In this article, the authors focus on the decision-making process that goes into professional writing and ways to emphasize ethical decision-making in writing classrooms. Professional writing has at its core an emphasis on action and audience. Certainly teachers want their students to write effectively--to serve their clients, organizations, and corporations well. However, they also maintain that professional writers have an obligation to act ethically and make responsible rhetorical choices. How do they translate these concepts to their students? Ethical principles won't become "real" for student writers unless they are faced with practical, concrete situations. To be truly curious about ethics, students need to face problems that are not easily solved; they need to be puzzled--to face what they might call ethical dilemmas. A "case" (what some might call a "scenario") is a structured writing situation in which students take on the role of author/professional. Good cases pose problems similar to those that professionals face in the "real world." Effective cases are full of gray areas--and room for discussion, debate, and decision-making. When cases are used in conjunction with writing assignments, they highlight the ethical complexities of genres that might otherwise appear simple, even formulaic. (Contains 1 figure.)