Ethics at the Frontiers of Science
Syllabus
This course is an introduction to ethical issues raised by cutting-edge developments in science, especially in the areas of stem cell research and therapy, neurosciences, and computing technology and robotics.
The course has been taught in spring 2006 and spring 2007. It will be taught again in fall 2009.
The first two weeks of this course are devoted to an introduction to ethical theory, and the remainder of the course will consider specific ethical issues relating to recent advances in science. Topics include memory enhancement and erasure, brain and self and freedom and responsibility, the distinction between therapy and enhancement, life span extension, from smart drugs to smart brains, the promises and perils of stem cell research, egg and embryo donation, designer babies, robotic ethics, cyborgs, search engine ethics, the Web and the ownership and distribution of knowledge.
Guest Speakers
During the spring 2007 semester, we had a number of guest speakers who are leaders in the various areas we will be studying. These guest lectures will be held during class time (usually 2:30-3:45 pm) and will meet in IPJ. They will be open to the public, and in general will be made available later on streaming video.
Unless otherwise noted, all guest speaker events to be held in the Kroc Institute for Peace & Justice and will begin at 2:30 PM
Required Texts
- Joel Garreau, Radical Evolution: The Promise and Peril of Enhancing Our Minds, Our Bodies -- and What It Means to Be Human (Paperback) (Broadway; Reprint edition (May 9, 2006). Also available in hardcover.
- Michael S. Gazzaniga, The Ethical Brain (New York: Dana Press, 2005)
- Steven J. Marcus, ed. Neuroethics: Mapping the Field (New York: Dana Press, 2004)
We will have a lot of additional reading, but almost all of it will be available in PDF format or on the web. Mike Kalichman (UCSD), Evan Snyder (Burnham) and I co-edited an issue of Stem Cell Reviews in 2006, and we will share several of the articles from that journal issue with you. A more detailed list of the readings will be available in our course schedule.
(top)Recommended Texts
- Suzanne Holland, Karen Lebacqz and Laurie Zoloth, eds., The Human Embryonic Stem Cell Debate (Cambridge: MIT Press, 2002)
- Judy Illes, ed., Neuroethics: Defining the Issues in Theory, Practice and Policy (New York: Oxford, 2002) (Paperback)
- Christopher Thomas Scott, Stem Cell Now : From the Experiment That Shook the World to the New Politics of Life (Plume; Reprint edition).
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Assignments
All students are expected to complete the following assignments:
- Read the assigned course materials
- Attend class and participate in class discussions
- Take the mid-term and final exams at the assigned times
- Write 10 journal entries (1-2 pages typed for each entry)
Grades
| Assignment |
Possible
Points:
|
|
| First exam: | 35 points |
|
| Second exam: | 35 points |
|
| Journals: | 30 points |
|
| TOTAL | 100 points |
| 98-100 | A+ |
78-79 | C+ |
|
| 93-97 | A |
73-77 | C |
|
| 90-92 | A- |
70-72 | C- |
|
| 88-89 | B+ |
68-69 | D+ |
|
| 83-87 | B |
63-67 | D |
|
| 80-82 | B- |
60-62 | D- |
|
| 0-59 | F |
Office Hours
My office is located in Founders Hall 164. Office hours are Mondays, 1:00-2:30 PM, but typically on Mondays I will be in my office most of the morning as well. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, I will have office hours at 9:15 AM - 12:15 PM. I am also available by appointment at other times.
Schedule: Fall Semester, 2009
| Monday | Tuesday | Wendesday | Thursday | Friday | Room | |
| Phil. 321, Sect. 1: Social Ethics | 7:45-9:05 | 7:45-9:05 | C109 | |||
| Office Hours | 9:10-10:40 | 9:10-10:40 | F-164 | |||
| HNRS 347: Computer Ethics | 10:45-12:05 | 10:45-12:05 | M222 | |||
| Office Hours | 12:10-1:10 | 12:10-1:10 | F-164 | |||
Other times by appointment |
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My e-mail address is hinman@sandiego.edu. I check my mail frequently, even when I'm not on campus, so this is an excellent way of reaching me.
My secretary's phone number is 260-7732.
World Wide Web Site
This syllabus, including specific reading assignments throughout the semester, will be available on the World Wide Web at:
http://ethics.sandiego.edu/phil334
Also, a variety of resources for ethics is available at my site, Ethics Updates. Its address is:
http://ethics.sandiego.edu/
Please consult these regularly. All specific assignments, etc. will be available on the web site.
Attendance, Participation and Journals
Attendance and participation are an integral part of the course. Participation is judged on (1) students' grasp of the assigned reading material; (2) their ability to apply ideas developed in the readings to new situations, including their own experience; and (3) their ability to listen to, and respond relevantly to, the comments of other students in the course.
Exams
There will be two exams in the course. Details about the exams will be given in class.
Cheating
Any student caught cheating on an exam, paper, or other assignment will automatically receive a grade of "0" on that assignment and, in addition to this, have his/her course grade lowered by an additional full letter grade. When appropriate, this will be reported to the proper University authorities.
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Prof. Lawrence M. Hinman
M: 2:30 PM-5:20 PM - PJ215