BIO 591, Introduction to Research Ethics
Fall 2009
Class meets for 10 weeks on Monday afternoons.
9/14/2009 - 11/23/2009
Time: 3:05PM - 4:20PM
Location: Life Sciences A-wing, Room 119
One credit
Dr. Karin Ellison
karin.ellison@asu.edu
LSC 270, 727-7111
Office hours: by appointment
Course Description
Have you wondered whether scientists who conduct research with animals should engage
animal rights activists? Or, what sustainability means for your research? This course
introduces students to the ethical and regulatory issues in the conduct of research. It
covers the nine core areas of responsible conduct of research (RCR), as defined by the
National Institutes of Health. The areas are:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Animal welfare
Collaborative science
Conflict of interest and commitment
Data acquisition, management, sharing, and ownership
Human subjects
Mentor/trainee responsibilities
Peer review
Publication practices and responsible authorship
Research misconduct
In addition, students will explore the two topics that highlight the moral dilemmas and
issues that collectively confront the scientific enterprise—sustainability and military
funding of university research. Discussion of real and hypothetical cases will tie broad
ethical considerations to current concern of scientists.
Student Learning Objectives
Students will develop their capacities in:



Identifying ethical dilemmas in research
Identifying norms, policies, and regulations that speak to those ethical dilemmas
Using problem solving skills to generate and select options for action in the face
of such dilemmas
Assignments
This is a hybrid online and classroom course. The assignments for this course are online
readings and quizzes, nine one-page case analyses, attending class, and actively
participating in class discussions.
1. Readings
Reading materials, available through BlackBoard, must be completed before each class
session so that discussion can draw on your knowledge of the readings. The majority of
the materials come from the CITI (Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative)
2
Program. With the new NSF training requirements in RCR, the CITI Program is quickly
becoming the most widely used source for introductory RCR information. Each CITI
module has a quiz at the end. When you complete all the modules and pass all the
quizzes, you be able to print a completion certificate. Your completion certificate will be
due the last class session.
2. Case analyses
In addition to introducing common ethical concerns and norms in the life sciences, this
course aims to help students to develop their ability to reason through difficult situations
with ethical dimensions. Towards this end, we will discuss numerous cases using a
general approach commonly used in applied ethics. The approach consists of the
following steps:
1. Indentifying the interested parties and their rights and moral obligations
2. Articulating relevant norms and standards, including regulations
3. Considering whether additional information would help you formulate a response
to the situation and, if so, determining how to obtain the information
4. Determining whether the situation poses one or more ethical dilemmas
5. Recognizing desired outcomes
6. Generating options for action
7. Projecting consequences of potential actions
For a fuller description of case analysis, see the article by Elizabeth Heitman posted on
BlackBoard.
Students will submit nine one-page partial analyses of cases. For each session in which
an analysis is due, students will be given a case to consider and one of the seven aspects
of case analysis listed above to discuss. The course schedule gives the case and step to
discuss for each assignment. Students should submit the one-page discussion via
BlackBoard before the class session in which the assignment is due.
Evaluation and the Fine Print
I will generally calculate grades for this course as follows:
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
Attendance and thoughtful contributions to class discussion: 150 pts (15 pts/session)
CITI RCR Curriculum Completion Report: 120 pts (15 pts/module)
Dual Use Dilemma module completion certificate: 15 pts
Protecting Human Research Participants completion certificate: 15 pts
Case analyses: 135 pts (15 pts/assignment)
I calculate course grades using a 15-point scale. I will convert your point total to the
scale below. I reserve the right to assign any student a final grade that is higher than
merited by strict calculation based on academic criteria, such as improvement in grades
over the semester or atypical and explainable poor performance on a single assignment.
A
A-
15
14
3
B+
B
BC+
C
D
E
12
11
10
8
7
3
0
I only accept late assignments in rare circumstances. These include professional
conflicts, major and documented illnesses, personal or family crises, etc. Should any of
these arise, you are responsible for discussing the circumstances with me ASAP, before
you miss a deadline if at all possible.
