Description: This course focuses on ethical issues arising in the sciences. Students will be introduced to competing ethical frameworks and arguments for why one should be ethical, and then turn to some substantive ethical issues that arise in the sciences and to discussions of what it is to practice science ethically. The objective is for students not merely to become familiar with ethical standards in the sciences, but to be able to justify these standards through an understanding of why it is important to act ethically. This 1-credit course counts toward the Honors College critical inquiry seminar requirement. Class meets M 1-1:50, AD206. There are no prerequisites for this course. Consult the FAU catalog for FAU's policy on incompletes.
Requirements: Attendance and participation in class discussion is required. Grades will be based on 2 papers, each ~ 3-4 pages in length (25% each), a group oral presentation (20%), and on in-class quizzes and participation in class discussion (30%). Excessive absences will result in a reduced grade for the course and late papers will be penalized.
Readings:  Readings will be available through Blackboard (bb) .  Some readings are available at the FAU library's online journal collection, which can be accessed off-campus by using a proxy.
Instructor Contact and Office Hours:
Prof. Veljko Dragojlovic, Phone: 561-799-8012; email: vdragojl@fau.edu; Office: RF 212; office hours M 2:30 – 3:30; 5:30 – 6:00; W 1:00 – 3:30; 5:30 - 6:00 PM.
Prof. Mark Tunick, Phone: 561-799-8670; email tunick@fau.edu; Office: HC 133; office hours to be arranged.
Honor Code: Students agree to adhere to the honor code, available online at http://www.fau.edu/divdept/honcol/students/honorcode.html

SCHEDULE
I. Ethical Frameworks
1/9. Why be moral?
from Machiavelli, The Prince (ch 18)(bb); from Plato, Republic (bb)[to be read prior to first class]
Recommended: NYT article on homeless man who returns $3,300 he found (12/11/2010).

1/16. No class (Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday)
Rdg: Resnik, “Ethical Theory and Applications,” in Ethics of Science (1998) (bb)

1/23. Ethical Frameworks
Rdg: excerpts from Kant, Grounding for a Metaphysics of Morals (bb); excerpts from Bentham, Principles of Morals and Legislation (bb)

1/30. Example of thinking ethically
Rdg: Judith Jarvis Thomson, “The Trolley Problem,” Yale Law Journal 94(6):1395-1415 (1985)(bb)


II. Applying the frameworks to some substantive ethical issues in the sciences

2/6. The Ethics of the Kennedy Krieger Institute Lead Study
Rdg: David Buchanan and Franklin Miller, “Justice and Fairness in the KKI Lead Paint Study,” American Journal of Public Health 96(5):781-7 (2006)(bb)
Update: NYT, 9-16-11, Suit over Lead Dust, online

2/13. Ethical issues concerning drug testing (1)
Rdg: Neergard, "US apologizes for '40s syphilis study in Guatemala', online; Dragojlovic, "Clinical Trials and Drug Development" (bb); Emanuel and Miller, 'Ethics of Placebo-Controlled Trials,' NEJM, 2001, online; Dragojlovic, Forum Power Point (bb)

2/20. Ethical issues concerning drug testing (2)
Rdg: Specter, 'Participants eagerness to use AZT endangers AIDS studies', Wash. Post, June 13, 1988 (bb); Arthur Caplan, 'Is there a duty to serve as a subject in biomedical research,' IRB: Ethics and Human Research 6(5):1-5 (1984), online.
For those interested: John Harris, 'The Survival Lottery', Philosophy 50:81-7 (1975)(online at jstor); George Klosko, "Presumptive Benefit, Fairness, and Political Obligation," Philosophy and Public Affairs 16:241-59 (1987)(online at jstor)

