Pedagogical Approaches to the Instruction of Ethics in Lower-Level Undergraduate Professional Writing Courses
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Date
2023-12-04
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Authors
Melton, Meghan Jessica
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East Carolina University
Abstract
The following report centers on ethics instructional methods in undergraduate professional writing courses. The literature review covers the instructional practices favored by professors of upper-level and graduate professional writing courses, such as interspersing ethics throughout the semester and implementing service-learning projects. The primary research, however, focuses on the ethics instructional methods used in lower-level (freshman and sophomore) professional writing courses. This study’s primary research consists of four instructor interviews and a content analysis of two professors’ course materials. The courses featured in this study are East Carolina University’s ENGL 2201: Writing about the Disciplines, ENGL 3040: Introduction to Professional Writing, and ENGL 3880: Writing for Business and Industry. Though many of the pedagogical approaches used in upper-level professional writing courses translated to those of lower-level courses, nuances emerged for the instruction of ethics when utilized with younger students. Following a discussion of these nuances, suggestions for ethics instructional practices for professors of lower-level professional writing courses and recommendations for future research are discussed.