Ethics Off the Shelf

Leading through example. Ethics modules are meant to help craft conversation, thought, and programming for ethics programs.

Overview

Description: $2,500 curriculum development grants awarded to JCBS faculty (or other qualified SLU personnel who regularly engage in classroom teaching in the business school) for the design of business ethics modules suitable for delivery in a single classroom setting (or possibly for two classroom settings) preferably for an undergraduate-level class.

Purpose: To integrate business ethics across the curriculum by offering applied, topical instruction across all functional disciplines.

Criteria: We want to encourage a range of proposals and a variety of subjects and pedagogic approaches. But an anticipated preference is likely to apply to functional ethics topics and modes of presentation that encourage interaction and participation by students.

Form of the Proposal: Your proposal should identify 1) the subject matter of the business ethics module (what is it about?) 2) the teaching approach you will likely use (e.g., lecture-discussion, case study, simulation, or something else) 3) the target audience (e.g., whether by functional area or student level) 4) the objectives/outcomes connected with the delivery of this teaching unit, and 5) anticipated deliverables (e.g., case study, PowerPoint, discussion guide, lecture outline, teaching plan, etc.).

Timing: Grants should ideally be submitted well in advance of academic year (i.e., in advance of fall and spring semesters). Assuming completion of the module over the summer break, the module’s availability can then be publicized to faculty and instructors at the outset of the fall semester.

Additional Background

Ethics Off-the-Shelf Program: These grants will support the offering of a variety of applied business ethics topics, each delivered by the developer/author of the curriculum material in a single classroom session (which may extend across two classroom settings). The Ethics Off-the-Shelf program, itself managed by the Emerson Ethics Center, will act as the clearinghouse for the various offerings, posting the business ethics modules (which will then be provided as an instructional resource to faculty and other instructors in the John Cook School of Business), and assisting in the scheduling of the actual teaching assignments.

Rationale: Integration of business ethics into the business school curriculum is inhibited to some degree by individual faculty perceptions that they themselves may not be qualified to teach ethics as it applies to their respective disciplines. The Ethics Off-the-Shelf Program offers a collaborative solution to this problem. A well-conceived, pedagogically sound classroom session can be selected from a “menu” of such offerings and can serve to heighten awareness of important issues, broaden perspectives, and develop ethical expertise in relevant business functional areas. Though the program is not primarily envisioned as a “guest lecturer” program, we do expect that one quite legitimate benefit this program could offer is to provide important and worthwhile subject matter to a class when the regular faculty member or instructor needs coverage in the form of a substitute due to participation in other academic duties (e.g., conference attendance).

Directory

The guest lecture modules below are available to all departments to facilitate cross-discipline integration of ethics in all SLU courses.

To schedule a guest lecture, or to create a module, please contact Dr. Fisher in 334C CK at 977-3854 or fisherje@slu.edu.