SCO101

Why Do Good?

Tutor-Marked Assignment

July 2022
SCO101 Tutor-Marked Assignment

TUTOR-MARKED ASSIGNMENT

This assignment is worth 50% of the final mark for SCO101 Why Do Good?.

The deadline for this assignment is:

27 July 11:55pm (for TGs with classes in the off-term weeks)

17 August 11:55pm (for TGs with classes in Term 1 weeks 1-3)

7 September 11:55pm (for TGs with classes in Term 1 weeks 4-6)

12 October 11:55pm (for TGs with classes in Term 2 weeks 9-11)

2 November 11:55pm (for TGs with classes in Term 2 weeks 12–14)

Note to Students:

1. You are to include the following in all your assignments: course code, your name and
SUSS PI No., and submission date.

2. Refer to the Student Handbook for details regarding plagiarism. The University has strict
guidelines and will enforce severe penalties for direct and unacknowledged copying of course
materials or the work of any other authors as this is regarded as cheating. This includes the
direct lifting of sentences or parts of sentences, the lack of or incomplete citations, and the
non-usage of quotation marks. You should NOT include a cover page, university logo, and
declaration of independent work as these will increase your similarity index and affect your
plagiarism report.

3. You are expected to submit original work. Students who lack original content will incur
penalties.

4. The University will enforce severe penalties for the engagement of ghost-writing
services. This is regarded as a form of cheating and will be dealt with seriously. Please consult
the CUC PRQ Reference Booklet for more details.

5. You must include in-text citations and a list of references you have consulted in your
work. Do not use footnotes or endnotes.

6. You are strongly advised to submit your assignments before the specified deadline. 10
marks will be automatically deducted via the grade-book system for each 24-hour block after
the deadline has passed. There is strictly no extension of assignment deadlines. The 12-hour
grace period after the deadline is set aside to resolve technical faults and submission
during this period is still considered a late submission. You are to consult the Student
Handbook and the CUC PRQ Reference Booklet for more details.

7. Submit your paper under the correct assignment link “TMA01” on Canvas

SINGAPORE UNIVERSITY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES (SUSS) 2

SCO101 Tutor-Marked Assignment

Question 1

In this assignment, you are required to respond to the question “Why do good?” in the context
of a real-world case study of global concern in strictly no more than 800-words (excluding
references). This assignment should not be answered in bullet points but in the form of a short
essay. However, you are welcome to label the parts of your short essay that correspond to the
different essay tasks.

Note: Global concerns are issues that every nation in the world is concerned about, such as
child labour, human trafficking, migration, torture, humanitarian intervention, pandemics,
scarce resources, discrimination, wars, online privacy, etc. This list is non-exhaustive. The case
study you select for this assignment should be different from the topic chosen for the DB. To
ensure your work is original, you should not use any of the case studies that have been covered
exhaustively in the course materials. Please consult your instructor on the list of topics that
should be avoided for the TMA.

You will be assessed holistically and the following breakdown of tasks will help guide you in
developing and organising your essay response:

(a) Present a real-world case study highlighting a moral issue of global concern. You
should identify relevant ethical considerations for discussion. (10 marks)

(b) Give a personal response to the ethical issue(s) in (a) by responding to the question of
“Why do good?”. You should make a claim and explain what doing good means (use
“should/ought” and underline your claim). (10 marks)

(c) Demonstrate ethical reasoning by providing reasons to support your claim in (b). You
must give 2 reasons (number your reasons) and apply an ethical theory you have learned
in this course to support each of your reasons (i.e., reason 1 supported by theory 1;
reason 2, supported by theory 2) (50 marks)

(d) Discuss possible constraints or limitations to both of the theories you have applied (i.e.,
1 constraint/limitation to each theory; total 2 constraints/limitations). They must be
discussed within the context of this case study. (30 marks)

SINGAPORE UNIVERSITY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES (SUSS) 3

SCO101 Tutor-Marked Assignment

The following rubrics will be used to assess this assignment.

Tasks 10 – 9 marks 8 – 6 marks 5 – 3 marks 2 – 0 marks

(a) Present a real- Provides relevant and Provides adequate Provides somewhat Provides peripheral
world case study of thorough details of details of the moral adequate details of information of the
global concern. the moral issue issue for the moral issue moral issue that is
which help to clarify discussion, but may necessary for distracting and/or
(Global perspective) key ethical include information discussion but also confusing for the key
(Communication) considerations. that is distracting to provides information ethical issues on
the issues on hand. that is distracting or hand.
Identify Demonstrates irrelevant.
relevant ethical perceptive analysis Shows an ability to Shows confusion
considerations. of the ethical issue, clearly articulate the Demonstrates some about what
and a clear ethical issue on hand ability to articulate constitutes an ethical
(Sense-making) articulation of ethical and point out the ethical issue on issue or ethical
considerations. relevant ethical hand although it may considerations.
Total: 10 marks considerations. be implicit or
incomplete.

