Cleveland State University

CLEVELAND STATE UNIVERSITY MAXINE GOODMAN LEVIN COLLEGE OF URBAN AFFAIRS SPRING SEMESTER 2001

Ethics in the Public Sector PAD 634/ UST 634/ PDD 634

Time: Wednesdays 6:00 - 9:30

Faculty: Dr. Jennifer Alexander

Office: 110A Urban Affairs

Office Hours: Wednesdays 9:00 - 11:30 and by appointment

Purpose and Objectives:

The purpose of this course is to help students develop the awareness, skills, and value framework necessary to act ethically, both as citizens and as administrators in public and nonprofit management. The course develops awareness of the meaning of ethics and ethical behavior through a review of the evolution of ethical thought as represented in moral philosophy, moral psychology and political essays. The course then examines professional ethics relevant for public administration and nonprofit management. Finally, the course reviews strategies for implementing ethical practices both at the level of the individual and the organization. At the conclusion of the course, it is hoped that students will have begun to:

build skills in moral reflection and ethical decision-making

cultivate an attitude of moral obligation and personal responsibility in those students who intend to pursue a career in the public service.

acquire an awareness of the discretionary power that public administrators exert and the moral responsibility that their choices entail; examine ethical standards and values necessary for professions directed to public service and how to implement them.

Learning Approach: My orientation as a public service educator is based on particular value premises that I will state at the outset in order that students will understand my normative viewpoint, be clear about my expectations, and have the opportunity to engage in a beneficial learning experience.

Individual human dignity and equality: Each of us is a unique and valuable human being with her/his own capacities and experiences to contribute to class. Due to our common humanity, we are entitled to equal respect from one another. Self-responsibility: We are each responsible for our own learning and it is up to us as individuals to make the class relevant to our own growth.

Critical thinking: One hallmark of an educated person is the ability to question the assumptions, evidence, and arguments inherent to the opinions and beliefs of others, or oneself. This requires open-minded skepticism and analytical thinking.

Participatory learning: People learn best when they take responsibility for their own learning and directly participate in the learning process on three levels: cognitive, affective, and experiential. This occurs through dialogue and by applying theory to practice.

Freedom of thought, speech, and mutual respect: The best atmosphere for learning is one in which individuals feel free to speak their opinions and respect the rights of others to express their own views.

Instructor responsibilities: My responsibilities as an instructor are to set the direction of the course, to provide resource material, and lay a foundation for understanding the ethical dilemmas presented to citizens and public servants vis a vis government, to facilitate a positive learning climate, to hold students accountable for their learning, and to provide support and encouragement for student learning and growth.

Student responsibilities: My expectations concerning your responsibilities as a student are - to prepare and actively participate in the class, to promptly complete course assignments, to use the opportunity to build your understanding, skills, and ethical commitment to your profession, and to contribute to the learning experience of others in the class.

Texts:

Callahan, Joan, Ethical Issues in Professional Life, New York: Oxford University Press.

Cooper, Terry (1998) The Responsible Administrator: An Approach to Ethics for the Administrative Role . (4th ed). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Additional Readings are listed below. These are available through the receptionist for xeroxing and are identified in the syllabus by **. Bayles, Michael D. (1988) “The Professions.” In (ed.), Callahan, Joan, Ethical Issues in Professional Life, Oxford University Press, New York. pp. 26-30.

Bayles, Michael D. (1988) “The Professional - Client Relationship.” In (ed.), Callahan, Joan, Ethical Issues in Professional Life, Oxford University Press, New York. pp.113-120.

Cooper, David (1998) Value Pluralism, Professionalism and the Foundations of Ethics, (2nd ed)., Department of Philosophy, Northern Michigan University. Chs. 1-4, 7,8.

Dobel, Pat, (2000) “The Alchemy of Power and Idealism.” Draft presented at ASPA Ethics Conference Portland, Oregon, April, 2000.

Dostoevsky, F. M. (1879) “The Grand Inquisitor” in The Brothers Karamozov. (Text available online)

Finer, Herman (1941) “Administrative Responsibility in Democratic Government,” Public Administration Review, v. 1, pp. 335-350.

Fox, Charles (2001) “The Use of Philosophy in Administrative Ethics.” In Terry Cooper (ed.), Handbook of Administrative Ethics. (2nd ed.), New York: Marcel Dekker, pp. 105-130.

Friedrich, Carl J. (1960) “The Dilemma of Administrative Responsibility.” In Carl J. Friedrich, (ed.), Responsibility. New York: Liberal Arts Press.

Haan, Norma, (1983/1994) ““An Interactional Morality of Everyday Life. ” In N. Haan, et al (eds.), Social Science as Moral Inquiry. New York: Columbia University Press. Pp. 268-278

Kant, Immanuel (1785/1994) “The Theory.” In The Categorical Imperative, p. 274-279; “On a Supposed Right to Lie from Altruistic Motives, pp. 280-281; Criticism: Maria Von Herbert’s Challenge to Kant, pp. 282-294 by Rae Langton. In Peter Singer (ed.), Ethics. Oxford: Oxford University Press

King, Martin Luther, Jr. (1963) “Letter from a Birmingham City Jail.” In William J. Bennett (ed.), The Book of Virtues. New York: Simon and Schuster.

