Sociology 2306: Group Project--Whistleblowers

In advance of class:

1. After graduation from UMD, you are hired in a well-paying job by a large organization (it may be a corporation, a government agency, a university). By the end of your second year, you have realized that some of those above you in the hierarchy are breaking the law (supposedly for the benefit of the organization, although it probably also benefits their own careers). You realize that you will soon be asked to participate in these illegal activities, as you are promoted in the organization. What are the things you would think about as you consider your situation, and what do you think you are mostly likely to do?

2. Describe the whistleblower who most impressed you from the article about Ten Whistleblowers. What was it that enabled this individual to take this risky course of action, and what happened to him/her afterwards?

In Groups:

1. Discuss your answers to the above questions. Focus particularly on the things that make whistleblowing difficult and list somne of those things. What could an organization do to foster a culture in which whistleblowing would be encouraged?

2. What are the pros and cons of creating such an organization?

3. What about the environment in which organizations operate? Are there things we have done (or could do) as a society to encourage whistleblowing? Again, what are the pros and the cons?