Course Overview

Bioethics is by no means the exclusive domain of philosophers, but our approach is philosophical. Our debates about health-related ethical dilemmas are therefore framed by deeper, more fundamental questions about right action and justice. We also aim to develop philosophical skills, ones that have applications beyond the particular problems we consider this term, to a broad range of issues. The central skills we seek to develop are these:

• understanding ethical problems by clarifying key questions and concepts
• identifying and reconstructing arguments from passages of text
• assessing arguments
• articulating and defending your own consistent response to an ethical problem.

To develop these skills, we need literature that is clear and philosophically rich, and so we begin with James Rachels' discussion of euthanasia. We then apply his arguments to health crises in third-world countries, where AIDS has reached epidemic proportions and contraception is desperately needed. We also examine race and gender based inequities in health care, definitions of disease, and genetic engineering. We devote the final weeks of term to discussing current topics of your choice.

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Required Text

The only text required for this course is the PHIL 165 Course Pack. The course pack is divided into two parts. Part I contains primary sources, and Part II contains lectures, which will help you understand the primary texts we read.

You can order the course pack from the Higher Grounds bookstore at the Friday Center either online or by using the book order form.

Cautionary Note: You are required to check your course pack for completeness as soon as you receive it. If you are missing any readings, contact me immediately. Missing readings will not be accepted as an excuse for late assignments.

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Course Requirements

This course requires regular participation in the discussion forum, one paper, two exams during the term, and a final exam. This workload is the same as that of a traditional class, though it is distributed differently. All of our exams, including the final exam, will be "take-home," as that format best suits most people's schedules. Clearly, an exam that you have several days to complete must be longer and more difficult than an in-class exam, which you would complete in an hour or two. Because you will spend more time writing exams, you will spend less time writing papers. Traditional philosophy classes typically require at least two papers, but this course requires only one.

• Paper: 20 percent
• Exams 1 and 2: 40 percent (each exam is worth 20 percent)
• Final Exam: 40 percent

Discussion forum participation

Discussion forum participation is required for most lessons but may be optional for some lessons. For details about each week's assignment, see the list of weekly discussion forums on the Blackboard site. Discussion will be suspended during exam periods.

Accessing the Discussion Forum: You will access the discussion forum through Blackboard (see Course Mechanics for instructions on how to access Blackboard).

The discussion forum is our online version of classroom discussion, and it serves a few purposes:

• It provides an intellectual community for the class.
• It helps you pace your work so that you won't be tempted to leave all the reading until a few days before a major assignment is due.
• It allows me to determine when folks are confused about major points so that I can offer corrections.

Although the discussion forum does not count directly in your grade, you will be expected to participate during most weeks, either by answering one of my suggested questions or by posting a question or comment.

We will have two types of forums running throughout the term.

• the Open Discussion Forum, where you can post any questions or comments related to the material that you like. I will not guide the discussion here.
• the Lesson Forums, containing suggested questions that I post for most lessons. I will participate regularly in this forum.

Here are a couple of tips to keep in mind for the discussion forum. First, to promote a respectful atmosphere, remember to formulate suggestions to colleagues carefully, so that they will be received as constructive criticism. Also, if a suggested question has already been answered by a number of your colleagues, I suggest that you try to critique or build upon a colleague's postings in one of the following ways:

• Has your colleague's response covered all the main points, or is there something that you could add?
• Is part of the post confusing, and do you have questions about what it might mean?
• Do you have a suggestion about how the point might have been expressed more clearly?

Reading and critiquing one another's work is a very useful learning tool, so I encourage you to get into the habit of responding to one another.

We will close the postings for most weeks on Saturday evening, since folks with families and full-time jobs may not be able to post until the weekend. Anyone able to post earlier is encouraged to do so, to help develop an active exchange during the week. When we have an exam that begins on a Friday morning, we will close the week's postings earlier—on Thursday evening—and the discussion will then be closed during the exam period.

