Stage One of the Ethical Analysis Essay – Create an Outline
Instructions: The pu
Stage One of the Ethical Analysis Essay – Create an Outline
Instructions: The purpose of this assignment is to write an outline as the first step of the Ethical Analysis Essay that is
due near the end of the term. The Ethical Analysis Essay requires that you analyze a film’s ethical dimensions that
include its characters and the story.
First, select a film from the list of available works. If you cannot access these films, you may select a different film, but
you will require prior approval from your instructor.
Films for Ethical Analysis Essay
John Q (2002) – Story centers on a man whose nine-year-old son desperately needs a life-saving transplant. When he
discovers that his medical insurance will not cover surgery costs and alternative government aid is unavailable, John Q.
Archibald takes a hospital emergency room hostage in a final attempt to save his child.
The Jacket (2005) – A Gulf war veteran is wrongly sent to a mental institution for insane criminals, where he becomes
the object of a doctor’s experiments, and his life is completely affected by them. The film centers on a wounded Gulf war
veteran who returns to his native Vermont suffering from bouts of amnesia.
The Last King of Scotland (2006) – While in Uganda on a medical mission, Scottish doctor Nicholas Garrigan becomes the
personal physician and close confidante of dictator Idi Amin. Although at first Dr. Garrigan feels flattered by his new
position of power, he soon realizes that Amin’s rule is soaked in blood, and complicit in the atrocities. Garrigan faces the
fight of his life as he tries to escape Amin’s grasp.
My Sister’s Keeper (2009) – Told from multiple perspectives, My Sister’s Keeper follows the story of 13-year-old Anna
Fitzgerald as she sues her parents, Brian, and Sara, for medical emancipation. Anna was conceived as an allogeneic
donor for her sister, Kate, who has acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL).
Extraordinary Measures (2010) – John Crowley is a man on the corporate fast-track, with a beautiful wife and three
children. Just as his career is taking off, he learns that his two youngest kids have a fatal disease. John leaves his job and
devotes himself to saving their lives. He joins forces with Dr. Robert Stonehill, a brilliant but eccentric scientist. Together
they battle the medical and corporate establishment, racing against time for a cure.
Contagion (2011) – When Beth Emhoff returns to Minnesota from a Hong Kong business trip, she attributes the malaise
she feels to jet lag. However, two days later, Beth is dead, and doctors tell her shocked husband that they have no idea
what killed her. Soon, many others start to exhibit the same symptoms, and a global pandemic explodes. Doctors try to
contain the lethal microbe, but society begins to collapse as a blogger (Jude Law) fans the flames of paranoia.
Awakenings (1990) – The story of a doctor’s extraordinary work in the Sixties with a group of catatonic patients he finds
languishing in a Bronx hospital. Speculating that their rigidity may be akin to an extreme form of Parkinsonism, he seeks
permission from his skeptical superiors to treat them with L-dopa, a drug that was used to treat Parkinson’s disease at
the time.
Coma (1978) – A young doctor in a hospital discovers that many patients are being induced into comas from simple
routine surgeries. She soon finds a deep conspiracy developing that leads her to believe that nothing is as it seems. The
comas are deliberate acts to permanently incapacitate patients who are later transferred to a facility called The Jefferson
Institute where illegal activities are being conducted with comatose subjects.
Extreme Measures (1996) – A young British doctor confronts a famous colleague about the true methods of his work.
The doctor wishes to determine why the body of a man who died in his emergency room disappears.
Gattaca (1997) – Vincent Freeman has always fantasized about traveling into outer space but is grounded by his status as
a genetically inferior “in-valid.” He decides to fight his fate by purchasing Jerome Morrow’s genes, a laboratory-
Galen College of Nursing – PHL 2205 Course Syllabus – Version 8-2 20
engineered “valid.” He assumes Jerome’s DNA identity and joins the Gattaca space program, where he falls in love with
Irene. An investigation into the death of a Gattaca officer complicates Vincent’s plans.
Next, view the film and then write an outline. This outline should be written using the following subheadings
(Introduction and Ethical Analysis). Write 2-5 sentences for each criterion (Introduction and Ethical Analysis). The
outline be a minimum of 250 words in length.
