A study examined how the discourse of standards and ethics plays out in texts used in core human resource development (HRD) graduate courses. Its overarching purpose was to expand the continuing discussion of ethics through critical hermeneutic analyses of key literature within HRD. It used the recently developed document of the Academy of HRD, Standards on Ethics and Integrity, as a template. A purposeful sample of texts used in core graduate level courses at universities offering a graduate degree in HRD or a closely related field were analyzed. Research examined complexities involving the core, structure, and context of how academy standards are represented. These representations were hermeneutic because of the inseparability of understanding and interpretation. The most remarkable finding was the absence of discussions on ethics, values, and integrity except in the area of research processes and treatment of human subjects. (Contains 21 references.) (YLB)