Bioethics PHI 237 SYLLABUSFall 2016Location: Baldy 110Time: Monday, Wednesday, Friday, 10:00 a.m. – 10: 50 a.m.Instructor: Andrew Pfeuffer, 157 Park Hall, [email protected] Description:This course will be a survey of many of the most controversial issues in bioethics. It will begin byexamining many different ethical frameworks and their various value commitments and accounts of morality. These frameworks will then be utilized as a theoretical groundwork from which to conduct an investigation of several hotly contested issues in bioethics. Throughout the course, philosophical theory will be supplemented by legal precedent and political documents to help students gain an appreciation for practical and real world considerations of bioethics as well as how philosophical reasoning can influence policy concerns. Students will be exposed to arguments for and against various issues and practices in the domain of bioethics with an eye topractical and professional implications as well as theoretical concerns. This course is designed tobe of particular interest to those in pre-med, nursing, pre-law, and philosophy programs.Course Schedule:Please note the schedule of readings is tentative and subject to revision based upon course needs and progress.AbortionJudith Thomson “A Defense of Abortion”Supreme Court Case Roe v. WadePatrick Lee “Is Abortion Justified As Non-intentional Killing?”Euthanasia, Physician-Assisted Suicide, and Advance DirectivesDavid Velleman “A Right of Self-Termination?”Commercial SurrogacyElizabeth Anderson “Is Woman’s Labor a Commodity?”Court Case In re baby MRichard Arneson “Commodification and Commercial Surrogacy”Human CloningLeon Kass “The Wisdom of Repugnance: Why WE Must Ban the Cloning of Human Beings”Autonomy and Informed ConsentTom Beauchamp and James Childress “Respect for Autonomy”Court Case Canterbury v. SpenceRobert Veatch “Abandoning Informed Consent”Clinical Trials and Human ExperimentationCase study: Tuskegee SyphilisDeath: Definition, Criterion, and TestsJames Bernat “A Defense of the Whole Brain Concept of Death”Alan Shewmon “The Brain and Somatic Integration”Organ Procurement & DistributionRobert Veatch “Voluntary Risks and Allocation: Does the Alcoholic Deserve a New Liver?”Veatch and Pitt “The Myth of Presumed Consent”Learning Outcomes:Upon successful completion of the course, students should be able to discuss and apply several different types of ethical theories to various types of moral issues in bioethics. Students will hone and demonstrate their reading, writing, oral communication, and critical thinking skills. Students will understand arguments for and against various positions on a number of controversial topics including abortion, euthanasia, human cloning, surrogacy, organ procurement, and religious exemptions and conscientious objection. Standards of Evaluation:Your grade will be calculated by two exams, each consisting of roughly half of the course material. Barring extreme extenuating circumstances brought to my attention prior to the exam with documentation, or exceptions granted by university policy, no make-up exams will be offered. In addition, you will also submit a paper. Late papers will not be accepted. Quizzes may also be given periodically throughout the semester to monitor student progress with the reading and course material. Extra credit assignments are not offered. Attendance:Students are expected to attend all classes prepared and ready to discuss the assigned readings. A lack ofparticipation or attendance may become grounds for a grading penalty if it becomes habitual or severe.Cheating: Students caught plagiarizing will get an F on that assignment and a note in their file that they are guilty of cheating, and perhaps suspension or expulsion. Ignorance of what counts as plagiarism is noexcuse. For more information about plagiarism go to the library web page http://library.buffalo.edu/libraries/asl/guides/plagiarism.html Academic Honesty and Student Conduct For information about UB’s policies, see the following URLs. Academic Integrity: http://academicintegrity.buffalo.edu/policies/index.php Student Conduct: http://www.ub-judiciary.buffalo.edu/rulereg.php If you have any questions about these policies (for instance, questions about what constitutes plagiarism), please contact meSpecial Needs: If you believe you have a disability that requires classroom or other accommodations, then inform me and contact Accessibility Resources, 25 Capen Hall, 645-2608, [email protected] ,