Assignment on Ethics in the Social Sciences

Choose a case study from the list below. 

You will be expected to consider what dilemmas are presented by the case study, and how these issues and the solution might be informed by the theories examined this semester. 

This assessment is designed to help you explore the conversations around ethics in your academic discipline and/or professional pathway. 

The extra readings and resources will be useful for this task. You are also encouraged to do independent research and use applicable scholarly literature in addition to those provided to 

you. 

For this assessment, you will need to choose two of the following theories to apply to the case study: 

• Universal Ethical Egoism 
• Act Utilitarianism Rule Utilitarianism Divine Command Theory 
• Kant's Duty Ethics 
• Ross's Prima Facie Duties 
• Nicomacean Virtue Ethics 
• Confucian Role Ethics 
• Indigenous Australian Philosophy(s) 

***The following is a guide for completing the written paper: 

1. 1. The introduction should identify the case study that you have chosen and the two theories you are going to apply to the case. 

Detailed in criteria 1. 

2. 2. The first section of the body of the paper should detail the dilemmas presented by the case study. This is where you should provide some 'facts' and context around the case which may include academic material from the additional readings, legislation, policy, scientific/medical evidence, statistics, government and NGO reports, etc. This is also where any relevant codes of ethics/conduct should be identified. These should be relevant to Australian professional conduct - that is, Australian focused codes of ethics/conducts. 

3. The evidence presented here will be the foundation of your ethical analysis and is detailed in marking criteria 2. 

   3. 3. Section two of the paper should analyse how your two theories apply to the case study. This will include applying all components of each theory to the case study, the strengths and weaknesses of applying each theory to the case study and providing consideration of the result of using each theory for all stakeholders impacted by the case study. 

   You can conduct this analysis separately or juxtapose both theories throughout the structure of the paper; you have creative license in expressing the analysis. 

   This section should form the bulk of your paper and is covered in marking criteria 3, 4, and 5. 

   4. 4. The final section of the paper should attempt to provide a feasible, workable, and ethical solution to the dilemma by synthesising the main arguments that have been made throughout the paper and should particularly draw upon the strengths discussed. 

   This is covered in marking criteria 6.

CASE STUDIES 

1. 1. Sustainable Lifestyle 

According to research conducted by Ted Trainer (2010) at the UNSW, one fifth of the world's people (comprised of 'first world' countries like Australia) are living a lifestyle that depends on using four-fifths of the world's non-renewable resources. 

Trainer's research goes on to say that the prospect of the rest of the world's people ever catching up is not possible, as it would require vast amounts of resources such as oil that just aren't there. Even if such resources were available, there are serious problems with the idea that many more people could live as we do. Rapid species extinction, severe droughts, bush fires, water and air pollution and climate change are just some of the many indicators that this lifestyle is unsustainable for the fraction living it now, let alone everyone. 

Given this context, is our 'first world' lifestyle, that depends on using such a high level of non renewable resources, an ethical way to live? 

Lectures and Readings 

Online lecture Environmental Ethics (available in the Case Study folder in VUWS) 

Academic and external resources 

Hassoun, N 2015, 'Consumption and non-consumption', in D Moellendorf and H Widdows (ed.), The Routledge Handbook of Global Ethics, Routledge, Abingdon UK, pp. 267-278 

Lockie, S 2016, Sustainability and the future of environmental sociology', Environmental Sociology, vol. 2, no. 1, pp 1-4 

O'Neill, J 2015, “Sustainability', D Moellendorf and H Widdows (ed.), The Routledge Handbook of Global Ethics, pp. 401-415 

Sandin, P, Rocklinsberg, H 2015, 'The Ethics of Consumption', Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics, vol. 29, no. 1, pp 1-4 

Trainer T. 2010, Transition to a Sustainable and Just World, Envirobook, Canterbury. 

