Assignment 1

13 Sep Assignment 1

In Module 7 you will be submitting a short Op Ed piece. The purpose of this short assignment is to give you an opportunity to apply some of the content from this course in developing a short op-ed piece, in other words, this is your opportunity to build an ethical argument regarding an issue that is of particular interest to you. The topic can be focused on any of the topics we have discussed this semester or about any local issue that is of interest to you. It is due the end of Module 7. Please refer to the Op-Ed Assignment Guidelines [PDF file, size 121 KB] for complete information.

Required Reading:

• How to Write an Op-Ed (Links to an external site.)

◦ In addition to reading the article, feel free to browse some of the links

• Standards to Evaluate an Op-Ed (Links to an external site.)

• The Op Ed Project Web Site (Links to an external site.)

◦ Please scroll down the left-hand column and read the section on Resources and any other section that interests you

• Sample guidelines from the Seattle Times

The Bioethics OP‐ED Article Assignment

Throughout this course we have talked about some very controversial and difficult topics such as abortion,

assisted reproduction, physician assisted suicide, allocation of resources and advanced directives. As you have

seen in your discussion threads, we often have very definite opinions on many of these issues. This course has

challenged you to support your own opinions with solid ethical arguments and to respond to your colleagues

in a similar fashion, voicing not just your agreement or disagreement but augmenting that with a clear ethical

argument.

We have also spent time addressing the very real experience of moral distress among health care

professionals when they are somehow prevented from doing what they believe is ethically correct. As your

readings in this area have noted, this experience of moral distress often contributes to a sense of burnout and

compassion fatigue which in turn may result in high turnover in organizations and even the loss of an

individual from the healthcare profession he or she has chosen.

Finally, in many of these issues, we have seen the resulting confusion which occurs when science moves faster

than our ethical analysis of new discoveries, treatments or procedures. Some of the more contentious issues,

such as abortion and physician assisted suicide are the subject of legal battles and legislative efforts in various

states. Passage of a law, however, rarely ends the controversy. Public discourse on these topics is often

heated and filled with rhetoric advanced by “one side” or the “other.” Most principled dialogue takes place in

the professional journals but very little in the public forum.

Here is where YOU fit in. You now have the basic tools to develop an ethical argument and one of the ways

that public dialogue can be advanced on these issues is through the newspaper. The public needs cogent,

principled arguments to evaluate in place of the heated rhetoric that is often highlighted by the news media.

For this assignment, you will write an OP‐ED article (sometimes called a Commentary) for submission to a local

newspaper. OP‐ED is defined as denoting or printed on the page opposite the editorial page in a newspaper,

devoted to commentary, feature articles, etc. Please note that you will not have to submit the article to an

actual newspaper as part of this assignment but simply to develop the article based on the guidelines and

rubrics. It can be about any of the topics we have covered this semester. Perhaps there is a burning issue in

your community or state that you wish to explore. The assignment can be NO SHORTER than 650 words and

NO LONGER than 850 words. Most newspapers give guidelines somewhere in that range.

Your OP‐ED article should include all of the following elements:

An opening paragraph which identifies the issue and “hooks” the reader

A statement of your main thesis or point of view on the topic

Your principled argument with at least 3 of the ethical principles discussed in the course

A principled counter argument in response to an opposing point of view on the topic

A solid conclusion

Below you will find some guidance on how to write an OP‐ED article and also guidelines from The Seattle

Times on submitting an OP‐ED. There are also helpful guidelines on how to evaluate OP‐ED writing which you

can use as a guide to check your own completed work.

ALL SUBMISSIONS MUST ALSO BE SUBMITTED TO TURNITIN.

This assignment is due at the end of Module 7.

HSC 312 Module 7

Page 2

Required Reading:

How to Write an Op‐Ed

o In addition to reading the article, feel free to browse some of the links

Standards to Evaluate an Op‐Ed

The Op Ed Project Web Site

o Please scroll down the left‐hand column and read the section on Resources and any other

section that interests you

Sample guidelines from the Seattle Times

View the following:

Informed Insights Into Op Ed Writing (Video file, 3:21 minutes)

o This is an overview of what technical aspects are important in writing an opinion piece