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Syllabus
Phil3520-002: Bioethics

Fall 2020 (3 credit hours)

Instructor: Louise Pedersen
Email: louise.pedersen@utah.edu
Course Type: Online
Office Hours: Flexible, online. We can chat via email or via Zoom. I usually respond to emails
within 24 hours Monday-Friday. If you would like to talk to me via Zoom, email me ahead of time
and request a Zoom meeting with me at a reasonable time (I will then send you a meeting link). Or if
you prefer, we can talk through Google Duo.

Course Description: Bioethics is the study of the ethical issues that arise in the practice of
medicine, the study of human biology, and other biological research. Drawing on a variety of ethical
cases drawn from the recent biomedical literature, we will cover both the conceptual foundations of
moral theory and the application of conceptual tools developed from those principles. The course
has two units:
Unit 1: Moral Theories and the Ethical Treatment of Patients. Here, we will first investigate the
nature of morality in general, and ask: Are there such things as good, bad, right, and wrong? If so, do
we decide them for ourselves, or are they already decided for us? Is moral obligation simply about
producing the best consequences, or can an action be wrong even if it has a good outcome? Am I
obligated simply to not hurt others, or do I have a duty to help others as well? This unit will also
cover the four principles of bioethics: autonomy, non-maleficence, beneficence, and justice in the
context of patients’ rights and informed consent.

Unit 2: Bioethical Issues. In this unit, we will examine several specific ethical issues in bioethics. For
instance, we will ask whether or not it is morally permissible to end the life of a suffering patient, kill
a fetus, force-feed protesters and prisoners, genetically screen a fetus, to name a few issues.

Course Objectives: Upon completion of this course, the students will be able to:

• Engage with the basics of prevalent moral theories

• Evaluate philosophical arguments
• Recognize the pervasiveness of ethics and philosophy in biomedical issues
• Advance their critical thinking/writing/argumentative skills by engaging with philosophical
texts on bioethics
• Develop a case study of a biomedical issue related to COVID-19

Prerequisites: There are no prerequisites for this course.

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Course Materials

Required: Principles of Biomedical Ethics, by Tom L. Beauchamp and James F. Childress, eight edition,
Oxford University Press, ISBN 978-0-19-064087-3.

All other readings will be made available on Canvas.

Expectations: You are expected to spend roughly nine hours every week on this course. To
compare, a traditional 3-credit in-class course meets three hours per week across a 15-week
semester. Each student is also expected to spend an average of twice the in-class time performing
out-of-classroom activities like reading, responding to chapter questions, researching and writing
papers, etc. This brings the total weekly time investment to nine hours, or 135 hours for the
semester. I expect the same kind of commitment and rigor that you put into an in-class course into
my online classroom. The course is reading and writing heavy, so it is important that you plan out
your week and stick to the deadlines. Do not expect to do well in this course if you try to read all the
material and answer questions about it 30 minutes before an assignment is due. Philosophy is not
something that can be rushed. With that said, it is easy to do well in this course if you allocate
enough time to do the readings and to thoughtfully answer the assignments.

Since this is an online class, please familiarize yourself with Canvas (if you are new to it).

Assignments and Evaluation:

• Weekly Reflection Posts (20% of final grade) [14 in total]

Every week (except week 14) you will be asked to reflect on the readings and discuss your thoughts
with your peers. Each week I will write several prompts to get the discussion going. While these
posts are somewhat informal, you should still remember to use proper grammar/sentence structure,
and to engage respectfully and critically with your peers.

Because of the class size, I will break the class up into smaller discussion groups every week. This
makes for better discussions, and it will be easier for you to keep track of the conversation. This also
means you will have different interlocutors every week.

You are required to write an initial post by Thursday (11:59 pm) each week and to reply to two other
students by Sunday (11:59 pm) each week. Each initial post should be at least 300 words. Your
replies should be thoughtful, substantial, and constructive. In other words, don’t just write “I agree,
Sam,” or “you’re right” and think that counts as a reply. Go in depth and don’t be afraid to,
respectfully, disagree.

See Assignment Instructions under Files for complete guidelines and rubric. Each initial post is
worth 6 points, and each reply is worth 2 points each (10 points total every week).

