Medical Ethics

Medical Ethics
(Phil 131C) Fall 2022
Mon/Wed 4:00-5:20pm

Location: Anteater Learning Pavilion 2500 (map here)
Professor: Brianne Donaldson
Email: b.donaldson@UCI.edu

Description:
The last fifty years of scientific knowledge and technological developments have led to numerous ethical dilemmas that neither medicine nor law alone can adequately address. The emergence of biomedical ethics strains to fill this gap, confronting crucial new questions such as how to define life and death, how to allocate limited resources, how to justify research harms, and issues of social disparity and justice. This course will provide students the philosophical foundations of western normative ethics, with reference to feminist ethics and non-western views. During the term, we will practice utilizing these ethical tools to examine cases related to: autonomy and confidentiality, pharmaceutical clinical trials, research on animals, reproductive technologies, and end-of-life decisions.

Opening Recitation:
“Do I contradict myself? / Very well then I contradict myself, / (I am large, I contain multitudes.)”
–Walt Whitman, "Song of Myself"

Student Learning Objectives:
1. Articulate 3-4 normative ethical theories in the west.
2. Explain fundamental concepts in bioethics
3. Identity key tensions within contemporary bioethical issues
4. Gain experience in completing a clinical Ethics Work-Up on case studies with reference to general appeals and their philosophical underpinnings

STUDENT VISITING HOURS: COME SEE ME! (Fall 2022)

Where to find my office: Humanities Instructional Bldg, Lowest level, Room #56 (Philosophy Dept; map here). Visiting hours start Week 2, October 3, 2022.

Monday (in person) 12:00–1:00pm
Other times by request and Zoom (link here); just contact me (note that I often don't check email after 6pm)
When writing me, please include a greeting such as "Hi _____" or "Dear _____" so I feel like a means to your success as well as my own end; I will endeavor to do the same for you.

REQUIRED TEXTS

Click image below for Amazon link. STUDENTS MUST HAVE A COPY (HARD OR DIGITAL) OF THE READINGS IN CLASS so we can reference them.

Look for the much cheaper 6th edition (pictured here) rather than the 7th, but we can work with both.

Biomedical Ethics, 6th Edition, ed. Thomas A. Mappes and David DeGrazia (2005; paperback)

Publisher: McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Languages; 6 edition edition (2005)
ISBN-10: 0072976446

*I've chosen the 6th edition (rather than 7th) because of the much lower cost ($4–$15 used on Amazon). If you accidentally get the 7th ed., we can work with that.

If you have trouble getting this text due to shortage of available copies, the authors have now given me permission to share the relevant pages, which you can find here.

*OTHER INDIVIDUAL READINGS WILL ALSO BE LINKED IN THE SCHEDULE BELOW.

POLICIES

ATTENDANCE POLICY
Attendance will begin the third week of class, after the drop/add deadline (Oct. 7, 2022). After this date, all students can miss two classes without penalty. On the third absence, students will receive a one-time 3-point deduction, and an additional 3-point deduction for every absence thereafter. If you have an extended illness, extended family emergency, or extended immigration-related issue, please contact me as soon as you are able to and we will discuss a plan going forward. *Also, if something has kept you from reading or feeling prepared for class, please still come. You can always “pass” in discussion. So long as this is not a regular occurrence, your engaged presence will still benefit you, your peers, and our collective work.

ADD/DROP DEADLINES
Students may DROP or ADD a course through 5:00 p.m. on Friday of the second week of classes October 7, 2022; click here.

ACADEMIC DISHONESTY AND PLAGIARISM
We are here to do the hard work of learning together. Academic dishonesty erodes this goal and your own self confidence, and is a serious academic offense that can result in failing a paper, failing the class, and academic dismissal from the university. Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, plagiarism (copying words, phrases, or ideas from other authors/sources without giving citation credit), copying answers from another student, allowing another student to copy your answers, communicating exam answers to other students during an exam, attempting to use notes or other aids during an exam, or tampering with an exam after it has been corrected and then returning it for more credit. These actions are a violation of the UCI Policies on Academic Honesty . It is your responsibility to read and understand these policies. Note that any instance of academic dishonesty will be reported to the Academic Integrity Administrative Office for disciplinary action and is cause for a failing grade in the course.

DISABILITY ACCOMMODATIONS
All of us have different abilities, strengths, and challenges with learning. Students who believe they may need accommodations to succeed in this class are encouraged to register online with the Disability Services Center (or call 949-824-7494) as soon as possible to ensure that such accommodations are implemented in a timely fashion. This can include priority test-taking, seating preference, transportation, document conversion, among many other possible accommodations. Also, please feel free to meet with me to discuss any ways I can make any aspect of the classroom, materials, or assignments more accessible.

UCI MENTAL HEALTH COUNSELING AND RELATIONSHIP VIOLENCE PHONE LINES (24-HRS/DAY)
UCI has several free resources and services to support well-being and safety. Click here.

FOOD AND HOUSING INSECURITY
Any student who has difficulty affording groceries or accessing sufficient food to eat every day, or who lacks a safe and stable place to live, and believes this may affect their performance in the course, is urged to contact the FRESH Basic Needs Hub and the Basic Needs Coordinator, Andrea Gutierrez, at agordill@exchange.uci.edu. Also, please notify me if you are comfortable doing so. This will enable me to inform you of resources that might be of help.

