Four topics will be available for you on LEO. You will select one of these topics and construct a written essay. You are encouraged to choose a topic that you feel is important to you and that you feel passionate about. In relation to your selected topic: • Consider the application of the bioethical principles that have been discussed in the unit. • Consider the application of ethical theories and other ethical concepts to the chosen topic. • Based on the evidence, construct a written discussion that clearly presents these ethical considerations and the ethical dilemma/s. You need to present multiple perspectives on the topic. • Based on the evidence determine and then specify your ethical stance. • Present your work in a formal academic essay using APA referencing that includes an introduction, discussion, and conclusion
We strongly advise you read the ‘Ask an Assessment Task Question’ discussion forum. If you don’t you may not fully understand the requirements of this task. In the essay you must offer a “balanced view” of the topic, which means that you must include alternative ethical perspectives that may not match your ultimate ethical stance but require consideration. You are not being asked to write an unsubstantiated opinion piece but are developing a logical evidenced ethical position. 1. Start with a clear introduction that tells the reader what to expect. A good introduction contains: • Some brief background information on the ethical importance of the topic. • A clear thesis-statement, where you tell the reader briefly where your ultimate ethical stance on the issue. Frame this in a way which ‘advises the reader where your argument is going to end up’ - for example “A range of ethical arguments will be presented to support the assertion that…..” (Note: You should not even determine your ethical stance (intro & conclusion) until you have written the body of your essay. Don’t go in with pre-conceived assumptions). 2. The body of your essay: • This is where you explore in detail how each of the bioethical principles relates to the topic of your essay. This may ultimately support your central argument, or it may be presenting alternate/opposing views (all should be included). i. Autonomy: Is the patient’s autonomy being respected or not? Can it be respected? Are there challenges in supporting this ethical principle? ii. Beneficence: Is the intention to achieve the best possible outcome for the patient? Are there challenges in supporting this ethical principle? iii. Non-Maleficence: Is un-necessary harm to the patient being avoided? Is it necessary to ‘harm’ the patient? Are there challenges in supporting this ethical principle? iv. Justice: Are patients receiving equitable care regarding their needs and the available resources? Are there valid reasons for treating certain patients inequitably? • In the body of the essay, you also need to include discussion of other ethical concepts such as human dignity, veracity, codes of ethics, and professional codes of conduct. Ideally, these are integrated through the discussion. • At some point you will have to justify the values judgment that you make in determining what takes ethical precedence, and why you may have to compromise on any of the four bioethical principles. This is where the other ethical theories become useful. i. Utilitarian thinking: Are you aiming for the best possible outcome for the greatest good/benefits for the greatest number? Can you demonstrate ethically that it is, indeed, a “good” outcome? ii. Deontological thinking: Is there a duty or rule that necessitates or forbids a particular type of action? Can you explain why this duty exists? iii. Virtue-Ethics thinking: Does the proposed action conform to what we might expect of the moral character virtues of health-care professionals? iv. Ethics-of-Care thinking: Is the patient being consulted with a benevolent attitude, and is there sufficient dialogue with the patient to work out what is morally best in his or her specific situation? Is there potential for conflict with any general rules of moral conduct? v. Natural Law: Are there applicable universal and objective moral norms to which each person, when acting reasonably and responsibly, should respond? 3. Your conclusion should summarise and round-off your discussion on the topic. You should: • Concisely summarise how your ideas collectively support your ethical stance • State your ethical stance. Frame this in stronger language than in the introduction - for example “…as demonstrated in the ethical arguments presented, it is/is not....”