Disabilities
If you have a significant disability condition (e.g., physical, learning, psychiatric, vision,
hearing, etc.) and want to arrange reasonable accommodations, you must contact me at
the beginning of the course.
Academic Integrity
Under the ASU Student Academic Integrity Policy
(http://provost.asu.edu/academicintegrity), “[e]ach student must act with honesty and
integrity, and must respect the rights of others in carrying out all academic assignments.”
This policy also defines academic dishonesty and sets a process for faculty members and
colleges to sanction dishonesty. Violations of this policy fall into five broad areas that
include but are not limited to:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Cheating on an academic evaluation or assignment
Plagiarizing
Academic deceit, such as fabricating data or information
Aiding Academic Integrity Policy violations and inappropriately collaborating
Falsifying academic records
I welcome any questions you may have concerning academic integrity and will do my
best to help you understand the standards of academic scholarship. I also sanction any
incidents of academic dishonesty in my courses using University and CLAS guidelines.
4
Case Analysis Due
Date
9/14/09
9/21/09
9/28/09
10/5/09
Topic(s)
Plagiarism, Evaluation
pre-test
Approaches to the
Ethics of Scientific
Research
Misconduct,
Responding to
Problems
Data Management
10/12/09
Authorship, Peer
Review
10/19/09
Sustainability
10/26/09
Mentors and Trainees,
Collaboration in
Research
11/2/09
Conflicts of Interest
11/9/09
Science and the
Military
11/16/09
Animal Subjects
11/23/09
Human Subjects,
Evaluation post-test
Reading
Case
None
None
Analysis step to
discuss
None
Resnik, "Standards of Ethical Conduct."
Greenwood, "Attributes of a Profession."
Moral Reasoning in Scientific Research: The
Charlie West Case.
1. Interested
parties
CITI Module: Biomedical Research
Misconduct, Gunsalus, "How to Blow the
Whistle."
CITI Module: Data Acquisition and
Management - Biomedical.
CITI: Case Study - Truth or Consequences Biomedical.
2. Norms and
standards
CITI: Research subjects' potential ownership
of cell lines and DNA. (The link is the data
module under "The Bayh-Dole Act of 1980.")
3. Additional
information
CITI Module: Responsible Authorship and
Publication - Biomedical. CITI Module:
Responsible Peer Review - Biomedical.
Raven, "Science, Sustainability, and the
Human Prospect." Salamanca-Buentello,
"Nanotechnology and the Developing World."
Farrell, "Sustainability and the Design of
Knowledge Tools."
CITI Module: Responsible Mentoring. CITI
Module: Responsible Conduct of
Collaborative Science Module – Biomedical.
CITI: Introductory Video Case: "It Is Great to
See Your Name In Print." (The link is in the
authorship module.)
Chang, "In Study, Researchers Find
Nanotubes May Pose Health Risks Similar to
Asbestos." Sanderson, “Migrating
Nanotubes.”
4. Ethical
dilemmas
CITI: Mentoring Case Study: The Graduate
Student Laborer.
6. Options
CITI Module: Biomedical Science Conflicts of
Interest and Commitment Module.
Online Training in Ethical and Legal Issues in
Biological Research, The Dual-Use Dilemma
in Biological Research. Goolsby, “Ethics and
Defense Agency Funding.”
CITI Module: Conducting Research With
Laboratory Animals.
CITI: CoI -The Case of the Entrepreneurial
Clinician -biomedical.
Pollack, "Scientists Create a Live Polio Virus."
7.
Consequences
2. Norms and
standards
The Gladiator Sparrow,
www.onlineethics.org/CMS/2963/rescases/gra
dres/gradresv4/gladiator.aspx
None
4. Ethical
dilemmas
NIH, "Protection Human Research
Participants."
5. Desired
outcomes
None