Cautionary Note: You should be able to answer all of the questions suggested for the discussion forum, regardless of whether you choose to address any of them in your discussion forum postings. I will consider all of those questions fair game for exams.

list of requirements

Paper

You may discuss the theories and the objections they face via the discussion forum. I do not encourage you to read outside sources, but you may do so if you wish. You must cite the sources of all ideas, quotes, and paraphrases that are not your own. I encourage you to utilize both my Guidelines for Philosophical Writing (located at the end of your course pack) and those provided by the Writing Center. You may not collaborate with anyone in the writing process, and the paper you submit must contain only your own work. The Honor Code will be strictly enforced, and you will be required to pledge that you have neither given nor received unauthorized aid, in accordance with the Honor Code.

I will post the paper assignment to the discussion forum several weeks prior to the due date (see schedule below). The paper assignment will ask you to perform several different, though related, types of tasks.

• The first, expository task is explaining what someone else says, reconstructing that person's argument or objection as accurately, thoroughly, and concisely as you can. Effective exposition requires being able to identify the author's conclusion, and the reasons given in support of that conclusion. The better you are at reading critically, the easier this expository task will be. The better able you are at looking for and identifying arguments and conclusions while reading, the easier it will be to write out a reconstruction of an argument and its conclusion.
• The second, critical task is critically assessing the view or objection you have just explained. In defending your assessment, you will need to identify features that make the author's view convincing or unconvincing.
• Finally, you will usually be asked to take a stance on the question at hand. This does not mean that you need to develop a wholly original view, and indeed, biting off more than you can chew in an introductory class could be counterproductive. Taking a stance means presenting a methodical chain of reasoning designed to convince your reader of the view you find plausible. While you might prefer to reach some more dramatic conclusion, don't sweep evidence under the rug in order to get it. We want to reach conclusions supported by evidence, and that means refraining from making stronger claims than we can support. Be sure to consult the Guidelines for Philosophical Writing (at the end of your course pack), and the guidelines provided by the Writing Center well before you begin writing your paper.

Your paper must be no more than 1,400 words. This is the equivalent of three to four pages, double-spaced in 12-point type. (Your actual paper may be single-spaced, however.) I will strictly enforce this maximum. It's designed to help you focus your discussion, explain your points thoroughly but concisely, and avoid the temptation to discuss tangential issues.

Submit all your assignments, including the paper, as e-mail attachments. If you wish to send a backup copy (in addition to the copy you sent by e-mail), send a hard copy by US mail to the following address:
Derek Boyd
Philosophy Department
CB#3125 UNC-Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3125

For each day your paper is late, 5 points will be deducted, unless there is a serious problem that has been documented (such as by a doctor's note). There will be a two-day "technical difficulties grace period" after the due date. If I receive your paper in a decipherable form, I'll send an e-mail returning your paper to confirm receipt. If the paper is not decipherable, I'll tell you so, and we'll have a maximum of two days to sort out the problem. Papers received after the close of the grace period will lose points, as stated above.

So that I can grade "blind," include your name in the subject heading when you e-mail your paper, but nowhere else on the paper. This system allows me to grade "blind" by folding back the top inch of the paper to obscure the name.

Your formal paper must include both internal citations and a bibliography. Work that does not adhere to these requirements will not be accepted.

Internal citations are those placed directly after the idea or quoted passage given in your paper. They cite the source in an abbreviated fashion, by noting only the author's name and the relevant page. Here are some examples:

(Noonan, CP, p. 92)
(Kochiras, CP, p. 200)

A bibliography should include the complete citation. Here are some guidelines for various types of sources:

• Book or article: Cite the author, book/article, publishing company and year, using any standard citation format.
• Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: I encourage you to consult this online source, particularly for terminology. To cite the Encyclopedia, consult its guidelines.
• Other Internet resources: Cite the author, title, any dates provided, and the URL (Web address).
• Unpublished manuscript: Cite the author, title, and date written; mention that the source is an unpublished manuscript.
• Discussion with a colleague, friend, and so on: Cite the name of the person who gave you the idea, such as:
  (Kisha Jackson, in conversation).

list of requirements

Exams 1 and 2

Exams will test both your comprehension of the readings, and your philosophical skills. They may contain any of the following types of questions: multiple choice, short answer, essay questions, argument reconstruction, interpretation of a passage of text. I will provide more details about the question types in the weeks prior to the exam. The exam will be available by a link in the Blackboard Exams section. You will have until the time the link is activated until the due date to submit your exam answers.