Locke, John (1924/1994) “On the Extent and End of Civil Government. “ In “An Essay Concerning the True and Original Extent and End of Civil Government,” Book II of Two Treatises of Government. London, Guernsey Press Co., Ltd. In Markate Daly (ed.), Communitarianism: A New Public Ethics. Belmont: Wadsworth Publishing Company.

MacIntyre, Alasdair (1981) “The Concept of a Tradition” in After Virtue. Notre Dame: University of Notre Dame Press, pp. 121-126.

Rawls, John (1971/1994) “Justice as Fairness.” In Markate Daly (ed.), Communitarianism: A New Public Ethics. Belmont: Wadsworth Publishing Company: Belmont. Rohr, John A. (1998) Public Service, Ethics and Constitutional Practice. Lawrence: University Press of Kansas.

Vocino, Michael and Tyler, Gerry (1996) “The Library and the F.B.I.: Ethical Decision Making Under Pressure, in (eds.), Pasquerrella, Killilea, and Vocino, Ethical Dilemmas in Public Administration. Westport: Praeger Publishers.

Whitlock, Caroline, “Ethics as Design: Doing Justice to Moral Problems,” Hastings Center Report, 1996, 26(3), 9-16.

Doctoral Students are required to write a book review on a recent book in the area of administrative ethics and conduct a discussion of the book with the class. A list of titles is available for perusal or you may select your own book upon consulting with the professor.

Format: This course will be conducted as a seminar which means that students are expected to fully prepare the material and be ready to discuss it with colleagues. In the first few classes the instructor will lay an ethics foundation for students with some participatory learning. In the remainder of the classes, each session will be divided into two parts: the first part will focus on a discussion of the readings, the second half will consist of material in the form of presentations, exercises, or case studies that attempt to highlight a topic. Thus, the course is intended to emphasize interactive learning that combines a number of methods to integrate ethics theories with moral conduct in our public organizations. Written assignments will stress personal application of ideas.

Course Evaluation: Grade evaluations will be based on four requirements:

Participation and summaries 10% . Film Review 5% Midterm essay exam 30% Case Analysis 20% Final essay exam 35%

Participation/ Summaries/ Film Review: (10%) Since it is assumed that participation is essential to learning, students are expected to prepare assignments carefully, to attend class, actively participate, and interact on a collegial level with one another. Full and prompt attendance is expected.

Typewritten summaries are assigned on some of the readings through the course. These will not be accepted late.

Essay Exams: (35%; 35%) There will be two essay exams for the course, the mid-term will be an in-class exam worth 35% of the grade; the final will be cumulative and worth 35% of the final grade.

Case Analysis of Ethical Decision-Making: (20 %) This assignment involves a seven to ten page paper (typed and double-spaced with footnotes and bibliographic references when necessary) in which you analyze an ethical dilemma related to public administration or nonprofit ethics. This may be either a dilemma which you have experienced personally, or confronted by someone you know. In either case you may change the names and incidental facts to protect the identities of persons or organizations. If neither of these situations apply, you may use a case study that we have not covered in class. For learning purposes, we will use the ethical decision-making model presented in Terry Cooper's book, The Responsible Administrator. Thus, the paper should (1) clearly describe the dilemma, including pertinent background data, (2) present an application of the ethical decision-making method, and (3) offer a resolution of the problem.

CLASS SCHEDULE January 17th Course Orientation, Overview and Context:

24th Film: Billy Bud

Assignment for next class (1/ 31): Write an essay (2-3 pp.) on the dilemma the captain faced with Billy Bud and relate it to the dilemma of professional ethics.

31st Professions, the Role of Ethics and Moral Agency Readings: Bayles, pp. 26-30 and 113-120. In Callahan, Joan, Ethical Issues in Professional Life.

Cooper, David, Value Pluralism, Professionalism and the Foundations of Ethics, “The Zimbardo Experiment”, pp. 1-18; and Chapter 2.

Handouts: Kohlberg’s Inventory

February 7th Psychological Foundations of Ethics: Moral Development Readings: Cooper, David, Value Pluralism, Professionalism and the Foundations of Ethics, Ch. 3-4

MacIntyre, Alasdair (1981) “The Concept of a Tradition” in After Virtue. Notre Dame: University of Notre Dame Press, pp. 121-126.

Socrates' dialogue with Crito

Martin Luther King Letter from a Birmingham City Jail Assignment: Kohlberg Inventory completed for class

14th Moral Philosophy: Deontology Readings: Cooper, David, Value Pluralism, Professionalism and the Foundations of Ethics, Ch. 8, “ Ideal Theories, The Consequentialist Background”

Berkowitz, Peter (2000) “The Utilitarian Horrors of Peter Singer: Other People’s Mothers.” The New Republic., 01:10:2000.

