JOURNAL ASSIGNMENT: (75 PTS) DUE DATE: OCTOBER 24

Students will be required to maintain a mini-journal on a topic of their choice during the course. The objective of this assignment is for students to explore their own values and ethics in the context of scientific issues that are raised by media articles, TV programs, science classes, lab exercises, research experiences etc..

Format: Type all requested comments and mini-essays. Please use 1.5-2 lines for spacing. Organize it any way you wish to, but be sure to include a table of contents for easy access. A spiral notebook with dividers separating sections works fine.

Contents:

Philosophy    Access the following websites and select and print ONE article for in-depth reading and inclusion in your journal. Prepare a 1-2 page typed commentary on the article. Some suggestions for discussion: why you chose the article, what you found informative and provocative about the article, what you gained from reading and thinking about it, links between the thoughts and opinions expressed by the authors and prevailing attitudes and assumptions about science and the scientific process among scientists you know.

Rene Descartes (1637) Discourse on the method of rightly conducting the reason and seeking for truth in the sciences  Link 2

Thomas Kuhn (1962) The Structure of Scientific Revolutions  Link 2

Karl Popper Philosophy and impact  Link 2: Objective Knowledge

Paul Feyerabend (1975) Against Method: Outline of an anarchistic theory of knowledge  Link 2

• Misconduct   Access, read and printout the following web sites for your journal. Briefly answer the following: do you believe the policies are sufficient clear about what constitutes misconduct? do they provide enough information to (a) provide individuals with knowledge about how to proceed to report misconduct? (b) allow individuals to know how they will be protected if they report misconduct or if they are accused of misconduct?
• NMSU Policy on Scientific Misconduct (Researchers)
• NMSU Policy on Academic Misconduct (Students)

• Professional ethics.   Include the code of conduct for your profession (Optional: provide comments)

• Authorship.   Print the guidelines for authors from a major journal in your field and place this in your journal (Optional: provide comments)

• Intellectual propertyAccess, read and printout the NMSU intellectual property guidelines for your journal. Coment on its significance for student research.

• Science and Society.
• Include materials you accessed for your debate topic and summarize your presentation
• Keep a file/folder with information from all kinds of sources about a scientific research area that grips you because of the ethical issues it raises. items: cartoon strips, newspaper articles, web sites, articles, films, books, music, poetry, painting etc

• Environmental Ethics Write a 1-2 page essay addressing the issues raised by ONE of the case studies from Dr. Huenneke.

• Stem Cells If you presented this theme, submit what you prepared fro your oral presentation.  If you listened to the debate, present summaries of key points and which view you favored based on what was presented.

• Human CloningIf you presented this theme, submit what you prepared fro your oral presentation.  If you listened to the debate, Present summaries of key points and which view you favored based on what was presented.

• Biological Weapons Summarize the presentation and write a paragraph or two defending or refuting the statement: "It is possible to develop effective defense programs against biological weapons".

• Genetic Testing and Eugenics    Write a 1-2 page essay addressing the issues raised by ONE of the case studies from the NHGRI GenEthics Case Literature.  Write a 1-2 page commentary of the material presented on ONE of these URLs.
• Eugenics archive
• Tuskegee syphilis experiment
• Lynchburg enforced sterilizations
• Human radiation experiments    Link 2

CASE STUDIES (50 POINTS) DUE DATE: OCTOBER 24

Assemble the following items and submit them typed (except notes) and in order.

• (10 pts) Prepare a 2-6 page essay that discusses the approach you used to analyze the case studies that you prpeared in depth.
• Preface. Describe how your approach to analyzing ethical dilemmas changed or evolved (if it did) as the course progressed. What role if any, did other students, class discussion, and the philosophical readings play in this process?
• Analytical approach. Describe your present approach to analyzing ethical dilemmas

• (10 pts) Hand in a photocopy of your notes on all the case studies

• (30 pts) Using the analytical approach you presented in your essay, prepare a detailed analysis of the following case studies:
• 5 points each, 3 required case studies
• Scientific Integrity: 8.5, 10.12
• Fundamentals of Ethics pp 242-243
• 3 points each, 5 elective case studies you deemed difficult or especially interesting. Each of these should come from a different chapter or theme than the required case studies and from each other