An ethics term paper normally discusses both a concept in ethics and a situation to which the concept applies, but only one of those two will ultimately dominate the paper. The student should ascertain immediately whether the instructor prefers a paper on a concept or on a situation; if the instructor does not have a preference, the student should choose the one that appears more manageable or interesting.
The ethics term paper that discusses a concept will begin by informing the reader what the concept is and the people or groups who have strongly propounded it. Then the student may progress into a treatment of the situations to which it normally applies. For example, the student who writes an ethics term paper on natural law may bring up several situations briefly, such as abortion, contraceptives, and capital punishment, discussing how and why natural law should inform one’s decisions on those issues.
Ethics term papers that pose a situation first and then discuss it through the lens of a system of ethics may be easier for the student who does not have much experience in the discipline, because this type of paper more concretely defines the problem and probably deals with something of which the student already has knowledge. For example, students in their first ethics class may find it easier to research "torture" than to research "moral law," because they have frequently encountered news blurbs about wartime behavior. This type of ethics term paper presents an argument for or against the chosen controversial subject. The student should be careful to present the argument professionally, using bona fide research and compellingly discussing the subject through various systems of ethics. Students should not perceive their ethics term papers as an opportunity to spout their opinions with impunity; students who write good ethics term papers think deeply and carefully about their subjects, weighing all options equally before drawing their conclusions.
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