COM 624X: COMMUNICATION ETHICS AND LAW
January 2016 SEMESTER
Facilitator: Clayton Peel
Email: cpeel@daystar.ac.ke
Purpose of the Course
There is no doubt that media wield considerable power over the way society live.
Whenever people or a group of people have power to influence the behavior and
lives of others, ethical obligation become imperative. This course is therefore an
interplay between the media law (rights and freedoms that media practitioners
enjoy) and ethics (professional obligations and responsibilities they have to be
conscious of while expediting their rights).Emphasis shall be in the legal
privileges and legal limitations affecting journalists in their practice as well as
ethical dilemmas they face on a day to day operation using various media
platform such as: broadcast, print media, public relations or advertising,
entertainment, digital platforms but also about Christian commitment as
communicators. This course will help students to explore what is right and good
about communication and media practice; to understand freedom and
responsible professionalism from a Christian worldview; and to gain a working
knowledge of Kenya media law.
.
Course Objectives
Upon completion of the course students should be able to:
1. Define ethics.
2. Discuss various broad approaches to ethics and moral theory.
3. Integrate ethical theory with their Christian faith.
4. Identify and respond to major ethical issues in the field of communication.
5. Evidence a good comprehension of the media laws of Kenya.
6. Act as knowledgeable professionals within the legal boundaries of
communication as part of the audience (society).
Course Procedures
The Class shall consist of individual written, and group or paired assignments. All
class presentations shall be handed over to the facilitator for grading. Other
methods employed for delivery in this class shall include critique of a movie
(NIGHT CRAWLER), case studies drawn from media ethics as well as
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Knowledge will give you power, but character respect.
Bruce Lee
contemporary cases, student presentations, guest speakers, and in-class
exercises.
Grading
Your final grade will be based on the following:
1. A first assignment worth 20% -This is an individual assignment. You will
be resolving an ethical or moral dilemma in an area of media and ethics.
Support your writing with valid arguments , laced with theoretical
underpinnings and at least include 10 references demonstrating your use
of credible academic literature. Kindly note that Wikipaedia is banned as a
source or reference: it has some interesting information and you can refer
to some of the authors it mentions, but Wikipaedia itself is not accepted as
a credible academic source.
2. Group papers/presentations (2x10)= 20%
3. Mid-term paper 20% and
4. Final is 40%
More details of the assignments and assignment policy can be found on
the Daystar e-Learning campus (http://ecampus.daystar.ac.ke/). Please
note that because the ecampus will be updated on a regular basis, the
instructions on the ecampus supersede those on the course outline where
any variation may occur. Students are expected to regularly check the
online campus for resources and updates.
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Knowledge will give you power, but character respect.
Bruce Lee
Week/date
One
Two
Topic
Readings
Introduction & course overview: Schaubroeck, K
Definition of ethics
(2015)
“Everyday
Reason Talk:
An Introduction”
(e-campus);
Gammel, Stefan
(2008) “Ethics
and Morality” (ecampus).
Ethical theories, values, and Media Ethics
principles; ethical decisions; chapter 1-2
Potter Box ; a five step process Bok, ch.1 & 2
Exam/Assgn
In pairs: Prepare for
interviews (Q & As)
where each will have
to ask the other qs. On
ethics, morality,faith.
In pairs: Public
presentation of Q &
As.
Wrap-up:
- Ethics vs Morality
- Role of faith
- Values vs Principles.
-Potter’s Box
Case Study in groups
to demonstrate
implementation of the
Potter’s Box.
Three
Principles of Moral reasoning
Submission of first
assignment: What is
Ethics? The deadline
for the written
submission is
Sunday 29 August, at
midnight.
Group presentations
demonstrating
implementation of the
Potter’s Box.
Four
Five
Six
Pre-Christian Ethical Theories:
Aristotle, Socrates, Plato,
Confucius
Modern Ethical Theories: JS
Mill, Immanuel Kant, Jeremy
Bentham, Jesus Christ,
Post-modern ethics: Situation
Ethics (Joseph Fletcher; Bishop
Robinson; Nel Noddings; Pope
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Knowledge will give you power, but character respect.
Bruce Lee
Submission of term
paper – RESOLVING A
PERSONAL DILEMMA.
The deadline for this
assignment is MIDNIGHT
on Saturday 19
September.
Francis)
Seven
Eight
Nine
Communicator’s values/loyalties
Truth-telling and lies
Code of Ethics –Freedom of
expressions
Ethics in Advertising
M.C.K booklet
Chapter 6-9
Media Ethics;
Bok ch.5
Ten
Freedom of Press; journalistic Media ethics
ethics; Protecting sources
chap 3
Eleven
Respecting Privacy
Issues of Defamation
Twelve
Media and the Constitution of Media Ethics
Kenya
chap 10-13
Bok ch.8
Thirteen
Entertainment, indecency,
Obscenity
Fourteen
Stealing other people’s work
Investigative
Reporting/Undercover
journalism
EXAM
Fifteen
Bok ch.9 & 10
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Knowledge will give you power, but character respect.
Bruce Lee
Submission of
‘Investigative
Journalism/Undercover
Reporting’ assignment.
The deadline for this
assignment is
MIDNIGHT on Sunday,
18 October, 2015.
Submission of “radio
presenter’s ethical
choice” assignment,
by MIDNIGHT on
Sunday November 1,
2015.
Texts
Bok, Sissela. (1999). Lying: Moral choice in public and private life. New York:
Random House.
Bujo, Benezet. (1997). The ethical dimension of community: The African model
and the dialogue between north and south, Nairobi: Paulines Publications
Africa.
Christians, C., Fackler, M., Rotzoll, K., and McKee, K. (2001). Media ethics:
Cases and moral reasoning. 6th ed. New York: Longman. (there is also 5th Ed.)
Gammel, S. (2008) Ethics and Morality (Available on Daystar e-campus).
Holmes, A. (1984) Ethics: Approaching moral decisions. Downers Grove, ILL:
Interversity.
Jackson, Tudor. (1986) The Law of Kenya: An introduction, cases and statutes.
Kasoma, F., ed. (1994) Journalism ethics in Africa. Nairobi: African Council for
Communication Education.
Media Council of Kenya (2013) Code of Conduct for the Practice of Journalism in
Kenya Nairobi: Media Council of Kenya
Patterson, P. & Wilkins, L. (2008) Media Ethics: Issues and Cases. NY: McGrawHill.
Pember, D.R. & Calvert, C. (2006). Mass Media Law. New York: McGraw.
Schaubroeck, K. (2015). “Everyday Reason Talk: An Introduction”. Ethical
Theory and Moral Practice 18: 217-222 (Available on e-campus).
Smedes, L. (1983) Mere Morality: What God expects from ordinary people.
Grand Rapids Eerdmans.
Upkapi, Chudi. (987) Handbook on Journalism Ethics: African Case Studies.
Windhoek:
MISA
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Knowledge will give you power, but character respect.
Bruce Lee
Any other additional readings that the lecturer may assign. Note: Please check
the Daystar e-Learning Campus for updates.
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Knowledge will give you power, but character respect.
Bruce Lee