UNIVERSITY OF BELGRADE

FACULTY OF PHILOSOPHY

ENGLISH LANGUAGE
for first-year students of philosophy and sociology

(UNIT 8)
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Pre-reading questions:

1. How would you define ethics?

2. What are the generally accepted moral principles?
3. Is there any difference between unethical and illegal activities?

ETHICS

Ethics is the discipline concerned with what is morally good and bad, right and wrong. Although
ethics has always been viewed as a branch of philosophy, its all-embracing practical nature links
it with many other areas of study, including medicine, economics, history, politics, etc. Yet, ethics
remains distinct from such disciplines because it is not a matter of factual knowledge but rather a
matter of determining the nature of normative theories and applying these sets of principles to
practical moral problems.

Philosophers today usually divide ethical theories into three general subject areas: normative
ethics, meta-ethics and applied ethics.

Normative ethics is concerned with decision-making and the

nature of moral standards by which human actions can be
judged right or wrong. It includes questions like: How should we
live? If we choose happiness, will it be our own or the happiness
of all? It also includes more specific questions such as: Is it right
to be dishonest for a good cause? Can we justify living in
opulence while elsewhere in the world people are starving? Is
going to war justified in cases where it is likely that innocent
people will be killed?

Meta-ethics investigates where our ethical principles come from and what they mean. One of the
most important areas of meta-ethics involves the psychological basis of our moral judgments
and actions, i.e. what motivates us to be moral. It deals with the simple question - Why be moral?
Even if I am aware of basic moral standards, such as don’t kill and don’t steal, this still does not
necessarily mean that I will be psychologically compelled to act in accordance with these standards
in different contexts.

Applied ethics consists of the analysis of specific, controversial moral issues which are usually
subdivided into different groups such as medical ethics, business ethics, sexual ethics, etc. The
field of business ethics, for example, examines moral controversies related to basic employee
rights, job discrimination and whistle blowing. Controversial issues of sexual morality, on the other

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hand, include monogamy versus polygamy, sexual relations without love, homosexual relations,
and extramarital affairs.

Comprehension questions:

1. How is ethics defined in the text above?

2. What types of ethical theories are mentioned in the text? What are they concerned with
respectively?
3. What are the most common moral issues associated with applied ethics?
4. Can you think of any other issues that may be considered controversial from the point of view
of applied ethics?

A. Match the words from the text with their synonyms or explanations:

1. branch a. different
2. distinct b. to be forced to do something
3. opulence c. the underlying support or foundation for an idea,
argument or process
4. to starve d. to name the reasons for a certain act
5. to justify e. related to prescribing a norm or a standard
6. all-embracing f. great wealth
7. to examine g. a topic or problem for debate or discussion
8. to be compelled to do something h. an area of knowledge that may be considered
apart from related areas
9. normative i. situations
10. basis j. to study or to analyze
11. issues k. applying to or including everything; comprehensive
12. contexts l. to suffer (or die) from a prolonged lack of food

B. Find the words or expressions from the text that mean the following:

1. the situation in which a person informs the public (usually the media) of corruption, illegal or
unethical activities and other wrongdoings that are taking place within an organization is
called________________________________________________________
2. ______________________________________happens when an employee or job applicant is
treated unfavorably because of his or her race, age or sex.
3. relations occurring outside marriage are called ______________________________________
4. an issue likely to give rise to controversy or public disagreement is a ____________________
5. ___________________________________is the practice of being married to one person.
6. ___________________________________is the practice of having more than one wife at the
same time.
C. Supply the missing word forms and use them in the sentences below:

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 VERB NOUN ADJECTIVE
TO DISCRIMINATE
BASIS
APPLIED
CAUSAL

1. The unjust and unjustified treatment of different categories of people, especially on the
grounds of race, age or sex or sexuality is called__________________________________.
2. Employers are not allowed______________________________on the______________of
race, sex, national origin or age.
3. The law prohibits all____________________________employment practices which means
that everyone should be given equal rights and opportunities to apply for the job.
4. Sociologists claim that there is a______________________link between poverty and crime.
5. He wouldn’t have done it without good_______________________ (=a good reason).
6. Euthanasia__________________________________much debate in the recent years
especially because different countries have different euthanasia laws.
7. This movie_________________________________on a real-life story.
8. ______________________ethics is the practical_________________________of ethical
standards in various fields – e.g. medicine, psychological research, business practices, etc.
9. The freedom of speech is a___________________________human right.
10. The pattern of events which are mutually linked usually reflects a _______________-and -
effect relationship.

