Walden University Week 1 Morality and Social Responsibility Articles Review

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Learning Resources

Required Readings

Loeb, P. R. (2010).
Soul of a citizen: Living with conviction in challenging times (rev. ed.). New York, NY: St. Martin’s Griffin.

  • Chapter 1, “Making Our Lives Count” (pp. 21–41)
  • Chapter 2, “We Don’t Have to Be Saints” (pp. 42–63)

Brink, D. (2014). Mill’s moral and political philosophy. In E. N. Zalta (Ed.), Stanford encyclopedia of philosophy (Fall 2014 ed.). Retrieved from http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/mill-moral-political/

The golden rule. (1991). In A. Wilson (Ed.), World scripture: A comparative anthology of sacred texts (pp. 114–115). St. Paul, MN: Paragon House.
Used by permission of Paragon House.

Johnson, R. (2014). Kant’s moral philosophy. In E. N. Zalta (Ed.), Stanford encyclopedia of philosophy (Summer 2014 ed.). Retrieved from http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/kant-moral/

Kraut, R. (2014). Aristotle’s ethics. In E. N. Zalta (Ed.), Stanford encyclopedia of philosophy (Summer 2014 ed.). Retrieved from http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/aristotle-ethics/

Document: Cultural Genogram: Dimensions of Culture (Word document)

Required Media

Laureate Education (Producer). (2015a).
Exploring the foundations of social responsibility [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Note: The approximate length of this media piece is 4 minutes.

HOMEWORK!!!

1. In this Discussion, you explore the influence of personal values on your concept of social responsibility.

PART 1.To prepare for this Discussion:

  • Review examples of social responsibility presented in the assigned readings from the Loeb course text.
  • Review “The Golden Rule” from this week’s Learning Resources to identify commonalities across quotes and to determine whether any quotes align with your own values.
  • Complete the Cultural Genogram: Dimensions of Culture document located in this week’s Learning Resources to identify personal values related to social responsibility. Consider the direct or indirect influences that may have shaped your own orientation to social responsibility.
  • Think of the community or communities in which you grew up. What issues of concern or needs did you see addressed directly or indirectly? What issues were not addressed? Why?
  • Think about circumstances in your life that might have influenced your definition of social responsibility.
    • Did any of your family members choose careers or activities that served the community in which they lived?
  • Consider the convictions you hold today that were formed early in life. Think about how they now influence the way you view social responsibility.
  • Bring to mind a specific socially responsible act that you would consider influential in your life.
  • Read the Discussion Spark topic, question, or comment posted by your Instructor in the Discussion thread.

PART 2:

Post a response to the Discussion Spark post (Attached). Your response should contain at least two significant paragraphs. Read the Discussion Rubric, as it will inform your writing. Important Note: The Discussion Spark and the weekly Discussion topic below will be graded together. You will see one score in your My Grades area.

PART 3:

Post an example of a socially responsible act that has influenced your life. Explain why this example influenced you and describe how this act and the motivation behind it reflect your personal values regarding social responsibility. For instance, are there particular aspects of social change that resonate with you? In addition, define social responsibility in your own words and provide two examples from this week’s Resources that support or influence the development of your definition.

2. Assignment: Morality and Social Responsibility

Philosophical perspectives and theories on morality contribute to an understanding of the deep-rooted human need to question the role human beings play in society. Whether your views align with those of Aristotle, Kant, or Mill, you can explore the reasons behind your inherent motivation to act responsibly. At the outset of your life, you develop habits of thought based on what you are exposed to, where you live, with whom you live, and your experiences. In this Application Assignment, you critically examine these experiences as well as theoretical perspectives on morality and assess how they impact your moral and cultural identity. You also assess how these experiences influence your concept of social responsibility.

To prepare for this Assignment:

  • Read the articles by Brink (2014), Johnson (2014), and Kraut (2014) in this week’s resources. Summarize the key points of each theory. Does one theory resonate with you more than another? Why or why not?
  • Make connections to your own culture. Consider whether these three theories are reflected in your own culture.
  • Review the Cultural Genogram: Dimensions of Culture document in this week’s Resources. Think about the ways different dimensions of culture inform your moral identity (e.g., how your national, ethnic, and/or gender identity informs your moral identity).
  • Consider how different dimensions of culture inform your concept of social responsibility.

By Day 7

Write a 2-page analysis connecting the three theories of morality to your own cultural identity.

Explain how the theories align or do not align with your cultural identity. Include how cultural identity impacts social responsibility.

Provide at least three references using proper APA format.