Ethics Syllabus Fall 2006 - University of Michigan



Prof. Elias Baumgarten |Office: CB 3088 |Email: bioethics@ | |Philosophy 390N: Bioethics Seminar

Course Description

An exploration of recent work in bioethics and of topics not covered or only briefly discussed in the basic Medical Ethics course (Philosophy and HPS 442/542). In addition to areas explored by the class in common, students will choose one or more areas of research to be presented to the class. Topics include the nature, scope, and goals of the medical profession, including psychiatry; the issue of going beyond the treatment of disease to the enhancement of human capacities; research ethics (informed consent, ethics of randomized clinical trials, experimentation in developing countries); bioethics and social justice including inequalities of health care both globally and in this country; the bioethics “culture wars” and the influence of religion in bioethical thinking; and recent developments applying narrative and virtue ethics to medicine. Other topics and length of time on topics will depend on student interest and availability of interesting articles.

Goals

As a result of taking this course, students should gain:

• an understanding of major ethical issues on the topics indicated in the course description.

• the ability to write clearly and critically about recent issues in bioethics.

• the ability to do research in one or more selected areas of bioethics

• the ability to present clear, well-organized oral presentations on issues of their choosing.

Course Readings

➢ Selected articles from scholarly journals and online sources.

➢ Selections from Munson, Intervention and Reflection, 8th Edition, Wadsworth, 2008.

➢ Tolstoy, The Death of Ivan Ilych

Most readings, including those above, will be made available as class handouts or online at CTools:

Course Requirements

➢ Regular attendance and active participation in class discussion. (33% of grade based on quality of contribution to class discussion). This will include one or more oral presentations based on your research.

Matters of courtesy

✓ Leaving class early disrupts others, but if you must, please let me know in advance and sit near the door.

✓ Please turn off cell phones and keep them out of sight during the entire class.

➢ A term project leading to final essay (37% of course grade). Prospectus due Feb. 18, including tentative thesis and annotated bibliography, 5% of course grade. Intermediate report, due March 19, 5% of course grade. Final essay due April 14, 27% of course grade. Details forthcoming on requirements for prospectus and intermediate report.

➢ Short reaction statements on the readings. (30% of course grade based on cumulative percentage.) There could also be short 5-point quizzes included as part of this requirement. Here is how the cumulative percentage on your written assignments/quizzes converts into a letter grade:

|A++ over 100 |B+ 83-86 |C 70-73 |D 55-59 |

|A+ 95-100 |B 80-82 |C- 65-69 |D- 50-54 |

|A 90-94 |B- 77-79 |D+ 60-64 |E 0-49 |

|A- 87-89 |C+ 74-76 | | |

➢ Possible take-home test due last day of class (distributed week before). If so, 15% of course grade with 5% deducted from each of above. If everyone attends, prepares, and contributes regularly throughout the semester, there will be no test.

➢ Attendance. Your course grade will be lowered 1/3 for each absence greater than two and raised 1/3 for each absence fewer than 2.

The University will make reasonable accommodations for persons with documented disabilities. Students should register with the Disability Resource Services located in Counseling and Support Services in 1060 UM. You must register in the next few weeks to be guaranteed services this term.

Reaching the Instructor

Office: 3088 CASL Building.

Email: bioethics@. Best way to reach me. This address gets highest priority. (Office phone: 313.593.5179; messages checked only on Monday and Wednesday. Email is much preferred.)

Usual office hours: Monday and Wednesday, 3-4 and 6-6:30, and other times by prior arrangement. Changes announced in class. Please feel free to discuss any matters where I might be of help. Come individually or in a group. Office hours are for you, not just to discuss papers and tests but to engage in informal discussions about ideas that interest you.

Academic Integrity

It should not be necessary to say anything about cheating in a seminar of this kind. Nonetheless, it is my responsibility to make clear what my policy is: anyone who cheats or in any way helps anyone else cheat receives a failing grade in the course with a note to the Dean of your School or College explaining the reason for it. Further penalties can include suspension or expulsion. This protects you, the honest student, because it is you who gets cheated when other students do not do honest work. The following statement has been approved by the UM-Dearborn Council of Deans: “The University of Michigan-Dearborn values honesty and integrity. Each student has a responsibility to understand, accept, and comply with the University's standard of academic conduct, as set forth by the Code of Academic Conduct. Cheating, collusion, misconduct, fabrication and plagiarism are considered serious offenses. Violations will not be tolerated and may result in penalties up to and including expulsion from the University.”

