Applied Ethics Commons^™

Bad Acts, Worse Responses: Reconsidering The Moral Foundations Of The Us Criminal Justice System, Christian N. Futch

Honors College Theses

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the contemporary criminal justice system in the United States, offering moral and pragmatic critiques to its current construction, and proposing an alternative construction that is both more successful pragmatically and morally. In this paper, I first establish the connection between morality and the law through the consideration of jurisprudential theories of law. After arguing for this connection, I then offer critiques of the current criminal justice system in the United States. After this, I evaluate the four general theories of punishment using the scholarship of Thom Brooks, finding that retributive and deterrent …

Exceptional Driving Principles For Autonomous Vehicles, A. D'Amato, S. Dancel, J. Pilutti, L. Tellis, E. Frascaroli, J. C. Gerdes

Journal of Law and Mobility

Public expectations for automated vehicles span a broad range, from mobility for passengers, to road user safety, to compliance with the traffic code. In most ordinary situations, these expectations can be satisfied simultaneously. But these various expectations can also lead to exceptional scenarios where certain objectives, such as those related to safety, are in tension with road rules. Exceptional driving scenarios challenge motion planning algorithms in automated vehicles to find solutions that are legally grounded, ethically sound, and technically feasible.

The general public’s familiarity with exceptional driving scenarios comes from the classic "Trolley Car" problem in philosophy, asking who should …

Facultas Marginem: Assessing Disability Data And Public Aau Universities’ Affirmative Action Plans For Systemic Barriers Facing Faculty With Disabilities, Joseph Carlton Barry

Theses and Dissertations--Education Sciences

This dissertation contributes to education equity scholarship produced by academics seeking to develop understandings of disability, Persons with Disabilities (PWD), and how both are situated amongst faculty in institutions of higher education. As such, this dissertation centers on a study of public US universities belonging to the Association of American Universities (AAU). This study looks for institutional level associations between respective rates by which college and university faculty with disabilities (FWD) are employed, certain aspects of disability policy drawn from each institution’s 2020 Affirmative Action Plans (AAP), and various other instances of empirical disability data (EDD).

While this study contributes …

Righting Health Policy: Bioethics, Political Philosophy, And The Normative Justification Of Health Law And Policy, D. Robert Macdougall

Publications and Research

In Righting Health Policy, D. Robert MacDougall argues that bioethics needs but does not have adequate tools for justifying law and policy. Bioethics’ tools are mostly theories about what we owe each other. But justifying laws and policies requires more; at a minimum, it requires tools for explaining the legitimacy of actions intended to control or influence others. It consequently requires political, rather than moral, philosophy. After showing how bioethicists have consistently failed to use tools suitable for achieving their political aims, MacDougall develops an interpretation of Kant’s political philosophy. On this account the legitimacy of health laws does …

Witnessing Anew: Human Rights Advocacy For Migrants At The U.S. Southern Border In Covid-19 Times, Ellen Maccarone

Biennial Conference: The Social Practice of Human Rights

In this paper I provide a case study of transnational migrant advocacy done by the Kino Border Initiative during the COVID-19 pandemic. Shortly before the pandemic I spent a week with KBI for an immersion experience part of which focused on the ideas of human rights advocacy and witnessing. “Witness” in this context has both a spiritual/moral dimension and an experiential one that can form a foundation for advocacy. Using accounts of migrants to inform and humanize changed when interpersonal witnessing became impossible during the pandemic. This increased the levels of human rights abuses experienced by migrants and limited the …

Linguistic Branching Of Semantics In Arabic: A Social Approach, Hanan Ismael Amayreh, Mohammad Ismael Amayreh

Al-Balqa Journal for Research and Studies البلقاء للبحوث والدراسات

Linguist Branching is appropriate for Arabic Language as words branch out mostly from roots, and every root becomes a tree, which is different from others, not because of the tree itself, but because of what society uses. Language branching expresses the controversial relationship between the language and the rules that govern it from one side, and society’s preference of certain terms over others from the other side. This study tries to answer the following questions: does the language impose the used words, or does it offer options for society to choose what suits it? The study reaches a conclusion that …

