Creating Case Studies for
Ethics Discussions: Guidelines

(Adapted from the Rutland Center for Ethics)

It’s very possible for faculty to create their own case studies,
tailor-made to generate ethics discussions for their field and lesson.

A good case is self-contained:

All relevant details are included and explained in a way that the audience can grasp. All details are clear.

A good case study is relatively short:

If it is to be discussed in class without prior preparation, the case needs to be relatively short so that it can be read and digested in 5-10 minutes, allowing ample time for  discussion.

A good case study is followed by many questions:

There should be more questions than can be answered in the class period. The questions should be ethically rich and should definitely challenge students’ ethical judgment. 

A good case study is carefully constructed:

The case contains all necessary details and eliminates all unnecessary details.
Careful consideration is given to which details students need in order to address the questions. 

Usually, a good case is plausible:

Realistic and relevant cases usually meet with easier acceptance, but even a hypothetical or fanciful case can work as long as the instructor explains the reason for using the case.

If the case is in the news and still developing, this may lead to problems as the actual story develops.

Cases that evoke emotional responses or lead to confrontations should be avoided.

A good case does not have an obvious resolution:

If the right answer is too obvious, students may feel that right and wrong answers can be easily arrived at.

Easy answers can also make students wonder what the point of ethical discussion is when everyone knows what should be done.

A “creeping case” is an interesting option:

A creeping case is one which is followed by variations that change the case in important ways. The instructor can add details during the discussion or change parameters in such a way that the questions become more difficult to answer or that one intuition will be pitted against another intuition.  (A common example of this technique is changing the characters in the case from unknown persons to one’s family or friends.)

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