Tentative Schedule of Topics and Readings

Dates very tentative. Dates and exact readings will be posted on the course web page. Much will depend on amount of time spent on discussion, the extent of student interest, and the length and frequency of student reports.

|Date |Topics |Readings |

|Nature and Scope of the Medical Profession |

|When an organic abnormality prevents human functioning, we consider it a disease and a proper challenge for medicine. But is “disease” always an |

|empirically identifiable condition and should medicine restrict itself to treating diseases? What obligation do health workers have to society |

|(not just and even in conflict with duty to individual people)? |

|M, 1/7 |Overview of issues in the course | |

|W, 1/9 |Psychiatry and “mental illness.” |Szasz, “The Myth of Mental Illness” and Chodoff, “The Case |

| |Does involuntary commitment violate a right to liberty or |for Involuntary Hospitalization of the Mentally Ill” |

| |properly protect people who are sick and vulnerable? | |

|M, 1/14 |The concept of “disease” and the proper role of the medical |Engelhardt, “The Disease of Masturbation: Values and the |

| |profession. Is the concept of “disease” discoverable empirically |Concept of Disease” |

| |or is it value laden? |Boorse, “On the Distinction Between Disease and Illness” |

|W, 1/16 |Is overcoming blushing a project for medicine? Is extending life |Gawande, “Crimson Tide” |

| |beyond 80 a proper use of (scarce) medical resources? |Callahan, “Aging and the Ends of Medicine” |

|W, 1/23 |Enhancement: should we embrace new medical technologies to |Munson and Davis, “Germline Therapy and the Medical |

| |improve the human species? |Imperative” |

| | |Kass, “The New Biology: What Price Relieving Man’s Estate?” |

|M, 1/28 |Can we draw a line between appropriate medical treatment (e.g., |Download from CTools, Resources “Values in Medical |

| |for depression) and interferences with autonomy and a person’s |Profession”: |

| |“true self”? |Kramer, discussion of treating depression and issue of |

| | |enhancement with President’s Council on Bioethics |

| | |Dworkin, “Autonomy and Behavior Control” |

|W, 1/30 |Medicine and society: treatment of illegal immigrants and |Arras, “AIDS and the Duty to Treat” |

| |physician obligation to take risks to treat AIDS patients (or |Dwyer, “Illegal Immigrants…” [Ctools] |

| |others with contagious disease) | |

|M, 2/4 |Physician as double agent? Should physicians participate in |Gawande, “Doctors of the Death Chamber” [CTools] |

| |capital punishment (lethal injection) or in interrogation of | |

|See web page for schedule and exact readings for topics below |

|Research Ethics |

|Problems of informed consent |

|Ethics of clinical trials |

|Research in developing countries: are poor people in Third World countries used as guinea pigs? |

|Film, The Constant Gardener |

|Social justice and medicine |

|Global bioethics: what obligation, if any, do we have to improve health in developing countries and reduce inequality of health care between “us” |

|and “them”? |

|America bioethics: what obligation do we have to reduce inequalities of health care due to race and class in America? |

|[Good student topic] What changes in the US health care system should voters support (or demand from candidates) in the presidential election |

|campaign? |

|Virtue ethics and narrative ethics |

|Tolstoy, The Death of Ivan Ilych: what ethical lessons can we draw for modern medicine? |

|Student Reports and discussion of other topics of interest |

|Possibilities: new reproductive technologies, religion and bioethics |

Making It All Clear: Your Responsibilities and Mine

(I distribute this in all my classes.)

My Commitments to You

• I will get papers and tests back in a reasonable period of time, two weeks at most.

• I will be open to discussing any issue of fairness you want to talk about. Come to my office as soon as possible.

• I will listen and respond with compassion to any problem you honestly discuss with me if you bring it to my attention promptly, not late in the term and long after the fact. Come during office hours or make an appointment if you can’t come during those times.

• I am open to discussing any proposal you have for doing an assignment differently. You must convince me of the educational value of your proposal and must present it well in advance, not just before the assignment is due. My instructions for assignments are very exacting because they help most students do better, but I am committed to being open to hearing the need for revisions on an individual basis.

 Your Responsibilities

• The obvious keys to doing well in the course are to attend class regularly and to complete the reading assignments. The less obvious keys are (a) taking careful notes on the readings and (b) getting help with drafts of your essays during office hours or by email.

• If you have any special problem, it is crucial that you talk with me honestly and openly as soon as the problem exists (when I will be open and flexible), NOT much later toward the end of the term (when I will much less sympathetic).

• Read the syllabus carefully and ask questions on anything you don’t understand.

• Understand the attendance requirement and your responsibility to let me know on the same day if you arrived in class after attendance was taken. (You get half credit.)

• Know what cheating and plagiarism are, ask questions if in doubt, and realize that any instances of cheating incur severe penalties: a failing grade in the course and a note to the Dean of your School or College explaining the reason for the failing grade.

• Check the class web site regularly.

• Check your UMD email address regularly or set up the option to have that email forwarded to an address of your choice, which you will update whenever necessary. You may need to add my address as one of your “trusted” or “safe” addresses to avoid my messages going into your junk mail box. For information on how to have your UMD email forwarded, see



Fair notice: Some students in the past could have earned higher grades if they had taken the time to read the syllabus, including this page, at the beginning of the term.

................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download