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HSAD 211-901-13693: Health Care Ethics II

Winter Quarter, 2007– Tuesdays, 5-7:50 p.m., 3206 NCB

 

Instructor: Constance K. Perry, Ph.D., Associate Professor in Health & Society

 

Office: 525 Bellet, Interdisciplinary Research Unit, Center City Campus

 

Phone: 215-762-7857   Fax: 215-762-4080   E-Mail: CP28@Drexel.edu

 

Web Page: http://www.pages.drexel.edu/~cp28/

 

Office Hours:  Tuesdays 2:30-3:30, Wednesdays 3:00-4:00, and by appointment.  I have an open door policy.   I have an open door policy.  If I’m in my office, feel free to stop by.  But to ensure that I am here when you need me, contact me for an appointment.

 

I am not on-line all of the time.  I will answer e-mails as soon as I can.  Weekdays are the best times to catch me on-line.  Evenings and weekends are primarily time for family.

 

Text:  Card, Robert F.  Critically Thinking About Medical Ethics,  Pearson/Prentice-Hall (Upper Saddle River, NJ: 2004) ISBN: 0-13-182484-8.

 

Goals: 

  • To explore complex issues in bioethics which are important for health care practice.
  • To promote discussion of these issues and the questions that underlie them in a nonantagonistic and open-minded environment. 
  • To further develop student’s critical thinking skills.      
  • To increase student’s knowledge about views and perspectives other than their own, including those from other cultures and belief systems.      
  • To enable students to critically evaluate journal articles in bioethics, with an eye to the impact on their professionals practice and personal views.

 

Objectives:

By the end of this course the student should:

  • Be more confident when discussing controversial ethical issues.
  • Be more aware of the ethical dimensions in their decisions.
  • Be able to identify and evaluate some of the main arguments on bioethical issues.
  • Display the development and/or improvement of critical thinking skills.
  • Have a greater understanding of people from other backgrounds and/or beliefs.
  • Be able to apply the material presented in the class to their professional practice and personal health care decisions.
  • Be able to critique articles on bioethics and thereby facilitate ethics discussions with patients, family, and colleagues.

 

Grading:

 

Attendance & Class Participation          10%

Final Exam                                           30%

Values History Project                          30%

Presentation & Paper                            30%

Grading Scale:

A+        98-100  (Drexel considers A+  4.0)

A          93-97 (Drexel considers A  4.0)

A-         90-92

B+        87-89

B          83-86

B-         80-82

C+        77-79

C          73-76

C-         70-72

D+        67-69

D          63-66

F          0-62 

Schedule (page numbers refer to the textbook unless otherwise indicated): 

1/9       Introduction to Ethical Theory, pp. 2-45.

1/16     Critical Thinking, pp. 46-64.
Drop/Add Ends 1/19 via advisor, 1/21 via Drexel One (11:00 p.m.)

1/23     Health Care Professional – Patient Relationship, pp. 324-332, 369-408

1/30     Handling Mistakes, pp. 481-496, Boyte, W. R. “Casey’s Legacy,” Calman, N. “No One Needs to Know,” and “Life but no Limb: The Aftermath of Medical Error.” (On Reserve)

2/06     Futility, pp. 193-206, 248-254
Values History Project Due

2/13     Euthanasia & Assisted Suicide, pp. 206-247, & LaDuke, S. "Attending Death with Dignity" (On Reserve).  Movie: An Appointment with Death
Last day to withdraw from a course is Friday, February 16 at 5:00 pm.

2/20     Abortion, pp. 65-72, 130-156, 164-176.

2/27     Genetics – Prenatal testing and engineering, pp. 255-283.

3/06     Human Research, pp. 409-454
Movie: The Deadly Deception

3/13     Resource Allocation, pp. 455-481, Exam Review

3/20     Final Exam

The instructor retains the right to make reasonable and fair changes to this syllabus.

Class Policies

Attendance & Punctuality: 

                Students are expected to attend class regularly.  However, it is acknowledged that a situation might arise necessitating missing a class.  In such a case, the student should call the instructor to inform her of the reason for the absence.  Attendance and participation are factored in as part of the student's grade.

