MEDICAL ETHICS
PHI 4673-0001
Fall 2014
Location: VAB 0111
Wednesdays 6:00-8:50pm
Instructor:
Office Hours:
Office:
E-mail:
Dr. Matt Bower
TR 10:30am-12:00pm or by appointment
PSY 245
matthew.bower@ucf.edu
Course Description
The course will introduce students to the application of ethical theory to various issues
arising in a medical context. Comprised of three units, the course begins in Unit 1 with an
overview of approaches to normative ethics and relevant ethical principles that are applied to
particular problems in the remainder of the course before considering the large-scale
question of the ethics of allocating medical resources. The focus of Unit 2 is a collection of
ethical issues pertaining to health care providers’ moral responsibilities toward patients, such
as truth-telling, patient confidentiality, and informed consent. Lastly, Unit 3 covers a variety
of problems of “life and death” that arise in a healthcare setting, including genetic testing,
reproductive technology, abortion, and euthanasia/physician assisted suicide.
Goals
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Reading skills: Develop an ability to thoroughly comprehend texts, especially
philosophical ones, so as to recognize what point an author is trying to get across
and to pick out what in the text is supposed to support that point.
Writing skills: Although the course will not serve as a substitute for an introductory
English class, assignments with a writing component will help students be more
comfortable preparing essays and communicating effectively in writing.
Critical thinking: In-class discussions and assignments will be opportunities to
practice and exercise critical thinking skills like assessing arguments and clearly
explaining difficult or abstract concepts.
Moral reasoning: On each topic, students will get a grip on how to respectfully give
and take compelling reasons on often controversial moral issues.
Oral Expression: Students will learn to articulate philosophical argumentation orally
and perfect the art of presenting their own views reasonably and with perspicuity.
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Medical Ethics Syllabus
Assignments and Grading
The final course grade for each student will be based on assessments of the following
components:
Quiz 1-3
Exam 1-3
Discussion Questions
30%
45%
25%
(10% each)
(15% each)
Exams and Quizzes.
Exams will be held in class, usually during the first class-session following each unit,
except for the Unit 3 Exam, which is the final exam and will be held during the course’s
official final exam session. Quizzes will be held in class roughly mid-way through each unit.
Each quiz will consist of several different types of question, including multiple-choice,
true/false, short-answer questions. Exams will also contain those types of question, along
with long-answer questions.
Discussion Questions
Students are required to bring a discussion question to every class session except the
first. Each question should address one of the readings for the particular class session to
which it is brought (i.e., not readings from prior or following class sessions). The question
should be focused and designed to generate discussion during class. Questions will be
collected at the start of class and will be graded as pass or fail. Questions might be
formulated along the following suggested lines. What does concept/term X used by the
author mean? Why does the author make assumption X? Is the author correct to say that
X? Does the author provide solid reasoning in support of claim X that s/he endorses? Is
there stronger evidence in support of claim X that contradicts the author’s claim Y?
Consult the Reading and Assignment Schedule for the assignments’ exact dates.
Each student’s final grade will be calculated by dividing the sum of points earned for
all the assignments by the total possible points you could have earned for all assignments less
any deductions due to violations of the attendance policy. Letter grades will correspond to
the percentage thus yielded as follows:
A+
B+
C+
98-100%
88-89%
78-79%
A
B
C
D
F
93-97%
83-87%
63-67%
53-59%
0-49%
ABCD-
90-92%
70-72%
60-62%
50-52%
Reading and Assignment Schedule
See the separate Reading and Assignment Schedule for detailed information about
when readings are to be done and when assignments are due. Please note that this
information is subject to change. If change in the Reading and Assignment Schedule is
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Medical Ethics Syllabus
necessary, I will notify you immediately and in advance of the date of the reading or
assignment that is being changed. An updated version of the Assignment and Reading
Schedule will be available throughout the semester on http://webcourses.ucf.edu/.
Required Text
The following text is required for this course:
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Lewis Vaughn, Bioethics: Principles, Issues and Cases, 2nd Edition (2014, OUP, ISBN
0199796238)
NOTE: Please use the exact edition of the texts I have assigned. Choosing different editions
will make it difficult to follow the reading schedule.
Any other texts or readings will be made available at http://webcourses.ucf.edu/.
Attendance Policy
For a complete statement of UCF’s attendance policy, consult the following link:
http://catalog.ucf.edu/policies/academicregulations#Attendance_Absences_or_Unsatisfactory_Work. Being present in class to hear
the lectures, participate in class discussion, and complete any in-class assignments or
presentations is essential for success in this course. Attendance will not count for a fixed
portion of the final grade. However, excessive absences will result in a letter grade
reduction. Every student gets one freebie – i.e., a class session missed with no questions
asked, no reduction in grade. For the second class session missed and for every subsequent
class missed after that, a student’s letter grade will be reduced by a full letter grade (e.g., from
an A to a B). Missing 20% or more of class sessions (which amounts to 3 or more individual
class sessions) will result in a failing (F) grade.
Make-Up and Late Assignment Policy
Students are eligible to make up an assignment (exam or quiz) only in the event that
appropriate documentation can be provided supporting an excused absence for the day the
in-class assignment is to be held. Notification (e-mail is fine) must be received within 24
hours following the class session of the assignment in order to arrange for a makeup
assignment.
Classroom Policy
Be mindful of fellow students and refrain from any behavior that may be distracting or
disturb the learning environment.
Note on Academic Integrity
The work that you submit for grading for this course (exams, essays, etc.) must be your
own work. Failure to turn in your own work, failure to properly cite another’s work, and
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Medical Ethics Syllabus
fabrication of information are all forms of “academic dishonesty,” a breach of academic
integrity. For UCF’s detailed guidelines on what counts as academic dishonesty, visit the
following link: http://integrity.sdes.ucf.edu/. Please read the following statement from that
website carefully:
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As a result of academic dishonesty in a course, an appropriate grade will be assigned
to a student that is preceded by the letter Z. The designation is only for undergraduate
students.
Finding and Informing: If a faculty member finds that a student is in violation of
the university academic conduct codein a course, the student will be informed by the
faculty member.
Effect on Course Grade: The faculty member's syllabus shall state the impact on
the grade for the course (may provide a zero for the assignment, resulting in the
lowering of the final grade (e.g. ZA, ZB, ZC, ZD), or award an F in the course (ZF)).
Faculty Reporting: The faculty member must report the violation (at least for
information only) to Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities using the Incident
Reporting Form.
Student Status upon Report: The student remains in the course.
Avoiding Disciplinary Action: If the student has withdrawn from the class to
avoid the disciplinary action, s/he may be added back to the roster and assigned a
grade, as described in the Golden Rule.
Final Grade Submission: When submitting final grades, the faculty member will
inform the Registrar’s Office via the change of Grade form. The Registrar’s Office
will record the submitted grade, affix a Z in front, and flag the audit such that the
grade cannot be changed until the student completes the required ethics course.
NOTE: No credit will be granted for any assignment or part thereof that violates academic
integrity. For instance, an entire paper taken from an online source will receive zero credit.
In case only part of an assignment is affected (i.e., violates academic integrity), the
assignment will be graded as though that part were not there (i.e., no credit will be given for
that part).
Students Disability Services
If you have a disability and need accommodations, please contact Student Disabilities
Services:
Hours:
Phone:
Fax:
E-mail:
Testing E-mail:
Location:
Monday through Friday 8am to 5pm
407-823-2371
407-823-2372
sds@ucf.edu
sdstesting@ucf.edu
Ferrell Commons 185
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