Course Coordinator: Jeff Trahair
Phone: +61 8 8313 5484
Email: jeff.trahair@adelaide.edu.au
Location: Room N118, Medical School North

1	How to utilise appropriate ethical tools including problem solving strategies and resources when faced with ethical issues
2	To develop an understanding for some of the ethical issues in the practice of science
3	To develop an understanding for some of the ethical issues in animal experimentation
4	To develop an understanding for some of the ethical issues in human experimentation
5	To develop an understanding for some of the ethical issues with the utility of the human body
6	To develop an ability to work productively with others
7	To develop a variety of communication skills (written and spoken).

All teaching and learning material provided via scheduled classes and/or MyUni.

Additional material (in addition to required material) available as download or links from MyUni.

Teaching in Ethics, Science and Society begins from the assumption that students are active participants in the learning process, rather than passive recipients of information. We assume that you are willing and able to prepare fully for classes, to participate in discussions and to carry your share of the workload. An active interest in the ethical issues being discussed in the community is assumed.

The topic is structured in blocks, corresponding to the topic areas of the course aims. In each block there are a variety of teaching and learning activities. These include both formal lectures and interactive teaching sessions. There is a considerable component of group work. As the semester progresses you will be expected to have more involvement in setting agendas, defining the focus of learning, and pursuing areas of interest and need. As this occurs, academic staff will move from a directive to a facilitative role.

GROUP WORK:
Much of your work in Ethics, Science and Society takes place in small groups, either in tutorial groups or in working groups examining a particular issue or preparing for and carrying out a particular task. For the problem based/cased based sessions, students will be responsible for managing the research and assimilation of relevant material. It will be necessary for tasks to be assigned to individuals or smaller groups, with a view to reporting and sharing information. As the semester progresses it would be expected that these group skills would steadily improve and greatly enhance the quality of learning. Students enrolled in these courses potentially can come from any Faculty; hence we expect that a mixing of perspectives and experiences as well as learning styles will be an important feature of the group activities.

The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.

Face to face contact times for this course are Lectures 4.3. Tutorials (1 per week) and workshops (2 hours per week) require student reading outside class times (2 hours minimum is necessary). Some lectures are held during workshop classes. Essay preparation will require substantial out of class preparation (including reading and scholarly research). The essay will take a minimum of 10 hours work. Written work for assessment will be able to be submitted for Turnitin checking prior to final submission.

Week	Topic	Lecture
Week 1	Introduction to moral reasoning in the biomedical sciences Ethics theory	Introduction to course
Week 2	Introduction to moral reasoning in the biomedical sciences Ethics theory	Moral theories I
Week 3	Introduction to moral reasoning in the biomedical sciences Ethics theory	Moral Theories II
Week 4	Practice of Science	Moral theories IV
Week 5	Practice of Science	NHMRC Guidelines for ethical research with humans Research on humans – an ethical framework
Week 6	Research on humans	Consent/Respect for persons and paternalism- who bears the burdens?
Week 7	Research on animals	Animals in Research
Week 8	Ethical issues in genetics	Genetic choice - screening and counseling
Week 9	Ethical issues in genetics	Genetic engineering
Week 10	Ethical issues in genetics	BodyWorlds video
Week 11	Ethics of ‘using bodies’	Whose body is it?- use of body/parts in research/education
Week 12	Ethics of ‘using bodies’	The body in context

 

Assessment Task	Assessment Type	Weighting	Learning Outcome(s) being addressed
Case analysis	Summative/Formative	15%	1-7
Mid semester test	Summative/Formative	20%	1-7
Participation in Discussion Board/Forum	Summative/Formative	15%	1-7
Essay	Summative	40%	1-7
Tutorial & Workshop	Summative/Formative	10%	1-7
Short assignments, quizzes	Formative	N/A	1-7

NO SUPPLEMENTARY EXAMINATIONS ARE OFFERED FOR THIS COURSE.

STUDENTS MUST READ INSTRUCTIONS (MyUNI) FOR SUBMISSION OF ASSIGNMENTS VIA MyUni submission- all assignments MUST have student name in file name.


Case Analysis
Prepare an ethical analysis of a set case. The analysis MUST show you understand utilitarian, AND deontological ethical perspectives and their application to a situation presented as a case study. The case will be provided.
Word count: 1,000 (strict maximum) words
Due: as per timetable (submitted Online)


Mid Semester test held in workshop/seminar time (see timetable)


Discussion Board
You will be assigned to a group for participation in a discussion (online) group. There will be 5 topics posted (3 marks per topic). Each topic will be online for 2 weeks only (Friday 5pm opening and closing time). The number and quality of the responses will be assessed. The aim is to demonstrate your engagement with the topic and willingness to constructively share your knowledge and ideas about the topic. It is expected that students will discuss the topic with each other via their postings. It is usual that the initial post(s) may already encompass a comprehensive range of ideas, later responses are therefore more likely to be around these ideas. It is not sufficient to say “I agree/disagree with X”. Marks are awarded for reasoned responses and engagement. 2 posts per topic is the minimum number (the class performance, as a whole, is used as a benchmark of individual performance). The first post must be made within 1 week of the topic being available. This is to ensure that there are adequate opportunities to critique contrast and reflect in the second week.


Essay
The essay is a piece of individual work based on a set topic or a topic developed by the student (must be approved in advance by the course coordinator). Essay questions will be provided. There are approx. 7 (seven) weeks from posting topics to submission date, some of these weeks are during exams, so you need to plan your time carefully.
Word count: 2500 words


Tutorial & Workshop attendance, preparation, participation, submission of work
10 marks (maximum total) for attendance/preparation/participation/submission . 10 tutorials and 10 workshops are expected to be attended (ROLL MUST BE SIGNED)
• 0.5 mark will be awarded for each tutorial provided students prepare, attend, participate and submit the designated tasks (tasks will be corrected and returned, but do not contribute to final mark)
• 0.5 mark will be awarded for 10 (of the 12 available) workshops provided students participate (and attend)
• Pro rata marks will be calculated if a student is disadvantaged because of sickness/ special consideration (usual rules for documentation/ application for special consideration).

The tutorials eligible (10) for being counted are indicated with * in the timetable. All workshops are eligible for gaining marks (up to 10 marks, maximum).


Formative Assignments and Quizzes
These will be posted via myuni during the course. they will be marked/corrected but will not contribute to your final grade- they are for your information and to monitor your course performance

All written work submitted via MyUni/Turnitin portal as per instructions in the course handbook.

POLICY ON LATENESS AND EXTENSIONS
1. Extensions
Must be requested, at the latest, by the last working day before the due date of submission.
Will generally be granted only on medical or genuine compassionate grounds.
Only the course coordinator, or a person authorised by him or her, may grant extensions.

2. Lateness
Marks will be deducted when assignments for which no extension has been granted are handed in late.
All assignments, including those handed in late, will be assessed on their merits. In the case of late assignments, marks will then be deducted from the mark awarded, at the rate of 5 percentage points of the total possible per calendar day.
eg. If an assignment which is 2 days late is awarded 65% on its merits, the mark will then be reduced by 10 (5 marks per calendar day for 2 days) to 55%. If that same assignment is 4 days late its mark will be reduced by 20 (5 marks per day for 4 days) to 45% etc.
The assignment will be not accepted if it is more than 7 days late.