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Spring Quarter 2013:

VALUES 591: Ethics Matters in Science: Research Questions as Moral Questions
See Course syllabus for more details
Alison Wylie (Biological Futures and Deparments of Philosophy and Anthropology): aw26@uw.edu

This seminar is designed to introduce graduate and professional students from a wide range of fields to key moral questions that commonly arise in the course of doing scientific research in the non-medical sciences. These include not only the issues associated with “Responsible Conduct of Research” (RCR) – like professional conduct in mentoring, training and collaboration; appropriate credit and authorship; safety and confidentiality – but also issues of accountability for the social and environmental impacts of research, and broader questions about values embedded in scientific practice that are often not recognized as ethical. This spring the anchor for discussion will be three normative concepts that cross-cut research contexts: ideals of integrity, norms of consent, and an ethic of stewardship. Discussion will be informed by public panel discussions sponsored by the BioFutures project, and students will be asked to develop case studies that illustrate how these concepts are articulated in specific contexts of practice.

Texts: David B. Resnik, The Ethics of Science (Routledge, 1998).
The majority of assigned readings will take the form of articles available online (ERES).

Winter Quarter 2013:

VALUES 291: Ethical Issues in the Non-Medical Sciences
See Course syllabus for more details
MWF 2:30 - 3:20 pm, Savery 130
Laura Harkewicz (Biological Futures and the Program on Values in Society): harkel1@uw.edu

A three-credit undergraduate course that will provide a broad cross-section of students an accessible, general introduction to research ethics issues in the non-medical sciences including: the basics of responsible conduct of research (RCR); the broader impacts of research (social, ecological); and the role of values and interests in science.

This microseminar will prepare stundents to engage with the Flu Forum and with a guest lecture by evolutionary biologist Rob Wallace (see Colloquium schedule), and to think through issues of global health, international studies (with an emphasis on East and Southeast Asia), and science and technology studies all in relation to their own research.

Fall Quarter 2012:

GENERAL STUDIES 391: Research Ethics Exposed!
See Course Website for more details
Mondays 10:30 - 11:20 am, Mary Gates 271
Laura Harkewicz (Biological Futures and the Program on Values in Society): harkel1@uw.edu
Alison Wylie (Biological Futures and Deparments of Philosophy and Anthropology): aw26@uw.edu

Inspired by "Research Exposed!: Approaches to Inquiry" (General Studies 391; Undergraduate Research Program), this is a one-credit C/NC course in which faculty representing a range of natural and social sciences will give presentations on research ethics issues that arise in their fields. All lectures are open to the community -- please come!

HUM 597A: Synthetic Biology in Question
See Course Flyer for more details
(1 credit, C/NC)
Instructors: Celia Lowe (Anthropology and International Studies) and
Gaymon Bennett (Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center)

Designed for graduate students across the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences and professions, this course aims to prepare students to engage with and reflect on a two-day conference on “Synthetic Biology in Question,” to be held at the Simpson Center for the Humanities on November 13 and 14, 2012.