D. Match the terms with their appropriate definitions:

TERM DEFINITION
1. normative ethics a. is a branch of ethics that deals with the analysis of specific,
controversial moral issues
2. meta-ethics b. is a branch of ethics that investigates what motivates us to be moral
(i.e. the origin and the meaning of ethical principles)
3. applied ethics c. is a branch of ethics that evaluates the nature of moral standards by
which human actions can be judged right or wrong

E. ETHICS or MORALS? ETHICAL or MORAL? Insert the appropriate word to complete

the sentences below:

ETHICS MORALS ETHICAL MORAL

1. _______________________ - is plural noun when referring to the rules and standards

concerning right or wrong behavior.
2._________________________can also be used as a singular noun when referring to an
academic discipline.
3.________________________ - a plural noun when referring to individual principles of right
and wrong behavior and the goodness or badness of human character.

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4. ________________________ are the external rules and standards that we must obey as
members of a society while _______________________ are related to individual values and
beliefs.
5. Our morals are sometimes referred to as our personal_________________________.
6. ________________________ are what you have been taught; they are passed down from one
generation to another and are therefore internal guidelines and principles.
7. ________________________ is a branch of philosophy.
8. What is____________________applies only to me, but what is ___________________applies
to everyone.
9. A person’s______________________belief that theft is wrong might stem from the
_______________________rule of respect for the private property of others.
10. You go into a bookstore and read a magazine while standing. You return the magazine in its
place on the stand and leave the store. From a _________________________ point of view, you
did nothing wrong as you did not steal the magazine. From an___________________ point of
view, this is wrong because you read the magazine without paying for the information contained
in the magazine.

F. Supply the negative prefixes for the following words and use them in the sentences below:

____moral ____reversible _____legal _____conduct

____ethical ____conceivable _____significant _____professional
____sufficient ____agreement _____honest _____justified

1. I personally believe that it is______________________________to use animals for various

experiments.
2. Is using animals for various experiments ________________________? Some people say it is,
others that it is not, especially because drugs previously tested on animals have saved many human
lives.
3. Their______________________________was the result of a misunderstanding.
4. DUI (i.e. Driving Under Influence) is an______________________________activity.
5. There are some people who choose to lie about the most_______________________things.
6. He lost his job after being found guilty of__________________________(e.g. misbehavior).
7. This is an ethical question because the damage to the environment is____________________.
8. He wasn’t charged with theft because there was______________________________evidence.
9. It is not_______________________________(= it is possible) that she could be lying.
10. Many disabled people experience_________________________(=unfounded) discrimination
when they apply for jobs.
11. People are no longer surprised to find that politicians are___________________and corrupt.
12. It's a bit____________________________to talk about your co-workers like that.

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G. Fill in the blanks using the appropriate form of the words given in the box:

When did ethics begin and how did it (1)______________________?

 INTRODUCE If one has in mind ethics proper - i.e. the systematic study of what is
 ORIGIN morally right and wrong - it is clear that ethics could have come
 EXPLANATION into (2)______________________only when human beings started to
 EXIST (3)__________________________on the best way to live. This
 MORALITY reflective stage emerged long after human societies had developed
 REFLECTION some kind of (4)________________________, usually in the form of
 CUSTOM (5)______________________standards of right and wrong conduct.
 COMMAND Therefore, ethics began with the (6)_________________________of
the first moral codes. Every human society has some form of a myth to
(7)____________________________the origin of morality. The Old Testament, which describes
the Ten (8)___________________________given to Moses on Mount Sinai, might serve as an
example.

