INQ-120 | Ethics in Communication

Full Title: Exploring Ethics in Communication

Topic Description:

This course will begin with an examination of some major theorists in normative ethics. We will read selections of important works from Aristotle, Jeremy Bentham, John Stuart Mill, Immanuel Kant, John Rawls, and Jürgen Habermas. Additionally, we will read contemporary sources in feminist and pragmatic ethics. We will then take our knowledge of moral decision-making and begin exploring contemporary topics in media and communication ethics. These shall include the topics of free speech, public speaking, political communication and advertising, public relations, blogging, journalism, photo manipulation, and organizational communication. Through our examination of these ethical issues, we will continue to explore the uses and limits of the theories analyzed at the beginning of this course. Students will determine for themselves which ethical system, if any, largely captures what we think ought to be included in our concept of the person who lives and communicates with integrity. We will explore the following questions: How ought we to play our part in all of the interactions we are party to? How should the media cover issues of a sensitive or potentially harmful nature? How do new technologies and practices impact the ethical situations in communication? How do our interactions with others reflect and shape who we truly are?

Counts as Global? No

Topic Approved: December 2009