Phil 265 1_SYLLABUS_Aufrecht.doc

Course Syllabus

Philosophy 265

Biomedical Ethics

 

 

Instructor:                  Monica Aufrecht

Online Course:          No set meeting times. Log onto Canvas every 24-48 hours.

Prerequisites:             none

Students are expected to log on and complete the first assignment by the second day of the quarter & log on every 1-2 days while the course is in session.

CONTACT

• Please use the Canvas "Inbox" tool to contact me.
• Office hours are held Tuesdays and Thursdays 11am-1pm and by appointment.  All meetings are by video chat or phone. (If you plan to attend office hours, send me a message on Canvas. Include the time you would like to meet and whether you prefer a phone call, or a video chat via FaceTime, Skype, Google Hangout, etc. Advanced notice is not required, unless you are requesting an appointment time outside of Office Hours.) Office Hours is a time I have set aside to meet with students and answer any questions you have.
• My Email is monica.aufrecht@bellevuecollege.edu, if you cannot access the Canvas tool.
• If you have no power or internet and you are trying to submit an assignment, first try to take of picture of it and email it to me. I recommend you write down my email in case you cannot access Canvas.

 

ACCESSIBILITY POLICY

I am dedicated to including all students, and making sure everyone can participate fully in all course activities and materials, regardless of any disabilities. Please talk to me and the Disability Resource Center early in the quarter. I am happy to collaborate with you to come up with a plan that works for you! For complete Disability Policy, see “Policies” below.

COURSE INFORMATION

CREDIT HOURS: 5 Credit hours

Per Bellevue College Policy, the college expects students to engage with this course for 8-12 hours per week on average over the quarter. (6 hours per week logged on to Canvas: watching lectures, on the discussion board, taking quizzes, etc. and 4 hours, on average: reading, writing, completing assignments, studying for exams, discussing with the people around you, and pondering the course material. Plus studying for exams).

CATALOG DESCRIPTION

Introduces ethical problems relating to medical practice and biological research. Students discuss ethical issues in euthanasia, abortion, animal experimentation, genetic engineering, and doctor-patient relationships. Designed for students entering medical and research fields, but applicable to moral problems in any field.

INSTRUCTOR COURSE DESCRIPTION

We each have a body. Our bodies will change, break, heal, and, eventually, leave us. Many of us will have the privilege to create new bodies, to care for the bodies of loved ones and strangers, and to be cared for by others. How can we ensure that care is respectful, meaningful, and effective? How can we avoid the immoral mistakes of the past (and present)? This course explores classical issues of Biomedical Ethics, including how health care professionals relate to patients, the ethics of end of life care, views on disability and difference, informed consent while making difficult medical decisions, and the risks of exploitation when conducting human and animal research. We will explore how much variation there is in the human body (variation that is often hidden from view), as well as the history of how race and power has affected what medical treatment is available to whom. Using the tools of logic and reasoning, and ethical frameworks from philosophers such as Kant, Mill, Taylor, Gilligan, and Aristotle, as well as the Four Principles of Bioethics, students successfully completing this course will be able to discuss difficult medical situations from several points of view, articulate those points of view as well as offer critiques of them, and help others explore and understand the nuances of the many ethical dilemmas we face.

 

COURSE OUTCOMES

After successfully completing this course, students should be able to:

1. Formulate, clarify, and evaluate arguments.

2. Analyze and assess views that make ethics a matter of convention, including Moral Relativism and Divine Command Theory.

3. Explain and evaluate substantive ethical theories, including Utilitarianism, respect for persons, and the ethics of care.

4. Explain how substantive ethical theories including Utilitarianism, respect for persons, and the ethics of care incorporate the value of cultural diversity.

5. Analyze and assess biomedical ethical issues like euthanasia, genetic engineering, and abortion in terms of substantive ethical theories.

6. Explain the ethical foundations of medical guidelines concerning voluntary informed assent and the use of subjects in experimental procedures.

7. Address ethical issues concerning disabilities.

HOW OUTCOMES WILL BE MET

• Reading, watching videos, listening to podcasts
• Synthesizing and reflecting via weekly reading quizzes, labs, polls, and exams
• Discussing and analyzing with other students on course discussion boards

 

GRADING             

ASSIGNMENTS                   Points                           

• Weekly Reading Quiz        40                     

• Weekly Activities                40                           
• Weekly Discussions          140
• Participation                        45          
• Midterm  Exam                  210 
• 1st Short Essay                  90
• 2nd Short Essay                 90                                                                        
• Final Exam                       210                           

 

• Total points available:       865

 

Grading Rubric                          

• A   822-865 points
• A-  778-821.99 points
• B+ 743-777.99 points
• B   715-742.99 points
• B-  692-714.99 points
• C+ 658-691.99 points
• C   633-657.99 points
• C-  605-632.99 points
• D+ 570-604.99 points
• D   544-569.99 points
• D-  519-543.99 points
• F   0-518.99 points

 

 

BOOKS AND MATERIALS REQUIRED

REQUIRED TEXTS: NONE

There is no required textbook. All the readings will be online. There will also be videos and radio shows to be downloaded from Canvas or found online.