H. Insert the words from the table below into the appropriate blanks in the text:

decreasing usefulness increasing influential

consequences utility utilitarians morally

Utilitarianism
The word utilitarianism is derived from the word utility or
(1)________________________. It is one of the best
known and most (2)_________________________moral
theories which states that actions are classified as
(3)_____________________right or wrong depending on
their (4)____________________, i.e. the good and bad
results that they produce. Utilitarianism also states that the
purpose of morality is to maximize
(5)______________________, i.e. to make life better by
(6)______________________the amount of good things (such as pleasure and happiness) in the
world and (7)_____________________the amount of bad things (such as pain and unhappiness).
The most important classical (8)_____________________are Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832)
and John Stuart Mill (1806-1873).

I. Decide which paragraph describes () ACT UTILITARIANS and which describes () RULE
UTILITARIANS by inserting these terms in the appropriate blanks:

Act Utilitarianism and Rule Utilitarianism

Both act utilitarians and rule utilitarians agree that our overall aim in evaluating actions should be
to create the best results possible, but they disagree about how to do that.

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()_________________________________evaluate individual actions - they believe that in
deciding what is the right thing to do we should consider what actions could be performed, predict
their consequences, and choose the action that will produce the most good. The nature of our
actions is not important, what is important is that the end justifies the means.

()_________________________________stick to the rules and evaluate individual actions in

terms of whether they obey or disobey those rules. In other words, once the rules are determined,
compliance with these rules provides the standard for evaluating individual actions as good or bad.

J. Read the two texts given below and insert ACT UTILITARIAN or RULE UTILITARIAN in
the appropriate blanks:
Applying utilitarianism to stealing

1. Consider the modern-day Robin Hood example:

A close associate of the Mr Iamveryrich (the billionaire owner of Madchester football club),
through some clever accounting, steals £10 million from Mr Iamveryrich‘s account (who never
finds out). He uses the money to fund an orphanage in Lithuania. Is this a good act?

a. Even though the moral value of the act depends on the thief getting away with stealing,
a(n)_____________________________________might say this is a good act because it adds
happiness to the world. From this point of view, stealing is morally good because the happiness
gained from theft outweighs the pain caused. In other words, the end (happiness) justifies the
means (theft), even when the ‘means’ is illegal.

b. For a(n)______________________________, this would be a bad act simply because it is

against the law. Since many laws are moral rules (do not kill, steal, drive dangerously, etc.) it is
clear that the law in this case was broken.

c. For a(n)_______________________________, the only time it might be right to steal is if you

think that the law protecting the property was unjust. For example, in 1930, Mahatma Gandhi
encouraged thousands to march with him in India and extract salt directly from the sea without
paying the salt tax to the British, which he thought was unjust. This is stealing from the state, but
because the law mainly benefited the wealthy, imperialist rulers, then breaking this law/rule could
be morally justified.

2. Consider the following scenario:

Your friend Matthew has asked if he can stay with you for a few days. On the first night, a
deranged-looking man with a knife knocks at your door and asks if Matthew is staying with you.
Do you lie or tell the truth?

a. Lying is completely morally acceptable as the end (maximizing happiness and minimizing
harm) justifies the means.
This would be a perspective of a(n)_______________________________________________.

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b. Telling the truth would be right thing to for a strong________________________________.
A weak _________________________________would say that this is an exception to the rule
and that sometimes the rule needs to be broken to minimize the potential harm.

K. Put the verbs in brackets in the appropriate tense to form Conditional sentences belonging
to different types (Zero, First, Second or Third):

