Guidelines
ETHICAL OBLIGATIONS AND GUIDELINES
Assignment #1 (CMNS 3000/3100): Ethical obligations and guidelines
(a memo from you to me, your instructor)
To prepare for your assignment you need to read the following items closely:
1. Chapter 2, “Understanding Ethical and Legal Considerations.” This is an excellent introduction to these
important topics.
2. KPU’s “Academic Integrity and Plagiarism” webpage (click on link).
3. Your course presentation’s discussion on plagiarism.
Your goal with Assignment #1 is straightforward:
1. Prove to me that you have read and thoroughly thought about each of the items enumerated above.
2. Compose a properly organized memo, adhering to conventions explained in your textbook.
Memo organization:
• Descriptive subject line. Indicate the main topics of your memo. (See chapter 14, “Corresponding in
Print and Online,” to see what memos and other forms of correspondence look like.)
• Situation-Message-Response opening paragraph. In 2 – 3 sentences, explain the context of your memo
(you are submitting an assignment upon request), tell me what your memo’s main message is (the
paragraphs following your two headings), and ask me for some sort of response.
• Three descriptive headings (one for each topic you discuss: Ch. 2, KPU webpage, syllabus).
• Compose one or two paragraphs per topic, proving to me you have read and thoroughly thought about
the three items enumerated at the top of this page. Write precisely and concisely. Don’t “think out loud.”
Get to your points.
• Response/Deadline/Contact-info closing paragraph. Reiterate what you would like me to do. Give me
a reasonable deadline to respond (think about what would be reasonable – there is actually a correct
answer), and provide the contact information by which you would like my response.
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Notes:
There will be a BigBlueButton session in the week preceding the due date for this assignment. It will be
recorded for later viewing in case you miss the session itself. In the session I will discuss the assignment in
detail and answer any questions you have.
In addition I will be addressing a couple of very interesting questions I would like you to ponder ahead of
time:
• What ethical obligations surprise you, and which puzzle you?
• How do you show evidence of having thought about something? (Possibilities include, in no particular
order: Question it, criticize it, extend it, reduce it, find an analogy to it, locate an example in your life, in
class, make a prediction based on thoughts you have on the topic you read about, etc.)