(b) Give a personal Shows a perceptive Provides a response Provides a response Demonstrates a lack
response to the analysis of what that is similar to the that is similar to the of understanding
ethical issue (s) in (a) “good” means in this position from the position from the about what this task
by responding to the case study, and chosen theory with a chosen theory, requires and
question of “Why do articulates a precise clear consideration of although with some articulates personal
good?”. position on the issue. the specifics variations added. views with no
pertaining to the case Position is mostly support or analysis,
(Decision-making) Demonstrates a study. Position is clear. and/or does not take a
strong analytical mostly clear. position on the issue.
Total: 10 marks understanding of the Shows some ability
issue as part of the Shows clear ability to make connections Does not make a
broader phenomena to make connections between the clear connection
(patterns and trends) between the particular moral between the
in the society, particular moral issue and the broader particular moral
providing insights to issue and the broader phenomena (patterns issue and the broader
aid decision- phenomena (patterns and trends) in the phenomena (patterns
making. and trends) in the society, but does not and trends) in the
society, but lacks elaborate to support society, and does not
insights that can aid decision-making. present any insights
decision-making. to the case study to
help with decision-
making.

SINGAPORE UNIVERSITY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES (SUSS) 4

SCO101 Tutor-Marked Assignment

Tasks 50 – 41 marks 40 – 31 marks 30 – 21 marks 20 – 11 marks 10 – 0 marks

c) Demonstrate Reasons provided Reasons provided Reasons provided Reasons provided There is only 1
ethical reasoning are excellent and are appropriate offer some do not always reason provided,
in personal support the claim and support the support to the support the and the logical
responses to directly and claim. claim. claim, or 1 set of link with the
“Why do good?”. unequivocally. reason and theory claim is weak.
Demonstrates a Demonstrates a is more
Provide 2 reasons Demonstrates an good grasp of the reasonable grasp connected to the Demonstrates a
and apply an excellent grasp chosen theory of the chosen claim than the lack of
ethical theory to of the chosen and is able to theory and is other. understanding of
support each theory and apply it to the able to apply it the chosen
reason. provides a case study, adequately to the Demonstrates a theory except for
correct and beyond the key key issues of the bare minimum its key principle.
(Decision- thorough issues, although case study understanding of
making) application of its not thoroughly. although not the chosen theory
mechanics to the thoroughly or and is able to
Total: 50 marks case study. accurately. apply it to the
(25 marks for case study
each set of reason Provides insights although not
and theory) into the theory, thoroughly and
some beyond with mistakes.
those covered in
this course.

Tasks 30 – 25 marks 24 – 19 marks 18 – 13 marks 12 – 7 marks 6 – 0 marks

(d) Discuss any Demonstrates Shows a good Shows adequate Shows a basic Demonstrates a
possible perceptive understanding of understanding of understanding of lack of
constraints or analysis of the the constraints/ the constraints/ the constraints/ understanding
limitations to the chosen theory – limitations of the limitations of the limitations of the about what a
theories applied. its assumptions, chosen theory in chosen theory in chosen theory in constraint or
(Sense-making) principles, the application to the application to the application to limitation is, and
Total: 30 marks applications – the case study the case study the case study is unable to
(15 marks for and is able to with barely any with some although engage with the
each set of critically mistakes, but is mistakes, and mistakes are case study.
constraints/ evaluate the unable to unable to apparent.
limitations of theory with thoroughly thoroughly
theory to the respect to the evaluate the evaluate the
application of the case study. theory. theory.
case)

Student Reminders:

Before you begin this assignment, do a self-evaluation:

● Have you understood every aspect of the ethical theories taught in this course?
● Have you understood the limitations of these theories adequately?
● Are you aware of some of the challenges presented in both local and global real-
world ethical issues, including cultural ones?
● Have you demonstrated higher-order thinking by being able to present well-reasoned
insights to both local and global real-world ethical issues?
● Are you able to identify what doing good means in this assignment?

SINGAPORE UNIVERSITY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES (SUSS) 5

SCO101 Tutor-Marked Assignment

● Are you able to respond clearly and coherently to the question on doing good?
● Have you provided 2 distinct reasons with 2 distinct applications of different
theories/formulations to substantiate ONE clear moral stand?
● Are you able to identify the constraints or limitations of the theories you use, and
explain them in relation to your case study? (Note that constraints/limitations are
substantive problems with the theory or its applicability and, crucially,
undermines either its ability to be used to draw the conclusion stated or the
ethical plausibility of said conclusion in the first place. They are not simply
counter-arguments using a different theory.)

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SINGAPORE UNIVERSITY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES (SUSS) 6