The Reality Of Applying Governance Within The Criteria Of Quality Assurance At Schools Of Sport Science At Jordanian Universities, Sari Ahmad Hamdan, Fatima Marof Al-Khrisat

Al-Balqa Journal for Research and Studies البلقاء للبحوث والدراسات

This study examines the reality of applying governance within The Criteria of Quality Assurance at schools of Sport Science at Jordanian Universities from their members perspective. It also aims at finding out the differences in the schools' members perspective. The sample of the study consisted of (86) school members who work in (University of Jordan, Yarmouk University, Mu'tah University, Hashemite University, and Al-Ahliyya Amman University). To achieve the objectives of the study, the Descriptive approach was used. The results showed that the reality of applying governance came to a high degree, and they were statistically significant in the perspective of …

The Image Of The Andalusian Woman In Love And Adored In The Muwashahat Of The Sixth Century Ah In Andalusia, Ali Mosa A-Masha’Leh, Nawal Abd Rahman Al-Shawabkeh

Al-Balqa Journal for Research and Studies البلقاء للبحوث والدراسات

This research aims at exploring the image of the Andalusian woman in love and adored in the sixth hijri century of Andalusia. It explores the real image of women through Andalusian muwashahat and books of literature, translations and others. This research displays the image of the beloved woman and her relationship with her mother where washaheen discuss her beauty. As for the beloved woman, washaheen believe that she has the right to flirt with men, so she was given the chance to express herself using the last section of muwashat. The woman searches for her lover, so she goes to …

The Degree To Which The Use Of Modern Educational Technologies On The Quality Of Education And Its Development In Al-Ahliyya Amman University From The Viewpoint Of Faculty Members, Sawsan Badrakhan, Hafizah Muhammad Mahmoud, Feda Ghnaim, Suleiman Alnaimi

Al-Balqa Journal for Research and Studies البلقاء للبحوث والدراسات

The study aims at identifying the degree to which the use of modern educational technologies on the quality of education and its development in al-ahliyya Amman university from the viewpoint of faculty members by developing a questionnaire consisting of (20) items which were distributed to a random sample consisting of (198) faculty members. The results of the study showed that the most important modern technologies used in university education are: first, information network (the Internet) with a rate of (18.70%), and second, social networking sites, with a rate of (15.9%). The degree of impact of the use of modern technologies …

The Obstacles Faced By The Middle School Leaders Who Apply The Initiative Of Transition Towards Digital Learning, Amal Ibrahim Aldhafar

Al-Balqa Journal for Research and Studies البلقاء للبحوث والدراسات

This study aims at identifying the obstacles faced by the middle school leaders when they apply The Initiative of Transition Towards Digital Learning as well as determining the degree of responses of middle school leaders to these obstacles according to variables such as; (years of experience and school size). In order to achieve the objectives of this study, the descriptive method and the questionnaire method were used. The above methods were applied and distributed amongst the (25) school leaders who applied The Initiative of Transition Towards Digital Learning. The study concluded that obstacles of the application of middle school leaders …

Type D Personality, And The Levels Of Anxiety And Depression In A Sample Of Cardiac Patients In Comparison To Their Non-Patient Counterparts, Fatma Faris Najjar, Wisam Breik

Al-Balqa Journal for Research and Studies البلقاء للبحوث والدراسات

The present study aims at exploring the prevalence of type D personality (distressed personality) and the levels of anxiety (trait) and depression in a sample of cardiac patients in comparison to their non-patient counterparts in Jordan. To achieve the objectives of the study, an adapted form of type D personality scale-DS14, Trait Anxiety Scale and Beck Inventory were utilized. The study sample consisted of 309 individuals; 306 of which cardiac patients (73 males and 83 females) whose illness is not due to congenital causes and 153 non-patients (83 males and 70 females) as a comparative group, who were chosen from …

Textual Consistency Mechanisms In The Poem "Lost Nostalgia" By Abu Alqasim Alshabbi, Esa Slah Al Tarawneh

