Syllabus

PHL 333- Biomedical Ethics

University of South Alabama, Fall 2018

Dr. Anne Jeffrey

Syllabus document

What is this course about?

Human beings are embodied. And because of this, much of how well our lives go depends on our health. Medicine aims to benefit people by promoting health and curing illness, making embodied life better. But medicine deals with human persons whose wills and values ought to be respected. This means that not every way of achieving the goal of medicine, that is, health, is good or permissible.

Moreover, human beings are social creatures. What is good for individuals depends on what is good for other individuals and the communities they compose. So the individual pursuing health has reason to respect the rights of others, distribute justly and take only her fair share of medical resources, and promote community health.

Finally, embodied human beings live in an environment alongside other animals. Our choices, actions, and institutions affect the environment and other animals, as does our use of these as resources in our pursuit of human wellbeing.

In this course, we will explore together answers to questions about how best to live and act given how we are situated biologically, socially, and environmentally.

The primary way you will learn bioethics is by practicing it. You’ll investigate cases that raise prominent bioethical issues and decide together how those involved should respond, given their common aim of living a good life.

What should I hope to get out of the course?

Bioethics is not an abstract science. It brings us face to face with concrete difficulties faced by real people in challenging circumstances. Doing bioethics well is like walking a tightrope—it takes a delicate balance between being a sympathetic interlocutor, being able to see things from many peoples’ perspectives, and being an incisive thinker, challenging the status quo.

I will ask that you help make our class an environment where we can learn to strike that balance by showing humility, sensitivity, respect, and openness to others as we share ideas, experiences, and arguments. If you invest in this class, I hope you will emerge equipped to advance fruitful discussions about these issues with your friends, family, and fellow citizens.

What will we read and when?

All readings will be posted to the Readings folder on our google team drive and linked in the Reading Schedule google doc.

What tools will we use?

Team Drive

Google Team Drive is a file sharing tool that will allow us to share course content with all and only members of our class. The readings are posted in the "Readings-student folder" of our team drive. You will be able to upload argument maps and groupwork for classmates to see using the team drive.

To access the team drive, login to your jagmail account. Click the grid icon at the top right corner. Then click the Drive icon (third top). Your team drives can be accessed on the sidebar on the left.

Argument Maps

We will use a software that helps you visualize argument structure called Mindmup 2.0. You'll connect this software with google drive so you can upload your argument maps seamlessly to the team drive and submit them to the instructor using google forms. For preliminary data on the effectiveness of argument mapping software, see this article in Nature.

More details about argument maps can be found in the Argument Mapping page of our site under Resources.

What are we doing and when?

Reading Assignments

I expect you to come to class having prepared the reading assignment for that day. When called on, you should be ready to identify or summarize relevant passages. As the course progresses, you will be expected to be able to engage critically with the reading in assignments.

I highly recommend that you take notes on the readings or make argument maps that you can then read aloud or use as a springboard to participate in class. This is helpful to everyone: it ensures that those very comfortable with speaking make comments and ask questions that are well thought through, and it makes it easier for those who aren’t normally comfortable speaking impromptu to be heard.

Any changes in the reading assignments will be reflected on the reading schedule online. You are responsible for checking for changes.

Discussion and Group Work

Discussion and group work. Every class period will have time for class-wide discussion and activities in small groups. Participating in discussions and group work is required to pass the course. A prerequisite of achieving the basic objective of engaging respectfully and thoughtfully with others is being present. (See attendance policy for details.)

I expect you to engage thoughtfully—giving me and others your undivided attention, preparing for class with thorough reading, being mindful of how often and long you speak relative to others, and communicating your thoughts clearly by choosing your words carefully.

I expect you to engage respectfully—taking a posture of readiness to learn from me and others, listening closely to others’ comments and questions, giving due recognition to your peers for their insights and ideas, and responding directly or incorporating the comments of your peers in your own comments and questions.

Debates

We will hold three in-class debates about the cases from the case packet. These debates offer the chance to work together to come up with a position and then communicate your position and reasoning on a case.

You will be divided into teams at the beginning of the semester. Every team will compete in the three main debates and should prepare the four cases we have discussed in class periods prior to the debate. An excellent debater will collaborate and prepare with your teammates, state your position clearly, communicate clearly about your reasons for your position, and charitably and carefully responds to the opposing team’s argument.

The two highest-ranked teams at the end of the three debates will go head-to-head in the finals and for first and second place, earn two and one tokens, respectively.

How is learning assessed and graded?

