Ron Barnette's Ethics and Health Care Syllabus

ETHICS AND HEALTH CARE PHILOSOPHY 310/510

ETHICS AND HEALTH CARE (PHIL. 310/510)

This course is a study of how ethical or reasoning can be rigorously applied to problems arising in medicine or health-care delivery.

PHILOSOPHY 310/510 has three objectives:

First, ethics is an attempt to justify a correct standard of right and wrong, good and bad. We will briefly look at a number of ethical theories, but will examine two in some depth: utilitarianism and kantianism. The main purpose of this first objective will be to establish a working ethical framework or perspective which can be used to solve ethical problems arising in medicine and health care.

Second, this course is intended to provide the student with skills in critical thinking and moral reasoning.

Third, this course will give students the opportunity to investigate the various strategies that philosophers and persons in health-care use to justify policies and actions.

The problems we are going to reflect on are:

ABORTION

INFANTICIDE

EUTHANASIA

PATERNALISM

TRUTH-TELLING

AIDS CONTROVERSIES

CONFIDENTIALITY

MEDICAL EXPERIMENTATION

INFORMED CONSENT

GENETIC CONTROL, INTERVENTION, AND RESEARCH

IN VITRO FERTILIZATION

ARTIFICIAL INSEMINATION

SURROGATE PARENTING

ALLOCATION OF SCARCE MEDICAL RESOURCES

THE CLAIM TO HEALTH CARE

Professor: Dr. Ronald L. Barnette (University of California, Irvine);

Professor and Head,

Department of Philosophy

Campbell Hall

333-5949 e-mail(Internet) rbarnett@valdosta.edu

FAX 259-5001

Philosophy Website http://www.valdosta.peachnet.edu/~rbarnett/phi

COURSE REQUIREMENTS FOR ETHICS AND HEALTH CARE

1. Required Textbook:

Intervention and Reflection: Basic Issues in Medical Ethics (5th Ed.),

by Ronald Munson.

2. Class Attendance:

Students are expected to be in class prepared to discuss the assigned readings and weekly issues. Clear records will be kept. Any absence needs to be accompanied by a written explanation.

3. Grading Policy:

Each student will write nine essays in which he or she demonstrates critical thinking concerning the topics under review. A mid-term progress report will be provided. (More detailed information regarding the paper assignments will be given in class.)

4. Assignments:

(1) You will select one decision scenario at the end of each topic we study;

(2) I will assign numerical scores to your paper on the basis of the following three criteria:

a. How well does your response to the questions reflect the

fact that you have read the readings assigned and discussed in class?

b. How well does your response reflect the fact that you have thought about the issues carefully and critically?

c. How well-developed and presented is your essay?

5. Class Meeting Time:

The class meets every Tuesday and Thursday evening, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m.

6. Classroom: West Hall 104

7. In order to accomodate the importance of the Internet technology, I will discuss the possibilities of extra-credit arrangements, which include World Wide Web and e-mail opportunities. To this end, I encourage all students to establish e-mail accounts at VSU- --they are free, after all---and see me about those cyber-opportunities! Electronic information and WWW research is exceptional.

Dr. Ron Barnette

DATE TOPIC READINGS & PAPERS

March 31 INTRODUCTION TO MEDICAL ETHICS NO ASSIGNMENT

April 2                             MORAL PRINCIPLES, ETHICAL                                                         I & R, 1-45
                                        THEORIES, AND MEDICAL
                                        DECISIONS

April 7 EUTHANASIA I & R, 148-175

April 9 EUTHANASIA I & R, 175-203
Assignment #1

April 14 ABORTION I & R, 47-80
Assignment #1 due

April 16 ABORTION I & R, 80-107
Assignment #2

April 21 INFANTICIDE I & R, 108-147
Assignment #2 due,

April 23 AIDS AND ITS ISSUES Assignment #3
I & R, 205-258

April 28 PHYSICIANS, PATIENTS AND I & R, 259-322
OTHERS Assignment #3 due

April 30 MEDICAL EXPERIMENTATION AND Assignment #4
INFORMED CONSENT I & R, 323-421

May 5 GENETICS: INTERVENTION Assignment #4 due
CONTROL, AND RESEARCH I & R, 423-461

May 7 GENETICS: INTERVENTION, I & R, 461-487
CONTROL, AND RESEARCH Assignment #5

May 12                                REPRODUCTIVE CONTROL:                                                     Assignment #5 due
                                        IN VITRO FERTILIZATION,                                                             I& R, 489-533
                                        ARTIFICIAL INSEMINATION,
                                        AND SURROGATE PREGNANCY

May 14                             REPRODUCTIVE CONTROL:                                                         I & R, 533-551
                                        IN VITRO FERTILIZATION,                                                         Assignment #6
                                        ARTIFICIAL INSEMINATION,
                                        SURROGATE PREGNANCY

May 19 ACQUIRING AND ALLOCATING Assignment #6 due
SCARCE MEDICAL RESOURCES I & R, 553-573

May 21 ALLOCATING SCARCE MEDICAL I & R, 573-609
RESOURCES Assignment #7

May 26 THE CLAIM TO HEALTH CARE Assignment #7 due
I&R, 610-631

May 28 THE CLAIM TO HEALTH CARE I & R, 631-663
Assignment #8

June 2, 4 FINAL CLASS SESSIONS, REVIEW, Assignment #8 due
AND WRAP-UP