Dartmouth Colleg e

Department of Religion 6036 Thornton Hall

HANOVER NEW HAMPSHIRE 03755

TELEPHONE: (603) 646-3 7 3 8 FAX #: (603) 646-1 6 9 9

Fall Term, 2009 10A Hour

Instructor: Ronald M. Green Office: 255 Haldeman (603) 646-1263/1264 (direct) Office Hours: Wed. 12:30-3 PM or by appt.

RELIGION 11 Introduction to Religion and Morality: Bioethics

Texts to Buy at Wheelock Books: Chris Bohjalian, Midwives (Vintage PB) Sren Kierkegaard, Fear and Trembling and Repetition (Princeton PB) Ronald Munson, Intervention and Reflection: Basic Issues in Medical Ethics, 8th ed. (Wadsworth) (All other required readings are available electronically on the B Blackboard site for this course. Readings in the Assigned Readings folder on Blackboard are listed in the order they appear in the syllabus.) Course Objectives: One aim of this course is to examine the moral teachings and ethical methods of some of the major religious traditions that have shaped our culture. By focusing on some contemporary problems in bioethics attitudes toward homosexuality, stem cells, cloning, human genetic engineering, the treatment of impaired newborns, and societys treatment of the dyingwe hope to understand and evaluate the contributions of these religious traditions. Beyond this exploration of different teachings, however, lie two more basic questions. How do we reason or think about complex moral questions? And, what does religion bring (or not bring) to morality? Course Requirements: 1. Four unannounced short-answer tests in class. These have one purpose only: to ensure that you keep up with the reading that is essential to class discussion. Each test represents 7% of the course grade and all the tests together constitute 20% of the course grade. Note: this means that you can miss one of these tests and still receive more than the full 20% that this course requirement P. 1 of 7

Version 1.0

Religion 11

Fall Term 2009

represents. Apart from a written Dicks House medical excuse or equivalent deans excuse, there is no exemption from these tests.

2.

Presence in class and thoughtful and informed participation in class discussions (quality of contribution counts; not quantity). This requirement is important since a number of class sessions involve cases in biomedical ethics. When indicated by the instructor, cases should be prepared in advance. Class participation constitutes 10% of the course grade. One bioethics essay (35% of the course grade). The purpose of this essay is to develop your ability to analyze ethical and ethicoreligious issues with clarity and rigor. The essay is to be based on one of the cases in a list of cases to be distributed by the instructor. Your essay must not exceed 7 pages in length (12 point type Palatino, double-spaced, 1 inch margins) including references or notes. The essay is due as a PDF document in the Bioethics Essay Drop Box on Blackboard no later than 4:00 PM, Friday, Nov. 6. Please place your name and class only on a separate page attached to the very end of the essay. This page does not count against the 7-page limit.

3.

4.

Participation on one of the teams in the class Ethics Bowl competition. The total team grade points will be divided equally among team members (unless team members choose unanimously to distribute the available grade points otherwise). This constitutes 15% of the course grade. A take-home final examination (20% of the course grade). This essay should respond to the question Does ethics need religion? Whatever answer you offer should take into account all relevant course readings, especially those in Parts I and III of the course. Your essay must not exceed 6 pages in length (including references; 12 point Palatino type, double-spaced, 1 inch margins). The essay is due as a PDF document in the Bioethics Essay Drop Box on Blackboard no later than noon, Sunday, Dec. 6. Please place your name and class only on a separate page attached to the very end of the essay. This page does not count against the 6-page limit. As a precaution since some of you will be leaving following exams, email this exam essay to me as well: Ronald.m.green@dartmouth.edu

5.

[Note: Exceptional circumstances may require changes in this syllabus and revision of requirements and assignments.] Honor principle You should be aware of and conform to the Dartmouth Honor Code as expressed in the ORC. This means: Version 1.0 P. 2 of 7

Religion 11

Fall Term 2009

Exams: All work must be your own. At the time of the exam, you may not assist or receive assistance from any other student or use notes of any sort. Papers: All research and writing should be done by you [If in doubt, see http://www.dartmouth.edu/~sources/]. All references and ideas are appropriately cited.

