Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Homework #1: Email Subscription

So why does this course have a blog? Well, why is anything anything?

A blog is a website that works like a journal – users write posts that are sorted by date based on when they were written. You can find important course information (like assignments, due dates, reading schedules, etc.) on the blog. I’ll also be updating the blog throughout the semester, posting interesting items related to the stuff we’re currently discussing in class. You don't have to visit the blog if you don't want to. It's just a helpful resource. I've used a blog for this course a lot, and it's seemed helpful. Hopefully it can benefit our course, too.

Since I’ll be updating the blog a lot throughout the semester, you should check it frequently. There are, however, some convenient ways to do this without simply going to the blog each day. The best way to do this is by getting an email subscription, so any new blog post I write automatically gets emailed to you. (You can also subscribe to the rss feed, if you know what that means.) To get an email subscription:

1. Go to http://2011cccbioethics.blogspot.com.

2. At the main page, enter your email address at the top of the right column (under “EMAIL SUBSCRIPTION: Enter your Email”) and click the "Subscribe me!" button.

3. This will take you to a new page. Follow the directions under #2, where it says “To help stop spam, please type the text here that you see in the image below. Visually impaired or blind users should contact support by email.” Once you type the text, click the "Subscribe me!" button again.

4. You'll then get an email regarding the blog subscription. (Check your spam folder if you haven’t received an email after a day.) You have to confirm your registration. Do so by clicking on the "Click here to activate your account" link in the email you receive.

5. This will bring you to a page that says "Your subscription is confirmed!" Now you're subscribed.

If you are unsure whether you've subscribed, ask me (609-980-8367; slandis@camdencc.edu). I can check who's subscribed and who hasn't.

Laptop Kitty

Saturday, August 27, 2011

Course Details

Camden County College, Blackwood Campus
Philosophy 232-03
Fall 2011
Monday, Wednesday, and Friday
noon – 12:50 p.m. in Madison Hall, Room 311
Instructor: Sean Landis
Email: slandis@camdencc.edu
Phone: 609-980-8367
Course Website: http://2011cccbioethics.blogspot.com
Office Hourse: by appointment

Required Text

Intervention and Reflection: Basic Issues in Medial Ethics, 9th Edition, by Ronald Munson

About the Course
This course is designed to introduce students to philosophical thinking and some specific ethical concerns unique to the medical community. During the course, we will be studying particular moral problems that face people in the biomedical professions. Topics include abortion, stem-cell research, genetic control, euthanasia, our treatment of animals, the economics of health care, race and gender, and truth telling.

We will also be developing various philosophical skills, including:
  • Understanding: the ability to identify and explain an author’s main point in your own words, along with the ability to identify and explain an author’s argument in support of this main point.
  • Evaluating: the ability to critically and charitably determine whether these arguments provide accurate, logical reasons in support of their main points, along with the ability to engage in critical and charitable dialogue with people who hold different views from your own.
  • Defending: the ability to develop your own arguments in support of your opinions on the ethical issues we study, along with the ability to honestly assess your opinions and critically evaluate the quality of your arguments in support of them.
A broader goal of this course is to gain an appreciation for philosophical reflection. Hopefully, we will learn that careful, deliberate examination of the ethical assumptions we often take for granted can improve our own approach to morality, and make us better in our anticipated roles in the medical community.

T-Rex Asks the Big Questions

Grades
900-1000 points = A
800-899 points = B
700-799 points = C
600-699 points = D
below 600 points = F.

Test #1 150 points
Test #2 250 points
Quiz #1 50 points
Quiz #2 100 points
Consensus Session 200 points
Term Paper 150 points
Fun Fridays 50 points total
Attendance/Participation 50 points total

Tests: The first test covers everything we go over during the first month of the course (all the ethical theories we study), and will last the full period (50 minutes) on the scheduled day. The second test is cumulative—that is, it covers everything we study throughout the whole course. The second test will also last 50 minutes, and be held during finals week.

Quizzes: Unlike the exams, quizzes will not be cumulative. Quiz #1 will test you on everything covered during the first 2 weeks of class, and quiz #2 will test you on 4 weeks of material covered after Test #1. Quizzes will last 25 minutes, and be held at the beginning of the period on the scheduled day.

Consensus Session: This will be an in-class, group oral presentation. During the second half of the semester, we will be going over specific ethical debates. Each group of 3-6 students will be assigned to research the ethical topic that we’re discussing that week, present a short lesson on it to the rest of class, and run a voting session on the issue being debated.

Paper: This will be an argumentative essay based on some of the applied ethical issues we study in the second half of the semester.

Fun Fridays: There will three in-class graded assignments scheduled on some Fridays during the semester.

Attendance/Participation: Most of this will be based on your attendance. If you’re there every class, you’ll get full credit for the attendance portion of this grade. Also, there will be a lot of informal group work throughout the semester. Group work can impact this grade.

Extra Credit: I like giving extra credit! I’ll be giving some official extra credit assignments throughout the semester. I’ll also be offering some extra credit points more informally during class time. Remind me about this if I slack off on dishing out extra credit points.

Classroom Policies
Academic Integrity: Cheating and plagiarism (using someone else’s words or ideas in a paper or assignment without giving credit to the source) will not be tolerated in the class. Students found guilty of either will definitely fail the exam or assignment on which they plagiarize—and possibly the entire class.