Introduction (Film Synopsis & Ethical Theory)
• Brief film synopsis that includes the medical ethical dilemma present in the film.
• Ethical theory you have chosen to apply to the film. Select one (or more):
• Virtue Ethics
• Utilitarian Ethics
• Moral Sense Theory (Conscience)
• Social Contract Theory
• The Ethics of Care
• Kantian Ethics
• Moral Relativism
Ethical Analysis
1. Moral values present in the film (as they relate to the ethical theory you have chosen)
2. Moral conflict or instances of moral values in conflict
3. Moral of the story or what can be learned from applying the ethical theory to the story
Always cite any sources that you have used within your work. For help with APA formatting and style, check out the
assignment rubric and also refer to the Purdue Owl website, as well as the Academic Writer tool featured in Canvas.
(USLO 7.4)
Stage One of the Ethical Analysis Essay – Create an Outline Grading Rubric
Criteria Achievement
Level 5
Achievement
Level 4
Achievement
Level 3
Achievement
Level 2
Achievement
Level 1
Film
Synopsis
(CSLO 2)
Excellent
introduction of the
film synopsis.
(20 pts)
Adequate
introduction of
the film synopsis.
(15 pts)
Inadequate
introduction of the
film synopsis.
(10 pts)
– No introduction of
the film synopsis
or no paper
submitted.
(0 pts)
Ethical
Theory
Excellent
introduction of the
ethical theory
selected.
(35 pts)
Adequate
introduction of the
ethical theory
selected.
(25 pts)
Inadequate
introduction of the
ethical theory
selected.
(10 pts)
– No introduction of
the ethical theory
selected or no
paper submitted.
(0 pts)
Outline of
Ethical
Analysis
Excellent outline of
the 3 ethical
analysis
statements.
(35 pts)
Adequate outline
of the 3 ethical
analysis
statements.
(25 pts)
Inadequate outline
of the 3 ethical
analysis
statements or
missing
statements.
(10 pts)
– No outline present
or no paper
submitted. (0 pts)
APA Formatted
according to APA
guidelines with no
Formatted
according to APA
guidelines with
Formatted
according to APA
guidelines with
Significant issues
present in the
formatting of the
No paper
submitted
(0 pts)
Galen College of Nursing – PHL 2205 Course Syllabus – Version 8-2 21
errors. Error free
APA formatted in-
text citations and
post-text
references.
(10 pts)
few/minor issues.
Several APA
formatting errors
but includes both
in-text citations
and post-text
references.
(7 pts)
multiple issues.
Missing either in-
text citations or
post-text
references.
(5 pts)
title page. Missing
both in-text
citations and post-
text references.
(3 pts)
Total 100 points
Ethical Analysis Essay
Instructions: This assignment requires you to use Stage One of the Ethical Analysis Essay – Create an Outline as your
starting point for writing an essay that analyzes the ethical dimensions in the film you have already selected. If you have
not selected a film, please choose from the list below. If you cannot access these films, you may select a different film, but
you will require prior approval from your instructor.
Films for Ethical Analysis Essay
John Q (2002) – Story centers on a man whose nine-year-old son desperately needs a life-saving transplant. When he
discovers that his medical insurance will not cover surgery costs and alternative government aid is unavailable, John Q.
Archibald takes a hospital emergency room hostage in a final attempt to save his child.
The Jacket (2005) – A Gulf war veteran is wrongly sent to a mental institution for insane criminals, where he becomes
the object of a doctor’s experiments, and his life is completely affected by them. The film centers on a wounded Gulf war
veteran who returns to his native Vermont suffering from bouts of amnesia.
The Last King of Scotland (2006) – While in Uganda on a medical mission, Scottish doctor Nicholas Garrigan becomes the
personal physician and close confidante of dictator Idi Amin. Although at first Dr. Garrigan feels flattered by his new
position of power, he soon realizes that Amin’s rule is soaked in blood, and complicit in the atrocities. Garrigan faces the
fight of his life as he tries to escape Amin’s grasp.