RECOMMENDED TEXT

1. Writing Philosophy by Lewis Vaughn
2. Aufrecht’s Pocket Guide to Critical Thinking by Monica Aufrecht (on Amazon)

OPTIONAL TEXTS

1. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
2. Gawande, Atul. Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End Metropolitan Books, Henry Holt and Co. ISBN: 978-0-8050-9515-9

 

For guidelines on how to write philosophy, I recommend these websites written by philosophy professors:      

http://www.sfu.ca/~horban/

http://www.jimpryor.net/teaching/guidelines/writing.html

http://www9.georgetown.edu/faculty/blattnew/tips.htm

 

CLASSROOM LEARNING ATMOSPHERE

WHAT TO EXPECT FROM A PHILOSOPHY COURSE

This course has no prerequisite. It is suitable for all students willing to explore philosophy and ethical dilemmas thoughtfully, respectfully, and with an open mind.

So what is philosophy? Philosophy is a conversation. We will read contemporary conversations by philosophers, historians, doctors, judges, and patients about challenging ethical situations. We will use classic philosophical conversations as our guide. In this class you will contribute to these conversations through your research, written assignments, and discussion board.

Philosophy is also a skill, with four basic components. First, you will practice the skill of reading. Reading these conversations is challenging, and also very rich and rewarding. Research shows that our brains are like muscles. The more we “work out,” the smarter we get. So when you are thinking so hard that your brain hurts, and you feel like you don’t understand anything, that is when you are learning the most and your brain is growing new connections between neurons. (See Khan Academy's video, How to Grow Your Brain) So, basically, reading philosophy makes you smarter, especially when it is challenging and doesn’t make sense (yet!). Reading the text twice actually takes less time in the long run -- because you will be able to organize what you are learning -- but more effort (and thus more learning)!

Ultimately, this course is not about faithfully repeating what other people have said (though we do that). Rather, you will develop your own responses to what has been said. So, second crucially, you will practice the skill of articulating your thoughts and communicating them to others, both in speaking and in writing.

Third, philosophy is the skill of questioning your most basic beliefs and assumptions, and then, fourth, using the tools of ethical frameworks, critical thinking, and logic to evaluate the answers you find.

The goal of this course is not to end up with certain answers to ethical dilemmas. Rather, the goal is to learn how to use philosophical tools to reflect on deeply held beliefs, and to emerge with a richer appreciation of the complexities of Biomedical Ethics.

 

WHAT TO EXPECT FROM THIS BIOETHICS COURSE

We will read about both real and fictionalized situations, many of which are heartbreaking and/or infuriating. One goal in reading these histories is to learn from the mistakes of the past so that we do not repeat them. If we can recognize when we, or the people around us, are falling into similar unethical patterns, we can correct our actions and work toward the goal of treating current and future patients ethically.

Some of the topics might feel very personal. Because of this, I always give you options when choosing a discussion topic or essay topic. For example, you can choose whether to share your own professional or personal experiences, or whether to engaged directly with the readings, instead. (And you can always do both).

Students might disagree with each other, the lectures, or the readings on what the morally right action might be. That's okay. As long as we recognize that everyone is a valuable individual and we treat each other with respect, we will be able to learn and grow from these conversations. 

And remember, this course has no prerequisite. Students are coming from a wide range of backgrounds, experiences, and previous knowledge. A topic that is already familiar to you might be entirely new to someone else (and vice versa). We will learn together.

 

COURSE POLICIES

LATE POLICY

Students are expected to complete all assignments at least two days before the final “due time.” Assignments turned in after the due time may receive late penalties, even in the case of technical failure. However, each student gets a total of 3 “free passes” for the quarter. You may use a free pass to submit an assignment late for full credit. To redeem your pass, you must send me a message via Canvas or directly to my email account stating that you are using up your “free pass,” and telling me the date and time you plan to submit the assignment (typically within 48 hours of the due time). No explanations are needed. Submissions after that time may lose points. If you submit an assignment late, but you do not send me an email before the assignment is due telling me that you are using up a free pass, then the assignment may not get full credit, even if you haven’t used all your free passes yet.

Please plan for technical failures and other emergencies by completing assignments early and having multiple back up plans. For example, if Canvas is unavailable, assignments can be emailed directly to me at monica.aufrecht@bellevuecollege.edu. In case you lose power or internet, have a back-up plan for accessing the internet (public library, friend, etc.). This is why early submission is recommended.

