COURSE REQUIREMENTS - THE TWO OPTIONS: Students in this class may choose one of two options to apply the theoretical material. The requirements common to both options, and the additional requirements for each of the options, are described below:

COMMON COURSE REQUIREMENTS:

Class Attendance: Class attendance is expected. (See the description of in-class quizzes below.) Participation in discussion is encouraged.

One Short Paper (Midterm): You will be provided with the description of medical cases that require tough decisions. The cases will raise both policy and personal decision issues. Answer each question using ideas from the readings and class lectures/discussions. The short paper should be at least SEVEN pages. See syllabus for due date.

In-Class Quizzes: There will be several in-class quizzes. These usually will not be announced. They will take place following the lecture and discussion, and they will be designed to elicit your under­standing of the reading or the lecture. To provide for inadvertent absences, you may miss one such quiz without affecting your grade.

DIVERGENT COURSE REQUIREMENTS - THE TWO OPTIONS:

Traditional Option: Students who select the traditional option will write two additional short papers on case studies, each a minimum of SEVEN AND A HALF pages, for a minimum total of FIFTEEN pages. These case studies will be handed out after the middle of the term. See syllabus for due date.

Community Service Learning Option: A community service learning experience provides you with an opportunity to help in the community and to use the analytic and communicative skills you will be developing in this course. Students who select the community service learning option will volunteer for a minimum of three hours a week in a health care related placement. They will enroll in PHIL 680-01 for one additional unit. Students who select this option may use their paid work site, or a clinical placement for another course, as their service learning site for this class. If you select this option, be sure and select a placement which permits you to observe interactions between patients and health care professionals or between patients and the health care system.

Students who select the community service learning option will complete and turn in a journal that is a MINIMUM OF FIFTEEN PAGES. Journal entries must be made systematically throughout the semester and turned in every two weeks. These will be returned to you regularly, with comments. At the end of the semester, the complete journal must be assembled and submitted.

To find a placement for the Community Service Learning Option, you may go to the Community Involvement Center, CIC can help you find a placement. CIC is in a trailer in the GYM Courtyard. Phone is 338-1486, hours are 9 to 5 MTWThF. CIC offers support for students who are pursuing experiential learning modes.

There will be an orientation session for students volunteering with Pathways on Feb. 7. See Web Resources for further volunteer websites. Another way of finding placements is by calling the Volunteer Office at hospitals and health care facilities. Good places to start: San Francisco General Hospital (or any hospital convenient to you), Jewish Home for the Aged, On Lok, Laguna Honda (near campus and always needs volunteers), or any of the hospices listed in the yellow pages of the phone book. Students who are volunteering may have their volunteer hours inscribed on their university transcripts by having a form filled out at their placement. Go to the Institute For Civic and Community Engagement website for further information:

To select the CSL option, you will enroll in PHIL 680-01, Field Project in Philosophy, for 1 additional unit. Dr. Rorty will give you the ADD CARD or PERMIT to enroll for this option. The schedule no. for Phil. 680-01 is 28801. If you select this option initially but do not pursue it, you may drop or withdraw from PHIL 680. Further information on this option is given at the end of this syllabus.

Community Service Learning Option Journal Requirements:
The purpose of keeping a journal is to give you an additional way to understand what you are learning about yourself, medical ethics, and other people in your community. The journal must contain detailed and thoughtful entries which expand upon feelings involved with the fieldwork and your relationships with people. As the semester progresses, journal entries should also be used to write about what has been gained or realized from the integration of class discussion and fieldwork experience and how these experiences fit in with the larger context of life. Another person's reading your journal can inhibit some people at first; but keep in mind that the feedback you receive can be valuable to you, so be as expressive as possible. Your journal is private between you and Dr. Rorty. (Journal entries must preserve patient confidentiality - never give the patients' real names or other information to identify them. Use a pseudonym for the patient such as Ann Rowe or John Doe.)

Basic Requirements:

• Journal entries must be typed & submitted every two weeks. (Keep a copy for yourself.)
  
• Entries should be a minimum of 3 pages, no maximum.
  
• There should be a minimum of 15 pages in the journal YOU HAND IN Dec 17. You may revise and/or expand your journal before turning in the full final version.
  
• Format: double spaced, 8.5 X 11 paper, 11-12 pt. font, all margins 1"
  
• Each entry must cover all areas of WORD (Writing, Observing, Reflecting, Depth Processing), described below. If you extensively, thoroughly, and thoughtfully answer each question given for the area of WORD you will fulfill the requirements of content for the journal essay.

BEFORE YOU HAND IN YOUR FULL JOURNAL AT THE END OF THE SEMESTER (MAY 14), PLEASE WRITE AN INTRODUCTION, SUMMARIZING THE CHANGES IN YOUR THINKING THAT HAVE OCCURRED FROM YOUR REFLECTING ON YOUR EXPERIENCES AT YOUR PLACEMENT. THE INTRODUCTION SUMMARIZES AND SETS THE READER UP FOR REFLECTIONS TO BE FOUND IN YOUR JOURNAL.

W: Writing: Correct grammar is required. Thoughts should be clear, paragraphs should flow together, spelling should be checked.

O: Observing: Objective writing about what is going on around you. The focus here is the outside world. You are just researching and recording the information.
Questions to ask yourself: What did I observe? Who was involved? When and where did this happen? What am I aware of? What feelings or reactions did I observe in other people? What factual information beyond what I observed directly do I need to know? How do I describe the important factual information accurately?

R: Reflecting: Reflecting is the opposite of observing. It involves becoming aware and analyzing what is happening inside of you- your intuitions, thoughts, and assessment of what you observed. The focus here is you and the challenges and difficulties you are faced with in understanding and in deciding what to do. Reflection is your oppor­tunity to reveal the uniqueness of you and how you make sense of the experiences you have. Questions to ask yourself: How was that significant? Which of my values are called into play? What feelings came up for me? How does this relate to other experiences? What do I associate with this? Most important is: What information and concepts from the class material are applicable here?

D: Depth processing: This is an analysis of your experience in the light of the ethical issues we have addressed in class. Focuses on new knowledge or insight you have achieved through both the volunteer work and the reading and classroom work. You should demonstrate that you understand concepts from class or readings that apply to what you have observed in your placement situation. Questions to ask yourself: What is/are the ethical issue(s) involved? For the people I am working with? For me? What else do I need to know that is relevant to understand the ethical issues? What ethical considerations are most important for me in respect the issue(s)? What lesson is available in this? What conclusions have I reached and why?

JOURNAL Due Dates:
#1 March 3
#2 March 17
#3 April 7
#4 April 24
#5 May 5
Full journal is due on May 14

Other important dates:
Last day to be interviewed by agency for placement: Feb 13
Must start volunteer work by: Feb 16
Letter of assessment from agency supervisor by: May 12
Everyone is encouraged to continue volunteering after the class is over, but last week of required volunteering: week of May 3.