TOPICS FOR TEAM PAPER #2
LITERATURE, ETHICS, AND AUTHORITY
15.269
Topics for Team Paper #2: due Session 13. These papers are to be 3-4 pp. in length,
typewritten and double-spaced. Choose one topic; you may write on one or more of the
books/films in Section 3 of the course. All team members must contribute to the
conception of the paper; one should write it; and all should indicate that they have
contributed to the paper. Please keep a copy of your paper for your files.
1. Compare and contrast two or more of the following figures—Archie Gates, Amir
Abdulah, H.D. Thoreau, Paul Rusesabagina, Raizel Kaidish, the ones who walk away
from Omelas—with an eye to establishing their moral compass. What does it mean to
have such an instrument?
2. What is social responsibility for the authors/directors in the five assignments of Section 3,
and how does that shape our understanding of and expectations for people's behavior in
organizations?
3. Many of the assignments in this module show individuals or groups breaking the law, or
recognizing that breaking the law might have a better outcome than obeying it. Can you
find a rule of thumb among our materials that would tell us when breaking the law brings
us in line with a higher law?
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15.269 Literature, Ethics, Authority
Fall 2009
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