Trainer I 2016, The Simpler Way: Working for Transition from Consumer Society to a Simpler, More Cooperative, Just and Ecologically Sustainable Society: http://thesimplerway.info/ 

Widdows, H 2011, Global Ethics: An Introduction, Acumen Publishing, Durham, pp 228-249 

2. 2. Community Treatment Orders 

In all jurisdictions in Australia, Community Treatment Orders (CTOs) are used to require a person with a mental illness to undergo mental health treatment on a non-voluntary basis, usually under mental health legislation. In NSW, CTOs are usually made by the NSW Mental Health Tribunal (or occasionally by a Magistrate) to order a person to accept mental health treatment. CTOs are intended to allow people who would otherwise be required to stay in inpatient units to instead live in the community and get mental health care in the least restrictive setting possible. The Tribunal must be satisfied that the person would benefit from being in a less restrictive setting and has a history of refusing to accept appropriate treatment. If the person refuses to comply with the treatment plan or experiences a deterioration in their mental health, they may be in breach of the CTO and potentially be returned to inpatient care as an involuntary patient. 

Evidence into their use and usefulness is varied and there are two key ethical arguments that are invoked to support or reject their use. On the negative side, it is argued that they are coercive and breach people's human rights. Proponents of this position argue that their use should either be abandoned or significantly reduced due to its incompatibility with choice and evidence that suggests their use can harm long-term recovery for the patients they are supposed to help. On the positive side, some research suggests that CTOs provide appropriate resources for continuity of care, facilitating engagement with the wider health care system due to enforcing the legal requirement on services to provide care. Often, the orders are viewed as supportive by mental health service users, family members, and clinicians. Overall, these debates often centre on patients' free will and their right to bodily autonomy.

These arguments seem to align most closely with the cost-benefit analysis however there are other relevant ethical theories that may inform arguments for or against. Upon assessing their use and the implications of their use, is it ethical to impose CTOS on people who are experiencing significant mental health issues? 

Lectures and Readings 

Online lectures Ethical issues in health and medicine and Professional ethics (available in the Case Study folder in VUWS) 

Academic and external resources 

Brophy, Ryan, and Weller 2018, Community treatment orders: the evidence and the ethical implications', Critical Perspectives on Coercive Interventions: Law, Medicine, and Society, Routledge, Abingdon UK 

Burns et al, 2013, 'Community treatment orders for patients with psychosis (OCTET): a randomised controlled trial', The Lancet, vol. 381, pp 1627-1633 

Dawson, J 2008, 'Community Treatment Orders and Human Rights', Law in Context, vol. 26, no. 2, 148-159 

Fritze, E 2018, 'The variable treatment of (in)capacity in the practical operation of Victoria's key substituted decision-making regimes', Critical Perspectives on Coercive Interventions: Law, Medicine, and Society, Routledge, Abingdon UK 

Rugkasa, J, Dawson, J 2013, 'Community Treatment Orders: current evidence and the implications', The British Journal of Psychiatry, vol. 203, 406-408 

Snow, N, Austin, W 2008, 'Community Treatment Orders: the ethical balancing act in community mental health”, Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing, vol. 16 pp 177 186 

3. 3. Community Development 

You recently moved to a remote Indigenous community in New South Wales. Your work is mostly community development work that taps into cultural connections and strengths to promote individual wellbeing for youth at risk of entering the criminal justice system. Most days you have to drive into town, which is 6km from the community. You almost always make the journey alone in the departmental 4WD (a large vehicle that seats up to eight people). It is a useful vehicle on the rough dirt road and frequent 40-degree heat. You frequently pass community members in groups walking to and from the town. You usually stop and give people a lift, but when you mention this to your manager she says: “I don't want to hear that, it's

against public sector regulations." The rationale seems to be about occupational health and safety issues. 

A large part of your work is based on developing trust and respect within the community. You feel that driving past people in an empty car is at odds with what they would consider common courtesy of each other, and feel that it is important to promote community standards by assisting wherever you can. Is it ethical to break the rules to build relationships with community members? 

Lectures and Readings 

Online lecture Lying, Cheating, Stealing and Breaking Promises and Professional Ethics (available in the Case Study folder in VUWS) 

Academic and external resources 

Bennett, B, Zubrzycki, J, Bacon, V 2011, 'What do we know? The experiences of social workers working alongside Aboriginal people’, Australian Social Work, vol. 64, no. 1, pp. 20-37 

Calma, T, Priday, E 2011, “Putting Indigenous Human Rights into Social Work Practice', Australian Social Work, vol. 64, no. 2, pp. 147-155 

Morrison, E 2006, 'Doing the Job Well: An Investigation of Pro-Social Rule Breaking', Journal of Management, Vol. 32 No. 1, pp 5-28 

