3rd Edition
Practicing Communication Ethics Development, Discernment, and Decision Making
This textbook presents a theoretical framework for developing a personal standard of ethics that can be applied in everyday communication situations. This third edition focuses on how the reader’s communication matters ethically in co-creating their relationships, family, workgroups, and communities.
Through an examination of ethical values including truth, justice, freedom, care, integrity, and honor, the reader can determine which values they are ethically committed to upholding. Blending communication theory, ethics as practical philosophy, and moral psychology, the text presents the practice of communication ethics as part of the lifelong process of personal development and fosters the ability in its readers to approach communication decision making through an ethical lens.
This edition features new and expanded treatment of moral injury and trauma, digital communication, partisan political division, and issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Practicing Communication Ethics is a core textbook for communication ethics and media ethics courses.
Online resources for instructors include an instructor’s manual, sample assignments, and PowerPoint slides. They are available at www.routledge.com/9781032288987.
Part One Developing a Practice of Communication Ethics
Chapter 1 The Centrality of Ethics in Human Communication
Communication Matters
Developing a Practice of Ethical Communication
Conclusion
Vocabulary
Cases for Discussion
References
Chapter 2 Developing a Personal Ethical Standard for Human Communication
Moral Development
Caregiver Communication and Moral Development
Peers
Culture
Religion and Spirituality
The Marketplace
Popular Culture
Evaluating Your Personal Ethical Standard
Logical Analysis
Testing by Experience
Expressing Your Personal Ethical Standard as a Code or Credo
Conclusion
Vocabulary
Cases for Discussion
References
Chapter 3 Ethical Reasoning About Human Communication
Steps in Ethical Reasoning
Step One—Recognizing an Ethical Issue
Step Two—Get the Facts About the Situation
Step Three—Think About Alternative Ethical Responses
Step Four—Evaluate Alternatives From Different Points of View
Everyday Practice of Ethics
Ethical Theories
Step Five—Act, Then Reflect on Your Decision
Ethical Decision Points of Human Communication
Communicating Your Ethical Reasoning to Others
Conclusion
Vocabulary
Cases for Discussion
References
Chapter 4 Six Ethical Values of Human Communication
Truth and Truthfulness
Justice
Freedom
Care
Integrity
Honor
Your Personal Ethical Standard
Conclusion
Vocabulary
Cases for Discussion
References
Chapter 5 Applying Values and Principles in Ethical Reasoning
Absolutism as an Ethical Imperative
Many Faces of Relativism
Casuistry: Balancing Values and Principles With Responsiveness
Conclusion
Vocabulary
Cases for Discussion
References
Part Two Applying Ethical Theories to Human Communication
Chapter 6 Traditional Approaches to Ethical Theory
Virtue Ethics
Moral Rights
Kant and Moral Rights
Moral Rights of Communication
Utilitarianism
Conclusion
Vocabulary
Cases for Discussion
References
Chapter 7 Contemporary Alternatives to Modernist Ethical Theories
Modernist Thinking
Postmodernism
Decentered Self
Postmodern Truth as Justified Truth
Postmodern Power
Concluding Thoughts on Postmodernism
Dialogue
Ethical Care
Conclusion
Vocabulary
Cases for Discussion
References
Part Three Four Contexts of Ethical Communication Practice
Chapter 8 Communication Ethics and Digital Communication
Digital Metaconstructs: A Framework for Studying Digital Communication
Issues of Freedom in Digital Communication
Issues of Truth in Digital Communication
Conclusion
Vocabulary
Cases for Discussion
References
Chapter 9 Communication Ethics and Community
Dialectical Tensions of Community
Dialectical Tension of Similarity and Difference
Dialectical Tension Between the Individual and Community
Managing Dialectical Tensions of Community in Western Societies
"Friendship" as a Metaphor for Community
"Citizenship" as a Metaphor for Community
Conclusion
Vocabulary
Cases for Discussion
References
Chapter 10 Communication Ethics and Intercultural Communication
Dialectical Tensions of Intercultural Communication
Ethical Issues and Challenges of Intercultural Communication
Negotiating Cultural Identity
Absolutism and Relativism in Intercultural Communication
Conclusion
Vocabulary
Cases for Discussion
References
Chapter 11 Your Practice of Communication Ethics
Two Additional Challenges to Your Practice of Communication Ethics
Communication Ethics as a Practice of Hope
Vocabulary
References
Index
Biography
Paula S. Tompkins is Emeritus Professor of Communication Studies at St. Cloud State University, USA.
"Tompkins demonstrates deep understanding of communication ethics and moral psychology in Practicing Communication Ethics: Development, Discernment, and Decision-Making. The text provides students with invaluable opportunities to understand the value of mindfulness and moral emotions when discerning whether ethical issues exist and when making moral choices in, through, and about communication." — Tammy Swenson Lepper, Winona State University, USA
Praise for the Second Edition:
"This book offers a rich examination of its topic’s application to the teaching and research agendas of interpersonal communication, intercultural communication, organization communication, and rhetorical theory and criticism. Tompkins emphasizes that the practice of communication ethics is important for cultivating the moral ecology of communal life." — Michael J. Hyde, Wake Forest University, USA