• Weekly Comprehension Assignments (20% of final grade) [8 in total]

The weekly comprehension assignments have two components of which you must complete 4 of
each:

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o Keyword proposals (week 1-6)

o Argument reconstructions (week 7-13)

You decide which weeks you want to submit work. In other words, out of the 6 keyword
proposal assignments, you have to submit 4, and out of the 7 argument reconstruction assignments,
you also have to submit 4.
The rubrics and instructions detailing how to complete the respective assignments are found under
Assignment Instructions in Files. Keyword proposals are designed to test your comprehension of
the moral theories and principles of bioethics. The argument reconstructions are designed to help
you get better at understanding and analyzing philosophical arguments.
Please plan accordingly. The deadlines are on the syllabus. If you submit an assignment
after the deadline, it will be considered late (and docked 25%). Assignments can be submitted
late until December 1st, but I strongly recommend getting your work done on time to avoid late
penalties (they will hurt your grade).
Optional: If you want to improve your overall grade for the weekly comprehension assignments
(20% of final grade), you will have the option of turning in a fifth keyword proposal and/or a
fifth argument reconstruction (these are due no later than December 1st). You can only turn these
in if you have already completed four of the respective assignments. In other words, if you get a low
grade on one of your weekly comprehension assignments, you have the option of turning in a fifth
assignment (on one of the weekly topics you did NOT write on already) and hopefully improving
your score. Assuming you improve your grade, your old lowest score will be deleted and the new
grade for the fifth assignment will be entered.

• Midterm (15% of final grade)

The midterm (100 points) will be administered as an online exam that covers moral theories. It
consists of multiple choice and short answer questions. The midterm will be available in Canvas
from Monday 10/05 (9:00am) to Sunday October 11 (11:59pm). You can take it anytime during that
timeframe. It is open notes, open book. There is no time limit on the midterm, but you can only
take it once. Therefore, once you start it, you must finish it, as you can’t go back and retake it. It
should take you about 60-90 minutes to complete and submit the midterm.

• Ethics and COVID-19 Case Study Project (30% of final grade).

For the case study project, I ask you to think of a specific ethical issue related to the COVID-19
pandemic. You should start thinking about the topic of your project early on in the semester. As you
learn about bioethics and philosophy throughout the course, you should be able to come up with a
novel idea that captures an ethical aspect of COVID-19. Pick something that is of interest to you.
The assignment has three graded components. For complete guidelines and grading rubrics for each
component see Assignment Instructions under Files.

o Abstract (7.5% of final grade): Due Sunday 11/15 (11:59 pm).

Roughly 200-300 words (introduces topic of your case study and your
tentative line of argument) (100 points)

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Abstract must be uploaded for grading AND posted in the online peer
review discussion
o Online peer reviews (7.5% of final grade): Due by Wednesday 11/25 (11:59)
To help your fellow students improve their final projects, you will write peer
reviews of their case study abstracts in a discussion thread (each student will
give feedback to 3-4 other students) (100 points)
o Final case study (15% of final grade): Due Sunday 12/06 (11:59pm)
A 4-5-page case study (100 points) that captures an ethical aspect/challenge
of the COVID-19 pandemic and demonstrates mastery of skills learned
throughout the course

• Final Exam (15% of final grade)

The final exam (100 points) is an online take home exam that covers the four principles of
biomedical ethics. The format of the essay is short essays. We will prepare for the exam together
during Week 15. The final exam will be available in Canvas from Monday 12/07 (9:00am) to Friday
12/11 (11:59pm). You can upload your final exam anytime during that timeframe. It is open notes,
open book. Final exams will be checked for plagiarism through Turnitin.

Late Policy:

Late weekly reflection posts will NOT be accepted. Put differently, if you miss the window to post
your weekly reflection post and your two replies, then you are no longer able to participate in that
discussion. This is out of fairness to the students who posted on time. From a philosophical
perspective, there is also no point in posting in a discussion that the other students no longer
participate in.

I will NOT accept midterms and final exams that are not completed in the allocated timeframe.

NO late peer reviews will be accepted. Since the deadline for the case study is coming up shortly
after the peer reviews are due, no one is going to benefit from a late peer review. Out of respect for
your fellow students, have your peer reviews done on time.

Late weekly comprehension assignments and case study abstracts will be accepted until Tuesday
12/01 (11:59pm), but late assignments get docked 25 %, no matter if they are a day or a month late
(In other words, get the work done on time!).

I will accept late final case studies until Friday 12/11 (11:59pm). The late penalty is a 15% deduction
in grade.