Vardaman, J, Gondo, M, Allen, D 2014, 'Ethical Climate and Pro-Social Rule Breaking in the Workplace', Human Resource Management Review, vol. 14, no. 1, pp. 108-118 

4. 4. Sex tourism 

Sex work is becoming increasingly more accessible following its decriminalisation in many countries, increasing globalisation, and the ease of international travel. Some sex tourism is incidental, however there are entire websites dedicated to facilitating sex tourism, particularly in economically underprivileged parts of South East Asia and the Caribbean. Some argue that it is a legitimate form of economy which enables financial independence of the worker, especially if it is for necessity or for survival. Another argument is that it boosts opportunities for spending within the host nation. However, there are many ethical dilemmas presented within this field, particularly due to its controversial nature and potential for exploitation of workers in less regulated settings. Beyond its criminalisation in many countries, there is evidence of unchecked sexually transmitted infections, coercion and exploitation, and a lack of legal and regulatory protections for workers and clients. 

Discuss the ethical issues associated with sex tourism. Given the issues surrounding relational and socio-economic dimensions of consent, the law, and sexual health involved in sex tourism, 

is it ethically justifiable to engage in this form of economy? Under what circumstances might your response be different? 

Lectures and Readings 

Online lecture Ethics in Personal Relationships (available in the Case Study folder in VUWS) 

Carmody pp 39-58 

Academic and external resources 

Bender, K, and Furman, R 2004, 'The implications of sex tourism on men's social, psychological, and physical health' The Qualitative Report, vol. 9, no. 2, pp 176-191 

Carr, N 2016, 'Sex in tourism: reflections and potential future research directions', Tourism Recreation Research, vol. 41, no. 2, pp. 188-198 

Geske, M, Clancy, M 2016, 'Sexploitation? Sex Tourism in Cuba', Institute for the Study of Diplomacy, pp 1-16 

Kempadoo, K 2001, 'Women of Colour and the Global Sex Trade: Transnational Feminist Perspectives', Meridians: feminism, race, transnationalism, vol. 1, no. 2, pp. 28-51 

Moen, M 2014, 'Is Prostitution Harmful?' Journal of Medical Ethics, vol. 40, no. 2, pp. 73-81 

Smith, N 2011, 'The international political economy of commercial sex' Review of International Political Economy, vol. 18, no. 4, 530-549 

Westin, A 2014, 'The harms of prostitution: critiquing Moen's argument of no-harm', Journal of Medical Ethics, vol. 40, no. 2, pp. 86-87 

5. 5. Euthanasia 

You have been with your life partner for 40 years and they are now within weeks of dying from a terminal illness. Each day you see them suffering from pain and the degradation of feeling helpless, having been active and strong all their life. Your life partner has been on a range of medications, including anti-depressants and pain relief, and has overdosed twice using this medication. You know that they wish to die with dignity, but they are no longer in a position to take their own life. You are both atheists and do not consider this to be a religious issue. It is both hard to watch their suffering and very stressful and demanding on you. You have considered facilitating their death in a painless manner; however, they are no longer in the position to actively consent to this themselves. You are both very aware that there would be legal ramifications if you were to help them die, after seeing news stories about a husband being charged for manslaughter after assisting his wife to die. 

Based on these issues, is it ethical to assist your partner's death with minimal distress? 

Lectures and Readings 

Online lecture Ethics in Health and Medicine (available in the Case Study folder in VUWS) 

Academic and external resources 

Azize, J 2007, 'Human Dignity and Euthanasia Law', University Notre Dame Australian Law Review, vol. 47, no. 9, pp. 47-74 

Cholbi, M and Varelius, J, 2015, New Directions in the Ethics of Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia, Springer International Publishing 

Hooker, B 2013, 'Rule-Utilitarianism and Euthanasia', in Lafollette, H (ed.), Ethics in Practice: An Anthology, Wiley & Sons 

Rutherford, J 2018, The Role of the Medical Profession in Victorian Assisted Dying Law Reform', Journal of Law and Medicine, vol. 26, no. 1, pp. 246-264 

White, B, and Willmott, L 2018, 'Future of assisted dying reform in Australia'. Australian Health Review, vol. 42, pp. 616-620 