Late exams will not be accepted. In the event of an excused absence, I will arrange a timed, all-essay makeup exam, to be taken at the end of the term; an absence will be considered excused only if the student provides documentation of a serious problem. Students who were seen by Student Health Services should have an excuse issued by SHS. Students seen by outside physicians should provide documentation from that outside physician. (Please note: Physicians should not provide information about the nature of the medical problem, but should only confirm that some medical problem prevented the student from taking the exam.)

Check the discussion forum to confirm that your exam has been received, as I will post a list of names there.

Do not wait until a couple of hours before the exam is due to begin. Since you will have several days in which to complete the exams, they will be longer and more challenging than an in-class exam would be. In compensation for this, you will have only one paper to write, rather than the two or three papers that traditional philosophy classes usually require.

list of requirements

Final Exam

You must take the final exam alone. You may not consult any materials except the following: the Coursepack and other assigned texts; your own quizzes, papers, and notes. All your responses must be given in your own words. You may not quote from any source. You may not cut and past from any sources, including your own papers. The Honor Code will be strictly enforced, and you will be required to pledge that you have neither given nor received unauthorized aid, in accordance with the Honor Code.

The final exam will be a "take home" exam, available by a link in the Blackboard Exams section. It will be cumulative. There may be some multiple-choice questions, but most questions will ask for short explanations or for lengthier essays. You will be asked to respond to essay questions about material we have read. You may also be asked to demonstrate your philosophical skills by interpreting and critiquing passages of unfamiliar text on familiar topics.

No late exams will be accepted. Anyone who does not submit exam responses will not be able to complete the course this term. Such students will be assigned the grade "FA" or "AB," in accordance with university policies, as explained below:

FA: This grade is assigned to students who did not submit exam responses and could not have passed the course regardless of performance on the exam. (This grade would apply, for instance, to students who failed to complete other assignments, and did not have excused absences for those assignments.)

AB: This grade is assigned to students who did not submit final exam responses, but could have passed the course had they taken the final exam. In order to complete the course, such students must obtain an Official Examination Excuse. This excuse must be issued either by Student Health Services, which places the names of ill students on the Registrar's Exam Excused List, or by an academic dean in the event that the student was not seen by Student Health Services. Upon receiving this official documentation, I would arrange for the student to take the final exam with the next class, toward the end of the next term. If the registrar or dean denies the student's request for an Official Excuse, the student will not be able to make up the final exam.

IN: This grade is assigned to students who did submit final exam responses, who failed to complete some other assignment, and who could have passed the course had the missing assignment been submitted. In order to complete the assignment and thereby complete the course, the student would need to provide documentation, either from Student Health Service, or from an outside physician. (Please note: Physicians should not provide information about the nature of the medical problem, but should only confirm that some medical problem prevented the student from taking the exam.)

list of requirements

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Submitting Assignments

The following steps are required for every assignment you submit.

1. Keep backup copies of every assignment you send me. It is your responsibility to prevent lost assignments.

2. Pledge the Honor Code for each graded assignment ("I have neither given nor received unauthorized aid, in accordance with the Honor Code, on this assignment"). The Honor Code will be strictly enforced for all exams and your paper. Work that is not pledged will receive a "0" (zero).

3. Cite every idea that is not your own, as well as any quoted or paraphrased passage. Further details are given below.

4. Submit all assignments as e-mail attachments. If you wish to send a backup copy (in addition to a copy you send as a regular e-mail), send a hard copy by US mail to the following address:
   Derek Boyd
   Philosophy Department
   CB#3125 UNC-Chapel Hill
   Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3125.

