Transcript November 2007 Seminar in Academic Integrity

November 2007 Seminar in
Academic Integrity
Dr. Nancy Stanlick
Department of Philosophy
Nov. 15, 2007
PSY 226, 2:00-4:00 p.m.
1. Attendance
2. Overview
1. Integrity
2. Ethical Theories and Moral Responsibility
3. Values and Principles
– UCF Creed and Golden Rule
– Cases of Violations of Academic and Social
Integrity
4. Academic Dishonesty Video
5. Required Assignments
3. What is Integrity?
Rules, Principles, Procedures, Expectations
• Integrity
– Individual and Community
• Academic
– Conduct
 Active, Passive
 (Cheating, Presenting, Being)
• Obligations, Responsibilities
– Causal, Action, To/For
4. Ethical Theories and Moral
Responsibility
Virtue Ethics
Deontology
Utilitarianism
Egoism
• Virtue Ethics
– Virtue theory , also called virtue ethics. This is an
ethical theory constructed around three elemental
notions. The first is that there is no person who is not
part of a community of others – i.e., we are primarily
social beings and find fulfillment and meaning in the
communities in which we live. Second, the primary
feature of ethical evaluation of oneself and others
resides in the character of a person. Third, the
consequences of one’s actions are a determining
factor in deciding the question whether the action is
right or wrong, good or bad. Virtue theory is not a
rule-based ethical theory, and thus you will not find
some particular rule that all must follow. It is a
character-based theory, not a principle or rule-based
theory of ethics. For additional information on this
theory, go to
http://ethics.sandiego.edu/presentations/Theory/virtu
e/virtue.ppt .
• Utilitarianism, also known as the moral theory
focusing on “the greatest happiness.” Very
succinctly put, Utilitarians hold the position that
pleasure is good and pain is bad. They therefore
found their moral reasoning on the notion that
increasing pleasure (or minimizing or avoiding
pain) is good and decreasing pleasure (or
augmenting or causing pain) is bad. Further, if
pleasure is good for one person, then it is even
better for more than one person. Generally on this
basis, the Utilitarian contends that our moral
obligation is to produce the greatest happiness for
the greatest number (of sentient beings). This, in
fact, is the requirement of the ultimate rule of
utilitarian ethics: the principle of utility. For
additional information on this theory, go to
http://ethics.sandiego.du/video/hinman/theory/Uti
litarianism/utilitarianism_pp.ram
• Deontology , a duty based-ethical theory, centers on the
rational calculation of the universalizability of the maxim (or
rule) of an action to determine its rightness. A deontologist
does not believe that the consequences of an action
determine its rightness. It is, instead, that the principle of
the action, and the reason that the moral agent performed
it, are what determines an action’s moral worth. But do not
be misled by this notion. It does not mean that simply
intending to produce good results is what matters. An intent
to do that matters not at all. For the deontologist, it is not
enough simply that an action be done. It must be done for
the right reason. But not just any reason will do. The action
must be performed on the basis of an ultimate rule of
morality. But simply performing an action because it is a rule
to do so is not enough. What is also required is that the rule
of one’s action be derived from the only rule of morality: the
categorical imperative. For additional information on this
theory, go to
http://ethics.sandiego.edu/presentations/Theory/Kant/Duty/
Kant_Duty_and_Universality.ppt
• Psychological Egoism , or an ethical orientation
in which its followers hold the position that selfinterested behavior is what characterizes human
action, is not really a theory of ethics. It is, instead,
a descriptive or anthropological account of human
behavior that has no moral import. That is, the
psychological egoist does not say that people ought
to be self-interested. The psychological egoist says
that people are self-interested. Another version of
egoism, however, does at least deserve to be
described as a theory. This is ethical egoism, the
position that every person ought to be selfinterested and ought to act consistently with that
prescription for behavior. For additional information
on egoism, go to
http://philosophy.lander.edu/ethics/egoism.html .
5. What is it to be Responsible?
• Causing an event
• Reacting to an event
• Preventing an event
• Acquiescing
• Being responsible to/responsible for
Values and Principles
• An example of failure – 10 Cs
– Why can they fail?
– How can they succeed?
6. Values and Principles
• UCF Creed: Statement of Values
• UCF Golden Rule: Statement of Principles
The UCF Creed
• Integrity
• Scholarship
• Community
• Creativity
• Excellence
The UCF Golden Rule
• See
http://www.goldenrule.sdes.ucf.edu/2e_R
ules.html
6. Cases and “Violations”
• Cheating/Plagiarism
• “Faking it” and false information
• Violence
• Non-compliance and legitimate
disagreement
7. A Video on Academic Dishonesty
Go to
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=irBj1dulcU for a short segment of an episode of
the soap opera, All My Children (on
academic cheating).
8. Assignments
Submit all assignments by e-mail no later than 4:00 p.m.
seven days from the meeting of the seminar. Send to
[email protected] . Make sure that your name and
“Ethics Seminar” appear in the subject line of the e-mail.
The full text of the assignments document for this
seminar appears at
http://pegasus.cc.ucf.edu/~stanlick/Fall07EthicsAssignm
ents.htm . Download the file, fill out the document, and
save it like this: YourLastNameEthicsSeminar in .doc
format or in .html format. Then, send it to me at the email address listed above. There are 4 homework
assignments and an evaluation form. Please follow the
instructions carefully.