Think of an occasion of moral deliberation or resolve in which you were directly involved as a participant (you don’t have to be the main actor, but you must have something at stake in the situation). This might be a moment of confusion when a quandary about what it means to be a good person presents itself, or a moment of clarity when a course of action is determined. It might be an occasion of deliberation, when people debate the meaning of a shared value, or weigh between competing values. Or it might be a solitary moment of quiet conviction. It could be a moment of moral triumph, of achieving a goal of self-realization, or a moment of failure, of falling short of one’s own expectations. This could be a major, life-changing event (like a religious conversion experience) or it could be a small, everyday occurrence (like choosing whether or not to give money to a panhandler), as long as it is personally meaningful in some way. In a few paragraphs, describe the situation in sufficient detail so that your understanding of the participants’ moral viewpoints and reasons for (or doubts about) acting one way or another are clear. This should be a real situation, in the near or distant past, not an abstract ethical deliberation (like debates over when self-driving cars should be allowed to kill pedestrians).
Write out this brief vignette in 2–3 pages (double spaced). We will come back to this initial piece of writing later in the semester, continuing to build upon in it as the basis for further discussion, reflection, and analysis.
The vignette is due during Session 3 and is worth 5% of the final grade.
