Term Paper (30%, 150 points)
The term paper is a writing assignment of ~ 6-8 pages that develops your skills in critical analysis, moral responsibility, and persuasive writing. You can write an argumentative paper (arguing for a position on a disputed question), an exploratory paper (an exposition of important concepts), an historical analysis (tracing the evolution of a position or concept within a philosophical, legal, ethical, or religious tradition), a comparative paper (comparing views on your topic between two perspectives or traditions), a case analysis paper (explores a broader topic through a case study discussion) or a critical textual interpretation (provide a critical assessment of an ethically important bioethics text or essay). Start by reviewing the provided “term paper instructions” and the excellent materials at: http://writingcenter.unc.edu/handouts/religious-studies/. The term paper is due Wednesday, June 5. Extensive instructions on the paper are provided in the CANVAS resources.
Here are some examples of beginning questions for each of the above types of papers:
Argumentative Paper:
- Physician paternalism is/is not justifiable.
- Parents should/should not be able to claim a religious/personal/philosophical exemption from vaccination for their children.
- Reproductive technology clinics should/should not offer sex selection processes for medical/non-medical indications.
- The US should/should not provide a guarantee of access to basic minimum of health care to all citizens.
- Health care professionals should/should not be able to make conscientious refusals to legal services to which they have moral or religious objections
- There is/is not a fundamental moral and legal right to abortion prior to fetal viability
- A regulated market for selling human organs for transplant is/is not justifiable.
- Physician assisted death/Medical aid in dying is/is not a practice consistent with professional integrity.
Exploratory Paper:
- Roles and metaphors of the physician (parent, warrior, technician, partner, teacher, God, provider, etc.)
- “Autonomy”
- The concept of medical paternalism
- Moral status (life beginnings, life endings, animals, etc., see Seay, ch. 9 to start)
- The concept of “enhancements” (hormonal, pharmacological, nutritional, genetic, etc.)
- “Death with Dignity” or “Right to Die”
- “Playing God”
- Germ-line gene editing
- A “right” to health care
Historical Analysis Paper:
- The factors that contributed to the emergence of bioethics (research, rights, rationing, technology)
- Research Abuses: Tuskegee, Guatemala, Henrietta Lacks
- Research Codes: Nuremberg Code, Declaration of Helsinki, The Belmont Report
- Reproductive Rights history (contraception, abortion, Griswald, Roe v. Wade, Casey v. Planned Parenthood)
- Evolution of the “right to die” – Quinlan, Cruzan, Schiavo, Maynard cases
Comparative Paper:
- Statements of Professional Ethics: Compare Hippocratic Oath, Physician’s Charter, Declaration of Geneva
- Conscientious objection in the military and in medicine
- Universal access to care in the U.S. and other countries (start with online video, Sick Around the World)
- Brain death in different cultures/societies
- Organ Transplant approaches: Donations, Presumed Consent, Organ Sales
- Physician assisted death in the US and Euthanasia in the Netherlands, Belgium, Canada
Case Study Paper:
You’ll find there is no end to interesting case studies in bioethics. You could do an exploration of a broader topic through a focused case study analysis and discussion, using the case study method we will discuss in class. Please talk with your GTA or myself about your proposed case study analysis, but the place to start is at this website of the AMA: https://journalofethics.ama-assn.org/cases, then scroll down the “topics” to find an area of interest.
Critical Textual Paper:
- The Belmont Report
- American Academy of Pediatrics, Statements on Religious Faith Healing and Medical Neglect
- National Bioethics Commissions reports, e.g., synthetic biology, human cloning, etc.
- Sandel and J. Harris on “Perfection” and human enhancements
- Codes of Ethics: AMA, ANA, APA, APhA
- Exposition and analysis of a “classic” essay in bioethics (see me for suggestions)
You should have your term paper topic determined by the class immediately following the mid-term. We will have some short writing workshops to help you focus your topic, and write the introduction and conclusion to the paper.