Ethics and Critical Thinking Writing Assignment A: End-of-Life Issues

The purpose of this assignment is to evaluate your ability to identify and explain consequentialist and/or non-consequentialist arguments in a concrete end-of-life decision, to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of such arguments in the light of your understanding of moral theory, and to develop your own arguments to further support or to criticize the arguments examined.

Directions

• Search the Newsstand database for a recent news article (preferably from within the last six months, but up to one year at the most) that features a CONCRETE example of a moral decision in an end-of-life scenario. This does NOT mean a general discussion of the morality of physician-assisted suicide or euthanasia, but rather a specific person making a specific decision in a specific situation. Proceed as follows:

1. LogintoAtlas

2. Selectthe‘Courses'tab

3. Clickon‘SearchtheLibrary'(underthe‘Libraries'header)

4. Select‘DatabasesA-Z'

5. Openthe‘Newsstand'database

6. Selectthe‘AdvancedSearch'option

7. Enterthesearchtermsfortheend-of-lifesituation you are interestedin(e.g. ‘dignity in dying,' assisted suicide option,' ‘euthanasia decision,' etc.)

8. Selectthe‘Fulltext'searchlimit

9. For‘PublicationDate,'select‘Last3Months'or‘Last12Months'

10.For ‘Source type,' select ‘Newspapers'

11. For ‘Document type,' select ‘Article'

12.For ‘Language,' select ‘English'

13.Click on ‘Search'

14.Save or print the news article you decide to use

• Write your essay:

Ethics and Critical Thinking Writing Assignment A: End-of-Life Issues

1. Composeadetailedintroductorysectionwhereyouexplaintheconcrete moral decision in an end-of-life scenario. Your introductory section should allow your reader to clearly understand the moral decision at hand and how it exemplifies a specific end-of-life issue (physician-assisted suicide, hospice care, type of euthanasia), without having to look at the article itself (2-3 paragraphs, approx. 200-300+ words for this section).

2. Provideacomprehensiveanddetailedexplanationoftheconsequentialist and/or non-consequentialist argument(s) that drive the moral decision in the scenario you described, including any underlying assumptions and presuppositions that may allow you to pinpoint the moral theory employed. Be very specific and make sure to carefully explain your reasoning in a systematic and structured fashion (2-3 paragraphs, approx. 200-300+ words for this section).

3. Provide a detailed, thorough, and comprehensive evaluation of the validity of the main consequentialist and/or non-consequentialist argument(s) you identified. Reflect on the argument(s), using your understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the moral theory employed, including the analysis of underlying assumptions and presuppositions. Be very specific and make sure to carefully explain your reasoning in a systematic and structured fashion (2-3 paragraphs, approx. 200-300+ words for this section).

4. Presentyourownmoralargumentthateitherstrengthensorweakensthe consequentialist and/or non-consequentialist argument(s) you identified. Based on your thorough understanding of moral theory, make sure to identify and explain the moral perspective you are arguing from. Be very specific and make sure to carefully explain your reasoning in a systematic and structured fashion (2-3 paragraphs, approx. 200-300+ words for this section).

5. Includeaworkscitedpage,whereyouprovidetheproperMLAcitationof the source for your news article.

6. Give your essay a descriptive or (better yet) intriguing title. Don't title your essay ‘Assignment A' or ‘Ethics Paper.'
Your finalized essay should not contain any paragraph numbering and must be written in proper English (correct spelling and grammar, and appropriate style) and correspond to MLA (Modern Language Association) formatting and style guidelines. This assignment does not require any external resources other than the news article you identified. If external resources are used (only to illustrate your own points), they must be properly referenced, using MLA citation.

Ethics and Critical Thinking Writing Assignment A: End-of-Life Issues

• Save your finalized essay on your computer's hard drive and/or removable media, and always keep a back-up copy of your work.

• Upload your finalized document to the Writing Assignment Uploader before the assignment submission deadline. Your file MUST be in Microsoft Word format (file extension .doc or .docx) or rich text format (file extension .rtf). No other file formats will be accepted. Assignments MUST be submitted using a computer and NOT from a tablet or smart phone. Do NOT use the Blackboard mobile app to submit assignments.

Getting Help

If you have any questions or concerns regarding this assignment, including the selection of an appropriate article, or if you need additional feedback or clarification, it is your responsibility to use the appropriate HELP! discussion forum and/or contact the instructor.
For additional in-person help with your writing, please contact the West Campus Writing Center. Click on the ‘West Campus Writing Center' link in the navigation panel of our Blackboard course for all the necessary information on how to make use of this service.
For fully online help with your writing, you can use the virtual writing center that is part of the Smart Thinking tutoring service. Log into Atlas, go to ‘Courses,' then click on ‘Tutoring (online) - Smart Thinking.' Select the ‘Writing Center' option, and please make sure to carefully follow directions from there.

It is very important that you plan ahead and allow for the necessary turnaround time as well as for the time needed to make the changes to your writing.