My Sister’s Keeper (2009) – Told from multiple perspectives, My Sister’s Keeper follows the story of 13-year-old Anna
Fitzgerald as she sues her parents, Brian, and Sara, for medical emancipation. Anna was conceived as an allogeneic
donor for her sister, Kate, who has acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL).
Extraordinary Measures (2010) – John Crowley is a man on the corporate fast-track, with a beautiful wife and three
children. Just as his career is taking off, he learns that his two youngest kids have a fatal disease. John leaves his job and
devotes himself to saving their lives. He joins forces with Dr. Robert Stonehill, a brilliant but eccentric scientist. Together
they battle the medical and corporate establishment, racing against time for a cure.
Contagion (2011) – When Beth Emhoff returns to Minnesota from a Hong Kong business trip, she attributes the malaise
she feels to jet lag. However, two days later, Beth is dead, and doctors tell her shocked husband that they have no idea
what killed her. Soon, many others start to exhibit the same symptoms, and a global pandemic explodes. Doctors try to
contain the lethal microbe, but society begins to collapse as a blogger (Jude Law) fans the flames of paranoia.
Awakenings (1990) – The story of a doctor’s extraordinary work in the Sixties with a group of catatonic patients he finds
languishing in a Bronx hospital. Speculating that their rigidity may be akin to an extreme form of Parkinsonism, he seeks
permission from his skeptical superiors to treat them with L-dopa, a drug that was used to treat Parkinson’s disease at
the time.
Coma (1978) – A young doctor in a hospital discovers that many patients are being induced into comas from simple
routine surgeries. She soon finds a deep conspiracy developing that leads her to believe that nothing is as it seems. The
Galen College of Nursing – PHL 2205 Course Syllabus – Version 8-2 22
comas are deliberate acts to permanently incapacitate patients who are later transferred to a facility called The Jefferson
Institute where illegal activities are being conducted with comatose subjects.
Extreme Measures (1996) – A young British doctor confronts a famous colleague about the true methods of his work.
The doctor wishes to determine why the body of a man who died in his emergency room disappears.
Gattaca (1997) – Vincent Freeman has always fantasized about traveling into outer space but is grounded by his status as
a genetically inferior “in-valid.” He decides to fight his fate by purchasing Jerome Morrow’s genes, a laboratory-
engineered “valid.” He assumes Jerome’s DNA identity and joins the Gattaca space program, where he falls in love with
Irene. An investigation into the death of a Gattaca officer complicates Vincent’s plans.
Your film analysis should feature the application of one (or more) of the following ethical theories listed below:
• Virtue Ethics
• Utilitarian Ethics
• Moral Sense Theory (Conscience)
• Social Contract Theory
• The Ethics of Care
• Kantian Ethics
• Moral Relativism
Essay Format
Title Page – In APA format, include your paper’s title, your name, and your institution (i.e., Galen College), in that order.
Introduction – Provide a brief synopsis of the film that includes the ethical dilemma present in the film. Introduce the
ethical theory you will use to analyze the film.
Ethical Analysis – Apply one ethical theory to the medical ethical dilemma presented in the film. First, describe this
ethical theory in your own words, using the readings and course materials as textual evidence for your explanation of
the moral view. Next, discuss how this ethical theory could provide solutions or recommendations for remedying the
ethical dilemma featured in the film. In your analysis, be sure to address the following questions:
1. What moral values are present in the film (as they relate to the ethical theory you have chosen)?
2. Are there instances of moral values in conflict with one another?
3. What moral guidance does the ethical theory that you selected provide the characters in the film?
Reflection – Summarize what you have discussed in the essay and reflect on what you have learned. Lastly, discuss how
what you have learned could be applied to your professional and personal life.
Note – Your essay must be written using APA format, double-spaced, 4 pages in length (not including title page and
reference page), and written in Times New Roman using 12-point font.
(USLO 10.4)
Criteria Achievement
Level 5
Achievement
Level 4
Achievement
Level 3
Achievement
Level 2
Achievement
Level 1
Film Synopsis
and Medical
Ethical
Dilemma
(CSLO 2)
Excellent
descriiption of the
film and medical
ethical dilemma.
(10 pts)