Grading Scale:

A 93-100 C 73-76

A- 90-92 C- 70-72

B+ 87-89 D+ 67-69

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B 83-86 D 63-66

B- 80-82 D- 60-62

C+ 77-79 E 59 and below

Covid-19 Fall 2020 Instructional Guidelines [our classroom is virtual, so we do not have to
worry about meeting up, but please do take care if you are going to be on campus this fall
for other classes, the library, etc.]:

Face coverings are required in all in-person classes for both students and faculty.

Based on CDC guidelines, the University requires everyone to wear face coverings in shared public
spaces on campus, including our classroom. As a reminder, when I wear a face covering, I am
protecting you. When you wear a face covering, you are protecting me and all of your classmates. If
you forget your face covering, I will ask you to leave class to retrieve it. If you repeatedly fail to wear
a face covering in class, I will refer you to the Dean of Students for a possible violation of the
Student Code.

If you are unable to wear a facemask, you may qualify for accommodations through the Americans
with Disabilities Act (ADA). If you think you meet the criteria and desire an exception to the face
covering policy, contact the Center for Disability and Access (CDA). Accommodations should be
obtained prior to the first day of class so that I am notified by CDA of any students who are not
required to wear a face covering.

It is mandatory that students self-report if they test positive for COVID-19 via this website:
https://coronavirus.utah.edu/

Academic misconduct: Please make sure you are familiar with the Student Code. For academic
misconduct, see Section I.B. Note especially the section on plagiarism, which is defined as “the
intentional unacknowledged use or incorporation of any other person's work in, or as a basis for,
one's own work offered for academic consideration or credit or for public presentation.” Note that
“[p]lagiarism includes, but is not limited to, representing as one's own, without attribution, any other
individual’s words, phrasing, ideas, sequence of ideas, information or any other mode or content of
expression.” The minimum sanction for an instance of plagiarism will be a zero on the assignment,
but I reserve the right to impose a harsher academic sanction (including a failing grade in the class),
and to refer plagiarism cases to the Student Behavior Committee for non-academic sanctions. You
should note that I also notify your home college in cases of academic misconduct (which might
result in dismissal from the program).

Content Accommodation Policy: This course deals with issues that may be sensitive for some
students. Please be familiar with the University of Utah’s Accommodation Policy. “Students are
expected to take courses that will challenge them intellectually and personally. Students must
understand and be able to articulate the ideas and theories that are important to the discourse within
and among academic disciplines. Personal disagreement with these ideas and theories or their

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implications is not sufficient grounds for requesting an accommodation. Accommodations requested

on such grounds will not be granted. It is the student's obligation to determine, before the last day to
drop courses without penalty, when course requirements conflict with the student's sincerely-held
core beliefs. If there is such a conflict, the student should consider dropping the class” (from the
student handbook, 3b under Policy 6-100: Instruction and Evaluation, Revision 25. )

Americans with Disabilities Act: The University of Utah seeks to provide equal access to its
programs, services and activities for people with disabilities. If you will need accommodations in the
class, reasonable prior notice needs to be given to the Center for Disability Services, 162 Union
Building, 581-5020 (V/TDD). CDS will work with you and the instructor to make arrangements for
accommodations.

Sexual Misconduct: Title IX of the Civil Rights Act makes it clear that violence and harassment
based on sex and gender (which includes sexual orientation and gender identity/expression) is a civil
rights offense subject to the same kinds of accountability and the same kinds of support applied to
offenses against other protected categories such as race, national origin, color, religion, age, status as
a person with a disability, veteran’s status, or genetic information. If you or someone you know has
been harassed or assaulted, you are encouraged to report it to the Title IX Coordinator in the Office
of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action, 135 Park Building, 801-581-8365, or the Office of the
Dean of Students, 270 Union Building, 801-581-7066. For support and confidential consultation,
contact the Center for Student Wellness, 426 SSB, 801-581-7776. To report to the police, contact
the Department of Public Safety, 801-585-2677.

University Safety Statement: The University of Utah values the safety of all campus community
members. To report suspicious activity or to request a courtesy escort, call campus police at 801-
585-2677. You will receive important emergency alerts and safety messages regarding campus safety
via text message. For more information regarding safety and to review available training resources,
including helpful videos, visit #SAFEU

Gender Pronoun and Name Preferences: Class rosters are provided to the instructor with the
student’s legal name; however, I am happy to honor your request to address you by an alternate
name and/or gender pronoun. Please advise me of this preference early in the semester, so I can
ensure use of your preferred name and pronouns in this space.

