Prior to my ethics class this semester, I was unaware how my morals and values could transfer into my career in public relations. Throughout the class, it became clearer to me about how to act ethically in a sticky situation and how to apply my morals and values to my career.
In a world where many see the media as unethical, this class has taught me how to make better decisions to change how the public views our work. On the first day of class, my professor asked us to question what value we believed was most important to us. I found that there is no right answer to this question and that all values are important in making ethical decisions in our careers as advertisers and public relations consultants. I also found that when everyone has a different moral code, it can sometimes be hard to come to a decision on what is right or wrong in a difficult situation.
Throughout the class, we learned how to apply classical ethical theories to sticky situations that corporations faced throughout the years. We closely analyzed how each decision that a corporation made was either ethical or not. By applying these ethical theories to these cases, I began to learn how to apply ethical theories to my future career as a public relations consultant. Not only did it teach me how to apply ethical theories in the work place, but it also taught me how to work cohesively within a group. Working within a group made it tough to agree on what ethical theories applied where sometimes, but it was fun trying to come to an agreement that everyone was okay with.
Not only did this class teach us how to become more ethical in our decisions, we were also pushed to become better writers. Every lesson on the correct usage of “they’re”, “their”, and “there” will stick with me as I grow to become a better writer in my career. Not only will this lesson stick with me forever, but so will all of my professors little tricks for using apostrophes correctly. I will never forget the day my group received a zero for using an apostrophe incorrectly. In order to make up for it, she actually made us write a professional apology, as we might have to do if we make a major mistake with a client in the future. It was a great learning experience for my group and me.
As I entered this class four months ago, I was fearful of my professor. I had heard so many rumors that she was a tough grader and hard to please. I always found myself trying harder to get her approval, and for that I am also thankful because she pushed me to become a more thorough writer over time. I also thought that ethics would be boring, but she made it interesting by applying things we were actually interested in. Her ongoing joke throughout the semester was, “I can only keep this class interested if we’re talking about food or sex.” It’s funny to think college kids can only focus in a class when these two things are applied, but it’s true. I believe it’s important to apply humor to subjects that would otherwise be dry and boring. By making the class fun and interesting, this semester flew by. I truly had a great time in our ethics class and will always try to apply the things I’ve learned to my future career and my life.
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