1 MCD BIO 60 – BIOMEDICAL ETHICS Syllabus, Winter ... - UCLA

Syllabus, MCD BIO 60
Lecturer:
Mariko Nakano-Okuno, Dr.Litt.
Office Location: 4318 Life Sciences Building
Phone: 794-9663
Email: marikonk@ucla.edu
TA: Jennifer Stevens
MCD BIO 60 – BIOMEDICAL ETHICS
Syllabus, Winter 2008
Office hours:
Thursdays 1:30-2:30pm
Lecture meets: Mondays and Wednesdays, 3:00-4:20pm at Franz Hall 1260
Course website: http://www.lsic.ucla.edu/classes/winter08/
Course Reader: Available at the Ackerman textbook store.
Additional readings and lecture slides are available at the course website.
Course Description
Ethics should play a prominent role in the execution of scientific and medical research and in
the design of policies and regulations to guide such research. The broad intent of this course is to
highlight the importance of ethics in research and to explore how and why bioethics is relevant to
personal decision-making, policy formation, public regulation, and the law.
This course will a) provide a foundation in traditional ethics, a consideration of the
subcategories of bioethics, neuroethics, and eugenics and b) instruct students in how to apply
ethics to contemporary issues in research and technology.
Objectives
Students will understand the various traditional ethical theories and will be able to apply their
understanding to constructively critique biomedical case studies, discuss contemporary issues,
and analyze established policies and codes for research.
Grading
20% Discussion Section Presentations
20% 1 Written Assignment
20% Midterm Exam
40% Final Exam (cumulative)
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Syllabus, MCD BIO 60
Assignments
Discussion Section Presentations - Each week, a group of 4-5 students will lead the discussion
section, with guidance from their teaching assistant. The discussion will consist of presenting a
contemporary issue in ethics that is relevant to science, engineering, technology, or medicine and
then analyzing that issue according to the material covered in class. The discussions will grow
and expand over the quarter as students become fluent in the theories and language of ethics.
Writing Assignment/Essay - Students are to provide an account of a practice, policy, or
experiment and analyze it in order to summarize the rationale guiding the decision (including
who is/was involved in the decision), elucidate a traditional ethical theory that would support or
challenge the decision, characterize the ethical standards and codes of conduct that are/were
followed, and consider the impact of changes in the social, temporal, or cultural context. This
assignment will be done with a partner and is expected to be 5- 8 pages in length. Students will
work with partners, but one essay per student should be submitted. Due March 5 th or earlier.
Exams
Mid-term and final exams will consist of multiple-choice questions. They will cover materials
from lectures, readings, and discussion sections. Makeup exams will not be given. In case you
have an illness or emergency and are unable to take an exam, you are responsible for contacting
your TA before the examination. A written verification regarding the illness or emergency must
be provided. If you feel that a mistake in grading has been made on your exam, submit your
exam and a typed explanation to your TA by Friday 5pm of the week following the exam.
Final Exam -- Thursday, March 20, 2008, 8:00am-11:00am
Topic Schedule
Jan.7, 2008
Lecture 1–Biomedicine and Ethics: Advanced Science, International Collaboration,
Interdisciplinary Research, and the Need for Non-Traditional Ethical Reasoning
Includes: 1) the scope of “biomedical research” that this course will deal with; 2) examples of
what interdisciplinary research looks like and the “give-and-take” of non-traditional partnerships;
3) examples of ethical dilemmas in biomedical research; and 4) definition of “ethics,” and how
ethics can deal with the issues in biomedical research.
Jan.9, 14, 16, 23
Lecture 2 through 5- Ethical Traditions and Theories
Includes cultural relativism, egoism, Hobbes (Jan.9), Kant (Jan.14), Utilitarianism (Jan.16),
Rawls and virtue theory (Jan.23).
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Syllabus, MCD BIO 60
Jan.21 – Martin Luther King Jr., holiday
Jan. 28
Lecture 6 - The Importance of Language
The role that language has in conveying a description as well as a potentially emotional or
prescriptive meaning to a specific person, place, or thing. Words such as “human” and “embryo”
are examples of the effect that language has on a biomedical issue. Includes R. M. Hare’s
analysis of moral language, and his suggestion of “partly evaluative” meanings of certain
apparent descriptions.
Jan.30
Lecture 7 - The Emergence of Science Policy and Bioethics
Development of public oversight in science in the US and abroad, as well as key events and
policies that shaped bioethics and the standards for ethical behavior in research.
Feb.4
Lecture 8 – Informed Consent: From the Bench to the Clinic
Brief history of informed consent in biomedical research, comparing and contrasting the
accountability of scientists and clinicians. Consideration of what kind of information should be
given, what kind of consent should be obtained, and when the obtained informed consent should
be regarded as invalid. Examination of hard cases, including randomized controlled / doubleblinded
clinical trials and placebo-controlled trials. Also includes the relevance of “inclusive
consent” or “presumed consent” in large-scale biomedical research.
