Blog #1- Class Reaction- Hailey Hughes

A concept that I found to be quite interesting was the ethical theories between the consequentialist and the nonconsequentialist. As stated in the book, "Consequentialist ethical theories hold that the rightness or wrongness of an action is to be decided in terms of its consequences" (Pg. 11). Basically, what this says to me is that there are exceptions to the rule. However, when do you decide to make these exceptions? One case study in the book mentioned the athlete who plagiarized on his research paper. The teacher is torn between failing the student and risking his basketball and college career or giving him a second chance. I have been a similar situation myself with a high school student. Not only did he plagiarize his research paper, but he also turned it in a day late. Due to the fact that the student did not use his time wisely when given several days in the computer lab to work on the paper prior to the due date, I felt that the best decision was to give the student what he earned, which was a zero. As a teacher, it is difficult to put your feelings aside when approaching circumstances such as this case study. Would the teacher give all of the other students in the class a second chance? If the answer is no, then the teacher needs to put his or her feelings aside and realize what the student did was wrong and give him the grade that he deserves. After reading, I believe that I would agree with the nonconsequentialist theory, which "emphasizes the principle of equal respect over the principle of benefit maximization" (pg. 16). If the student athlete realizes that he received credit for a plagiarized paper, then he will more than likely plagiarize again. There is a possibility that due to his athletic ability throughout his previous education, his teachers gave him second chances with their consequentialist views. His possible repetitive behavior must stop somewhere, and it is your duty as a teacher to be honest with yourself as well as with your students.