Assessment in this class is based on your level of achievement of the course objectives. In particular, it follows the specifications method of grading which studies have shown to improve student outcomes in courses. So while grading is not conventional, it should help you focus on cultivating skills and achieving meaningful outcomes and reflect those achievements.

Every assignment is tagged with specific learning goals and marked as Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory based on whether it meets those goals. The specific learning goals are grouped into levels of competencies corresponding to grades. Grades thus reflect the level achieved in the learning goals of the course.

Tokens. Every student starts the semester with two virtual tokens. You can use these to revise and resubmit a written assignment, make up a written assignment you have missed within one week of the due date, or to erase one unexcused absence.

More can be read about specification grading in Linda Nilson’s pioneering book here, in this interview with Nilson here, and this article on a study showing successful implementation of the method.

C Students who pass the course with a grade of C will have demonstrated mastery of the following competencies:

• Identify important ethical considerations in cases
• Accurately restate philosophical arguments in course texts
• Engage respectfully and thoughtfully with others on bioethical issues
• Clearly communicate coherent positions on ethical issues in cases

B Students who earn a grade of B will have demonstrated mastery of a higher level of competencies, including the above and:

• Engage critically with clearly restated philosophical arguments in course texts
• Clearly communicate coherent line of reasoning for why you hold your positions on ethical issues in cases
• Write a valid argument to justify your positions on cases

A Students who earn a grade of A will have demonstrated the highest level of competencies, including all the above and:

• Integrate clear and accurate restatement of arguments in course texts into your own discussion of a case on which it bears
• Effectively communicate a well-organized argument for your positions on ethical issues in cases
• Write a clear and convincing argument to justify your position on a case

Here is how the specific goals tagged in assignments are grouped by level:

C-level

• Actively participate in class at Satisfactory level with up to 5 absences
• Participate in 3 debates
• In at least 1 debate, communicate your position on a case clearly
• Complete the argument map for the position paper at Satisfactory level
• Complete version (draft or final) of the position paper that earns Satisfactory on clear statement of position, identification of the important ethical issues, and accurate restatement of relevant philosophical arguments from the texts

B-level

• Actively participate in class at Satisfactory level with up to 3 absences
• Participate in 3 debates
• In at least 2 debates, communicate your position on a case clearly
• In at least 1 debate, explain your reasoning for holding your position at Satisfactory level
• Complete peer review at Satisfactory level
• Complete a draft of position paper that earns Satisfactory marks on construction of a valid argument for your position, critical engagement with arguments in course texts

A-level

• Actively participate in class at Satisfactory level with up to 2 absences
• Participate in 3 debates
• In at least 2 debates, explain your reasoning for holding your position clearly
• Complete peer review at Satisfactory level
• Complete final draft of position paper that earns Satisfactory marks on integration of arguments from the literature in your discussion and convincing argumentation for your position

What are the course policies?

Academic Integrity

You are responsible for knowing and abiding by the University’s regulations regarding academic honesty. Here is a good rule of thumb for avoiding plagiarism: If it’s a direct quotation, cite it. If it’s a paraphrase of someone else’s idea, cite it. If it’s an idea you got from a discussion or reading, cite it. If in doubt, cite it. The only ideas not cited are those you come up with independently or that belong to general knowledge. Plagiarism may result in an automatic failure of the course.

Accommodation

Please notify me in the first week of class if you need academic accommodation. You will need to provide certification from Disability Services (Office of Special Students Services, located in Room 270 of the Student Center, 251–460–7212). Additionally, I encourage all students to make use of the Writing Center at Marx Library.

Attendance

Attendance will be recorded every class period and regular attendance is a prerequisite (necessary but not sufficient) for passing the course. 5 or more unexcused absences are just cause for failure of the course. 3 absences are permitted while earning a B and 2 while earning an A. . If you have a medical emergency or a university-sponsored event, you may present the office of student affairs with a note from a medical professional, director of the event, or your academic dean for an excused absence and have it forwarded to the instructor.

Assessment

All students are required to pass a syllabus quiz to ensure advance understanding of the requirements of the course, assignments, grading system, and policies. The syllabus is an agreement between student and instructor, and completing the syllabus quiz is the student’s way of registering agreement.

Any grievances about marks must be submitted to the instructor in writing 24 hours after receiving the mark. The student and instructor will then meet to discuss this. If it cannot be resolved, we will follow university policy in the Lowdown.

Electronics

Cell phones must be stowed and silenced during class. You may use a tablet for readings and laptops for argument mapping when the instructor calls for it only. If you have accessibility reasons for using a laptop, please let me know the first week of class. I will record other use of electronics as an unexcused absence.

[1] I am grateful to Mark Murphy for this suggestion.