In this lesson, you will do the following:
1. Identify a research topic of interest related to ethics.
2. Identify at least three resources directly pertaining to the topic.
3. Explain and evaluate the research in your writing.
4. Formulate and discuss your own ethical position on the topic.
I want my paper to be on affirmative action is it ethical, also i am an African American female.

The research paper is an important part of the course and is worth 20% of your grade. It provides
you with an opportunity to synthesize what you have learned from the course and apply that
knowledge and understanding to an individualized topic of interest to you;
Select one of the topics from the Unit 5 section of the discussion board. The topics will
continually evolve to keep up with current ethical debates. Select the topic which you feel most
connected to either personally or professionally, or both. The more interested you are in the
topic, the more you will enjoy and succeed in the project.
In approaching the topic, make sure you keep it focused on a particular ethical problem.
Articulate the opposing arguments both for and against the issue by utilizing ethical concepts
learned from the course, then state what you see as the stronger position(s) and what your own
personal conclusions are. You might want to use examples to illustrate your points (from your
personal experience, others you know, or from case studies in the literature). Write in your own
words, in a way you would normally, clearly, speak to a friend or peer. Avoid plagiarism. If you
quote a sentence or more from a source you must use quotations and a citation of where you got
it. Plagiarized papers will receive a zero.
The paper must be at least 7-8 double-spaced, typed pages (not including the reference section)
using font size 12. You must cite at least three sources taken from books and/or journal articles.
If you use information from the Internet, be sure it is reputable and that you cite your source as
best you can. A good reference book for APA format guidelines is the most recent edition of
Hodges’ Harbrace Handbook by W. B. Horner, S. S. Webb, and R. K. Miller. Page 2 of 2
WRITING GUIDELINES
The ability to write clearly and to make yourself understood is as important when submitting
written course assignments as it is when preparing a report for your boss. The quality of your
writing may make the difference between whether or not your instructor understands how well
you know the course material. Here are some tips to assist you:
1. Pay close attention to grammar, sentence structure, and other basics of good English
composition. Careless, sloppy writing can be overcome with a bit of work. If you feel that
you need assistance with your writing, talk to either your instructor or academic advisor.
Help is available.
2. Avoid the use of unexplained abbreviations and jargon. It is not in your best interest to
make your instructor guess at what you mean.
3. When you finish your assignment, or a portion of it, put it aside and then read it over later
to see if it makes sense to you and says what you want it to say. Adjust and improve the
wording as necessary. If your assignment were a presentation to coworkers or other
professionals, you would never be satisfied with the first draft.
4. If you are not sure whether the instructor will understand what you are saying, provide
more detail. Your written assignment is all he/she has by which to evaluate you.
5. On the other hand, do not try to obscure your lack of understanding with a smoke screen
of irrelevant dialogue. If you do not know the answer, go back and study it again. Do not
simply quote a lot of material from the book in hope that some of it will be right.
6. Watch for multipart questions in the written assignments, and be sure to answer all parts
and to answer what is asked.
7. Assignments should be submitted typed or word-processed. Take pride in your writing,
and it will be reflected both in the quality of your assignments and in your grades.
PLEASE NOTE: All graded assignments for this Unit should be grouped together and
submitted using the Assignment Submission form accessed from your course homepage or