Spring 2007 Office HourS
TR 11 AM - noon
The
course will begin with the simple questions:
What is science? How does one
engage in the scientific enterprise?
The next important ideas to investigate are: What
is ethics? Integrity? Morality? How are they related? Our
end goal is to face the broad-scoping
concerns like: Should scientists conduct
research based upon conscience? How does
our “human-ness” effect our science?
What are the consequences of scientific advancement to our
society and
to quality of human life?
Specific
themes in the course will include:
scientific misconduct, collaborative research, ownership of data
and
intellectual property, mentoring, medical ethics, human and animal
experimentation,
public health, conflicts of interest, and bias in research.
Throughout the course, the themes of misconduct and its effect
on
advancement of technology, the role of the public in determining
research and
funding directions, and public policy and its impact on scientific
integrity
will be considered.
II. Course Structure
A. General
Structure:
After an introductory class to present the overview of the
course and
the issues to be addressed therein, the course will have the following
structure. Specific topics will be
presented in the
following manner; an initial discussion on a particular area will be
held (in
some cases an expert will be invited to come to the class and present
information from that area), case studies will be used to elicit
student
opinion, students will then embark on fact finding missions, and debate
on
issues will be held with different groups presenting different sides to
the
question, finally a wrap-up session for each topic will provide
students with
an opportunity to share their opinions on the matter and how they have
changed
(or not) due to the class discussions
B. Class
Format: The
course is a seminar, so that after topics are introduced, students are
in
charge of the learning situation.
·
Students
are given an overview on each unit's topic.
·
Students
can learn to investigate topics via the internet and library.
·
They
will work in groups to research an area that is particularly
interesting to
them in light of their majors or career goals.
·
They
will learn how to present information they have learned via power
point,
debate, posters and other presentation mechanisms.
·
They
will present the details from their particular sub-topic via real-life
cases or
other case studies to the group.
The
class will then discuss the implications of various presentations both
as a
specific topic, and as they pertain to the scientific community at
large.
C. Technical
Skills Developed & Used In
Course:
·
Web-based
search mechanisms - for literature searches as well as internet searches
·
Group
-based working skills
·
Presentation
formats- Group
oral presentation & debate styles.
D. Development
of Critical Thinking Skills: One of the four principles of
the Miami
Plan is related to the development of critical thinking skills and
helping to improve
these skills is a major goal of this course.
We will focus on seven basic traits of good critical thinking
and
writing throughout the semester. These
include: 1.
Identifying the problem, 2. Defining your own
perspective, 3. Defining and considering other
relevant perspectives, 4.
Identifying the key assumptions, 5.
Assessing the quality of the data/evidence, 6.
Considering the influence of context on the issue, and 7.
Drawing and supporting conclusions,
implications, and consequences. A
separate handout will provide more information on these points.
III. Grading:
Your
grades will be based upon 5 separate inputs including journaling, in
class
participation, group presentations, and midterm and endterm papers.
Short Writing Assignments –
throughout the
semester
20%
Group Presentations &
In-class
Participation
30%
Midterm Paper
25%
Final Paper
25%
Your writing assignments will be
formatted in
such a way as to assist in development of critical thinking skills, and
to
utilize them as tools for evaluating the case studies and ethical
situations we
study. Early in the semester the seven
points will be broken down into assignments which require the first few
skills,
and then as the semester continues, more of the aspects of critical
thinking
will be required in your writing assignments.
Short Writing Assignments, sometimes referred to as
reflections on
class topics.
Group Presentations &
In-class
participation
is based
upon your participation in group and classroom activities and
discussions. It includes your
presentations, your
participation in full-class and small group discussions, and your vocal
presence in class.
You
will be responsible for conducting literature and web-based research on
topics
for class, developing the talking points for the class, and leading
discussions
on case studies. Active participation is
essential if we are to create an environment for learning for everyone
in the
class – including the instructor!
Midterm and Final Papers will be 4-5 pages and 8-10
pages in length
respectively. You will receive a series
of suggestions and questions to help you clarify your thoughts and
develop your
reflections. Information from your
journals, case studies, and real-life cases will support your ideas. The goal is to help you develop your own
sense of ethics as it relates to science and to help you develop your
stance on
particular issues which are brought up in class.
Due Dates:
Midterm Papers:
in class on Tuesday, February 27th
Final Papers:
Thursday, April 19th
by 4 PM
Attendance is important.
Absences degrade the classroom interaction
and will in turn lower your participation score.
First, you should
tell us
about the ethical dilemma you identified.
Second, you should share any materials you have found and
brought to
class. Third, you should lead the group in discussions about the topic
using
the guidelines below.
In preparing to direct the discussion, highlight the main questions listed below for your particular case, and identify answers to the following so you are ready to fill in if the discussion slows down.
· Ethical implications
· Practical constraints
· Identify both positive and negative aspects of the course of action
The goal of the case studies is
NOT to
solve the dilemma. The questions are to
guide the investigation of the issues presented by the cases and to
provide a
basis upon which to create an informed opinion on ideas involved in the
cases. Possible outcomes are considered
with an eye to the affects they might have on the different people,
policies,
situation, etc. involved. This is an
excellent opportunity to see how “brain storming” can be used as an
approach to
studying a problem.
Note
how the talking points mirror the 7 critical thinking skills presented
earlier
in the syllabus!
V.
Topics
of Study
Ethics, Morality, and Science –
Examples of Scientific Misconduct
Relationships in labs and the
research
community – Ch. 4
Mentoring
Collaborative
Research
Conducting, Reporting, and
Funding Research
–
Ownership
of data
Scientific
method – biases
Intellectual
property
Plagiarism
Conflicts of Interest –
Medical Ethics:
Animal research (Ch. 8) & Human
experiments (Ch. 9)
Public
health
Public
good vs. private rights
Engineering and Technological
Ethics Cases
Finale’
How
has this course affected our own personal views on science and ethics?
What are the consequences of
scientific
advancement to our society and to quality of human life?
VI.
Websites
Focused on Scientific Ethics
Chemistry: www.chem.vt.edu/ethics/hbauer/hbauer-toc.html (previous to 1996)
Forensics: www.chem.vt.edu/ethics/garrison/index.html
Cold Fusion and other cases: www.onlineethics.org/cases/index.html
Bio-ethics: http://europa.eu.int/comm/european_group_ethics/liens_en.htm
Engineering: www.stat.wisc.edu/other/ethics/#center
Data Management: www.amstat.org/profession/ethicalstatistics.html
Other sites: http://www3.utsouthwestern.edu/ethics
Center for Applied Ethics: www.ethics.ubc.ca/resources/sci-tech/topics.html
Bibliography on ethics: http://library.wustal.edu/subjects/generalsci/ethics.html
Online
Scientific Misconduct: www.aps.org/conduct.html