Al-Balqa Journal for Research and Studies البلقاء للبحوث والدراسات

The research addresses a significant topic related to (Text Linguistics) based on analyzing poetry speech textuality. The research tracks a textual occurrence as the base of assessing the text quality, which is "Textual Consistency”. The research will study the Textual Consistency mechanism in Abu Alqasim Alshabbi's poem, "Alashwaq Altae'ha", unfolding the consistency of its phonetics, vocabularies, and structural contents, highlighting the significant role of these mechanisms on this outstanding text in maintaining its unity, coherence and cohesion. The research adopted the Descriptive approach, using literary analysis. Key words: Textual Linguistics, Text, Consistency, Abu Alqasim Alshabbi, "Alashwaq Altae'ha”.

The Doctrine Of Functus Officio And Its Exceptions Under The Arbitration Law Of Jordan, Mosleh Ahmad Al Tarawneh, Jalal Mahmoud Al-Qhaiwi

Al-Balqa Journal for Research and Studies البلقاء للبحوث والدراسات

This study examines the doctrine of Functus Officio and its exceptions under the Jordanian Arbitration Law and its relation with the doctrine of res judicata. We will first shed the light on on the doctrine and the awards to which it apply. Then, we will examine the exceptions of the doctrine that alleviate the potential harshness of the doctrine. These exceptions are: correction of clerical error in the award, interpretation of ambiguities or obscurities in the text of the award and supplementation or the issuance of an additional award on matters or claims presented in the arbitral proceedings but omitted …

Addressing The Harms Of Pornography, Gillian Allison

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Within this paper I look at the existing philosophical work on pornography, from scholars like Catherine MacKinnon, Ronald Dworkin, and Rae Langton to show the current state of the pornography debate that I intend to enter by presenting my own argument about the morality of pornography. I argue that while pornography is harmful, these harms are best resolved through increased sexual education and the popularization and production of more inclusive pornography. The harms pornography causes are so great because pornography is where a lot of people learn about sex. Pornography was never designed to depict an average sexual experience. If …

Exploring Tactile Art-Making With Deafblind Students And Their Families: An Opportunity For Creative Play, Alice Rodgers

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

The impact of a deafblind diagnosis on an individual’s mental health and the well-being of the family involved can be profound. However, current research and available literature for the mental health treatment and therapy practices of deafblind persons and their families is limited (Kyzar et al., 2016; “WFDB Global Report 2018,” n.d.). This thesis used the Leeds Family Psychology and Therapy Service principles (Leeds FPTS) and the Expressive Therapies Continuum with established deafblind teaching strategies to facilitate an original arts-based community project entitled: “Things We Like.” This project provided an opportunity for deafblind students (ages three to 22) and their …

Civil Disobedience From A Biblical Perspective, Gabriel Reed

Helm's School of Government Conference - 2021-2024

To say that civil disobedience is a complicated topic is to severely understate the topic. It is a subject matter that has derived many different and disparate opinions, points of view, and public policies. Specifically, within America today, we observe calls for civil disobedience from both sides of the political spectrum, over several divergent political ideals. These issues are, primarily, driven from both sides’ desire to provide protection and provision for the oppressed and those who cannot necessarily speak for themselves. The definition of who is necessarily oppressed and whom their oppressors are varies from person to person, regardless of …

Intangible Cultural Heritage: A Benefit To Climate-Displaced And Host Communities, Gül Aktürk, Martha B. Lerski

Publications and Research

Climate change is borderless, and its impacts are not shared equally by all communities. It causes an imbalance between people by creating a more desirable living environment for some societies while erasing settlements and shelters of some others. Due to floods, sea level rise, destructive storms, drought, and slow-onset factors such as salinization of water and soil, people lose their lands, homes, and natural resources. Catastrophic events force people to move voluntarily or involuntarily. The relocation of communities is a debatable climate adaptation measure which requires utmost care with human rights, ethics, and psychological well-being of individuals upon the issues …

Sovereign Authority And Rule Of Law: The Effect Of U.S. Use Of Torture On Political Legitimacy, Sydney Bradley