Attendance: I take attendance each class. CCC policy prohibits you from completing a course if you have been absent for more than 2 weeks (6 classes)—excused or unexcused.

Excused Absences: Any assignment will only be rescheduled for an excused absence. Excused absences include religious observance, official college business, and illness or injury (with a doctor’s note). An unexcused absence on the day of any assignment or test will result in a zero on that assignment or test. Make-up quizzes and exams will be arranged through the Test Center (2nd floor of the Library).

Ask Me About My Bunny
Disability Accommodations: If you have special requirements let me know as soon as possible so we can make all necessary arrangements.

Thursday, August 25, 2011

Course Schedule

*This schedule is tentative and will probably change a lot*

August 31—September 2: Intro to Class / Doing Philosophy
Wednesday: Introduction to Class (no reading)
Friday: Introduction to Doing Philosophy (no reading)

September 5—9: Arguments
Monday: LABOR DAY (no class)
Wednesday: Understanding Arguments (handout)
Friday: Evaluating Arguments (group work) (no reading)

September 12—16: Arguments & Utilitarianism
Monday: Argument wrap-up (no reading)
Wednesday: QUIZ #1; Intro to Ethical Theories (no reading)
Friday: Utilitarianism explained (pgs. 862-870)

September 19—23: Utilitarianism, Kant,& Ross
Monday: Utilitarianism evaluated (pg. 870)
Wednesday: Kantian Ethics (pgs. 870-876)
Friday: Ross’s Seven Duties (pgs. 876-881)

September 26—30: Natural Law Theory & Virtue Ethics
Monday: Natural Law Theory (pgs. 885-891)
Wednesday: Virtue Ethics (pgs. 905-907)
Friday: FUN FRIDAY #1: Self-Improvement (no reading)

October 3—7: Virtue Ethics & Feminist Ethics
Monday: Virtue Ethics (handout)
Wednesday: Ethics of Care / Feminist Ethics (pgs. 907-914)
Friday: Review for Test #1

October 10—14: Test #1 & Abortion
Monday: TEST #1
Wednesday: Abortion | Warren: Human vs. Person (pgs. 482-490)
Friday: Abortion | Warren (continued) (pgs. 454-461)

October 17—21: Abortion
Monday: Abortion | Warren (no new reading) (Sample Consensus Session #1)
Wednesday: Abortion | Marquis (pgs. 461-465) (Sample Consensus Session #2)
Friday: Abortion wrap-up (no new reading)

October 24—28: Embryonic Stem Cells
Monday: Stem Cells intro (pgs. 249-259) & Pontifical Academy (pgs. 324-325)
Wednesday: Stem Cells |Hyun; CONSENSUS SESSION #1 (pgs. 316-319)
Friday: Stem Cells | Magill & Neaves; CONSENSUS SESSION #2 (pgs. 319-323)

October 31—November 4: Genetic Screening & Cloning
Monday: Genetic Screening | McMahan (pgs. 281-284)
Wednesday: Genetic Screening | Davis; CONSENSUS SESSION #3 (pgs. 285-294)
Friday: Cloning | Kass; CONSENSUS SESSION #4 (pgs. 401-406, 341-346)

November 7—11: Cloning & Reproduction
Monday: Cloning | Strong; CONSENSUS SESSION #5 (pgs. 406-411)
Wednesday: Reproduction | Hanscombe; CONSENSUS SESSION #6 (pgs. 406-409, 369-377)
Friday: FUN FRIDAY #2: Heterosexism (pgs. 406-409)

November 14—18: Impaired Infants & Euthanasia
Monday: Impaired Infants | Engelhardt; CONSENSUS SESSION #7 (pgs 543-548)
Wednesday: Impaired Infants | Robertson (pgs. 536-543); group work
Friday: Euthanasia | Callahan CONSENSUS SESSION #8 (pgs. 596-600)

November 21—25: Euthanasia
Monday: Euthanasia | Rachels; CONSENSUS SESSION #9 (pgs. 585-589, 578-585)
Wednesday: Euthanasia| Lee (pgs. 589-593) and Oregon (pgs. 573-578)
Friday: THANKSGIVING BREAK (no class) (woo?)
carpe diem, lazy bones

November 28—December 2: Animal Research & Race and Gender
Monday: QUIZ #2; Animal Research | Singer (pgs. 196-203)
Wednesday: Animal Research | Cohen; CONSENSUS SESSION #10 (pgs. 203-209)
Friday: FUN FRIDAY #3: Sexism & Racism (pgs. 745-750, 788-792)

December 5—9: Race and Gender & Economics of Health Care
Monday: Race and Gender | Dula; CONSENSUS SESSION #11 (pgs. 798-804)
Wednesday: Health Care Economics| Old vs. New (675-684)
Friday: Health Care Economics | Daniels; CONSENSUS SESSION #12 (pgs. 713-716)

December 12—16: The Economics of Health Care
Monday: Health Care Economics | Sreenivassan (pgs. 716-724); group work
Wednesday: Health Care Economics | Wrap-up (pgs. 689-694)
Monday: TERM PAPER DUE; review for Test #2

December 19: Test #2

Monday: TEST #2 (noon-12:50 p.m.)

We Should Greet Each Other This Way
Important Dates
August 30th: Last day to drop a course & receive a 100% refund.
September 14th: Last day to drop a course & receive a 50% refund.
September 21st: Last day to sign up to audit a course.
December 2nd: Last day to withdraw from Fall classes.