Course Syllabus

 

 

Medical Ethics, Fall 2017
DIS Stockholm

 

Time: Tuesdays and Fridays, 10:05-11:25

Type & Credits: Elective Course - 3 credits

Major Disciplines: Ethics, Pre-Medicine/Health Science, Public Health

Classroom: 1D-509

 

Instructor

Henrik Ahlenius MA and BA in Philosophy, Stockholm University. PhD candidate, Department of Philosophy, Stockholm University. Visiting student research collaborator, Princeton University 2008. Lecturer, Karolinska Institutet since 2008. With DIS since 2017.

 

Course description

Ethical questions that arise in the biomedical domain belong to the most exciting, dramatic and important we face as individuals and societies: Is human life sacred? What is autonomy, and are there situations where autonomy should not be respected? According to what criteria should scarce medical resources be distributed? Should we change the human genome to make us healthier, happier, more moral? Do people have a right to health care, or should it be up to market mechanisms how health care is delivered? Should there be a market for kidneys or surrogacy services? Does a woman’s right to bodily integrity and self-determination always override the fetus’ claim to life?

These questions, and many more, will be examined in the course Medical Ethics. Throughout the course, this term is taken in a broad sense to include the clinical and public policy levels of health care as well as biomedical research.

Some of the disagreements that exist in medical ethics are due to disagreements or uncertainties concerning the facts, such as If euthanasia is legal, will there be patients who feel they should ask for it so as not to be a burden on their families? or Is a human fetus at 21 weeks of gestation capable of experiencing pain? Some of the disagreements in medical ethics may therefore be resolved once we know more about the medical facts. But a large part of the disagreements we find ourselves in are likely to persist, since we often disagree at a more fundamental level: not over the facts, but the values.

Those kinds of disagreements cannot be resolved within science, i.e. with accumulating more (medical) facts. Instead, they are at bottom philosophical. To say something substantial about how organs should be allocated or about the moral permissibility of aborting a fetus because it has Down’s syndrome, we need to say something substantial about justice and the value of human life lacking certain cognitive functions. It is also of importance to note that the solutions we offer to practical, concrete issues hang together via theoretical undercurrents that are not always transparent to us. Suppose, for instance, you are wondering about the moral permissibility of abortion. You would then evaluate a variety of views on what gives an organism moral status and under what circumstances (if any) killing such an organism is morally permissible. Providing answers to these very fundamental questions would, in addition to the abortion debate, have repercussions for other issues, such as the ethics of using animals (moral status and killing) and euthanasia (killing). Medical ethics is about sorting these thorny issues through, as rigorous and clear-headed as possible. Because of this, the course is also an introduction to moral philosophy more broadly.

 

Description

The course covers the major ethical theories, principles of medical ethics as stated in official documents and professional tradition, and a number of specific topics in medical ethics. Examples include abortion, euthanasia, patient autonomy, allocation of scarce resources, the financing and delivery of health care, cloning, gene therapy, animal testing, informed consent, and many others. Students are welcome to suggest topics for discussion. Though many parts are already fixed, there is room for flexibility concerning what we discuss in class as a result of input from the students. 

 

Learning objectives

Successfully passing the course means the student will be able to:

• Understand and explain the major ethical theories, such as utilitarianism, deontology, and virtue ethics, and their respective merits and problems.
• Understand and explain how these theories relate to topics in biomedicine.
• Account for the major positions and arguments surrounding the topics we will consider, such as abortion, euthanasia, sanctity of life, resource allocation, gene therapy etc.

Additionally, the course places an emphasis on

• Critical thinking habits that enable the student to constructively criticize and assess topics in medical ethics.

 

Teaching methods

Different teaching formats will be used. The course may be a mix of interactive lectures, class discussions, group work, student presentations and peer feedback. A major part of the course will be based on debating issues, and students are expected to engage actively in oral presentations, discussions, group work and exercises.

 

Readings

Text books

• Kuhse H, Schuklenk U, Singer P: Bioethics: An Anthology (3rd edition, Blackwell 2016)
• Rachels J: The Elements of Moral Philosophy (8th edition, McGraw-Hill 2015)
• Additional readings will be made available online or as paper copies

For many of the classes, students will be asked to turn in a brief reaction to the readings. When there are multiple readings or chapters for a given session, it is okay to provide reactions to just one (or a mix, but no need to answer the same probe for all readings). The probes ask students to mention points where they agree and disagree with the author, if there was something they had a hard time understanding, and finally something from the text they'd like to discuss further. 

Evaluation and Grading

To be eligible for a passing grade in this class all of the assigned work must be completed.

The factors influencing the final grade and the proportional importance of each factor is shown below:

Component	Weight
Participation and classroom performance	30%
In-class tests	35%
Final paper	35%

 

  

Field studies and guests

Two field studies and at least two guest lectures are being planned. The first field study is early on in the course, on September the 6th. We will visit the coordinator for organ transplantation at Huddinge Hospital south of Stockholm. More details TBA. 

 

Expectations of Students & Code of Conduct

• Laptops may be used for note‐taking, fact‐checking, or assignment in the classroom, but only when indicated by the instructor. At all other times laptops and electronic devices should be put away during class time.
• It is important that you read the assigned texts beforehand. The class is dependent on discussions between students, so please help contribute to a high standard of intellectual exchange.
• Students need to be present and to participate to receive full credit. The final grade will be affected by unexcused absences and lack of participation. Also remember to be in class on time.
• Classroom etiquette includes expressing disagreement with the opinions of others in a respectful manner, listening and entering a dialogue in a constructive manner.
• Students are expected to ask relevant questions in regards to the material covered. Do not be ashamed for not understanding a certain passage or position. Instead make sure to bring your questions to class.

 

Policies

Disability and Resource concerns: Any student who has a need for accommodation based on the impact of disability should contact Mark Peters to coordinate this. In order to receive accommodations, students should inform the instructor of approved DIS accommodations within the first two weeks of classes.

Attendance: Students are expected to attend all DIS classes when scheduled. If multiple classes are missed the Office of Academic Support will be notified and will follow-up to make sure, that all is well. Absences will jeopardize grades and academic standing at DIS. Allowances will be made in cases of illness, but in the case of multiple absences a doctor’s note is required.

Academic Honesty: Plagiarism and Violating the Rules of an Assignment: DIS expects that students abide by the highest standards of intellectual honesty in all academic work. DIS assumes that all students do their own work and credit all work or thought by others. Academic dishonesty will result in a final course grade of ‘F’ and can result in dismissal. The students’ home universities will be notified. In such cases, DIS reserves the right to request that written student assignments be turned in electronically for subjection to plagiarism detection software.  See the Academic Handbook for more information, or ask your instructor if you have questions.

 

Practical information

Office Hours and Contacts: the instructor has no set office hours, but you may contact them or Mark Peters, with any DIS questions or to schedule an appointment.

DIS contact info

Mark Peters, Academic Coordinator, mpe@disstockholm.se
Louise Iversen, Science & Health Assistant Program Director, lbi@dis.dk
Lisbeth Borbye, Science & Health Program Director, lbo@dis.dk

 

Canvas

Canvas is a web-based system that allows you to access course resources and communicate with your classmates and faculty. To access Canvas, you can go to the DIS homepage and click the ‘Canvas’ link on the bottom of the website, or go to: https://canvas.disabroad.org/login/canvas (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.. You can also download the Canvas App (By: Instructure) on iPhone and Android smart phones.