Select three among the following four brief works: Aristotle, “The End for Human Nature” Jesus, “The Sermon on the Mount” John Stuart Mill, “Higher and Lower Pleasures” M. K. Gandhi, “Truth and Ahimsa” 21st Philosophical Foundations of Ethics: Teleology/Consequentialism or The Ultimate Good

Readings: Cooper, David, Value Pluralism, Professionalism and the Foundations of Ethics, Ch. 7: “ Ideal Theories, The Consequentialist Background” . Kant, Immanuel (1785/1994 ) “The Theory.” In The Categorical Imperative, p. 274-279; “On a Supposed Right to Lie from Altruistic Motives, pp. 280-281; Criticism: Maria Von Herbert’s Challenge to Kant, pp. 282-294 by Rae Langton.

Locke, John “On the Extent and End of Civil Government. “ In “An Essay Concerning the True and Original Extent and End of Civil Government,” Book II of Two Treatises of Government. London, Guernsey Press Co., Ltd.

Rawls, John (1971/1994) “Justice as Fairness.” In Markate Daly (ed.), Communitarianism: A New Public Ethics. Belmont: Wadsworth Publishing Company: Belmont.

Written Exercise for Class: Compare and contrast the logic of the arguments in Socrates’ dialogue with Crito and Dr. King’s Letter from a Birmingham City Jail based on moral philosophy and moral psychology covered to date:

28th Discourse Ethics Cooper, David, Value Pluralism, Professionalism and the Foundations of Ethics, Ch. 9: . Haan, Norma (1983 ) “An Interactional Morality of Everyday Life. ” In N. Haan, et al (eds.), Social Science as Moral Inquiry. New York: Columbia University Press. Pp. 268-278

Film Clips: Miss Ever’s Boys; Enemy of the People

March 7th Mid-Term Exam

14th Spring Break

21st Context of Administrative Responsibility in a Bureaucracy Readings: Terry Cooper (2001) “The Emergence of Administrative Ethics as a Field of Study in the United States.” In Terry Cooper (ed.), Handbook of Administrative Ethics. (2nd ed.), New York: Marcel Dekker, pp. 3-36

Fox, Charles (2001) “The Use of Philosophy in Administrative Ethics.” In Terry Cooper (ed.), Handbook of Administrative Ethics. (2nd ed.), New York: Marcel Dekker, pp. 105-130.

Rohr, John (1978) Public Service, Ethics and Constitutional Practice, pp 3-29.

Assignment: Chapter summaries

28th Internal and External Controls that foster Responsible Conduct: Readings: Cooper, Terry (1990) The Responsible Administrator Intro, Ch. 1-4.

Finer, Herman (1941) “Administrative Responsibility in Democratic Government,” Public Administration Review, v. 1, pp. 335-350.

Friedrich, Carl J. (1960) “The Dilemma of Administrative Responsibility.” In Carl J. Friedrich, (ed.), Responsibility. New York: Liberal Arts Press.

Assignment: Point/Counterpoint Debate April 4th Management Perspective on Maintaining Responsible Conduct Readings: Cooper, Terry (1990) The Responsible Administrator, San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Chs. 5-6

Whitlock, Caroline, “Ethics as Design: Doing Justice to Moral Problems,” Hastings Center Report, 1996, 26(3), 9-16.

Case Study: Pasquerella and Richardson, (1996) “Breaking Down Barriers: Administrative Reform in a Women’s Prison” In (eds.), Pasquerrella, Killilea, and Vocino, Ethical Dilemmas in Public Administration. Westport: Praeger Publishing.

Assignment: Case study

11th Organizational Pathologies and Individual Dissent Readings: Cooper, Terry (1990) The Responsible Administrator Chs. 7-8

Callahan, Joan, Ethical Issues in Professional Life, Ch 9, Whistleblowing, #40, 41 and 42.

Assignment: Case of the Space shuttle Challenger

18th Recurring Moral Dilemmas: “Lies for the Public Good” Readings:

The Grand Inquisitor from the Brothers Karamazov

Dobel, Pat, (2000) “The Alchemy of Power and Idealism.” Draft presented at ASPA Ethics Conference Portland, Oregon, April, 2000.

Sissela Bok (1994) “Lies to the Sick and Dying”, pp. 141-149; “ Lies for the Public Good.” pp. 150-155. In Joan Callahan (ed.), Ethical Issues in Professional Life. New York: Oxford University Press.

25th Recurring Moral Dilemmas: Informed Consent, Privacy and Confidentiality” Readings: Callahan, Ch. 6,7

Vocino and Tyler, “The Library and the F.B.I.: Ethical Decision Making Under Pressure, in (eds.), Pasquerrella, Killilea, and Vocino, Ethical Dilemmas in Public Administration (1996).

* * * * CASE ANALYSIS PAPER DUE! * * * * May 2nd Recurring Moral Dilemmas: Responsibility, Dissent and the Dilemma of Dirty Hands”

Readings: Callahan, Ch. 8 9,

FILM: The Cider House Rules

Assignment: Case Analysis 9th * * * * * * * * FINAL EXAM * * * * * * * * *