2/27. Should science that can have dangerous consequences be censored? Are scientists responsible for dangerous consequences of their research?
Rdg:  Michael Selgelid, “Ethics, Bioterrorism, and the Censorship of Science,” Hastings Center Report 37(3):35-43 (2007)(bb); "US Asks Journals to Censor Articles on Bird Flu Virus," NYT 12/21/11, online; "Scientist in Bird Flu Study Says He is Not Convinced Censorhip is a Safeguard," NYT 12/22/11, online; P.W. Bridgman, “Scientists and Social Responsibility,” The Scientific Monthly 65(2):148-54 (1947)(bb)
For those interested: Further NYT articles on Bird Flu Virus, NYT 12/26/2011, online, and 2/18/12, online; Rice v. Paladin Enterprises 128 F.3d 233 (1997)(bb): 1st Amendment case addressing whether we should censor a book that teaches people how to get away with murder  

3/5. No class--spring break

III. Practicing science ethically

3/12. Fabrication, Falsification, Plagiarism
Rdg: Lee, "Misconduct in Science," ch. 5 (bb); excerpts from “Do Scientists Cheat?” NOVA video; NSF Case Studies, p. 17 (bb)
Recommended: NSF, On Being a Scientist: A Guide to Responsible Conduct in Research, 3d ed. (available for download); Kirby and Houle, “Ethics and the Welfare of the Physics Profession,” Physics Today Nov 2004: 42-6 (bb)(also available via FAU journals online, type in Physics Today for Title, then select Nov. 2004 and scroll to article)
Paper 1 Due

3/19. Manipulation of data
Rdg: Rossner and Yamada, “What’s in a Picture? The Temptation of Image Manipulation,” J of Cell Biology 166(1):11-15 (July 5, 2004)(bb); NSF Case Studies, p. 10 (bb)

3/26. The ethics of the peer review process; reviewing interdisciplinary work.
Rdg: Rockwell, Ethics of Peer Review: A Guide for Manuscript Reviewers, online or bb; Drahl and Schulz, ‘Paper about Reactome Array Stirs Controversy,” C&EN 88(2):7 (2010)(bb)

4/2. Giving credit where credit is due
Rdg: Schulz, "Giving Proper Credit," online; Fine and Kurdek, “Reflections on Determining Authorship Credit and Order on Faculty-Student Collaborations,” American Psychologist 48(11):1141-7 (1993)(bb); NSF Case Studies, pp. 18, 36, 38 (bb)  

4/9. Dealing with the pressures of publishing
Rdg: Tobenna Anekwe, “Profits and Plagiarism: The Case of Medical Ghostwriting,” Bioethics 42(6):267-72 (2010)(bb); Errami and Garner, “A Tale of Two Citations,” Nature 451:397-9 (Jan 24, 2008)(bb); Jefferson, “Redundant publication in biomedical sciences,” Science and Engineering Ethics 4(2):135-40 (1998)(bb); Feibelman, "Writing Papers: Publishing without Perishing"(bb); NSF Case Studies, p. 32 (bb)

4/16, 4/23. Cases of scientific misconduct: Group presentations
Class will break into groups and each group will research and make a 10 minute presentation on a case of scientific misconduct, with time left for discussion. Possible examples include the cases of Dalibor Sames, Jesse Gelsinger, Henrik Schon, Hwang Woo-Suk, or Dipak K. Das; or students may find another case.
Paper 2 Due

Additional notes:
Policy on Accommodations: In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), students who require reasonable accommodations due to a disability to properly execute coursework must register with the Office for Students with Disabilities (OSD) -- SR 110 (561-799-8010) – and follow all OSD procedures.
Academic Integrity Policy:Students at Florida Atlantic University are expected to maintain the highest ethical standards. Academic dishonesty is considered a serious breach of these ethical standards, because it interferes with the university mission to provide a high quality education in which no student enjoys an unfair advantage over any other. Academic dishonesty is also destructive of the university community, which is grounded in a system of mutual trust and places high value on personal integrity and individual responsibility. Harsh penalties are associated with academic dishonesty. For more information, see University Regulation 4.001 and http://www.fau.edu/divdept/honcol/students/honorcode.html
Classroom Etiquette Policy: In order to enhance and maintain a productive atmosphere for education, personal communication devices, such as cellular telephones and pagers, are to be disabled in class sessions.

updated 2-18-12