Outline

Thesis: There are times in life in which we are faced with the decision of whether or not to obey orders that are morally wrong, from an authority figure. It is always a tough decision to choose whether to obey or risk the consequences of not obeying.


I. It is a tough decision to choose whether what we are being asked for is wrong or right.


1. Michael's bosses assign him to investigate internal and external warehouse theft as part of his job.

2. Michael's bosses command him to allow theft to a certain customer that gives rewards to those that help him.




II. Disobeying authority figures can and most likely will always have a punishment, but so might obeying.


1. Both bosses give him the options of quitting or to be terminated and not be able to feed his family.

2. Michael decides to quit because he knows it is morally wrong even though he will be unemployed.




III. Eventually after decisions, it becomes clear whether it was right or wrong to obey.


1. When inventory time comes, both bosses get caught and fired because of what they have been doing.

2. Michael is relieved that he was not an accomplice in the situation and he knows he did the right thing.



Last edited by keniaolson on Fri Jun 26, 2009 9:55 am; edited 2 times in total

As you'll all quickly find out, the two most important things in this class are sticking closely to the question and supplying specific details.

I'm not sure yet whether you are writing about #4 (when does obedience become dangerous?) or #5 (how can you describe a time you disobeyed with reference to the terms of the articles?). Your thesis needs to state a much more direct answer to one of those questions/issues.

Then, the outline needs to show details as in the example I give in the Unit 1 instructions. Right now, every line of your outline makes general remarks about things that happen "sometimes." That's appropriate in the main headings (I, II, III), but the detail lines (1,2,3) need to have just that, details. Of course, I can't help you more in structuring the outline until I'm clearer on which topic you want to write about.

Also, remember that just about every essay question in this course requires you to refer to the articles read, often to show that you can use the terms and theories that the writers employ and apply them to your own material. Essays that never mention the writers of the book or that don't demonstrate an understanding of them won't be considered strong.

Thanks for taking a look at my outline, I am trying to do the essay on number 5. I redid it showing a bit more detail like you explained, can you please look at it again and let me know if I am getting warmer?

It is definitely "warmer" in the sense that we now have specific details and that it's now clear which topic you are writing on (and not just because you told me).

Now, the next very important step is that you have to discuss your story in terms of two of the writings from this chapter (as the directions state). How to do this? This is sort of a foreign concept for many. One method is to find a quote or passage in one of our articles that sounds like it could be talking directly about Michael's story. Devote one of your sections to showing howMichael's story relates to the quote you selected. Once you start down this path, you may find other quotes in the same article that also seem relevant and can bring them up in the same paragraph, always explaining how they relate to Michael's story.

Another method is to ask yourself what are the key terms that a certain writer in our chapter employs or makes up to express their point. Then write a paragraph where you show how those terms apply to Michael's story.

You tell most of your story in the first main paragraph, and I would keep things that way. The second paragraph sounds like you could use the articles by Fromm or by Lopach/Luckowski as comparisons.

Thanks Dr. Jung, I believe now I know what you are looking for!

Question 4
Thesis:Obedience is necessary for people living in a community, a state, and country. However, obedience to an authoritative figure becomes dangerous and morally wrong when people get hurt.
A. People obey rules and laws because they are afraid to be humiliated, punished. They also feel safe and guarded.
1.From Fromm’s article, he states that, “ As long as I am obedient to the power of the State, the Church, or public opinion, I feel safe and guarded.
2.Throughout history, disobedience is considered wrong and obedience good. From Fromm’s article, he writes, “During most of human history obedience has been identified with virtue and disobedience a sin”.

B.Obedience is dangerous when compliance to an authoritative figure results in the harm of an individual.
1.For example, in the Nazi concentration camps, people were following orders to have the Jews exterminated.
2.In Zimbardo’s experiment, students taking the role of the “guards” were humiliating and hurting the “prisoners” .

Carol,
Unlike the discussion messages, I would like each outline to be in its own thread. So you should hit the New Topic button to post your outline. I started a new thread for your outline for you.