Accommodations for disabilities I encourage students with disabilities, including invisible disabilities such as chronic diseases, learning disabilities, and psychiatric disabilities to discuss with me after class or during my office hours appropriate accommodations that might be helpful to them. Late Policy Bioethics essays and take-home final examination are due (as PDF documents) in the appropriate drop box on Blackboard. Extensions without late penalty will be granted only in exceptional circumstances (e.g. documented illness). Late assignments will be accepted, but a full letter grade will be deducted for each 24-hours that the assignment is late. X-Hours: The course X-hour is from 3-3:50 PM on Wednesdays. We will be using several of these X-hour time slots, as indicated below, for discussions, films, or visiting speakers. In some cases we may also use the X-hour for a voluntary additional discussion hour, which will be announced in advance. In the meanwhile, keep the X-hour free and available on: 9/30, 10/7, 10/28, 11/11 and 12/2. Note: In the current schedule, there is no class meeting on Nov. 24, the Tuesday before Thanksgiving. In the event that the H1N1 flu epidemic seriously disrupts our schedule, however, we may need to use this date for a class meeting. I hope to be able to determine what we will be doing as early as possible to allow for making travel plans. Topics and Reading Assignments: I. Can Ethics be Religious? Sept. 24 Introduction

A. Divine Command: For and Against Sept. 29, Version 1.0 Kierkegaard and the Teleological Suspension of the Ethical P. 3 of 7

Religion 11

Fall Term 2009

Reading: Sren Kierkegaard, Fear and Trembling, pp. 1-81; Martin Buber, On the Suspension of the Ethical, in Eclipse of GodB, pp. 115-120; Plato, The EuthyphroB *** Wed, Sept. 30, X-hour: Reserve for possible use for voluntary discussion*** B. The Conflict of Religious Ethics Oct. 1, 6 The Debate over Homosexuality Reading: Biblical texts Dealing with HomosexualityB [Hebrew Bible (= Old Testament; preferably Revised Standard Version) Genesis, Chs. 1-3, 19 vss. 1-11; Leviticus, Ch. 18; New Testament, Romans, Ch. 1, I Corinthians Ch. 6]; Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF)/Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI), Letter to the Bishops of the Catholic Church on the Pastoral Care of Homosexual Persons (1986)B; Furnish, The Bible and Homosexuality: Reading the Texts in ContextB; Richard B. Hays, Awaiting the Redemption of Our BodiesB; Robert Kirschner, Halakhah and Homosexuality: A ReappraisalB; St. Thomas Aquinas, Excerpts from the Treatise on Law (skim)B; Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF)/Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, Considerations Regarding Proposals to Give Legal Recognition to Unions between Homosexual PersonsB ***Video, Bill Moyers, The New Holy War (In class October 1)*** ***Library Resources for Bioethics Research: William Fontaine, Reference Librarian (Wed., Oct. 7, X-hour: 3-3:50pm)*** Oct. 8 The Challenge of Impaired Newborns Reading: Munson, Ch. 10 ***Video, Dreams and Dilemmas (In class)*** ***Guest Lecturer: Dr. George A. Little (October 15th, in class)*** Oct. 13 Human Cloning and Gene Manipulation

Reading: Munson, pp. 364-369, 409-413, 438-451 (includes Leon Kass, The Wisdom of Repugnance); Ronald M. Green, I, Clone, Scientific AmericanB; Munson, pp. 320-26, 337-52; Michael Sandel, The Case Version 1.0 P. 4 of 7

Religion 11

Fall Term 2009

against PerfectionB; Ronald M. Green, Babies by Design, IntroductionB; Octavia Butler, The Evening and the Morning and the Night.B ***Guest Lecturer: Professor Everett Hamner (October 13th, in class)*** Oct. 15 Death and Dying: The Case of Terri Schiavo

