: Ethics And Current Issues

In this course, you have looked at classical ethical theories such as utilitarianism, deontology, and virtue ethics. You have also examined different perspectives on ethical issues introduced by relativism, ethical egoism, and emotivism. For this paper, you will apply these theories and perspectives to a current societal issue.

Choose an ethical issue to write about from one of the topics below. It is recommended that you choose a topic that you are familiar with or that you have some interest in exploring further.

Possible Topics:

• Immigration reform in the US and/or abroad

In your paper, you will apply ethical theories and perspectives to the issue that you select. You do not have to use all of the ethical theories and perspectives you have learned in this class, but you should apply at least two ethical theories and at least one ethical perspective in your paper. Make sure that you write primarily on ethical topics and concepts, aiming to be both balanced and intellectually driven in your work. To be balanced in your discussion, make sure that you clearly examine both sides of the issue you are considering, not just arguments that confirm what you already know and believe. You may share your personal views, but do not rely on opinions (yours or those offered by others) to make your case. Think about the evidence that helps to make your case and use it.

Address the following questions:

• What are the ethical issues?
• Where are there breaches of ethical behavior?
• How could each ethical theory you cite help people think about what constitutes virtuous or ethical behavior?

Click to view the Model of the Final Paper. Many students find that this template is helpful while completing this week’s assignment.

In your paper,

• Define how you are using key terms in the paper using credible sources (e.g., gender, sexism, racism etc.).
• Explain how the ethical theories and perspective address the social issue you have chosen to write about.
• Support your arguments with details and/or examples.
• Incorporate draft feedback from your instructor in the development of the Final Paper.
• Incorporate draft feedback from Ashford University’s Writing Center 24/7 Writing Tutoring (Links to an external site.) in the development of the Final Paper. This is optional.
• Apply ethical viewpoints to an ethical question.
• Describe the details of the theory used.
• Develop an analysis of the topic using applicable information from credible sources.

The Ethics and Current Issues final paper

• Must be at least five double-spaced pages in length (not including title and references pages) and formatted according to APA Style (Links to an external site.) as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center’s APA Formatting for Microsoft Word (Links to an external site.)
• Must include a separate title page with the following:
  • Title of paper
  • Student’s name
  • Course name and number
  • Instructor’s name
  • Date submitted
• Must utilize academic voice. See the Academic Voice (Links to an external site.) resource for additional guidance.
• Must include an introduction and conclusion paragraph. Your introduction paragraph needs to end with a clear thesis statement that indicates the purpose of your paper.
  • For assistance on writing Introductions & Conclusions (Links to an external site.) as well as Writing a Thesis Statement (Links to an external site.), refer to the Ashford Writing Center resources.
• Must use at least five scholarly sources in addition to the course text.
  • The Scholarly, Peer-Reviewed, and Other Credible Sources (Links to an external site.) table offers additional guidance on appropriate source types. If you have questions about whether a specific source is appropriate for this assignment, please contact your instructor. Your instructor has the final say about the appropriateness of a specific source for a particular assignment.
  • You can also use the Sociology Research Guide located in the Ashford University Library.
  • To assist you in completing the research required for this assignment, view this Ashford University Library Quick ‘n’ Dirty (Links to an external site.) tutorial, which introduces the Ashford University Library and the research process, and provides some library search tips.
• Must document any information used from sources in APA Style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center’s APA: Citing Within Your Paper (Links to an external site.)
• Must include a separate reference page that is formatted according to APA Style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center. See the APA: Formatting Your References List (Links to an external site.) resource in the Ashford Writing Center for specifications.

Carefully review the Grading Rubric (Links to an external site.) for the criteria that will be used to evaluate your assignment.