This course explores various approaches to ethical behaviors and decision-making and applies them to diverse aspects of strategic communication in professional settings. Students will learn to discern a wide variety of ethical issues concerning communication behavior, apply systematic ethical analysis to various organizational situations, and clearly explain their analyses. The course applies abstract principles to specific cases in applied ethics (deductive approach) as well as using a bottom-up (inductive approach) in developing students’ ethical decision-making skills. Students will use the learned knowledge of moral decision-making and begin exploring contemporary topics in strategic communication ethics, such as political communication, public relations, advertising, marketing and health communication.

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

• Discuss individual and organizational ethics principles and decision-making.
• Identify ethical communication practices.
• Discuss U.S. laws impacting organizational communication.
• Examine ethical and legal issues in organizational communication.
• Identify and recognize their own ethical and moral foundation. 
• Affirm or modify their personal foundation in the light of the class work and discussions.
• Apply their personal framework to a series of ethical decisions made by individuals, leaders, and managers in the contemporary United States.