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Sat, Nov 4, 10:30 - 10:55, Normandy A Paper (refereed)

Recommended Citation: Slauson, G J, D Carpenter, and J Snyder. Copyright Ethics: Relating to Students at Different Levels of Moral Development. In The Proceedings of the Information Systems Education Conference 2006, v 23 (Dallas): §3332. ISSN: 1542-7382. (A later version appears in Information Systems Education Journal 6(8). ISSN: 1545-679X.)

Copyright Ethics: Relating to Students at Different Levels of Moral Development

Refereed

4 pages

Gayla Jo Slauson    [a1] [a2]
Department of Business, Computer Information Systems
Mesa State College    [u1] [u2]
Grand Junction, Colorado, USA    [c1] [c2]

Donald Carpenter    [a1] [a2]
Information Systems
Mesa State College    [u1] [u2]
Grand Junction, Colorado, USA    [c1] [c2]

Johnny Snyder    [a1] [a2]
Department of Business, Computer Information Systems
Mesa State College    [u1] [u2]
Grand Junction, Colorado, USA    [c1] [c2]

A recurring topic in computer classes is the changing state of intellectual property rights. Copyright laws appear remarkably easy to ignore in a networked world. Although many students may consider themselves to be ethical people, they do not always (or perhaps even often) relate to the reasons for copyrights. Widely accepted moral development theories indicate that people from around the world determine if an action is ethical or not by making decisions based primarily on which stages of moral development they are in presently. In this light it seems logical to approach the copyright issue and other ethical issues discussed in the classroom through multiple perspectives. The authors in this paper suggest ways to relate copyright compliance to students inhabiting each stage in Lawrence Kohlberg’s moral development model. Kohlberg’s theories are used primarily due to the widespread recognition his work has received from academics. Additionally, opportunities for further study in this area are explored, including considerations about modifications to Kohlberg’s model due to potential differences in ethical perceptions in today’s undergraduate students.

Keywords: ethics, copyright, education, morality

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