Good writing: The problem of ethics. (2011).

English Journal, 100(6), 95-98

Thesis: We focus in this column on the decision-making process that goes into professional
writing and ways to emphasize ethical decision-making in our writing classroom (95).

Question(s): How do we teach our students to be effective, but also ethical, professional writers?

Summary of article:

The author begins the article by discussing how to define good writing and what
distinguishes a piece of writing as either good or bad. Ultimately, the author states that
professionals believe good writing doesnt have a set definition except for that it should
impress the audience in one way or another. The author argues that while effectiveness is
important in any professional writing, too much emphasis on audience can lead to
unethical writing that only seeks to make the audience react. Thus, the author defines
good writing as having an effect while also maintaining ethicality. Since this is a
practitioner article, the author is concerned with teaching students ethics within
professional writing through case studies. The author argues that lecturing at students
what the ethics of writing are is too abstract and asserts that case studies provide a much
more concrete plane for students to grasp what ethical writing is and how to achieve
effective ethical writing. A case study, or scenario, places students in an imaginary
situation where they must be the individuals to make important decisions that lead to
actions. The author explains that the most effective cases are the ones that mirror the
complicated, messiness of life in which making decisions arent easy or formulaic. The
professional writing example the author utilizes is the job resume and he or she pairs this
with a case study where, given a fictional applicants experiences and credentials,
students must make the most impressive/convincing resume. The author closes with the
argument that cases improve students curiosity and understanding of ethics in
professional writing.

Critique:

I enjoyed reading this article because it did provide an excellent example of how to teach
students the ethics concerning writing a job resume. I also hadnt given much thought to
the ways good writing can sometimes mean appealing to the audiences
emotions/reactions while compromising ethics in the process. I thought the article did a
good job of pointing out this discrepancy. Furthermore, bringing in life-like cases is a
great hands-on approach to teaching and the article clearly thinks cases are the best way
to go about teaching the ethics of professional writing. However, the article only focuses
on cases as the main approach to teach ethics and provides no other options except ethical
dilemma cases. The author could have provided further strategies for students to
understand how to ethically communicate through professional writing such as inquiry-
based lessons or comparing and contrasting professional writing pieces which were
deemed unethical. Since I am only provided with one single case example and no other
strategies for teaching ethics in professional writing I am left feeling a bit skeptical that
case studies are the singular best approach. I would also further critique how the article
presents its case study argument. While it does provide a good concrete example of a job
application case study a teacher could use in his/her classroom, the author does not
provide concrete evidence when arguing the effectiveness of said case study. I would
have liked to see a wide range of cases used in various classrooms and also quotes by the
actual students participating in the cases that contribute the authors argument of the
cases effectiveness in teaching ethics in professional writing.

The framework for action in this article provides a good basis of what to do and
what not to do when implementing the ethical dilemma cases. For example, the author
cautions against dictating to students just what right and wrong [means] when
conducting the cases (98). While I think this is important when wanting students to think
critically for themselves, there should be some sort of framework or guideline presented
to the students before they begin these ethical dilemma case studies where obvious
unethical professional writing has taken place. Ultimately, the way the author phrases
their framework for action makes it seem like there is no such thing as truly unethical
writing, which I do not agree with.

This article lacks specificity and variation of data/strategies, but it does provide
one well-thought out tangible example of a job application case. The author draws
heavily on their own conclusions or opinions about the effectiveness of this case study,
however, which weakens the authors credibility. If the author provided specific quotes
from students involved in the job application case then I would be less skeptical as to the
success of the example case study. Finally, the conclusion of the article is a bit muddled
because it is so general. The author mentions ethical obligations inherent in professional
writing but doesnt elaborate on what those obligations are (98). Im left with some
questions as to what other ways students could be taught the ethics of professional
writing and which strategies prove more effective than others.