CHB5207

Ethical issues in professional life

Justin Oakley

8 points 2 hours per week Second semester Clayton

Objectives On successful completion of this subject, students should understand how each of three major ethical theories characteristically approaches issues which commonly arise in professional life, along with some important distinguishing features of professionals, and the ethical obligations involved in being a professional. Students should also have acquired the skills to reflect upon and critically examine the goals of their chosen profession, analyse and evaluate certain ethical issues which arise in their own profession by taking a broader perspective, and seeing how that perspective arises out of parallel issues in other professions.

Synopsis This subject examines some fundamental ethical issues in professional life generally. It also investigates how debates about specific ethical issues familiar to those working in certain professions can be advanced by comparisons with discussions about parallel ethical issues arising in other professions. The subject begins by introducing the three main ethical theories - Kantianism, utilitarianism, and virtue ethics - and explains how each theory characteristically approaches issues in professional ethics. This is followed by a discussion of notions of 'professionalism', and of the moral foundations of professional obligations. Here we will also investigate what sorts of moral considerations might allow professional roles to license behaviour which departs significantly from what ordinary morality would permit. The subject then examines three issues which are commonly thought to raise questions about the proper goals of a profession - euthanasia and the medical and nursing professions; zealous advocacy and the legal profession; social justice and business professionals. After discussing the implications for professionalism of consumerist approaches in each of these areas, the subject then deals with whistleblowing and some issues in the moral psychology of professional roles. The subject concludes by looking at some ethical issues concerning career choice.

Assessment Essay (1500 words): 20% Essay (2500 words): 40% Take-home exam (2000 words): 40%

Prescribed texts

Callahan J (ed.) Ethical issues in professional life OUP, 1988
Goldman A The moral foundations of professional ethics Rowman and Littlefield, 1980
Bayles M Professional ethics 2nd edn, Wadsworth, 1989

Recommended texts

Baron M, Pettit P and Slote M Three methods of ethics: A debate Blackwell, 1997
Beauchamp T L and Bowie N E (eds) Ethical theory and business 5th edn, Prentice-Hall, 1997
Economides K (ed.) Ethical challenges to legal education and conduct Hart Publishing, 1997
Luban D (ed.) The good lawyer: Lawyers' roles and lawyers' ethics Rowman and Allanheld, 1983
Freidson E Professionalism reborn Polity Press, 1994
Kronman A The lost lawyer: Failing ideals of the legal profession Harvard U P, 1993
Solomon R C Ethics and excellence: Cooperation and integrity in business OUP, 1992
Sumner L W and Boyle J (eds) Philosophical perspectives on bioethics University of Toronto Press, 1996
Wolgast E Ethics of an artificial person: Lost responsibility in the professions and organizations Stanford U P, 1992

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