5. If technical difficulties prevent your exam or paper from reaching me in a legible form, you must send me a postmarked hard copy by US mail. If your assignment does not reach me in a legible form, I will notify you via the discussion forum (the subject line of my posting will say something like this: "Exams: Received & Not Received"). At that point you must do both of the following:
   (1) attempt to resend your assignment electronically and
   (2) send a postmarked hard copy by US mail to this address:
   Derek Boyd
   Philosophy Department
   CB#3125 UNC-CH
   Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3125

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Grading

Grading is a matter of comparing and ranking student work, which means that the standard for grades is ultimately set by students. Student performance determines the level of knowledge and skill required for each grade. When I grade your assignments, I am comparing your work to that of other students in this class but also in past classes. Because the standard is set by a larger set of students than this class alone, it is possible for any given class to do more or less well than average.

The comparative nature of grading means that it is important for students to have the same assignments and opportunities. It would be very difficult to determine each student's understanding and skill relative to others if everyone were given different assignments or opportunities. Occasionally, a student will ask to do extra work in order to raise a grade, but in fairness to other students, I must refuse such requests. The same considerations motivate my policy about paper drafts. Either I require that all students submit a rough draft for commentary prior to submitting the final version of a paper, or else I do not read drafts at all. When I do require and comment upon drafts, the initial assignment is more challenging, and I expect a higher level of understanding and skill in the paper's final version than I do when drafts are not required. Regardless of whether I require rough drafts, the class ends up with the same grade distribution. Again, this is because grading is a matter of comparing and ranking work.

Like most instructors I know, I do not approach an assignment with the idea that it starts with an A, and then loses points for errors. If anything, I approach the assignment initially as if it is average work, which then receives a higher or lower grade according to whether it indicates more or less understanding and skill than average. When you remember that grading is comparative, it can help you to understand why an exam response that makes no obvious errors may not earn top marks. Other students may have written responses that demonstrated greater depth of understanding or were better organized.

The grade given for any particular assignment reflects only the quality of that assignment. It is not a personal judgment either of you or your abilities. I am aware that some of you may be facing difficulties or juggling many responsibilities, and I will not be offended if philosophy is not your first priority. By the same token, it would be unethical for me to base anyone's grade upon effort, reasons for needing a high grade, or other extraneous factors. The grade for each assignment will depend only upon the quality of the work submitted.

Blind Grading
I employ "blind grading" for all papers. I ask you to assist me in this by following the procedures indicated in the paper assignment, such as including your name only in the headings of your e-mail, not in the paper itself.

Estimating Your Grade Before the Term Ends
You can estimate your own grade at any point during the term, based on the grades you have received so far, and the weight of each assignment. You will find those weights listed under the "Course Requirements" section above.

Contesting a Grade
If you believe that a grade you received does not accurately reflect the quality of the work, you may contact me with this concern. In doing so, please be prepared to explain your reasons, in accordance with the Guidelines for Philosophical Writing that I have provided at the end of your course pack. Please also be aware that in reviewing your work, I will begin from scratch, which means that the grade could be either raised or lowered.

Cautionary Note: Occasionally, students trying to regain academic eligibility or who need a certain grade to graduate try to pressure me to raise their final grade, or to permit them to do extra work to raise the grade. Raising a student's grade above what the quality of work merits would compromise academic integrity. Similarly, allowing one student to do extra work would be unfair to those who did not have that opportunity. Anyone who is hoping for such preferential treatment should rethink enrolling in this course. I will not grade anyone's work according to extraneous factors such as sympathy, nor will I allow anyone to do extra work in order to improve a grade.

In the event that I use a 100-point scale for some assignments but letter grades for others, the conversion will be as follows:

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Points of Advice

Since this is a three-credit course, you should be spending a minimum of nine hours on the lesson each week. You may need to spend more than that during the first few lessons, since you will be faced with ideas and expectations that may be unfamiliar. Once you start to accumulate a stock of concepts and tools, you will become more efficient in your reading and writing. Throughout the course, though, you should expect to read each article several times, and outline or summarize each reading.