1. According to Socrates and Plato, we______________________(BE) truly happy only if

we___________________(ALLOW) our reason or intellect to guide our emotions and appetites.
2. If I_______________________(HAVE) that much money I____________________(LEND) it
to you.
3. What_____________________(YOU/DO) if you___________________(BE) in my position?
4._______________________(IT/BE) morally wrong if I_____________________(LIE) to my
best friend for a good reason?
5. My parents____________________(BE) much happier if I________________(NOT/MAKE)
such a decision two years ago.
6. If I______________________(TAKE) a pen from the bank_____________________(IT/BE)
considered stealing?
7. What________________________(YOU/DO) if you______________________(SEE) your
co-worker doing something illegal?
8. She______________________(LOSE) her job if________________________(IT/NOT BE)
for her friend who told the truth to the manager.
9. What________________________(YOU/DO) if you__________________(OFFER) a bribe?
10. I_________________________(TELL) you about my plans earlier if you________________
(ASK) me.
11. If you_________________________(KNOW) that other students were cheating on their
exam, _______________________________(YOU/REPORT) this to your teacher?
12. If something__________________(NOT/BE) illegal, ___________________(IT/BE)
ethical?
13. My parents_______________________(BE) embarrassed if they_______________(KNOW)
the truth.
14. If I__________________________(KNOW) this earlier, I____________________________
(NEVER/AGREE) to donate money to those frauds!

L. Insert the words given below into the appropriate blanks in the sentences. Some words may
be used more than once:

(to) DEVIATE CONFORMIST DEVIANT

(to) CONFORM VIOLATION (NON)CONFORMITY
(to) VIOLATE DEVIANCE

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 Conformity and Deviance

1. ___________________________is the extent to which an individual adheres to group norms

or expectations.
2. The fear of rejection and embarrassment often strengthen our urge to____________________
to social norms.
3. A_____________________________is a person who conforms to accepted behavior or
established practices.
4. ______________________________ is related to the way of thinking, living or behaving that
is different from the generally accepted norms or standards.
5. ______________________________refers to norm__________________________ that
exceeds the tolerance level of the community and results in negative sanctions.
Police officers, rehabilitation agencies, courts and jails are in charge of dealing with persons
who__________________________ from the law.
6. Whether your nonconformity leads others to think that you are________________________
or eccentric depends, among other things, on the seriousness of the rule you ________________.
7. Sociologists claim that______________________________ is relative because it depends on
the time, the place, the individual, and the audience.
For example, alcohol use is___________________________for adolescents but not for adults.
8. ___________________________can be divided into criminal and noncriminal activities. For
example, taking another’s life may be acceptable in war, police work, or self-defense but it is
unacceptable in all other situations (e.g. because someone was cheating on a test or having a love
affair).

Discussion questions:

1. Take cheating on an exam as an example and explain how this behavior (i.e. cheating) is seen
from the point of view of the professor and from the point of view of your friends. In which case
would cheating be seen as deviant behavior? Why?

2. In overcrowded prisons in which inmates are depersonalized by assigned numbers, identical

uniforms and daily routines, acts of violence are very common. Are these acts an example of
nonconformity of deviance?

M. Use the words from the table to complete the gaps in the text below:

CRIME RAPID COMMON VALID

INFLUENCED DEVIANCE DISINTEGRATION DISORDER

Anomie

Anomie is a social condition in which there is a (1)__________________________ or

disappearance of the norms and values that were previously (2)________________________ to
the society. The concept, often referred to as “normlessness,” was developed by Émile Durkheim.
He discovered that anomie occurs during and after periods of drastic and

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(3)________________________changes to the social, economic, or political structures of society
when the values and norms common during one period are no longer
(4)________________________but new ones have not yet evolved to take their place.

Durkheim's theory of anomie (5)__________________________the American sociologist Robert

K. Merton who claimed that anomie often led to (6)_____________________ and crime. For
example, if society does not provide enough jobs so that people can work to survive, many will
turn to criminal methods of earning a living. So for Merton, deviance and
(7)_____________________ are, in large part, a result of anomie, a state of social
(8)_____________________.

Discussion questions:

1. Discuss the relation between anomie and experiences of soldiers during wars. Is it easy to lose
the sense of what is right and wrong and what is the norm during wartime?

2. Discuss the relation between anomie and the turbulent 1990s in Serbia which were marked by
an economic crisis and hyperinflation. In 1993, for example, poverty was at its highest in our
country - 39 percent of the population lived on less than $2 per day. Poverty levels rose again
when international sanctions were implemented – we became accustomed to periodical shortages
in food and medical supply, long lines in stores, cold homes in the winter and restrictions on
electricity. In May 1994, The New York Times reported that suicide rates had increased by 22%
since sanctions were first implemented.