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Governmental sovereignty is created and maintained by mutual respect for the rule of law by the government and citizens. To maintain legitimacy, a government must act within the bounds of the contract that created it. Otherwise, the relationship founded by said contract would be nullified, as would the duties and obligations that flow from that relationship. Torture exemplifies an ultra vires act used by the United States to show the consequences of over-extended authority on political legitimacy and the rule of law. Founded on the philosophies of Hugo Grotius, Thomas Hobbes, and Christine Korsgaard, this research investigates the nature of …

Evaluation Of Sport Facilities In Sport Cities In Jordan, Sari Hamdan

Al-Balqa Journal for Research and Studies البلقاء للبحوث والدراسات

The aim of this study was to evaluate facilities in sport cities in Jordan. The sample of this study consisted of (24) employees in sport cities the researcher bilt a tool and validity and reliability was done for the research tool. The results showed that sport cities were in a good condition, however, El-Hussien city was significantly better than the other sport cities. The researcher recommended to using the research tool of this study as instrumentation to evaluate sports facilities in sport cities.

Italian Ambitions In Syria And Lebanon (1870-1945), Ahmad Alshrideh

Al-Balqa Journal for Research and Studies البلقاء للبحوث والدراسات

The aim of this study is to clarify the Italian Ambitions in Syria and Lebanon (1870-1945), and shows the Italian orientation in this region, and to know the Italian methods to achieve its ambitions. The study talks about the Italian movement towards Lebanon, and the Italians Intervention in Lebanese civil war 1860. Finally, the study recalls the Italian claims her mandate to Syria and Lebanon as an alternative to the French mandate. The study concluded that, despite Italys efforts to achieve its ambitions in Syria and Lebanon, it deeply collides with the legacy institutions that established by England and France …

The Impact Of Implementing The Principles Of Good Governance On The Quality Of Administrative Reports In The Palestinian Municipal Councils, Faeyz Abuamria, Nasser Mohammad Soud Jaradat, Mohammad Shaded

Al-Balqa Journal for Research and Studies البلقاء للبحوث والدراسات

This study aims at clarifying the impact of implementing the principles of good governance on the quality of administrative reports in the Palestinian municipal councils. A questionnaire was designed to pilot the views of mayors, deputy mayors, directors, heads of departments and employees in Bethlehem and Hebron directorates. Results showed that it is too early to talk about sound governance at local councils in the absence of applying the minimal principles of governance such as accountability, transparency and involving staff in decision-making. Furthermore, the administrative reports administered by the heads of administrative departments do not reflect the real situation nor …

A Literary Analysis Of The Origin Of Human Embryonic Stem Cells, Its Advancements, Philosophical, Ethical, Sociocultural, And Political Aspects; An Investigation Of The Underlying Attributes That Affect One’S Views On Hesc Research To Resolve Turkey And Brazil’S Hesc Policy, Religious, And Cultural Conflicts, Haleema Shamsuddin

Honors Scholars Collaborative Projects

Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) are cells derived from 5-day human embryos and are self-renewing cell lines that change into any type of cell in the body, a trait called pluripotency. hESCs have almost unlimited clinical and medical research potential. Despite the great therapeutic promise of hESC research, it comes with a controversial ethical debate due to its involvement with the destruction of the human embryo. The central argument revolves around the question of whether or not these human embryos should be ascribed equal moral status to fully developed humans. This thesis aims to analyze the origin and advancements of …

Technological Tethereds: Potential Impact Of Untrustworthy Artificial Intelligence In Criminal Justice Risk Assessment Instruments, Sonia M. Gipson Rankin

Faculty Scholarship

Issues of racial inequality and violence are front and center in today’s society, as are issues surrounding artificial intelligence (AI). This Article, written by a law professor who is also a computer scientist, takes a deep dive into understanding how and why hacked and rogue AI creates unlawful and unfair outcomes, particularly for persons of color.