In the first lecture, I suggest a general strategy for approaching the readings. As you progress through the course, you probably will begin to follow my suggestions more naturally. In the beginning though, you should use these steps to guide your reading.

The better you become at seeing the big picture, the more you'll enjoy grappling with the questions and assignments. Don't focus on trying to understand every detail. Focus on learning to figure out what the bottom line of the author's view is, and on seeing the basic differences among the various responses to a question.

Be sure that any essay you write specifically answers the questions posed to you in the assignment (rather than simply addressing related topics). This might seem obvious, but it's surprisingly easy to forget.

I advise you to print out all the Web pages for the course soon after the term begins. Having a hard copy of the Web pages can help prevent frustration in the event of technical problems. (You needn't worry that by printing out the pages you'll risk missing any changes made during the term; if I have to amend the Web pages, I'll let you know via the discussion forum.)

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Contacting Your Instructor

I encourage you to contact me if you have questions about the course. You can reach me by e-mail at dwboyd@email.unc.edu. A link to my e-mail address appears in the gray bar at the top of each lesson page in the course. If all else fails,contact the Friday Center and ask someone there to contact me. Please do not call me at home.

Every e-mail you send me should include the course number and your name in the subject heading (example: phil 165, Ann Smith).

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Honor Code

You are bound by the UNC-Chapel Hill Honor Code:

"It shall be the responsibility of every student at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to obey and support the enforcement of the Honor Code, which prohibits lying, cheating, or stealing when these actions involve academic processes or University students or academic personnel acting in an official capacity."

The Honor Code applies to all of your work in this course.

Plagiarism is strictly forbidden by UNC policies, and it is punished by suspension:

"Plagiarism as defined by the Instrument of Judicial Governance is 'the intentional representation of another person's words, thoughts, or ideas as one's own.' Plagiarism is wrong...it is considered a serious offense. The normal sanction for plagiarism is suspension." ---Report by The Graduate School, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill: 2004-2005 Academic Integrity and Ethics; section on Ethics in Scholarship.

There is a great deal of material on the Web related to the issues we'll be discussing. Anyone who is tempted to plagiarize might want to consider the following: If you don't understand the class material well enough to write your own paper, it's extremely unlikely that you would know how to incorporate plagiarized material without my noticing it. Also remember that you must cite any idea that is not your own, as well as any quoted or paraphrased passage. To avoid any problems, always err on the side of caution. When in doubt, cite the source.

Instructors are required by the Honor Code to report every incident of suspected plagiarism or cheating, including first offenses. Dealing with the Honor Court is an unpleasant business for all concerned, including instructors. Anyone who considers plagiarizing, however, should remember that I report every incident of suspected cheating or plagiarism. Most of the cases I've had to report have resulted in convictions and suspensions. Anyone who is caught plagiarizing should not ask me to violate the Honor Code by looking the other way.

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Course Mechanics

Blackboard

Some of your class components (discussion forums and exams) are accessed through a software package called Blackboard, and you will need to login to Blackboard using a unique identifier known as your UNC Onyen (Only Name You'll Ever Need) and Onyen password.

There is a link to the Blackboard site in the gray navigation bar at the top of every page in this course. Click on that link, and then use your Onyen to log in to Blackboard. Click on the "PHIL 165" link, and you will see navigation buttons on the left side of the screen labeled Announcements, Discussion Forum, and so on.

If you experience problems accessing Blackboard, this is what you should do:

• If you do not already have a UNC Onyen, go to the Onyen Web site and follow the instructions for creating an Onyen.
• If you have an Onyen but have forgotten it (or the password), go to the Onyen Web site.
• If you have your Onyen but can't log in to Blackboard, contact Janice Durham at the Friday Center.
• If you can log in to Blackboard but can't find this course listed, contact Janice Durham at the Friday Center.
• If you can't locate an exam or discussion forum in Blackboard, contact the Instructional Designer.
• If you have other technical problems while using Blackboard, contact Blackboard Help (use the Help button in Blackboard, or call 919-962-HELP).