N. Rearrange the letters to make the word that fits the sentence:

1. The study _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ the need for more research. SHHHLTIIGG

2. I don’t find his arguments either _ _ _ _ _ or convincing. DOILS
3. Recent studies came up with results which were not _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ with this theory.
ABCELIMOPT
4. Durkheim wrote the first _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ study focusing on the _ _ _ reasons which
motivate suicide. OIRCPMEENHVES/YEK
5. The article _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ the importance social regulation of our morality. DLSIUENREN

O. Insert the words in brackets into the appropriate form:

Oldest crimes in history

Ethics is closely associated with crime and (1)_______________________(PUNISH). The

(2)_____________________(MORAL) of a society is often reflected in what is classified as
(3)_____________________(CRIME) offence, and the law slowly changes to reflect the evolving
moral climate (often lagging behind). For example, homosexual sex was
(4)_______________________(PUNISH) by (5)___________________(DIE) in the UK 150
years ago, but now has the same (6)______________________(LEGALIZE) status as
heterosexual sex. Though laws change over time, some have remained fairly constant. The oldest

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laws recorded by the Sumerian civilization of Mesopotamia (roughly where Syria and Iraq are
today) included murder and (7)________________________(THIEF):

1. If a man commits a murder, that man must be killed.

2. If a man commits a (8)______________________(ROB), he will be killed.

Discussion questions:

1. Can you name some other examples which illustrate that laws/norms change over time?
2. Are you in favor of the death penalty (capital punishment)? Why or why not?
3. Are you familiar with the term cybercrime? Can you provide some examples of cybercrime?

P. Match the terms with their definitions:

Modern crimes and wrongdoings

WORD DEFINITION
1. bribery a. the unwelcome or inappropriate promise of rewards in exchange
for sexual favors
2. corruption b. occurs when someone (or a group of people) is treated less
favorably than another person or group because of their race,
color, national or ethnic origin, sex, pregnancy, age, disability,
religion, marital status, etc.
3. DUI c. a situation in which one worker is exposed to an assault coming
from one or many co-workers for no justifiable reason
4. nepotism d. is not paying taxes which are owned to the government
5. money laundering e. the unseen barrier that keeps minorities and women from
climbing to the upper rungs of the corporate ladder, regardless of
their qualifications or achievements
6. identity theft f. is the practice of using your power or influence to give jobs to
people in your family instead of people who deserve to have them
7. racketeering g. means Driving Under Influence – the crime of driving after you
have taken drugs or drunk too much alcohol
8. sexual harassment h. is the exploitative practice of using children as regular labor
force
9. mobbing i. giving money to someone in order to persuade them to help you
do something dishonest
10. glass ceiling j. the use of power or a network of close contacts for securing an
illegitimate private gain
11. discrimination k. is hiding the original, criminal origin of money by investing it
into something that can turn it into ‘legal money’
12. child labor l. is the use of works protected by copyright law without
permission
13. tax evasion m. refers to the use of Internet and/or mobile technology to harass,
intimidate or cause harm to other people

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 14.copyright infringement n. is a crime in which someone obtains key pieces of someone
(piracy) else’s personally identifiable information in order to impersonate
them
15. cyberbullying o. is demanding ‘protection money’ from someone usually
  accompanied by a threat of some sort

Q. Insert the word in the table below into the appropriate blanks in the text:

virginity victims male rape

shame related targeted responsibility
arranged female trigger underreported
suicide unreported

Honor killings

Honor killing (or shame killing) is the murder of a woman or girl by (1)______________ family
members. The killers justify their actions by claiming that the victim has brought dishonor or
(2)__________________upon the family name.

