The Questions of the Class…

What is Right?

How do YOU Decide?

????

What is Right? How do you decide?

Future Ensigns & Lieutenants…What do you think???

• What is Right? How do you decide?

• What is the moral dilemma? • What are my moral obligations?• What are my legal obligations?

• Why does the right thing seem wrong sometimes?• Can I live with the decision for the rest of my life?• Is it usually harder to do the right thing? WHY???

• Do my religious beliefs conflict w/ my obligations?• Where are my loyalties? Are they right?

Course Themes

Leadership

Ethical Decision Making

Professional

Development

Course Admin & ROE(Rules of Engagement)

• Food / Drink• Attendance

– Be on time & Participate• Do the Reading & Review

Objectives• Current Events• Discussions

– Let people finish– Be respectful– Challenge Ideas; not people– Make comments relevant– Actively listen– It’s OK to think before answering– Non Attribution

Be capable of facilitating class sessions.

Be capable of facilitating class sessions.

Ethics Essay

• Approved topic relating to leadership & ethics• 3000-3500 words (body…not bib, index, etc.) • Naval War College format• Proposal due by 31 Jan• Draft Review on 23 Feb – 13 Mar • Paper due 22 March• Identify & discuss an ethical leadership

challenge facing Junior Officers in the Fleet/FMF

• Develop recommendations to address the challenge using course concepts

http://www.usnwc.edu/getattachment/Departments---Colleges/Joint-Military-Operations/NWC-Writing---Style-Guide-20071.pdf.aspx

1-Page Point Paper

• Address assigned case study or reading

• Use prescribed format– Format posted on unit Website

• One page ONLY• Tests ability to communicate

salient points and make recommendations in a powerful, concise document

• 5 pts toward final grade• Due 23 February

Another critical junior officer skill…

Ethics Presentation

• Group project– Groups of 3-4– Group assignments on 27 Jan– 29 Mar or 3 April

• Address Current Military Ethics Issue• Presentation (10% of grade)

– 15 minute presentation to class– 5 minutes for questions– Peer ranking

Briefing skills are critical for every warfare specialtyBriefing skills are critical for every warfare specialty

Quizzes and Homework

• Quizzes will be taken from assigned readings

• Announced or Unannounced

• Total of 10% of grade

Case Studies

• Why Use Them?– Become aware of the kinds of moral conflicts you may face– Improves your ability to reason about certain circumstances– Helps you choose wisely when confronted with a moral crisis– Helps clarify the core values of the Military profession

• How To Use them

– Study the scenario and it’s details– Picture yourself in that situation– Determine:

• What’s the dilemma?• What options or choices are there?• What are the outcome/ramifications of your actions/inactions?• What’s the right thing to do?• How do you decide – based on what?

Fleet Standards

• Treat you like a junior officer in the wardroom or battalion. • Give your best to each assignment

• Writing and speaking are critical skills for a Junior Officer

• Successful officers don’t do just “good enough” to get by…

Who is right?

If free, educated, rational people can be so fundamentally opposed…If free, educated, rational people can be so fundamentally opposed…

...Because it’s not always black and white…

…And it’s not always easy! …And it’s not always easy!

Maybe we are seen as different…?

Ouch!

Consequences of Bad Ethics…

10,000 of

these…

…can’t make up

for 1 of these!

Frame work for Ethical Decision-Making

1. Identify the problem.

2. Specify feasible alternatives.

3. Use your ethical resources to identify morally significant factors in each alternative.

4. Propose and test possible resolutions.

5. Make your Choice.

Bottom Line

During your time in NROTC, and undoubtedly before your life as a midshipman, you have experienced many styles of leadership and you have had first-hand experience practicing leadership with your peers and juniors.

Are you ready to lead Sailors and Marines in combat?

Final Thoughts…

Next Class: Why Study Ethics?Intro to Moral Reasoning

Objectives from reading:

Recognize factors that make ethics hard

Understand the pervasiveness of the psychological motivation of self interest.

Questions to answer:On the Eve of Battle

Why did Col give this pre-battle speech?

Ring of GygesWhat would most people do with the ring? Why?

Why Ethics is so HardWhat are the factors the author identifies that make ethical decision making hard?

Compare article to “Selective Unmasking” & “Boat People” case study

What factors were common?

Reading AssignmentEMP (28 pages)• Why Study Ethics? (Lucas), pp. 3-7; On

the Eve of Battle (Lucas), pp. 9-11; Ring of Gyges (Plato), pp. 13-14; Why Ethics

is So Hard (Grassey), pp. 15-19; A Higher Moral Standard for the Military (Ficarrotta), pp. 33-43; The American Profesional Military Ethic (Hartle), pp. 63-70.

CSME (8 pages) • Introduction (Rubel), pp. xv-xvii;

Rescuing the Boat People (Rubel), pp. 13-15.

HANDOUT (2 pages) • USS San Jacinto Press Release