. • offer some brief concluding remarks on the topic. https://leo.acu.edu.au/mod/forum/view.php?id=4819329 HLSC220: Healthcare Ethics HLSC220 _ Assessment 3: Written Essay _ © Australian Catholic University 2022 _ Page 1 of 3 ASSESSMENT INFORMATION Assessment Title Written Essay Purpose The purpose of this assessment is for students to demonstrate the capacity to develop a written ethical argument analysing the application of bioethics in healthcare. Due Date Refer to HLSC220 EUO Time Due Refer to HLSC220 EUO Weighting 45% Length 1500 words +/- 10% (includes intext citations, excludes reference list) Assessment Rubric Refer to Extended Unit Outline Appendix 3 LOs Assessed LO1, LO2, LO3 Task Four topics will be available for you on LEO. You will select one of these topics and construct a written essay. You are encouraged to choose a topic that you feel is important to you and that you feel passionate about. In relation to your selected topic: • Consider the application of the bioethical principles that have been discussed in the unit. • Consider the application of ethical theories and other ethical concepts to the chosen topic. • Based on the evidence, construct a written discussion that clearly presents these ethical considerations and the ethical dilemma/s. You need to present multiple perspectives on the topic. • Based on the evidence determine and then specify your ethical stance. • Present your work in a formal academic essay using APA referencing that includes an introduction, discussion, and conclusion Target Audience Healthcare professionals Submission Via the Turnitin link in the HLSC220 LEO site FORMATTING File format Please submit as a .doc or .docx (not .pdf files) Margins 2.54cm, all sides Font and size Use 11-point Calibri, Arial or Times New Roman Spacing Double spacing HLSC220: Healthcare Ethics HLSC220 _ Assessment 3: Written Essay _ © Australian Catholic University 2022 _ Page 2 of 3 Paragraph Aligned to left margin, indent first line of each paragraph 1.27cm Title Page Not to be used Level 1 Heading Centered, bold, capitalize each word (14-point Calibri, Arial or Times New Roman) Level 2 Headings Left justified, bold, sentence case, italicized (12-point Calibri, Arial or Times New Roman) Structure Introduction: Provides an introduction and brief background to the topic and ethical discussion, identifies the ethical stance to be argued. Body: Provides the content of the ethical arguments incorporating diverse perspectives on the bioethical principles, ethical theories, other ethical concepts. Conclusion: identifies the key ethical points argued and re-iterates the ethical stance taken. Does not introduce new ideas. Reference List: Includes all the sources identified within the essay. Use APA 7th edition. Direct quotes Always require a page number. No more than 10% of the word count should be direct quotes. Header Page number top right corner (9-point Calibri or Arial) Footer Name _ Student Number_ Assessment _ Unit _ Year (9-point Calibri or Arial) REFERENCING Referencing Style APA 7th Edition. Minimum References There is no set number of references that must be used as a minimum for this task, but as a rough guide only, if you have utilized less than 10-12 unique quality peer-reviewed sources then you have not read widely enough. All arguments must be supported using a variety of high-quality primary evidence. Avoid using any one source repetitively. Age of References Most references for this task should be published within the last 5 years, however the appropriate use of older evidence sources (e.g. seminal theoretical ethical work) is acceptable. List Heading “References” is centered, bold, on a new page (14 point Calibri or Arial). Alphabetical Order References are arranged alphabetically by author family name Hanging Indent Second and subsequent lines of a reference have a hanging indent DOI or URL Presented as functional hyperlink Spacing Double spacing the entire reference list, both within and between entries ADMINISTRATION Late Penalties Late penalties will be applied from 02:01pm on the due date, incurring 5% penalty of the maximum marks available up to a maximum of 15% in total. Assessment tasks that are submitted more than three calendar days after the due date or extended due date will not be allocated a mark. HLSC220: Healthcare Ethics HLSC220 _ Assessment 3: Written Essay _ © Australian Catholic University 2022 _ Page 3 of 3 Example: An assignment is submitted 12 hours late and is initially marked at 60 out of 100. A 5% penalty is applied (5% of 100 is 5 marks). Therefore, the student receives 55 out of 100 as a final mark. Penalty Timeframe 2:00 pm Wednesday to 1:59 pm Thursday 2:00 pm Thursday to1:59 pm Friday 2:00 pm Friday to 2:00pm Saturday Received after 2:00pm Saturday Penalty Marks Deducted 5% penalty 10% penalty 5 marks 10 marks 15% penalty No mark allocated 15 marks n/a Return of Marks Marks will generally be returned after three weeks of the submission due date; if this is not achievable you will be notified via the LEO forum. Final Assignment Marks for the final assessment (assessment three) of this unit will be withheld until after grade ratification and grade release for semester 1. Assessment template project informed by ACU student forums, ACU Librarians and the Academic Skills Unit.