Black Americans are disproportionally featured in criminal justice, and their stories are obfuscated. The seemingly endless back-to-back murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery, and heartbreakingly countless others have finally shaken the United States from its slumbering journey towards intentional criminal justice …

Legal Purgatory: Why Some Animals Are Neither Persons Nor Property, Sharisse Kanet

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

All animals with non-borderline sentience are deserving of certain legal considerations independent of their use and relationship to human beings. That is, all sentient beings should have some rights. Given the current organization of the U.S. legal system, which divides all entities into property or persons, it is not surprising that animals are relegated to property status. I put forth a proposal to fix this whose central suggestion is that we create a third legal designation, legal patient, into which all non-person sentient animals (those which do not properly belong on either current category) would fit. These animals would receive …

Heeding The Call Of Covid-19, David Wiebers, Valery Feigin

Animal Sentience

We are grateful to all of our commentators. They have provided a wide range of valuable perspectives and insights from many fields, revealing a broad interest in the subject matter. Nearly all the commentaries have helped to affirm, refine, expand, amplify, deepen, interpret, elaborate, or apply the messages in the target article. Some have offered critiques and suggestions that help us address certain issues in greater detail, including several points concerning industrialized farming and the wildlife trade. Overall, there is great awareness and strong consensus among commentators that any solution for preventing future pandemics and other related health crises must …

Perceived Benefits And Barriers To Participation In Exercise Among Jordanian University Students, Khaldoun Hamdan

Al-Balqa Journal for Research and Studies البلقاء للبحوث والدراسات

Insufficient physical activity is a risk factor for many non-communicable diseases, therefore; the purpose of this study is to examine university students’ perceived exercise benefits and barriers. This cross-sectional descriptive study used Exercise Benefits/Barriers Scale to examine perceived benefits and barriers to exercise among a convenience sample of 517 university students in Jordan. Participants reported significantly higher perceived barriers to exercise than perceived benefits from exercise. The most important perceived barrier to exercise was “I am too embarrassed to exercise”. Moreover, “I will live longer if I exercise” and “exercising increases being accepted by others” were the most important perceived …

Project Management: A Help Or Hindrance A Collaborative Research, Ayman Abu-Rumman

Al-Balqa Journal for Research and Studies البلقاء للبحوث والدراسات

This small-scale mixed method study explored perceptions of how different project management approaches and tools are used by those working in industry and within academia, and how this may impact on collaborative research projects given their distinct and unique nature. The study also aimed to generate suggestions for how collaboration between industry and academia could be strengthened in the future. Underpinned by a phenomenological perspective, a survey and interviews were conducted with a sample of Jordanian professionals from different industry and academic organisations who had previous experience of working on collaborative research projects. The study identified, consistent with other studies, …

Build A Job Satisfaction Scale From The Views Of Aau Academic Staff In According With The Item Response Theory, Mohammed Marshoud

Al-Balqa Journal for Research and Studies البلقاء للبحوث والدراسات

The study aimed to build a job satisfaction scale from the views of AAU academic staff in according with the item response theory, where the population study consisted of all academic members at Al-Ahliyya Amman University (AAU) for the year (2018/2017), and they approximately reach (257) academic members, the sample consisted of (154) academic members, which constituted 60 of the original study population, (92) males and (62) females who were randomly selected. The study tool was designed and built based on theoretical literature and scales on measuring job satisfaction at universities. the study tool consisted of (60) items which were …

The Level Teachers’ Knowledge In Public Education For Learning Disabilities Students In Regards Of Variables In Kuwait, Ahmad Saeedy

Al-Balqa Journal for Research and Studies البلقاء للبحوث والدراسات

Knowledge, Teachers, learning difficulties, Kuwait, Training Experience

Review Of The Curving Techniques To Evaluate University Test Scores: A Critical And Analytical Study, Afif Rahma, Sophie Barguil

Al-Balqa Journal for Research and Studies البلقاء للبحوث والدراسات

This study presents a critical review of the proposed mathematical methods for curving students scores. Through the presentation of these methods, the study attempts to ask key questions such as: the causes of dispersion in the tests results, the criteria and principles on which the curving methods are based, the limits of application of these methods. The study also attempts to examine the role of the cognitive level of the student, the subjective factors related to the process of learning and teaching, the conditions of admission and registration in the university programs, and the impact of the above on the …