Today's debate topic, following on from last week's discussion, is that 'Murder is never acceptable, regardless of circumstance'. Rory, Cameron and Beka will be taking the affirmative, Phoebe, Parker and Angelus will be taking the negative. I ask you to particularly thank Rory for stepping in for John Sheppard literally at the last minute.

Today I want you to discuss ownership. What can you own? Can you own land? If so, how far down under the soil do you own? Can you own an item? A pet? Another person? Your own body? What, in this world, can you unequivocably call yours?

We've been discussing ownership today. Next week we're going to be discussing rights. In the light of that, your out of class assignment is about slavery.

I realise this is a sensitive issue for many of you - and it should be. I would like you to go with your respective TA and get your assignment briefings before you declare that you cannot complete the assignment. You are going to be put into Master/slave pairings. These pairings have been chosen carefully and deliberately, for everyone's education and safety.

The objective of this exercise is to encourage you to break out of previously conceived notions about what being a Master and what being a slave entails. This may feel strange, embarassing, frightening, and even uncomfortable.

Before you begin the exercise, take the time to ask yourself what your true boundaries are. For example: if you prefer to wear the color green and are asked to wear the color blue, you may not be happy about it but, barring an allergic reaction to blue ink, you will not be harmed by trying to wear blue. Blue is therefore not a true boundary for you. Drinking deadly poison, on the other hand, might be. Likewise being made to do something that goes against your religious beliefs would also be a true boundary.

Both masters and slaves should decide on their true boundaries, then discuss a way to ensure that those boundaries are not crossed during the course of this exercise. If you do not wish to tell your partner what the boundaries are, you can instead choose to use what is called a "safe" word. This is a word that means you have been asked to do something that you truly cannot do. Should your partner demand something of you that crosses your boundaries, you can say the safe word to make them stop without having to divulge what the boundary was.

Some form of agreement about boundaries must be reached before you begin the exercise. You do not have to use the safe word option - many don't - but you must use something. Failure to do so will mean failing the exercise. Period.

Rules Everyone Must Follow

1) You must have and keep an agreement with your partner about respecting boundaries (see above)
2) You cannot do anything that will interfere in your partner's classes and school requirements
3) You cannot do anything to physically harm your partner (including, but not limited to, hitting, punching, kicking, etc.)
4) You cannot do anything to psychologically harm your partner (including, but not limited to, insulting, belittling, publically humiliating, etc.)
5) All school rules must be obeyed at all times (did this one really need to be repeated for you?)
6) You cannot be made to do anything that you find morally objectionable, puts yourself in danger, puts others in danger, harms property, and/or creates an unsafe environment
7) During the course of the exercise you must wear a tag that labels you as an Ethics class Master/Slave

Violation of these rules equals instant failure.

Tara hands out everyone a copy of these rules for their own reference.

All students in class have been assigned a partner. All students have been assigned their role in the partnership. You cannot switch roles or partners without clearing it with me.

In addition to the Master/slave pairings all students in the class are considered subordinate to the TAs, who are themselves subordinate to myself. We have only two orders:

1) Address us respectfully. Angelus will be henceforth referred to as 'Daddy', Major K! will be henceforth referred to as 'Rabbit', and if you have need to talk to me, you may address me as 'My Lady'.
2) Call any of us immediately to report if your partner has violated the rules of this assignment. All three of us will have our cell phones on and with them for the duration of the assignment. If you feel things have gone or are going too far, call at once and we will help you.

[ooc: which means you may ping me either on AIM or MSN as 'Shaalwyd' to get my attention. All three of us have our voicemail in our user profiles.]

Over the course of the next week - that is before the next class - you will spend 16 hours in your assigned role.

At the end of the assignment, you will be expected to answer the following questions:

1) What did it feel like being in your role? If you were a Master, did you like giving orders and being responsible for another student's life? If you were a slave, did you resent being made to serve or did you find it wasn't so bad?

2) Masters: would you keep your slaves or replace them? Slaves: would you stay with your Master or try to run away?

3) Before the assignment, what were your views on ownership and slavery? Did the assignment change those views?

4) Masters: do you think you were given this role because it was believed you would provide a level of understanding and respect to the one serving you? Slaves: do you think you were given this role because it was believed you needed to learn how to be taken care of?

5) Report on your partner (this will be kept in confidence). Did they treat you respectfully? Did they do the assignment in the spirit it was intended or did they hold you back by not participating fully? This is also a good time to mention anything that happened which did not feel like a direct violation of your agreement, but which you weren't wholly happy about.