Contextualization

Ethics is the moral philosophy that governs a person's or a group's conduct. It does not necessarily need to be defined by culture, society or religion, but can be constant and universal. Ethical issues cover a large range of possible situations – from behaving honestly when doing your job to how we treat others in our everyday life. It is a system of defined values which guide our decisions and actions throughout life.

Volition, in its turn, is a powerful mental force that allows the individual to intentionally make choices, or decisions. It is an ability which is inherent to all human beings, and is essential for the making of ethical choices. Through volition, we are capable of making choices that are concordant with our ethical value system, which in turn enables us to live more meaningful, fulfilling lives.

In today's reality, when we are living in an increasingly polarized society and are exposed to numerous ethical dilemmas, understanding the interaction between ethics and volition is crucial. The choices that we make on a daily basis have real-world implications – on personal, societal and global levels. It is, therefore, important to reflect upon how our actions and choices reflect our ethical beliefs and how we can use our volition in order to make ethical choices.

A clear example of how important ethics and volition are in today's world is the case of Human Rights. Human Rights – which are based on the principles of dignity, equality, and respect – provide us with an ethical framework that can inform our choices and actions. However, it is through volition that we are capable of actually respecting and promoting these rights.

Students can delve deeper into the subject by looking at the following resources:

• “Practical Ethics” by Peter Singer. This book gives a complete overview of the ethical dilemmas of the modern world.
• The documentary 'The Corporation'. This documentary discusses the ethics of corporations.
• TED Talk: 'The moral roots of liberals and conservatives' by Jonathan Haidt. This video sheds light on the behavioral ethics of left vs right.
• The University of Texas’ website 'Ethics Unwrapped'. It features a variety of ethical videos and teaching materials.

Hands-on Activity

Activity title: Ethics Committee – Debating and Applying Ethics and Volition in Society

Project Goal:

• To develop a deep understanding of ethics and volition and their application to our societies.
• To apply this understanding through a project involving debate, active role playing and decision making.

Detailed Project Description

Each group of students will be an 'Ethics Committee' and will have the task of analysing, discussing and making decisions on an ethical dilemma scenario provided to them. This will be not only a decision making activity but an immersive experience where the students will have to consider the complete context taking into consideration aspects like Human Rights, behavioural ethics, and role of International Organizations.

The discussion must be structured, following ethical arguments and principles, with a focus on theoretical knowledge and practical application of the concepts of ethics and volition.

Materials needed:

• Computer with Internet access for research
• Computer to produce and present the report
• Writing materials (pens, papers)
• Projector or similar device for presentations (optional)

Detailed Step-by-step Activity:

1. As a first step, students will be divided into groups of 3 to 5 people.
2. Each group will be presented with a different ethical dilemma scenario to analyze.
3. The groups will then research and discuss the dilemma with the objective of reaching a well-reasoned, ethical decision about the scenario. This should take into account the principles of Human Rights declarations respecting the diversity of individuals and groups.
4. The group must prepare a presentation which covers the scenario, their research, discussions which happened during the development of the project and, lastly, their reached decision.
5. Following the presentation, a detailed project report must be produced by the group, divided into introduction, development, conclusions and references.

Project Deliverables:

1. Project presentations will take place during class time in one week, when each group will present their ethical dilemma scenario, research, discussion and decision.
2. The written project report will be due one week after the presentations, and must have the following structure:
   1. Introduction: This should contextualize the ethical dilemma scenario that the group has been given and the objective of the project.
   2. Development: This should explain the theory behind the project topic, explain the task in detail, state the methodology used and present as well as discuss the results obtained.
   3. Conclusions: This should explain what the group learned and the conclusions they drew about the project topic, revisiting main points debated during the project.
   4. Bibliography: This should reference any sources that the group used to inform the work in the project, such as books, webpages, videos, etc.
3. In addition, throughout the duration of this project students should work on technical skills in terms of analysis, research and presentation as well as soft skills in time management, communication, problem solving, creative thinking, and proactivity.