Instructor: Dr. Rosalind (Roz) Herlands
Office: C-107 (ext 4402)
e-mail: rherlands@stockton.edu
Home Phone: 965-3611 [please DON’T call between midnight and 7 am]
Office Hours: M 1-2; W 2:15-3:15; and F 9-9:45

This is a GIS "Senior" Seminar course. That means, it is open to any student who has junior or senior class standing. It also means that the format for this course is primarily class discussions--some led by the instructor and most led by students; there will also be some short lectures and several films/videos. This is also a WAC or W2 course; that means, you will be doing a good deal of writing and that most of your written assignments will be evaluated both on the quality of the writing and the thoughtfulness/thoroughness of the arguments.

We will be discussing the current ethical dilemmas raised by recent advances in biology and medicine. On the following pages, I have outlined the sequence of topics and readings and the dates that the major writing assignments are due. There is one exam, a final, at the end of the term.

Textbooks: Classical Cases in Medical Ethics, 3rd ed. by Gregory E. Pence
                 Due Consideration by Arthur Caplan [DC]
                 The Clone Age by Lori Andrews [CA]
                 Brave New World, by Huxley [optional]
                  Collection of Bioethics Articles from Hastings Center Report

Assignments: You will do lots of writing, including some informal work, several short assignments and one formal essay. These assignments and the essay will be position papers on topics that we discuss in class. Your essays should reflect an integration of your beliefs and ideas gleaned from the readings and class discussions. Your particular position should be supported by logical, cogent, and well-organized arguments, including a rebuttal against opposing views; that is, your essays should be informed opinions.
 

Each student will also be responsible for leading one class discussion.

There will be a final essay exam.

Readings: I expect you to do the assigned readings and to be prepared to discuss the ideas and value judgments presented in them. We will use the College’s Web Caucus conferencing system to maintain an on-going dialogue to questions that I pose from the readings. The conference is entitled: GIS Bioethics. Each student must comment on the questions or respond to comments by classmates at least once each week. Please note, only students who post at least one thoughtful response each week are eligible to receive an "A" grade in this course.

Attendance: This course has a seminar format and thus much of the learning process will occur during our class discussions of the readings and concepts introduced in short lectures. It is, therefore, essential for you to be present at every class meeting. I will take attendance.

Evaluation: Your final grade will be based on: four short writing assignments
                                                                        one essay
                                                                        final exam
                                                                        class discussion presentation
                                                                        weekly contributions on Web Caucus conference
                                                                        participation in class discussions
                                                                        other writing assignments

Library Resources: Our Library collection has many excellent books on various biomedical ethics topics. I have put several of the most useful ones on reserve for the course so that you may have easy access to them. The Library gets the bimonthly journal, Hastings Center Report (it is on the display rack). This journal contains short essays on current biomedical ethical dilemmas and provides interesting case studies. The Government Documents collection has several of the President’s Commission for the Study of Ethical Problems in Medicine and Biomedical and Behavioral Research. Often issues of New England Journal of Medicine have editorial articles concerned with euthanasia, health care reform, use of fetal tissue, etc.

A detailed course syllabus is attached.