Wellness: Personal concerns such as stress, anxiety, relationship difficulties, depression, cross-
cultural differences, etc., can interfere with a student’s ability to succeed and thrive at the University
of Utah. For helpful resources contact Center for Student Wellness at (801) 581-7776.

Classroom Diversity/Civility Statement: Classrooms (virtual ones included) should be spaces

where people with conflicting points of view can engage respectfully with one another. Please be
kind, considerate, and thoughtful towards your fellow students. For more on classroom etiquette,
see the pdf under Files called “Course Etiquette.”

E-mail correspondence: I will typically respond to emails within 24 hours Monday through Friday
(and often much quicker). However, I do ask that you follow some minimal guidelines:
• Think of the emails you send to your instructor as professional communication. Professional
emails are not like text messages you send to your friends: they should be polite, concise, and

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respectful. So, no emojis or text slang: use this as an opportunity to get better at writing
professional emails, because chances are you will be writing lots of these in a future job after
college.
• Please use a proper greeting. This may be formal (e.g., “Dear Prof. Pedersen”) or informal
(“Hi Louise”). You may address me in whatever way you feel comfortable (so long as it is
respectful!), though my preference is that you simply call me “Louise.”
• Please sign your e-mail. All too often I get unsigned e-mails from students with inscrutable
email addresses. Please identify yourself to me. These guidelines may be relaxed in obvious
cases (e.g., in a string of e-mail replies). I will use similar guidelines in writing you. I am
happy to answer student e-mails, and tend to respond promptly (within a day). If I receive e-
mails that fail to meet the guidelines above, I reserve the right to not respond.

Disclaimer: This syllabus is not a legally binding document and is subject to change in order to
meet pedagogical needs. Please check the syllabus link on Canvas for the most up to date version of
this document. If I make changes to the document, I will always announce it in class.

COURSE SCHEDULE

NOTE: Some weeks I will upload videos with announcements, instructions, and lectures. It
is imperative that you watch these on a weekly basis, so you do not miss out on important
information. You should check our Canvas site every Monday morning for new videos,
lectures, announcements, etc.

Unit 1: Moral Theories and the Ethical Treatment of

Patients
Week 1 Welcome and syllabus overview/What is philosophy and
bioethics?
Aug 24-Aug 30
Read: Russell, The Value of Philosophy; B&C, Chapter 1 “Moral
Norms,” (p. 1-25); Chapter 3, “Moral Status” (p. 65-92)

• Introduce yourself in the pinned discussion “Introductions”

• Due Thursday Aug 27: Weekly reflection post
• Due Sunday Aug 30: Replies to weekly reflection posts
and keyword proposal assignment

Week 2 Moral Theories

Aug 31-Sep 6 Read: Utilitarianism: B&C, Chapter 9 (p. 385-94); Rachels,

Chapters 7 and 8, and Kantian Theory: B&C, Chapter 9 (p. 394-
400); Rachels, Chapters 9 and 10

• Due Thursday Sep 3: Weekly reflection post

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• Due Sunday Sep 6: Replies to weekly reflection posts and

keyword proposal assignment

Week 3 Moral Theories

Sep 7-Sep 13 Read: Virtue Theory: B&C, Chapter 9 (p. 409-418); Rachels,
Chapter 12; Rights Theory: B&C, Chapter 9 (p. 400-409)

Optional reading: B&C, Chapter 2 “Moral Character,” (p. 31-57)

• Due Thursday Sep 10: Weekly reflection post

• Due Sunday Sep 13: Replies to weekly reflection posts
and keyword proposal assignment

Week 4 The Four Principles

Sep 14-Sep 20 Read: Respect for Autonomy: B&C, Chapter 4 (p. 99-143), and
Nonmaleficence: B&C, Chapter 5 (p. 155-202)

• Due Thursday Sep 17: Weekly reflection post

• Due Sunday Sep 20: Replies to weekly reflection posts
and keyword proposal assignment

Week 5 The Four Principles

Sep 21- Sep 27 Read: Beneficence: B&C, Chapter 6 (p. 217-257), and Justice:
B&C, Chapter 7 (p. 267-314)

• Due Thursday Sep 24: Weekly reflection post

• Due Sunday Sep 27: Replies to weekly reflection posts
and keyword proposal assignment

