- Important Ethical Lessons from this Course
As this semester is coming to an end I consider the impact that this course has had on my life. This class has taught me a number of ethical values that can be applied to other aspects of my life outside of this course. The most important one is being ethical makes you happier. I can attest to this because doing the right thing will leave you feeling proud. Making the morally right decision is a sign of growing up and becoming more responsible. Practicing good ethics pays off. People will respect you and you will be a happier person if you do the right thing. The next important value of ethics that stood out to me from this class is being ethical makes you a better person. If you live your life day to day using ethical guidelines to make decisions whether in school, work, or personal life, it is inevitable that you will become a better person.
- Case Study Reflection
When I think about these ethics I recall the case study about Stephen Glass we discussed in the beginning of the semester. Stephen Glass was a journalist for the New Republic who fabricated many of his stories to make them seem more interesting. He made up references, fake notes, fake email accounts, and even fake websites. Eventually he got caught and his career as a journalist came to an end. If Stephen Glass had considered ethics, then his career would not have ended. He is the perfect example of why practicing ethics will make a person happy. He lied constantly and his fake stories turned out to be more work than if he had reported truthfully. All this stress and covering up of lies was not worth it. Not only did he lose his job but he lost the respect of his friends and colleagues. Had he been honest, I believe that Glass would have had a successful and rewarding career.
- This Course’s Impact on My Life and Future
Thinking about the shocking case study of Stephen Glass and other important case studies we have discussed in this class makes me want to live my life as an ethical and moral person. I know that in my future career I will keep in mind these ethical values Dr. Z taught us and use them as guidelines when I have to make difficult decisions.
- Overall Course Reflection
Overall, I found this course to be beneficial in teaching important lessons and values that can be applied to all situations in life and not just inside the classroom. As a senior who will be graduating in two weeks, I am very glad I took this course and have a good foundation of the knowledge of ethics before I begin my career outside of Penn State. I would 100% recommend this class to anyone regardless of what their major is. Although this class focuses on the basis of ethics in journalism, I believe that these lessons can be applied to any career or circumstance and thus all people could benefit from taking this course.