Type Description Uses Value Difficulties
Précis A brief description, usually no longer than a paragraph, that provides a summary of the ethical conflict. Ideally it identifies who needs to make what decisions under what circumstances while exposing genuine boundary between two or more competing principles, conflicting harms, etc.
  • Testing
  • Focused Discussion
    		•  Easily and quickly read, provides enough detail to provoke discussion and debate, but without stealing significant time from the discussion. Missing details will be filled in by participants. Details will not always be imagined in the same way.
    Descriptive A longer narrative description, usually no longer than a page, that describes the context of a problematic moral or ethical decision. Ideally it recreates, as much as possible in the space available, the decision environment a person would actually face in making a decision.
  • Lecture
  • Book Examples
  • Nuanced Discussion in Small Groups
  • Reaction Essays
    		•  Gives a detailed view of why the decision is problematic. Usually exposes at least two conflicting perspectives such that students can understand why any decision entails some level of harm. Can present only one or two perspectives. Long enough as to preclude use in many kinds of testing.
    Thick Descriptive An article or book length narrative description that describes the circumstances of the ethical conflict in detail. Ideally it identifies all of the stakeholders in the decision, the perspectives and interests that each brings to the conflict, the options that each stakeholder has, if any, and documentation of just how serious the harms associated with each decision actually are.
  • Articles/Reading Assignments
  • Books and Movies
  • Prepared Discussion
  • Debate
  • Group Research Projects
  • Term Papers
    		•  The detailed and multi-perspectived description gives readers a detailed understanding of why the decision is problematic, and who wins and loses when various decisions are made. Difficult to use unless the reading is completed in advance of any testing or discussion.
    Layered or Serial A series of brief descriptions, each no longer than a paragraph, in which each new description systematically extends and complicates previous descriptions, generally by adding new principles or harms to the existing mix.
  • Testing
  • Controlled, Serial Discussions
    		•  Allows participants to observe how their ethical decisions change as the balance of principles and/or harms change.

    In addition to the difficulties of Précis cases, requires controlled distribution.
    Table 2: A comparison of case study types.