Instructor - Jeff Solka, 540-653-1982
(D), (540)-371-3961 (N), 540-809-9799 (Cell), (540)-993-4357 (PW),
jlsolka@gmail.com
Office Hours - By Appointment Mondays
Ocaquan Rm. 312D
Schedule - Tuesday 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm in
OB Room 318
Francis L. Macrina, Scientific Integrity: Text and Cases in
Responsible Conduct of Research (Paperback), 3rd Edition 2005.
Kevin W. Bowyer (Editor), Ethics and Computing (Paperback), 2000.
Each class meeting will consist of a brief lecture followed by class discussions based on reading assignments and professor presented case studies.
Course DescriptionThis course will examine the moral dilemmas that currently face researchers. A particular emphasis will be placed on those issues associated with the use of computers in general and their application in bioinformatics in particular. Some of the topics to be discussed will include the fundamentals of ethics, scientific reporting and ethics, interpersonal relationships within a research setting, ethics and peer review, ethics and whistle blowing, relationships with funding agencies, animal research, human research, fraud, intellectual property, and improper use of computer equipment.
Grading - Grades will be based on a class
presentation and class participation.
Breakdown Class Participation (25%), Class
Presentation (75%)
Schedule
Week 1 1/23/07
Course Structure, Fundamentals of Ethics, Some Example Ethical Dilemmas
Read Chapter 1 of Macrina.
Read Chapter 1 of Bowyer.
Week 2 1/30/07
TBD
Read Chapter 2 of Macrina
Read Chapter 2 of Bowyer
Week 3 2/6/07
TBD
Read Chapter 3 of Macrina
Read Chapter 3 of Bowyer
Week 4 2/13/07
TBD
Read Chapter 4 of Macrina
Read Chapter 4 of Bowyer
Week 5 2/20/07
Student Presentation Group 1
Brown and Villa-Angulo - Should technologies that radically extend
human life spans be allowed to be employed? (Life Extension)
"The Prolongevists
Speak Up: ..."
Brown
Villa-Angulo Slides
Read Chapter 5 of Macrina
Read Chapter 5 of Bowyer
Week 6 2/27/07
Student Presentation Group 2
Sherril and Von Canon - Should medical care be withheld from those
individuals that have made "poor lifestyle choices"? (Managed Care)
Do
Smokers Deserve Equal Medical Care?
Sherril
Vom Canon Slides
Supplemental
Article # 1
Supplemental
Article # 2
Supplemental
Article # 3
Read Chapter 6 of Macrina
Read Chapter 6 of Bowyer
Week 7 3/6/07
Student Presentation Group 3
Barb and Acharya - Should patient assisted suicide be allowed and if so
under what circumstances? (Euthanasia)
The Euthanasia
Website
Mekhalla/Barb
Slides
Read Chapter 7 of Macrina
Read Chapter 7 of Bowyer
Week 8 3/13/07
No class Spring Break.
Week 9 3/20/07
Student Presentation Group 4
Herrera and Takeda - Should genetic testing be required for jobs or
parenthood? (Genetic Testing)
One Points Paper on Genetic Testing in the Workplace
Herrara/Takeda
Slides
Read Chapter 8 of Macrina
Read Chapter 8 of Bowyer
Week 10 3/27/07
Student Presentation Group 5
Sharma and Liang - Should individuals be allowed to select the sex of
their children or if the technologies should be developed should
individuals be allowed to select the traits of their children prior to
conception?
The Technology is
Here Now!!
Sharma/Liang
Slides
Read Chapter 9 of Macrina
Read Chapter 9 of Bowyer
Week 11 4/3/07
Student Presentation Group 6
Kopecky and Kadoi - Does the promise of new drug therapies justify
exclusive proprietary access to genetic information? (Intellectual
Property)
A Few Pontifications About Intellectual Property Rights.
Kopecky/Kadoi
Slides
Read Chapter 10 of Macrina
Read Chapter 10 of Bowyer
Week 12 4/10/07
Student Presentation Group 7
Chang - Animal Testing
Read Chapter 11 of Macrina
Read Chapter 11 of Bowyer
Week 13 4/17/07
Student Presentation Group 8
Walsh and Overal - Do the claims of public safety trump concerns for
personal privacy in mandating DNA databanks? (Biometric Analysis)
A Link to the Annual Report of the Canadian DNA Data Bank.
Walsh/Overall
Slides
Week 14 4/24/07
Student Presentation Group 9
Tran and Liu - Should patients in chronic pain be allowed whatever pain
remediation possible including the use of the strongest opiates such as
heroin? (Algology)
A
Link to a Political Action Group on Pain Management.
Liu/Tran
Slides
Week 15 5/1/07
Student Presentation Group 10
Ryan and Thompson - 24. Should cross species transplantation be
allowed? (Xenotransplantation)
One
Points Paper on the Ethics of Xenotransplantation.