Teaching Communication Ethics as Central to the Discipline

Authors

Robert L. Ballard, Pepperdine University
Leeanne M. Bell McManus, Stevenson University
Annette M. Holba, Plymouth State University
Spoma Jovanovic, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro
Paula S. Tompkins, St. Cloud State University
Lori J. N. Charron, Saint Mary’s University of MN
Melba L. Hoffer, Grand Valley State University
Michelle A. Leavitt, Independent Scholar
Tammy Swenson-Lepper, Winona State University

Abstract

Communication ethics as a field of study within the communication discipline has made significant contributions in a variety of areas, including teaching. This paper offers an historical overview of communication ethics, with special attention to four major approaches to pedagogy – ethics in human communication, moral psychology and intuition, a communication ethics framework, and a critical communication ethics pedagogy. For the department seeking to incorporate communication ethics through stand-alone courses or throughout curricula, the authors suggest ways for communication administrators to address questions of desired competencies for communication graduates, and to articulate related learning outcomes. Future recommendations for the field and administrators are offered. The authors conclude that while communication ethics pedagogy has made significant contributions to the discipline, its potential will only be fully realized when faculty and administrators together construct the right balance of offerings for their departments.

Recommended Citation

Ballard, R. L., Bell McManus, L. M., Holba, A. M., Jovanovic, S., Tompkins, P. S., Charron, L. J. N., Hoffer, M. L., Leavitt, M. A., & Swenson-Lepper, T. (2014). Teaching communication ethics as central to the discipline. Journal of the Association for Communication Administration, 33(2), 65-83.