Public Health Ethics Syllabus

PHP 908

Thursdays from 5:30-9:30

University of New Hampshire, Manchester Campus

Professor Nick Smith, J.D. and Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Philosophy

nick.smith@unh.edu

My Homepage

Our Course Schedule

The Course Syllabus

The Course Writing Assignments

Office hours: Given many of your work schedules, I will be available before and after our evening class sessions for meetings.  Please do not be shy about scheduling meetings with me. For those who prefer to meet on the Durham campus, email me to arrange a time.

Course Objectives:

This class will be an exercise in cooperative learning.  Class meetings will be organized around discussions and group work, and we will regularly review each other’s writing and divide responsibilities for in-class presentation of materials.  Your preparation and participation will therefore be essential not only for your own success in the course, but for your classmates’ as well.

In this course we will be discussing one of the most difficult personal and philosophical questions: Are ethical principles real, true, and universal, or are they merely relative social constructions?  We will begin by reading a few articles by anthropologists and sociologists arguing for the relativity of ethics and then study Immanuel Kant’s Foundation of the Metaphysics of Morals and his short essay “What is Enlightenment?”  We will then compare Kant’s perspective with the utilitarian model favored in the public health field and apply the competing theories to current ethical issues in public health ethics.  See the course schedule for details.

Texts:

All reading for the course is available online via the links on the course schedule.  Readings include classic texts in ethical philosophy, contemporary philosophical essays in public health ethics, news articles, and chapters from the Association of School’s of Public Health’s “Ethics and Public Health: Model Curriculum.”  You do not need to purchase any texts for the course.  If you prefer to own paper copies of the readings, you may print them.  If you would like recommendations for purchasing texts in public health ethics for your personal library, I will be happy to give you my opinion of the available options.

Course Structure and Requirements:

You will write one midterm paper of a minimum of 2500 words and one final paper of a minimum of 4000 words. For guidelines on these papers, see my advice here.

We will be meeting individually outside of class to discuss your work.  In addition to these mandatory meetings, I hope to be in contact with all of you regularly through office hours, email, phone, or appointment.

Will have an on-line discussion board through Blackboard.  When arguing issues on the discussion board, please be considerate and act as you would in class.

Fifth, some of the books and essays we will be engaging are possibly the most difficult yet rewarding texts ever written.  You must allow yourself ample time to work through each reading, complete it when scheduled, write your response paper, and come to class prepared to work through your questions.

Grading:

The midterm will determine 30% of your final grade, the final paper will determine 50% of your final grade, and your class participation will determine 20% of your final grade.  Class participation includes your contributions on Blackboard as well as during class meetings.

The best thinking occurs after the first draft of a paper, and therefore any essay or response paper may be rewritten for a grade as many times as you are capable.  I may revoke this privilege if papers are being resubmitted with only superficial revisions.  Grades will be given on both first drafts and the revisions, with only the grade on the final revision calculated into your final average.  First drafts submitted without making a genuine effort to complete the assignment to the best of your ability will be penalized as if late.

Late response papers will not be accepted.

You will find that attendance is crucial in this class.   Considering that we only meet eight times,   every unexcused absence will result in your final grade being docked one increment (e.g. from a B to a B-). 

I may provide opportunities for extra credit at my discretion. 

For more information on grading for the course, see Writing and Rewriting Philosophy Papers and My Insider’s Guide to Academic Success.

Grading Scale in Percentages:

93-100=A; 90-92.9=A-; 87-89.9=B+; 83-86.9=B; 80-82.9=B-; 77-79.9=C+; 73-76.9=C; 70-72.9=C-; 67-69.9=D+; 63-66.9=D; 60-62.9=D-; Below 60=F

Code of Conduct:

All work in this course is governed by the University of New Hampshire Student Code of Conduct (www.unh.edu/student-life/judprograms/codeofconduct.htm).  If you have any concerns regarding these matters, please see me.  Please be aware, however, that I strongly encourage you to speak to one another outside of class about readings and papers.

Plagiarism and Academic Honesty:

Plagiarism is a form of lying, cheating, and stealing.  You commit a moral offense against me, your classmates, the University, and the true author of the work.  In my previous job with the U.S. Court of Appeals I was required to draft orders for the execution of capital offenders.  I will not be squeamish about failing you for academic dishonesty.

Internet plagiarism is rampant, and I have already failed students at UNH because of this.  You cannot copy ANYTHING from the internet and use it in your papers without citing the source.  Not only is this the most common form of plagiarism, it is very easy to catch.  I belong to on-line document checking services, and I use them to catch cheating. 

Another common form of cheating is to submit the same paper for two courses.  In some circumstances I will allow students to combine papers for courses, but you must have my permission (and the permission of the Professor of the other course) to do so.

If you are not moved by moral arguments, consider the consequences of academic dishonesty.  You will fail the course and risk expulsion from the University.

Disabilities:

Some of my best students have been diagnosed with learning disabilities, and I encourage any student requiring special accommodations because of a learning or other disability to speak with me as early in the semester as possible.  I welcome the opportunity to work with you.  Students with disabilities may also receive support from the ACCESS Office (http://www.unh.edu/disabilityservices).

Center for Academic Resources and the Connors Writing Center:

For those who would like additional help with your writing or studying beyond what I can provide, please take advantage of the Center for Academic Resources (www.cfar.unh.edu) and the Connors Writing Center (www.unh.edu/writing).