6. 6. Out of Home Care 

You work in the human service industry as a youth worker specifically working with young clients – under the age of 18 - in shared out-of-home residential care. There are 3 children in the home; a 13-year-old girl, a 15-year-old boy, and a 16-year-old girl. Each of these children have experienced a significant amount of physical, emotional, and sexual abuse from both their birth families and some of their foster families. During the course of one conversation, the 13 year-old girl confides in you that the 15-year-old boy and the 16-year-old girl have engaged in sexual contact on a number of occasions, although she does not provide more information beyond this revelation. You are immediately concerned about the sexual health and mental wellbeing of all three children as a result of these revelations. You are also concerned that all of these children have experienced significant disruption to their foster care circumstances and that the removal of one child will once again result in them being forced to adapt to another new home environment. Part of ensuring their ability to adapt once they leave the residence is to provide stability for them now. 

What is your responsibility to each of the clients? What ethical guidance can you use to decide what to do, particularly in regards your legal obligations, the ability of the children to consent to the relationship, and to ensure their future wellbeing if one or both are moved out of the home? 

Additional readings and resources 

Online lecture Ethics in Personal Relationships and Professional Ethics (available in the Case Study folder in VUWS) 

Carmody chapters 7 and 8 

Academic and external resources 

Becker, M, Barth, R 2000, 'Power through choices: The development of a sexuality education curriculum for youths in out-of-home care', Child Welfare, vol. 79, no. 3, pp. 269-282 

ChildStory Report, 2018, Mandatory Reporter Guide, < https://reporter.childstory.nsw.gov.au/s/article/what-is-Mandatory-Reporting> 

Lindroth, M 2014, 'Sex education and young people in group homes: balancing risks, rights and resilience in sexual health promotion', Sex Education, vol 14, no. 4, pp. 400-413 

Paxman, M. Tully, L, Burke, S, and Watson, J 2014 'Evidence to inform out-of-home care policy and practice in New South Wales: An overview of the pathways of care longitudinal study' Developing Practice: The Child, Youth and Family Work Journal, No. 39, pp. 54-71 

Ockenden, L, Goldsworthy, K 2016, Children in Care Factsheet, Australian Institute of Family Studies, <https://aifs.gov.au/cfca/publications/children-care> 

7. 7. Undercover Policing 

The following case study is modified from Fletcher 1990, What Cops Know, Futura, London, pp 215-216. 

You are working as an undercover police officer attempting to expose the members of a drug trafficking ring in your city. You have worked very hard to earn the trust of the gang members and to become exposed to their illegal activities. It is necessary to your success – and survival – to maintain positive relationships with them. One man becomes particularly friendly with you, inviting you to his home, out with his partner, and to family events. The part that impacts you the most is his disclosure to you of his troubled background that led him to become involved in this gang; his experiences of abuse, alcoholism, and poverty within the home, and the 'out' that his involvement in the gang provided for him. Your growing relationship with him is leading you to question the ethics of lies of omission, and whether you can justify the importance of destroying an organised crime ring which exploits the addictions of people within the community, to your feelings of betraying someone who considered you a friend and someone they could trust. How do you rationalize your role in the investigation, and how do you do you overcome your feelings using ethical reasoning? 

Lectures and Readings 

Online lecture Lying, Cheating, Stealing and Breaking promises and professional ethics (available in the Case Study folder in VUWS) 

Academic and external resources 

Hayes, S 2015, Criminal Justice Ethics, Routledge, Abingdon 

Miller, Gordon 2014, Investigative Ethics: Ethics for Police Detectives and Criminal Investigators, John Wiley & Sons 

Miller, Blackler, & Alexandra 2006, Police Ethics, Allen & Unwin, pp. 246-247 (Case Study 12.5) 

Nathan, C 2017, 'Liability to Deception and Manipulation: The Ethics of Undercover Policing', Journal of Applied Philosophy, vol 34, no 3, pp. 370-388 

Neyroud, P & Beckley, A 2001, Policing, Ethics, and Human Rights, Willian Publishing 

8. 8. Urbanisation and Land Use 

The following excerpts are from two articles in the Conversation by Adrian Marshall in the Conversation from October 16th 2019, and Jennifer Kent from July 20th 2017: 

'You may mock the national anthem by singing "Our land abounds in nature strips” but what you might not know is how true that is. In Melbourne, for example, more than a third of all public green space is nature strips (that figure includes roundabouts, medians, and other green bit of the street). That's a remarkable amount. The nature strip is everywhere. A million small patches combine into a giant park spanning the city, making it a significant player in our urban ecosystems. A second remarkable thing is that the nature strip is public land that private citizens are required by to law to maintain. Councils manage the trees, but we residents mow the lawn. 

