JOURNAL OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS EDUCATION - Naspaa

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Safeguarding the Public Trust: Can Administrative Ethics Be Taught?2. Get students to think systematically before making a decision,for example, by asking themselves several questions pertinent toany decision (Whom will this decision affect? What are the widerimplications? What happens if I do nothing?); and3. Bring out the limitations of each ethical approach. For example,Utilitarianism requires us to judge acts in light of their consequences,yet we do not always know what consequences will ensue. Likewise,Deontology assumes that we have a clear sense of our duties ofobligation, yet most agree that there often is a gray area.Finally, there is a discussion of how moral reasoning is complicated byglobalization and increased cultural and religious diversity, as well as by sectoralblurring (W-S-C # 1 and #5). For example, as part of a class discussion, studentsare asked to consider how individuals from different religious backgrounds(Christian, Jewish, and Muslim) might view issues of sexual discrimination,whistle-blowing, and stealing. The point is not to opine about the values of thesefaiths, but to make students aware that perspectives and levels of sensitivity onthese issues can vary. With respect to sectoral blurring, we read and discuss alocal ordinance that prohibits panhandling. The ordinance is considered, alongwith a mission statement of a local nonprofit organization that provides foodand funds for homeless people. Students are asked to consider how they mighthandle these conflicting objectives (as opposed to how they would handle them).Situations where the objectives of nonprofit groups are inconsistent with localordinances appear more often, as nonprofits proliferate in our communities.A key objective at the end of the class section is to develop in students anappreciation for the evolving complexity of public sector decision making.The AssignmentFollowing the introduction of these key concepts, students are given a twopartassignment: Part One requires that the student find and present an ethicaldilemma in case format (W-S-C # 1, # 2 and #6). The case must be an actualethical dilemma that recently has occurred, or is presently occurring, within astate or local government, or in a nonprofit. This approach has the added benefitof keeping students in touch with local events (W-S-C #1). The narrative should(a) be limited to one page, (b) include only the relevant facts, and (c) pose adilemma at the end. The grading rubric for the narrative is presented in Table 1.Part Two required students to relate the facts of the case to ethical theory(W-S-C #4). Students choose from a wide variety of ethical challenges, includingworkplace discrimination, the controversial conscience exemptions that allowpharmacists to refuse to fill prescriptions based on moral or religious grounds,privatization, truthfulness in grant-writing, and same-sex marriage (W-S-C #5).The prescribed format of the student essays said they were to identify (a) theJournal of Public Affairs Education 167
Safeguarding the Public Trust: Can Administrative Ethics Be Taught?relevant facts of the case, (b) the applicable laws or regulations, (c) the ethicalissues involved, (d) the primary stakeholders, and (e) the available alternatives.They then had to identify the most relevant perspective — Utilitarian,Deontological and/or Pragmatic — and the advantages and disadvantages ofeach. At first this approach seemed awkward, but there was a logic to havingstudents pose questions. Specifically, they learned to think of issues moreobjectively, rather than from their own perspectives. Next, they were to considerwhether and how culture and religion had played a role in creating and resolvingthe dilemmas. Finally, they identified the practical constraints involved, and towhat extent the changing nature of governance might affect the situation (W-S-C#1). Students were required to avoid giving their opinions or any indicators ofright and wrong (W-S-C #5). The full set of questions that students were requiredto answer appears in Table 2 and the related grading rubric appears in Table 3.Table 1.Grading Rubric for Ethical Dilemma NarrativeNarrative is reasonably titled and subtopic identified, if applicableAll facts necessary to narrative are includedFacts/Background are limited to what is necessary to the storylineAlternative courses of action/moral dilemma posed at end of narrativeMain actors are identified, but limited to those in storylineNarrative flows logically, positions do not seem disconnectedNarrative conforms to one-page limitWriting is concise and to the pointSource is identifiedWriting is without grammatical errorsTotal Points for Part 1168 Journal of Public Affairs Education
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