Library Services and E-reserves

Students enrolled in Carolina Courses Online can access online library resources from the UNC Library System by linking to Library Services for Distance Education Students. This site includes information on using general online reference works as well as accessing e-reserves.

If you are using an off-campus computer, you will need to enter your UNC Onyen to access the readings that are available through UNC Library's online system. The library staff is available to assist any students who have difficulties accessing online library resources. If you encounter difficulties, please visit this Web page for reporting a problem and the Proxy Server Team will respond.

Using E-mail

You are responsible for checking your UNC e-mail account for messages from your instructor and the Friday Center. Off-campus users can access their UNC e-mail account using Webmail. You can have your UNC e-mail forwarded to a different e-mail address by clicking "Forward e-mail" at the Onyen Web site. Your UNC e-mail address is also the one UNC will use to alert you that you need to change your Onyen password when it is about to expire.

If you use a filter on your e-mail account, you are responsible for ensuring that it does not prevent you from receiving messages from me, the course listserv, or Friday Center staff. Hotmail users should be aware that Hotmail will block messages sent from within Blackboard because Blackboard uses "blind carbon copy" to protect privacy. We recommend that you use your UNC Onyen e-mail account rather than Hotmail for this course.

It is extremely important for you to save copies of any work you send to me via e-mail. If I don't receive your work, you must have a duplicate copy, indicating the date sent, to prove that you submitted the assignment on time. It is your responsibility to maintain copies of your sent e-mails, as there is no way to guarantee that any e-mail message will be delivered.

Please check your e-mail software to see how it manages sent and saved messages. Some software automatically deletes messages one month after they have been sent; others only save messages if they are filed in folders; others save messages received but not those sent. You may need to send yourself a copy of your e-mailed assignment at the same time you send it to me, or you may need to print a copy of the e-mail message and any attachments to keep in your paper files. No matter how your system works, make sure you know how to save a copy of all work that you submit to me and that you save the copy for several months beyond the end of the course.

Other Questions

If you have questions regarding the content of the course and your progress, contact me. There is a link to my e-mail address at the top of every lesson page. Please include "PHIL 165 CCO" and your name in the subject line of your e-mail.

If you find a problem with this Web site, including bad links, contact the Instructional Designer at the Friday Center.

If you have any questions about enrollment, Onyen, credits, withdrawal, and so on, contact the Student Services staff at the Friday Center for Continuing Education (phone 919-962-1134 or 800-862-5669).

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Course Schedule

• For reading assignments, notes, and important terms, refer to the lesson pages (links to the lesson pages are in the schedule below).
• For discussion forum assignments, refer to the weekly forums listed on the Blackboard site.
• Due dates for exams and papers are listed in the schedule below.
• Print out this schedule so that you will have a hard copy of the due dates for major assignments.
• Please note! Throughout the course, all times refer to Eastern time.

Course Evaluation. Please take a moment to share your comments with us. The Friday Center staff and I want to know if this course met your needs and expectations.

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Useful Web Sites

• Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy
  General Editor: James Fieser, Ph.D
• Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
• A Dictionary of Philosophical Terms
  Use this dictionary to look up any unfamiliar philosophical terms. You may wish to consult other resources as well (this site includes links to such resources), but look here first.
• UNC Writing Center's handout on writing in philosophy
  I greatly encourage you to use this handout! The site has links to handouts containing more general advice about writing.

General Bioethics Web Sites and Search Engines:

• Clinical Consultation Services
• Best Information on the Net (BIOTN)
  chosen by librarians at O'Keefe Library, St. Ambrose University
• Ability.org (Bioethics)
• Hastings Center
• WHO (World Health Organization)
• National Library of Medicine, Bioethics
  (lists sources and occasionally, article abstracts)

There is a huge number of Web sites related to issues in bioethics. While I encourage you to look around a bit, beware of spending too much time chasing facts and figures, and too little time grappling with the philosophical questions.

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Lesson 1