In patriarchal societies, the activities of girls and women are closely monitored. A woman’s
(3)_________________and “sexual purity” are considered to be the (4)_________________ of
male relatives - first her father and brothers and then her husband. (5)_________________of honor
killings are usually claimed to have engaged in “sexually immoral” actions, ranging from openly
conversing with men who are not (6)____________________ to them to having sex outside of
marriage (even if they are the victims of (7)__________________). However, a woman can be
(8)____________________for murder for a variety of other reasons, including refusing to enter
into an (9)___________________marriage or seeking a divorce or separation - even from an
abusive husband. The mere suspicion that a woman has acted in a manner that could damage her
family’s name may (10)____________________an attack, even if these suspicions are often based
on men’s feelings and perceptions rather than on objective truth. Ironically,
(11)__________________relatives often defend the killings and occasionally help set them up.

The UN reports estimate that around 5,000 women and girls are murdered each year in honor
killings worldwide. Honor killings are (12)______________________in the USA, especially
because such crimes are similar to crimes of passion. In India and Pakistan, on the other hand,
honor killings are (13)___________________to the police because of the direct or indirect support
of the witnesses of the crime. Therefore, a case of a woman who was beaten, burned, strangled,
shot, or stabbed to death could be ruled a (14)___________________, even if there were multiple
wounds and there was no possibility that the woman could have killed herself.

R. Match the words and phrases on the left with their appropriate definitions and use them to
fill in missing blanks in the text below:

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 WORD DEFINITION
1. outbreak a. to warn other people of something dangerous
2. pandemic b. a sudden occurrence of something negative, such as war or
disease
3. posthumously c. is a person who reports insider knowledge of illegal
activities occurring in an organization
4. accusations d. happening after a person’s death
5. whistleblower e. to share a story or piece of information that may or may not
be true
6. spreading rumors f. trying to prevent the public from discovering secretive
information about a serious crime or mistake
7. reprimand g. to spread knowledge of a particular problem or cause
8. covering up h. is a strong official criticism of a person or their behavior
9. sound the alarm i. claims that someone has done something illegal or wrong
10. raise awareness j. (of a disease) occurring over a wide geographic area and
affecting an exceptionally high proportion of the population

The Coronavirus Whistleblower

Li Wenliang, the ophthalmologist whose early warnings about the coronavirus earned him a
(1)_________________________from Chinese authorities, has finally received justice - albeit
(2)_________________________. Six weeks after his death from the disease caused by the virus,
the authorities in the country apologized to his family.

Widely known as a (3)_________________________who spoke up about the

(4)_______________________ the disease in the city of Wuhan, China, the 34-year-old doctor
was initially punished by local authorities. They said he was "(5)_________________________"
in early January, after he had tried to warn others about the emergence of the novel coronavirus
that soon became a global (6)_________________________.

By the time the young doctor died of COVID-19 in early

February 2020, the virus had already claimed hundreds of lives.
News of his death, coupled with
(7)________________________ that the government was
(8)___________________________ the outbreak, triggered an
outrage from the Chinese society.

Soon after, Beijing's investigators concluded that Wuhan authorities acted "inadequately" when
they reprimanded the late doctor. They should have appreciated his efforts to
(9)___________________________on the coronavirus as a positive influence that would have
helped (10)___________________________.

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S. Match the adjective pairs given below with their meaning:

concluding exhausted comprehensive invaluable negligent

conclusive exhaustive comprehensible valueless negligible

1. ____________________ - not taking enough care over something you are responsible for
2. ____________________ - so small as to be of no importance

1. ___________________- very useful or valuable

2. ___________________- having no worth or value

1. ___________________- extremely tired

2. ___________________- dealing with elements or aspects of something in a very detailed way

1. ___________________- final or last

2. ___________________- showing that something is definitely true

1. __________________- including all or almost all the facts or details that may be necessary
2. __________________- something that can be understood

Now insert the appropriate adjective in the sentences below:

1. After he had spent more than two days without sleep, he felt__________________________.
2. The causes of this virus necessitate an___________________________ investigation.
3. His comments were so general that they were practically_________________________.
4. This book is an_______________________________source of information for all sociology
students.
5. His final remarks are given in the____________________________chapter of the book.
6. They have not been able to find any______________________evidence to support their
hypothesis.
7. The judge said that the parents had been _________________________in allowing the
younger children to swim in the pool.
8. When something is meaningless or insignificant because it is so little, it
is______________________________.
9. A____________________________study is wide in scope and content.
10. The instructions should be clear and_________________________________.