Many residents go further and plant a street tree or some garden plants – succulents, Agapanthus and Gazanias are the most common. But the chances are that, whatever the garden on the nature strip, it's against the rules. The rules on nature strips vary from council to council. Some councils don't allow any plantings. Others restrict plantings by height or allow only plants indigenous to the local area. In some areas, nature strips can only be planted to prevent erosion on steep slopes. Some councils disallow food plants, for fear of historic lead contamination from leaded petrol. Others insist on no plants within a metre of the kerb and two metres of the footpath ... Street greenery helps water soak into the ground, filtering out pollutants, recharging aquifers and making rivers healthier. It cools streets and helps counter the urban heat island effect. It also promotes a sense of community, encourages walking and lowers the incidence of heart disease, diabetes, asthma and depression. But councils tend to be 

risk-averse. They worry they will be sued if someone trips on groundcover or stubs their toe on an out-of-place garden gnome.' 

Kent's article expands on these latter arguments, suggesting that resistance to urban street produce is framed in a number of ways: 'Incompatibility might relate to safety. For example, in some cities it is prohibited to locate a community garden on a main traffic-generating road due to concerns about contamination of produce. It could also be related to amenity. For example, in some areas local produce cannot be sold on the roadside due to concerns about creating additional traffic and parking. These are two fairly obvious examples, but problems arise when definitions of what is safe and amenable differ within the community. Does a verge planted with an over-enthusiastic pumpkin vine detract from or enhance the visual appeal of the street? Should a locality embrace a roadside produce stall even if it means traffic is slowed and parking is less available?' 

The argument here seems to be based on a cost-benefit analysis, and whether the benefits of street greenery outweigh the risks. Furthermore, council and regulatory rules may vary. Given the arguments for and against street greenery, what is an ethical solution to the rapid urbanisation and counterintuitive policies in place regarding urban farming? 

Lectures and Readings 

Online lecture Environmental Ethics (available in the Case Study folder in VUWS) 

Academic and external resources 

Bolleter, J, & Ramalho, C 2019, 'GOD save us: greenspace-oriented development could make higher density attractive', The Conversation, https://theconversation.com/god-save-us-greenspace-oriented development-could-make-higher-density-attractive-126204 

Davidson, K, & Gleeson, B 2017, 'New Socio-ecological imperatives for Cities: Possibilities and Dilemmas for Australian Metropolitan Governance', Urban Policy and Research, vol. 36, no. 2, pp. 230-241 

Kent, J 2017, “Farming the suburbs – why can't we grow food wherever we want'?, The Conversation, https://theconversation.com/farming-the-suburbs-why-cant-we-grow-food-wherever-we-want 80330 

Maginn, P. & Keil, R 2019, The suburbs can help cities in the fight against climate change, The Conversation, https://theconversation.com/the-suburbs-can-help-cities-in-the-fight-against-climate change-127663 

Marshall, A 2019, 'Our land abounds in nature strips - surely we can do more than mow a third of urban green space', The Conversation, https://theconversation.com/our-land-abounds-in-nature-strips surely-we-can-do-more-than-mow-a-third-of-urban-green-space-124781 

 

9. 9. Intelligence and Counter-terrorism measures 

Since the 2001 terrorist attacks in New York and the 2002 Bali Bombings which saw many Australians killed, the Australian government, police, military, intelligence and security agencies have pursued anti-terrorism measures as a priority for maintaining Australia's national security interests. Part of the process of combating terrorist threats is the gathering of intelligence and information on persons of interest, as well as increased legal powers to investigate and detain suspected potential terrorists. A number of these measures have been called out as threats to civil liberties. For example, the Telecommunications (Interception and Access) Act 1979 was amended in 2015 to require Internet Service Providers to securely retain all telecommunications data for criminal justice agencies to access for offences including (but not limited to) terrorism. Meares (2017) suggests that there is a potential slippery slope for access to this data to be made available to a wider range of agencies in the future. 