FIRST GENERATION SUPPORT!
Check out the School of Humanities' first-generation services here, including incoming seminar, peer mentor program, and more.

TECHNOLOGY IN THE CLASSROOM
Disciplined use of devices for note taking or looking up information relevant to an immediate discussion in class is welcome. Checking out cat memes, texting, and personal email, while tempting, is not. It is evident to everyone when a colleague is checked out of class and into their device, and it lessens what the class can be as a whole. I prefer to leave this disciplined restraint to you, but will address it myself if needed. I will do my best to facilitate an active learning environment whenever possible.

LATE WORK POLICY
The late policy will begin after the drop/add deadline of October 7, 2022. There is a one-hour grace period on all assignments, except online quizzes, which must be completed by class time. After the drop/add deadline, late assignments of up to 40 points will receive a one-time 3-point deduction; late assignments over 40 points will receive a one-time 5-point deduction. All work is due by the last day of the final exam.

ASSIGNMENTS AND GRADING

There are 410 points total in the course

1. Participation: Pre-class quizzes and questions (17 total; 13 will count; 10 points each; 130 points total)
Before each class for which we have reading of any kind (17 classes total), you will take and submit a quiz (open book; 20 minute limit) prior to coming to class through Canvas. In early weeks, this will include terms for key theories, theoretical terms, philosophers, and bioethical concepts. In later weeks it will include reading comprehension questions about diverse positions on a particular issue. These quizzes and reading questions will also function as the primary study guide for your final exam. I will count the 13 highest scores; you can take all 17 quizzes if you like, or skip up to four. NOTE: the quizzes will open on Canvas 24 hours prior to class until the start of class, that is, 4pm on Mondays and Wednesday.

2. Participation: Attendance: 2 free missed classes; point reduction after that. See "policies" section above for details.

3. Ethics Work-Up #1, #2, and #3 (60 points each; 180 total)
Following the Ethics Work-Up Framework (to be discussed), students will complete two Ethics Work-Ups. See ETHICS WORK-UP RUBRIC under "Resources," section above.

4. Final Exam (100 points)
This exam will include multiple choice, True/False, and matching terms, a few short answer questions, 1-2 long answer questions, and one reflective question. This content will come primarily from quizzes, in-class lectures, and class conversations. A study guide will be provided in Week 10.

5. Extra Credit (10–15 points) Attend two sessions of the online conference Knowing Life: The Ethics of Multispecies Epistemologies, Nov. 3-5.
REGISTER HERE.
CONFERENCE SCHEDULE HERE.
Please choose one or both of the below questions to answer:
1. What unique contributions to animal or more-than-human ethics do you identify in the views/sessions you attended that differ from or exceed those we discussed in class?
2. What views presented or discussed were most compelling to you regarding more-than-human ethics? Do you feel those views would fit within one or more of our five ethical appeals categories (legal and professional standards, rights, consequences, justice, special obligations)? If so, explain. If not, what seems to exceed the categories we have considered?
Contribute to class Canvas Discussion thread between 11/5 and 11/14 class time.

Points awarded as follows:
10pts: RSVP and attend the lecture virtually through Zoom (if you cannot attend, please register and let me know, as I can send the video afterwards)
12pts: On the Canvas Discussion forum, please answer at least one of the above questions. These should clearly demonstrates your thoughtful engagement with the lecture itself, and class content. These should clearly demonstrates your thoughtful engagement with the lecture itself, and class content on animal research (and other relevant themes/terms you'd like to raise)
14pts: Respond thoughtfully to 1 comment or question on the Canvas Discussion forum
15pts: Respond thoughtfully to 2 comments or questions on the Canvas Discussion forum
*This event is hosted by the UCI Shri Parshvanath Presidential Chair in Jain Studies Lecture

Basic Canvas grading guide
A+   100--96.5%
A. < 96.5--93.5%
A- < 93.5--90.0%
B+   < 90.0--86.5%
B   <86.5--83.5%
B- < 83.5--80.0%
C+   < 80.0--76.5%
C   < 76.5--73.5%
C- < 73.5--70.0%
D+   < 70.0--66.5%
D   < 66.5--63.5%
D- < 63.5--60.0%
F < 60.0--0.0%

ASSIGNMENT RUBRICS

Documents will be added as we get to each assignment

GENERAL GUIDE FOR ETHICS WORK-UP ASSIGNMENTS

Complete Ethics Work-up Guide__Oct22.docx
File Size:	21 kb
File Type:	docx

​Medical Ethics (Phil 131C) ​Fall 2022Mon/Wed 4:00-5:20pm

STUDENT VISITING HOURS: COME SEE ME! (Fall 2022)

REQUIRED TEXTS

POLICIES

ASSIGNMENTS AND GRADING

ASSIGNMENT RUBRICS

RESOURCES: 5 WAYS TO TAKE NOTES & BEDFORD CITATION GUIDE

WEEKLY SCHEDULE (and tips for class preparation)

Week 1​

Week 2

Week 3

Week 4

Week 5

Week 6 (extra credit opportunity this week)

Week 7

Week 8

Week 9 ​

Week 10

Week 11

www.briannedonaldson.com

Medical Ethics
(Phil 131C) Fall 2022
Mon/Wed 4:00-5:20pm

Week 1

Week 9