T. Insert the appropriate negative prefixes:

1. _____conformity occurs when people violate the expected norms of behavior.

2. Deviance is behavior of which others _____approve to such an extent that they believe
something significant should be done about it.
3. Deviance can be divided into criminal and _____criminal activities.
4. Is it right to be _____honest for a good cause?
5. In honor killings, the victim is thought to have brought _____honor or shame upon the family
name.
6. Many honor killings are _____reported in India and Pakistan.

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7. They believed that he was innocent and that the punishment was ____just.
8. My grandmother told me that when she was young it was socially _____acceptable to discuss
sex.
9. Many _____abled people experience _____lawful discrimination
10. The legal sanctions against such behavior are virtually _____effective.

T. Insert the appropriate prepositions:

TO OF WITH FROM INTO FOR UPON

1. Most people, most of the time, conform ______ the generally accepted norms and
expectations.
2. Conformity is the extent ______ which an individual adheres _____ group norms or
expectations.
3. This is an exception ______ the rule because the rule sometimes needs to be broken to
minimize the potential harm.
4. In honor killings, the victim is thought to have brought shame ______ the family.
5. They claim that poverty is linked _________ crime.
6. In honor killings, a woman can be targeted ______ murder _______ a variety of other
reasons, including refusing to enter _______ an arranged marriage.
7. Should we report this _______the police?
8. The word utilitarianism is derived ______ the word utility.
9. The police gathered enough evidence to charge him ______ murder.
10. She accused her employer ______ sexual harassment.

Focus on: personal code of ethics

Personal ethics

Each of us has personal ethics or the individual

moral principles by which we live our lives. Many of
these principles are the ones we have learned from
our parents and the people with whom we choose to
associate, others are instilled in us by our religious
upbringing.

Personal ethics are different from the rules laid down

by society through its laws. As a society, we have
determined that it is wrong to harm another human
being, or steal his or her property. Most personal

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ethics include these societal rules. But some do not. Criminals have personal ethics that allow them
to regularly break laws that harm people and their property.

Although not criminals, many of us pick and choose certain laws that we will or will not obey. A
good example is our speed limit laws. Highways have specified speed limits to protect people from
being injured or killed. Yet, drive down any one of those highways and you will see people driving
well over those limits. Their personal ethics let them break such a rule, regardless of the
consequences to themselves or other people.

Personal ethics change over time, as does their strength in controlling our actions. When we are
young and seeking experiences, we may let ethics slide and do things we regret later. If our ethical
training is strong, we use the guilt we feel to change our behavior. As we get older, we better
understand the importance of the role that our personal ethics play in how others judge us and,
most importantly, how we judge ourselves. One definition of personal ethics is that it is ‘how we
behave when no one else is watching’.

Discussion topics:

1. Why do personal ethics (or individual moral principles) change over time?
2. Why do some people associate guilt with personal ethics while others don’t?
3. How do parents teach ethics to their children?

CONDITIONAL SENTENCES

A. Zero, First or Second Conditional? Decide whether the events are always true, very likely
or imaginary and put the verbs in brackets into the appropriate tense:

1. I am sure we_______________________(FINISH) this project if we____________________

(CONTINUE) to work hard.
2. I________________________(APPLY) for that job if I_____________________(HAVE) the
appropriate qualifications. (but I don’t)
3. I_________________________(NOT ACCEPT) that job even if they___________________
(OFFER) it to me.
4. If you___________________(KISS) your girlfriend good-bye, this_________________(BE)
perfectly acceptable behavior. But if you_____________________(KISS) a stranger sitting next
to you on a subway, this________________________(BE) a sign of sexual harassment.
5. If I_____________________(GET) up early tomorrow, I__________________(NOT/BE)
late for class.
6. If we______________________________(NOT/HAVE) to finish this project so quickly,
we________________________(HAVE) more time to explore other sources of information.
7. If I________________________(BE) you, I___________________(ACCEPT) that job offer.
8. If spouses________________________(DIVORCE), each____________________(TEND)
to blame the other for the problems in their marriage.
9. If you_____________________(CHOOSE) to dye your hair green, this__________________

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(BE) a violation of folkways, but not a criminal offence.
10. If your actions______________________(BE) in harmony with the norms, they
_________________________(BE) moral actions.
11. If you___________________________(NOT/MAKE) a decision right now,
tomorrow___________________________(BE) too late.
12. If I___________________________(KNOW) that this process would be so long,
I______________________________(GIVE UP) long time ago.