Underpinning this debate is the question of whether it is ethical to infringe on the privacy and liberty of a small number of suspect people to protect the nation from the greater threat of terrorism. Is it ethical to remove some privacy and civil liberties for the greater good of national security, or is it possible to ethically manage both? 

Lectures and Readings 

Online lecture Lying, Cheating, Stealing, and Breaking Promises and creating a moral framework (available in the Case Study folder in VUWS) 

Academic and external resources 

Ananian-Welsh, R, Williams, G 2014, 'The New Terrorists: The normalisation and spread of anti terror laws in Australia', Melbourne University Law Review, vol. 38, no. 2, 362-408 

Henschke, A, Legrand, T 2017, 'Counterterrorism policy in liberal-democratic societies: locating the ethical limits of national security', Australian Journal of International Affairs, vol. 71, no. 5, 544-561 

Hocking, J 2003, 'Counter-Terrorism and the Criminalisation of Politics: Australia's New Security Powers of Detention, Proscription, and Control, Australian Journal of Politics and History, vol. 49, no. 3, 355-371 

Meares, M 2017, Mass surveillance and data retention in Australia: do the ends justify the means?', LSJ: Law Society of NSW Journal, no 40, pp 82-83 

Omand, D, Phythian, M 2013, 'Ethics and Intelligence: A Debate', International Journal of Intelligence and Counter Intelligence, vol. 26, no. 1, 38-63 

Solove, D 2011, 'Nothing to Hide: The False Trade-off between Privacy and Security', Yale University Press, US 

10. 10. Voluntourism: tourism and humanitarian ethics 

Many young Australians head overseas to take part in international volunteer tourism in many parts of Africa, Latin America, and the Asia-Pacific, motivated by a keen interest in serving the less fortunate and sometimes as part of the placement component of their degrees, usually within the health and human service fields. While it is usually fuelled by noble feelings and a desire to serve as best they can, voluntourism can reproduce the economic struggles of host communities through creating 'niche markets', further entrenching inequitable and unsustainable relationships, taking work away from locals, and creating harm due to lack of cultural knowledge by the volunteers and poor-quality work by volunteers. Organisations responsible for voluntourist activities have been accused of irresponsible and unethical practice in terms of business ethics and community development ethics. 

While it is recognised that volunteer humanitarian workers provide an invaluable service to host communities, and provides opportunities for the volunteer to gain professional development and life skills, is it ethical practice to engage in voluntourism? What ethical guidance can be used to improve the processes and outcomes in this context? 

Media Article 

Rosenberg, T 2018, 'The business of voluntourism: do western do-gooders actually do harm?' The Guardian, 13th September, viewed 14th September 2018, https://www.theguardian.com/news/2018/sep/13/the-business-of-voluntourism-do western-do-gooders-actually-do-harm 

Lectures and Readings 

Online lecture Creating a moral framework & Ethics in health and medicine (available in the Case Study folder in VUWS) 

Academic and external resources 

Dower, N 2015, Aid and Charity', in D Moellendorf and H Widdows (ed.), The Routledge Handbook of Global Ethics, Routledge, Abingdon UK, pp. 182-192 

Hartman, E, Paris, C, Blache-Cohen, B 2014, 'Fair Trade Learning: Ethical standards for community-engaged international volunteer tourism, Tourism and hospitality research, vol. 14, no. 1-2, pp 108-116 

Hunt, M, Schwartz, L, Sinding, C, Elit, L 2012, 'The Ethics of Engaged Presence: A Framework for Health Professionals in Humanitarian Assistance and Development Work’, Developing World Bioethics, vol 14, no. 1, pp 47-55 

Gillet, G 2016, The ethics of voluntourism, Student BMJ, vol. 23 

McCall, D, Iltis, A 2014, Health Care Voluntourism: Addressing Ethical Concerns of Undergraduate Student Participation in Global Health Volunteer Work’, HEC Forum, vol. 26 pp 285-297 

McLennan, 2014, Medical voluntourism in Honduras: Helping the poor? Progress in Development Studies, vol. 14, no. 2, pp 163-179