PHI -237 SOCIAL AND ETHICAL VALUES IN MEDICINE – Spring 2022Monday, Wednesday, and Friday10:00-10:50 Room: Knox 109Instructor: Professor David B. HershenovOffice Hours: Tuesdays 11:00 am -1:00 pm or by appointment Office: Park Hall 123Email [email protected] Head Teaching Assistant (TA) Noah Kim Office Hours: Mondays and Wednesdays from 11:30AM-12:30PM and by appointment Office: Park Hall Rm 155Noah is the TA for students whose last names are found alphabetically from Abilmona through HayesEmail: [email protected] Assistant (TA) Gloria SansoOffice Hours: Wednesdays 11:00 am-1:00 pmOffice: Park Hall 120Email: [email protected] is the TA for students whose last names are found alphabetically from Hill through MussendenTeaching Assistant (TA) Josh VonderhaarOffice Hours: Mondays, Wednesdays 11:00 pm – 12:00 pmOffice: Park Hall Rm Park 158 Email: [email protected] is the TA for students whose last names are found from Mustari through ZhengLearning Outcomes * Understanding the role of conscience, autonomy, and informed consent in medical decisions * Understanding how the leading theories of our worth and dignity influence life and death issues * Understanding conflicts between one’s right to control one’s body & duties to save another’s life* Understanding debates about the nature, definition, and criterion of death* Understanding the moral issues involved with procuring and distributing transplantable organs* Understanding the arguments for and against creating children through surrogacy* Understanding the arguments for rationing resources and mandating vaccinations during an epidemic * Understanding the arguments for and against genetic and chemical enhancements * Understanding the methodology of moral arguments – logic, analogies, and thought experiments* Developing the ability to critically read a philosophy text * Developing the ability to write a critical philosophy paper Learning Outcomes Assessment: All but the last learning outcome will be assessed through both exams and a paper. The last outcome will be assessed solely by grading and commenting upon the paper. Email Etiquette: I won’t open emails without subject headings and may not respond if you don’t provide your first and last name in the body of the message. Please include “Phi-237” in the subject heading. Please continue on the same thread so my memory can be refreshed about our previous correspondence. I have many students (200 in this class alone) so I may not remember your previous email.1Attendance Requirements: Attendance will be taken starting the second week of the course. Students are allowed five unexcused absences. Excused absences are medical conditions (your TA may request a medical note), family emergencies, and the like. Contact your TA, not the professor, about excused absences. Oversleeping, work schedules, or transportation problems (car trouble, traffic jams, and missed buses) do not count as valid excuses. Each additional unexcused absence will result in the loss of a point from the student’s course average. For example, if your average score on the tests and papersis a 90 (an A- grade) then with your sixth unexcused absence that number will be reduced to an 89 and you will receive a B+ rather than an A- in the course. If you miss a class, watch the recorded lecture or read the lecture transcript. Both are available on UB Learns under “Documents” Revoking Attendance Credit: TAs reserve the right to revoke attendance credit when students leave right after attendance is taken when it is recorded early in the class or arrive right before attendance is taken when it is recorded later in the class. Student may be given either partial or no attendance credit for not attending the entire class. TAs may also take away full or partial attendance if students are on cellphone or looking at anything on their computer other than course material or typing in notes. Not paying attention during the class violates the spirit of the attendance rule. Attendance Questions: CONTACT YOUR TA, NOT THE PROFESSOR, for any queries concerning your attendance records. If you believe there is an error in the record keeping or believe you have a justified excuse, contact your TA. There is no reason to contact the Professor about attendance matters unless you believe you have been treated unfairly by your TA. Accessing Assigned Articles All the articles can be found on UB Learns. Read every article at least twice, once before and once after the lecture. Free Expression and Civil Dialogue: The topics we will cover will often be controversial and elicit strong feelings. Please don’t censor yourself or others. We’re here to discover the truth and convince others of it. Arguments and persuasion - not appeals to tradition, political correctness, browbeating and shaming - will be the modus operandi of the course. That said, the pursuit of truth is compatible with civil discourse and charitably interpreting others. Also keep in mind that this isn’t a psychology course. As such, we aren’t interested in folks’ motives, only the philosophical merits of the principles they use to justify their beliefs.Grades: Grades will be determined by attendance, extra credit discussion posts, three tests, one paper abstract and one paper. The 1st exam is worth 20% of your grade (excluding any X credit earned), the 2ndand 3rd worth 25%. The abstract is worth 5% of your grade (excluding any X credit) and the paper is worth 25% your grade (excluding any X credit). Tests: Each test will consist of multiple choice questions and true/false questions. Some of the test questions will be based on material covered only in the lectures that will not be found in the outlines/power points or in the readings. This is not a correspondence course! A practice exam will be distributed two days before the exam. It was an actual exam from an earlier semester. Translating Test Points into Letter Grades. Every 3.3 points is one third of one grade. For instance, a score from 70 up to and including a 73.3 will be a C-; a score above 73.3 and up to and including a 76.6 will be awarded a C. Scoring above 76.6 but below an 80 will qualify as a C+. Likewise, a grade of a B- will be from 80-83.3 and so on…2Possibility of Curved Tests: The exams will not be curved unless half the class has not managed to obtain an 82 (B-) grade. If that happens, then everyone in the class (including students taking makeup tests) will