Reading: Munson, Ch. 11; James L. Bernat, The Biophilosophical Basis of Whole-Brain DeathB; Stewart J. Youngner and Edward T. Bartlett, Human Death and High Technology: The Failure of the Whole-Brain FormulationsB; John Paris, Terri Schiavo and the Use of Artificial Nutrition and Fluids: Insights from the Catholic Tradition on End-of-Life CareB II. Toward an Ethic of Mere Reason A. Methods of Moral Reasoning Oct. 20, 22 Theoretical Options

Reading: Munson, Introduction, Part V (pp. 740-791); Ronald M. Green, The Ethical Manager, Chs. 2 and 3B B. Applying Reason to Complex Biomedical Issues Oct. 27 Truth telling and Confidentiality in Medical Decision Making

***Oct. 28, (X-hour): Additional class meeting: Thomas Aquinas and Natural Law Reading: St. Thomas Aquinas, Excerpts from the Treatise on LawB (re-read carefully) *** ***Oct. 28, (Evening): Optional Film and Discussion, Ive Loved You So Long (Haldeman 41)*** Reading: Munson, Ch. 2. Oct. 29 Issues in Death and Dying

Reading: Munson, Ch. 11 (re-read; pay special attention to the James Rachels article, pp. 720-723). Nov. 3 The Abortion Controversy

Version 1.0

P. 5 of 7

Religion 11

Fall Term 2009

Reading: Munson, Ch. 9; Paul B. Fowler, The Bible Prohibits Abortion,B; John M. Swomley, The Bible Does Not Prohibit AbortionB; Michael Tooley, Abortion and InfanticideB; Ronald M. Green, Toward a Copernican Revolution in Our Thinking about Lifes Beginning and Lifes EndB Nov. 5 Therapeutic Cloning and Stem Cell Research

Reading: Munson, pp. 271-276, 312-319;; Richard Doerflinger, The Ethics of Funding Embryonic Stem Cell Research: A Catholic ViewpointB; N. Ford, The Human Embryo as Person in Catholic Teaching, B; R. M. Green, Benefitting from EvilB; S. Aksoy, Making Regulations and Drawing up Legislation in Research with Special Reference to Embryonic Stem Cell Islamic Countries under Conditions of Uncertainty; Hyuen et al., New Advances in iPS Cell Research Do Not Obviate the Need for Human Embryonic Stem CellsB; *** Friday, Nov. 6: Ethics essays due by 4:00 PM as a PDF in the TakeHome Essay Drop Box on Blackboard.*** Nov. 10, 12 Ethics Bowl Competitions *** Wed, Nov. 11, X-hour: Reserve for possible use for voluntary discussion*** III. Exploring Human Nature, Human Destiny, and Re-exploring the Place of Religion in Ethics 4. Why Should I/We Be Moral? Humanismand Beyond

Nov. 17, 19

Reading: Bertrand Russell, A Free Mans WorshipB; George I. Mavrodes, Religion and the Queerness of Morality in Robert Audi and William J. Wainwright, Rationality, Religious Belief, and Moral CommitmentB; Francis S. Collins, The Language of God, Ch. 1B; William James, The Will to BelieveB; R. M. Green, Religion and Moral Reason, Ch. 1B; Reinhold Niebuhr, Moral Man and Immoral Society, Introduction, Ch. 1B ***Film, Triumph of the Will (Wed., Nov. 18 X-hour) *** ***No class on Tues., Nov. 24 *** Version 1.0 P. 6 of 7

Religion 11
5.

Fall Term 2009

Why Are We So Often Immoral? How Can We Become Better? Rediscovering Human Sinfulness and the Religious Teleological Suspension of the Ethical

Dec. 1

Reading: Chris Bohjalian, Midwives; Francis Collins, The Language of God, pp. 219-224B; Ronald M. Green, Enough Is Enough! Fear and Trembling is Not about EthicsB *** Wed, Nov. 11, X-hour: Reserve for possible use for voluntary discussion*** *** Sunday, Dec. 6. Take-home exam essays due by noon as a PDF, in the Final Take-Home Examination Drop Box on Blackboard. Please send a copy to my email: ronald.m.green@dartmouth.edu

Version 1.0

P. 7 of 7