Feb.6
Lecture 9 – Biotechnology and the Ownership of Science
Conflicts of interest and the ethics of “owning” biology. Also includes the ethical meaning of the
Patent system, and consideration of the influence of funding on scientific research.
Feb. 11 Midterm Exam (Lectures 1 through 8)
Feb. 13, 20
Lecture 10 and 11 – Neuroethics: Using Science As A Crystal Ball
Considers ethical issues in brain science, and analyses how a new study field “neuroethics” has
emerged. Then discusses 1) the use of brain imaging for criminals, and 2) the recent
advancement of psychosurgery by referring to the lessons from past lobotomy practices.
Feb. 18 – Presidents’ Day holiday
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Syllabus, MCD BIO 60
Feb. 25, 27
Lecture 12 and 13 – Eugenic Implications of Reproductive Medicine and Genetic Testing
Reproductive technology has advanced to the point where the genetic code of an individual can
be scrutinized for potential phenotypes (diabetes, obesity) and birth defects at the 8-cell stage
(prior to implantation into the uterus). The ethics of using these techniques, either widely or in
restricted contexts, is quite controversial.
Mar. 3
Lecture 14 – Stem Cell Research: New Side, Same Coin
Discussion of the continuity in the recombinant DNA (rDNA), in vitro fertilization (IVF),
abortion, and human embryonic stem cell (hESC) debates. Includes debates over the moral status
of the embryo, and the question of whether we may “sacrifice” someone for the benefit of others.
Mar. 5
Lecture 15– Falsification and the Accountability of Scientists
Misconduct and fraud in scientific publishing, and the impact of the S. Korean stem cell scandal.
Includes the role of the Office of Research Integrity. Consideration of various factors
(psychological, environmental and social) that tempt or motivate some scientists to commit
scientific fraud, the various effects of scientific misconduct on individuals and on society, and
the most effective ways to prevent this kind of misconduct.
Mar.10
Lecture 16 – Global Pharma: What Goes Around, Comes Around
Ethical issues in HIV/AIDS research and treatment, distributive justice, global access to
antiretroviral drugs.
Mar. 12
Lecture 17– Experiments on Animals
Examines different arguments for and against animal experiments, and their philosophical
grounds. Discussion of the justifications, the due procedures, and the proper limit of the use of
animals for biomedical research.
Further Readings (Optional)
Rachels, James. 2006. The Elements of Moral Philosophy, 5 th ed., McGraw-Hill.
Beauchamp, Tom L. and Childress, James F. 2001. Principles of Biomedical Ethics, 5 th ed.,
Oxford University Press.
Kuhse, Helga and Singer, Peter (eds.) 1998. A Companion to Bioethics, Blackwell.
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Syllabus, MCD BIO 60
Burley, Justine and Harris, John (eds.) 2004. A Companion to Genethics, Blackwell.
Huxley, Aldous. 1998. A Brave New World.
Ishiguro, Kazuo. 2005. Never Let Me Go, Knopf.
Buchanan, Allen, Brock, Dan W., Daniels, Norman and Wikler, Daniel. 2001. From Chance to
Choice: Genetics and Justice, Cambridge University Press.
Evans, John H. 2002. Playing God? Human Genetic Engineering and the Rationalization of
Public Bioethical Debate, University of Chicago Press.
Glover, Jonathan. 2006. Choosing Children: Genes, Disability, and Design (Uehiro Series in
Practical Ethics), Oxford University Press.
Illes, Judy (ed.). 2005. Neuroethics: Defining the Issues in Theory, Practice and Policy, Oxford
University Press.
Ackerman, Sandra J. 2006. Hard Science, Hard Choices: Facts, Ethics, and Policies Guiding
Brain Science Today (Dana Foundation Series on Neuroethics), Dana Press.
Maienschein, Jane. 2003. Whose View of Life?: Embryos, Cloning and Stem Cells, Harvard
University Press.
Ruse, Michael and Pynes, Christopher A (eds.). 2003. The Stem Cell Controversy: Debating the
Issues, Prometheus Books.
Loue, Sana and Pike, Earl C (eds.). 2007. Case Studies in Ethics and HIV Research, Springer.
Erwin, Edward. 1994. Ethical Issues in Scientific Research: An Anthology, Routledge.
Macrina, Francis L. 2005. Scientific Integrity: Text and Cases in Responsible Conduct of
Research, 3 rd ed., ASM Press.
Thompson, Dennis F. 2004. Restoring Responsibility: Ethics in Government, Business, and
Healthcare, Cambridge University Press.
Welsome, Eileen. 2000. The Plutonium Files: America’s Secret Medical Experiments in the Cold
War, Delta.
Sandel, Michael J. 2004. “The Case Against Perfection.” The Atlantic Monthly, April, pp 51-62.
Couzin, Jennifer and Michael Schirber, “Fraud Upends Oral Cancer Field Casting Doubt on
Prevention Trial,” Science, 27 January, 2006.
The President’s Council on Bioethics.
www.bioethics.gov
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