PHL 315 61--MEDICAL ETHICS [MTWTH 6:00-9:15 (5/13-5/23) / HM 240]
[CLASS COMPONENTS 5/13-5/16 AND 5/20-5/23]
[INDEPENDENT (WEBSITE) COMPONENT 5/24-6/19]

CLASS SIZE: 30
DR. L. ULRICH [HM 481 / X 9-2937]
General Education Course and Approved for Social Justice Cluster and the Values, Technology, and Society Cluster

COURSE CONTENT: This course will deal with a wide range of issues involving healthcare. These issues will be examined from a variety of perspectives. It will examine the rights and responsibilities of patients and caregivers in making decisions about healthcare. We will examine (1) professional codes governing medical practice, (2) various ethical frameworks for examining issues in medical practice, (3) special features of the caregiver-patient relationship such as confidentiality, truth-telling, informed consent, and the Patient Self-Determination Act, (4) problems of special significance such as the refusal of treatment, caring for the dying, advance directives,  euthanasia, physician-assisted suicide, caring for the elderly and defective newborns, abortion, and assisted reproduction, and (5) social justice and resource allocation in healthcare.

FORMAT: The course will be composed of two parts:

• This is a bioethics intensive in which class sessions will be held on May 13, 14, 15, 16,  20, 21, 22, 23, from 6:00 -9:15 p.m.
• The last four weeks (May 24-June 19) will be conducted through the professor's homepage and by e-mail (hard copy in rare cases where computers may not be available).

If you have any questions regarding this format or scheduling please contact Dr. Ulrich at the University in HM 481, by telephone at X 9-2937, by E-mail at Lawrence.Ulrich@notes.udayton.edu, or visit his homepage at http://homepages.udayton.edu/~ulrich/.

GRADING SCHEME: There will be no in-class examinations. Grades will be determined by 3 case analysis and an advance directive exercise submitted by e-mail (or hard copy if necessary) during the last four weeks of the course period. Two threaded discussions of cases will be utilized throughout the course and will be a part of the grade. Active class participation will be an essential part of the class meetings. Active class participation and and participation in the threaded discussions will count as 1/5 of the final grade. There will be 10 points of extra credit for each of two (2) chat rooms (live sessions) during the web-based portion of the course.

TEXT(S):
-Classical Works in Medical Ethics, Pence. [ISBN 0-07-038115-1]
-Bioethics Handbook, Ulrich (required).[ISBN 99-7061-815-6n]
-W;t, Edson. [ISBN 0-571-19877-5n]
-Readings on the website Readings Page and ERESERVE.