I encourage all students to submit all work, even if it is late. So if you are missing any assignments, please submit them as soon as you can for partial credit. The primary goal is for you to learn the course material. The deadlines are there to help students move through the course, facilitate discussions, help me with the logistics of grading, and be fair to all students. 

If you anticipate any challenges in completing the assignments on time, contact me before they are due and as soon as you are aware of the problem so that we can solve it together. Exceptions may be made to the late policy at my discretion if you contact me before the due date. If you encounter an emergency lasting more than three weeks, contact me immediately so we can make arrangements that work for you and best facilitate your learning.

 

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY

You are required to follow the Bellevue College Student Code regarding proper student conduct. Failure to properly cite may result in a zero for the assignment, and possibly an F for the course. Breaches of Academic Integrity will be reported. It is considered a serious offense to present someone else’s words or ideas as if they were your own. All quotations, paraphrasing, and references must be properly cited. This means that if you use any materials or people when preparing the assignment (including the textbook or sources from the internet), you must provide a list of these materials with your assignment. For any words that you did not write, you must put quotation marks around them (“ ”) and cite them (write down who wrote them). If you have any questions about whether your work will be interpreted as cheating or academic plagiarism, contact me before turning in the assignment. I am more than happy to work with you to make sure all of your sources are properly cited.   For more information on what plagiarism is, see http://www.indiana.edu/~wts/pamphlets/plagiarism.shtml

AFFIRMATION OF INCLUSION

Bellevue Community College is committed to maintaining an environment in which every member of the campus community feels welcome to participate in the life of the college, free from harassment and discrimination. We value our different backgrounds at BCC, and students, faculty, staff members, and administrators are to treat one another with dignity and respect.

For further information regarding the Bachelor of Applied science program and policies, see the BAS student handbook. For further information regarding BCC policies, programs and services, review the BCC student handbook.

DIVISION STATEMENT

From the Arts and Humanities Division’s expectations of student conduct: “The college's "Affirmation of Inclusion” is posted in each classroom and sets forth the expectation that we will all treat one another with respect and dignity regardless of whether or not we agree philosophically. This expectation is in line with the principle of free speech in a free society: we have the right to express unpopular ideas as long as we don't show disrespect for reasonable people who might believe otherwise. In an on-line course, you will be expressing ideas through the medium of the course site rather than face to face in the classroom. In that case, these expectations refer to the courtesy with which you communicate with one another through e-mails and e-discussions. Part of this respect involves professional behavior toward the instructor, colleagues, readings, and the class itself. “ Students are required to be familiar with the entire statement: http://s.bellevuecollege.edu/wp/sites/59/2014/10/STUDENT-PROCEDURES-AND-EXPECTATIONS.pdf

RESOURCES FOR STUDENTS

LIBRARY MEDIA CENTER

The Bellevue College Library Media Center has extensive resources available online for all Distance Education students.  You will need your SID.

 

ACCOMMODATIONS AND SUPPORT SERVICES FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES

Bellevue Community College provides reasonable accommodations to students with disabilities. Students who need course accommodations because of a disability, have emergency medical information, or need special arrangements in case the building must be evacuated, should notify the instructor as soon as possible. The responsibility for determining a student’s eligibility for accommodations rests with Disability Resource Center. For more information, visit the Disability Resource Center in room B132, call (425) 564- 2498 (TTY line (425) 564- 4110), email drc@bellevuecollege.edu or go to bellevuecollege.edu/drc.

 

TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE

Students will need regular access to a computer and the internet to complete this course.

Students are expected to log on to the Canvas site every 24-48 hours for announcements and to post to discussion boards. Bellevue College provides several computer labs for students:

http://depts.bellevuecollege.edu/helpdesk/students/computerlabs/, including the N250 Open Lab, which is open daily to all students. Headphones are recommended.

If you have any technical difficulties, you can submit a ticket to the Bellevue College ITS service desk at http://depts.bellevuecollege.edu/helpdesk/, or call 425-564-HELP Mon-Fri 10am – 2pm. Also, let the instructor know right away. For help accessing Canvas, use Canvas Help for students: http://depts.bellevuecollege.edu/helpdesk/students/canvas/

The ability to make a video (camera and microphone) are recommended for communicating with the instructor. Phone calls are also acceptable.

 

ACADEMIC ASSISTANCE & STUDENT SERVICES

All students are encouraged to use the Academic Success Center, especially the Writing Lab

http://www.bellevuecollege.edu/asc/. Several other services are available to Bellevue College Students: https://www.bellevuecollege.edu/resources/services/.  Multicultural Services is open to all students, and is a great resource for academic support, as well.