Week 6 Ethical Treatment of Patients

Sep 28-Oct 4 Read: Prof.-Patient Relationships: B&C, Chapter 8 (p. 327-370)

• Due Thursday Oct 1: Weekly reflection post

• Due Sunday Oct 4: Replies to weekly reflection posts and
keyword proposal assignment

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Unit 2: Bioethical Issues

2(a): Death and Dying
Week 7 Euthanasia and physician assisted suicide

Oct 5-Oct 11 Read: Rachels, Active and Passive Euthanasia, and Nesbitt, Is
Killing Worse Than Letting Die?
(FYI: Vice presidential
debate on campus. All • Due Thursday Oct 8: Weekly reflection post
classes this week are • Due Sunday Oct 11: Replies to weekly reflection posts
online) and argument reconstruction assignment
• Midterm Due Sunday October 11 by 11:59pm (open
book, open notes, available from Oct 5, 9:00 am)

Week 8 Abortion

Oct 12-Oct 18 Read: Marquis, Why Abortion is Immoral; and Thompson, A

Defense of Abortion

• Due Thursday Oct 15: Weekly reflection post

• Due Sunday Oct 18: Replies to weekly reflection posts
and argument reconstruction assignment

2(b): The Use of Animals in Biomedical Experimentation

Week 9

Oct 19-Oct 25 Read: Singer, All Animals are Equal; Cohen, The Case for the
Use of Animals in Biomedical Research; and Francis and
Norman, Some Animals are More Equal than Others

• Due Thursday Oct 22: Weekly reflection post

• Due Sunday Oct 25: Replies to weekly reflection posts
and argument reconstruction assignment

2(c): Pandemic Critical Care

Week 10

Oct 26-Nov 1 Read: Kirby, Enhancing the Fairness of Pandemic Critical Care
Triage; Tabery, How to Prepare for the Worst-Case Scenerio; and
Aronson, Ageism is Making the Pandemic Worse

• Due Thursday Oct 29: Weekly reflection post

• Due Sunday Nov 1: Replies to weekly reflection posts and
argument reconstruction assignment

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(2d) The Obligation to Provide Care

Week 11 Providing Care in Ethically Challenging Conditions

Nov 2-Nov 8 Read: Gross, Force-feeding, Autonomy, and Public Interest; and
Annas/Crosby, Guantanamo Bay: A Medical ethics-free Zone?

• Due Thursday Nov 5: Weekly reflection post

• Due Sunday Nov 8: Replies to weekly reflection posts and
argument reconstruction assignment

2(e): Disability and Normal Function

Week 12

Nov 9-Nov 15 Read: Amundson, Against Normal Function; Garland-Thomson,

The Case for Conserving Disability; and Amundson and Taira,
Our Lives and Ideologies

• Due Thursday Nov 12: Weekly reflection post

• Due Sunday Nov 15: Replies to weekly reflection posts
and argument reconstruction assignment
• Case Study Abstract Due Sunday November 15
(11:59pm). Upload as doc. for grading under Case
Study Abstract AND copy/paste abstract into Ethics
and COVID-19 Case Study Peer Reviews Discussion
(your reviews are due by Wednesday, Nov 25).

2(f): Eugenics
Week 13

Nov 16-Nov 22 Read: Savulescu, Procreative Beneficence: Why We Should Select

the Best Children; Sandel, The Case Against Perfection; and
Kass, Ageless Bodies, Happy Souls

• Due Thursday Nov 19: Weekly reflection post

• Due Sunday Nov 22: Replies to weekly reflection posts
and argument reconstruction assignment

Ethics and COVID-19 Case Study Week/Peer reviews

Week 14
• Due by 11:59 pm on Wednesday, Nov 25: peer reviews of
Nov 23-25 the other students’ abstracts in your discussion group

Nov 26-29 No class Thanksgiving Break

Final Exam Review Week

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Week 15 Review of the Four Principles (for final exam)

Nov 30-Dec 6 Read: Gillon, Medical Ethics Four Principles Plus

• Due Thursday Dec 3: Weekly reflection post

• Due Sunday Dec 6: Replies to weekly reflection posts

• Case Study Due Sunday December 6 by 11:59pm

Finals Week
Dec 11 • Final Exam Due by 11:59pm (open book, open notes,
available from Dec 7, 9:00 am)

B&C = Principles of Biomedical Ethics, by Tom L. Beauchamp and James F. Childress.

All other readings are found on Canvas as PDFs

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