                Lateness is not acceptable.  Those not present fifteen minutes after the beginning of class (or class hour for classes longer than one hour) will be counted absent for that hour of class.  For classes that meet for periods longer than one hour , students who come in late and who wish to get credit for attending a portion of the class are responsible for informing the instructor if they have arrived in time for the second or third full hour of class.

                Students are responsible for all material, assignments, etc. they missed as a result of absence or tardiness, regardless of the reason for the tardiness or absence.

 

Papers and Examinations:

                Assignments are designed to assist a student in meeting the objectives of the course.  Papers and/or exams are scheduled at particular times to enable the student to monitor his or her progress.  All assignments are due by the beginning of class on the day scheduled.

                Request for an extension of a paper or postponement of an exam should be made prior to the scheduled due date.  Since students are aware of the due date at the beginning of the semester, extensions on papers are almost never granted.  Make-up exams may be granted only in unusual circumstances subject to approval by the instructor.  Exams must be made up within one week of the scheduled exam.  Papers will be downgraded one grade for each class day late. (i.e. If  an “A” paper is  due on the 15th and is handed in on the 16th it is graded  a “B.”)

 

Cheating and Plagiarism:

Tests, papers, and other assignments are designed to measure the individual student's own growth during the educational process. Work handed in for an assignment for this course is supposed to be original for this course. A student must ask the instructor’s permission before handing in an assignment that was previously handed in for another course. Without the instructor’s permission, handing in work from a previous class is cheating. It is up to the instructor’s discretion whether to accept such material. Such acceptance will occur only in rare circumstances where the instructor deems it to be academically appropriate. 

Furthermore, a college student is expected to possess sufficient ethical awareness to claim as his or her own work only that which truly belongs to him or her. Consequently, a student who plagiarizes or cheats on an exam, paper, or assignment will receive an "F" (0) for that assignment with no recourse for rewriting the paper or assignment, or retaking the exam. In addition, the student is subject to immediate dismissal from and failure of the course and possible dismissal from the University. All instances of plagiarism will be reported to the Office of the Dean of Students for further action. See the school’s policy on academic integrity for more information on the school’s policy on cheating and plagiarism. http://www.drexel.edu/cchc/studentlife/Judicial/code/acadintegrity.html

 

A Grade of Incomplete:

                Courses are designed to be completed within a given semester.  It is an academically unwise practice to carry work from one semester over into the next semester, thereby compounding the workload. 

                To receive a grade of Incomplete, a student must make to the instructor a formal request that will include a brief statement of the reason for the request, the nature of the work to be completed, and a time frame within which it will be completed.  After reviewing the request the instructor may at her discretion grant an "I" as a temporary grade for the course. 

 

Note:  A student must be passing the course in order for an incomplete to be considered.  Poor performance in the class indicates that the student would benefit from taking the class over again.  

 

Report of Grades for Final Exams and for the Semester:

                If you wish to receive your grades for the course, you can stop by the instructor's office after the date indicated by the instructor or leave a self-addressed envelope with sufficient postage attached with the instructor.  Due to concerns of confidentiality, no grades will be posted or given out over the phone unless special arrangements are made.

 

Cancellation of Class:

                Class may be considered canceled if the instructor is more than fifteen minutes late for the scheduled class time and has not otherwise informed the class or sent word of a delay.  For snow or other weather emergencies, consult the student handbook for the school closing numbers that will be broadcast over local radio stations.

 

Respectful Conduct:

                All students in my classes are expected to treat each other with respect.  Anyone who does not do this will be asked to leave the class for that day.  If the student continues to be disrespectful to others in the classroom, then the instructor will take more serious action, appropriate to the situation.

 

ACCOMODATIONS:

Students with disabilities requesting accommodations and services at Drexel University need to present a current accommodation verification letter (“AVL”) to faculty before accommodations can be made.  AVL’s are issued by the Office of Disability Services (“ODS”).  For additional information, contact the ODS at www.drexel.edu/edt/disability, 3201 Arch St., Ste. 210, Philadelphia, PA  19104, V 215.895.1401, or TTY 215.895.2299.   

 

School Closings: 215/762-UNIV (8648), Radio, 185(day), 2185(evening), Closings or delays will also be posted on www.drexel.edu