B. Rewrite the following sentences using conditional sentences. Use passive forms if
necessary:

1.She is not employed and this is why she doesn’t have health insurance.
If____________________________________________________________________________
2. He doesn’t have the appropriate qualifications so he won’t apply for the job.
If____________________________________________________________________________
3. I didn’t read the instructions carefully so I applied after the deadline.
If____________________________________________________________________________
4. I didn’t attend classes regularly and this is why I didn’t pass the final exam.
If____________________________________________________________________________
5. He lied to me before and this is why I didn’t believe him.
If____________________________________________________________________________
6. He refused to work overtime so he wasn’t promoted.
If____________________________________________________________________________
7. I don’t have enough money for tuition fees so I can’t apply for postgraduate studies.
If____________________________________________________________________________
8. We can’t make any precise predictions because we don’t know all the details.
If____________________________________________________________________________
9. I don’t speak French and this is why I am not able understand this message.
If____________________________________________________________________________
10. He was tired and this is why he made such a mistake.
If____________________________________________________________________________
 

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Materials used in the textbook:

1. Brinkerhoff, D., White, L., Ortega, S. and Weitz, R. (2013). Essentials of Sociology (9th ed.).
Belmont, CA: Cengage Learning.
2. Buckingham, W., Burnham, D., King, P., Hill, C., Weeks, M. and Marenbon, J. (2011). The
Philosophy Book. Big Ideas Simply Explained. New York: DK Publishing.
3. Ferrante, J. (2015) Seeing Sociology: An Introduction (3rd ed). Boston, MA: Cengage
4. Giddens, A. and Sutton, P. (2017). Sociology (8th ed.). Chichester, West Sussex: John Wiley
and Sons Ltd.
5. Haralambos, M. and Holborn, M. (2008). Sociology Themes and Perspectives (7th ed.).
London: HarperCollins Publisher Limited.
6. Hayward, J., Jones. G. and Cardinal, D. (2017). Philosophy for A-level Year 1 and AS.
Epistemology and Moral Philosophy. London: Hodder Education.
7. Henslin, J. (2002). Essentials of Sociology: A Down-to-Earth Approach. Boston, MA: Allyn
and Bacon.
8. Kleinman, P. (2013). Philosophy 101: From Plato and Socrates to Ethics and Metaphysics, an
Essential Primer on the History of Thought. Cincinnati: F+W Media.
9. Macionis, J. John and Plummer, K. (2008). Sociology: A Global Introduction. Harlow, Essex:
Pearson Prentice Hall.
10. Macionis, J. John. (2012). Sociology (14th ed.). Harlow, Essex: Pearson Education.
11. Sinclair, A. (2008). What is Philosophy? An Introduction. Edinburgh: Dunedin Academic
Press.
12. Stich, S. and Donaldson, T. (2018). Philosophy: Asking Questions – Seeking Answers.
Oxford: OUP.

Reference books:

1. Carter, R. and McCarthy, M. (2010). Cambridge Grammar of English. Cambridge: CUP.

2. Collins Cobuild English Usage (2002). London: Harper Collins.
3. Hewings, M. (2005). Advanced Grammar in Use. Cambridge: CUP.
4. Macmillan English Dictionary for Advanced Learners (2007). Oxford: Macmillan.
5. Oxford Collocations Dictionary (2009). Oxford: OUP.
6. Oxford Dictionary of Synonyms and Antonyms (2007). Oxford: OUP.
7. Oxford Learner’s Dictionary of Academic English (2014). Oxford: OUP.
8. Wallwork, A. (2013). English for Academic Research: Vocabulary Exercises. New York:
Springer.

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