What are Students Being Taught about Ethics in Public Speaking Textbooks?

Abstract

Current conceptions of communication and ethics were investigated in the top ten public speaking textbooks in the communication discipline. Content analysis was used to examine eight ethical topic areas within each textbook. Results indicate the textbooks by Lucas, Jaffe, Beebe and Beebe, and Brydon and Scott provide the most overall coverage to ethics. In addition, plagiarism, ethnical listening, honesty, and ethical research are discussed most frequently while freedom of speech, hate words, and codes of ethics are least discussed among the top ten selling public speaking books. Each author references different philosophers, defines ethics, and describes the consequences of cheating in diverse ways. The implications of how ethics is not given the same amount of space in the top ten best-selling public speaking textbooks are discussed.

Keywords:

• Applied Ethics
• Ethics
• Higher Education
• Plagiarism
• Public Speaking Textbooks

Notes

Note. *1 = Freedom of speech, 2 = Honesty, 3 = Plagiarism, 4 = Ethical listening, 5 = Ethical research, 6 = Hate words, 7 = Diversity, and 8 = Codes of ethics.

1. Robert Jeffrey and Frank Dance also discussed ethics in their Presidential Addresses, but Andersen was perhaps the most detailed in his treatment of the topic.

2. The conference planners included Kenneth Andersen, Lawrence Frey, Pamela Shockley-Zalabak, Dolores Tanno, Paula Tompkins, Julie Belle White-Newman, Matthew Seeger, and Sherwyn P. Morreale.

3. For a complete description of the definition of ethics, the philosophers referenced, and the treatment of plagiarism, please contact the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Judy C. Pearson

Judy C. Pearson (PhD, Indiana University, 1975) is professor and associate dean of the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences at North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND 58105, USA

Jeffrey T. Child

Jeffrey T. Child (BS, Wayne State College, 2002) is a graduate student in the Department of Communication at North Dakota State University

Jody L. Mattern

Jody L. Mattern (MA, North Dakota State University, 2004) is an assistant professor in the Mass Communications Department at Minnesota State University, Moorhead, MN

David H. Kahl

David H. Kahl, Jr. (BA, Concordia College, 2002) is a graduate student in the Department of Communication at North Dakota State University