Rights and Wrongs in the College Classroom: Ethical Issues in Postsecondary Teaching

The ethics of the teaching profession have been given little systematic analysis than those of other professions. While the ethics of medicine, business, and journalism receive more instruction and attention and are widely analyzed and debated, there is a shortage of literature and examination of the ethics of higher education, particularly in the classroom. What is considered fair evaluation? How does one respond to an offensive student? When may faculty date a former student?

Written for faculty throughout higher education, this book puts forth a set of principles for college teaching, and concludes with practical analyses of the ethical dilemmas facing professors in the classroom today. Topic-by-topic, this book covers

• Academic ethics: sources, principles, and responses to objections
• Teaching advocacy and indoctrination
• Conflicts of interest
• The ethics of classroom grading
• Offensive speech and behavior
• Faculty-student relationships

Rights and Wrongs in the College Classroom develops an ethic that integrates concerns for student rights, social goals, and academic freedom and helps faculty to understand what values are at stake and how to make better decisions when confronted with moral dilemmas. There is a need for both institutional and faculty support of such a code of ethics, whose cultivation and observance has intrinsic rewards for faculty as individuals and professionals.