Human Ecology.
Brannon, Patsy M. ; Rebecca, Q. ; Morgan, James C. 等
A New York Times article (1) in October asked "Are More People
Cheating?" Concerns about ethics and our behavior have grown after
a number of recent highly public and costly corporate scandals. While
our public attention may be heightened now, ethical dilemmas, choices
and actions are a part of what each of us faces daily. In higher
education, ethics are integral to every aspect of our teaching,
learning, research, and outreach. Key ethical principles of honesty,
fairness, interdependence, respect for others' autonomy and benefit
are the cornerstones for building trust and community. They also form
the guidelines for how we must do our research and translate our
findings for society's use. As we educate the next generation of
leaders to think critically and make judgments, consideration of these
ethical principles is an integral part of their education.
This issue of Human Ecology considers some of the ethical dilemmas
in our research, outreach/extension and teaching. How do we conduct
research with human subjects that will both respect their autonomy and
interdependence and ensure their well-being? How can we address pressing
social problems that require cultural change while respecting the
cultural context? How ethics permeates our curricula, directly and
indirectly, is also described.
Promoting ethical action requires open dialogue and discourse on
the thorny ethical dilemmas of our time. Invariably, these dilemmas
challenge us because they have no "right" answer or obvious
"ethical" action. More often, they pose direct conflicts among
ethical principles from different points of view. In our Leadership
Certificate Program, our students openly discuss how to make ethical
decisions by identifying the values inherent in the dilemma as well as
the ethical actions possible, and by considering the consequences of
each ethical option. Before choosing an action, students are encouraged
not only to consider key ethical principles but also to talk to people
whose judgment they respect. Such dialogue would serve each of us well
as we face our own ethical choices daily.
(1) "Are More People Cheating?" by Felicia R. Lee, in
Arts & Ideas, October 4, 2003
Patsy M. Brannon, Ph.D., R.D.
Rebecca Q. and James C. Morgan Dean
