ALS 341:
BioIndustry Ethics and Society
This course is taught by Jeffery Smith. Jeffery is an adjunct faculty at KGI and Associate Professor at the School of Business at the University of Redlands. He is the founding Director of the Banta Center for Business,
Ethics and Society. He is a member of the Society for
Business Ethics, the European Business Ethics Network and the American
Philosophical Association.
Description:
As with other industries,
the bioindustry has moved aggressively to assure that scientists, managers and
employees conduct themselves ethically in in accordance with the law. This
course provides students with an introduction to how the bioindustry has
accomplished this, with special emphasis on ethical conduct related to
biomedical research, use of genetic technologies, pricing of products, advertising,
sales and human resource management. Students will not only be asked to
critically examine the ethical problems that members of the bioindustry face
through case studies, but also take time to consider how ethical conduct
impacts their own professional identities and career trajectories.
Learning Objectives
This course is designed to have students understand
and apply ethical theories, concepts and principles to problems that employees,
managers and policy makers face in the bioindustry. This involves a critical
examination of ethical problems that pertain to business generally and the
bioindustry in particular. To that end, students will participate in classroom
discussion and submit written work that demonstrates (a) the ability to
critically examine and assess primary source material in the field of ethics, (b)
novel argumentation, (c) attention to detail as presented in case studies and
(d) a thoughtful integration of facts and values in defending recommendations when
addressing ethical problems in the bioindustry. These efforts will be designed
to get students to reflect upon their identities as researchers and managers
within the bioindustry and to develop a more coherent sense of the ethical
principles that shape their chosen profession.
Course Topics
·
Ethical Decision Making
·
Corporate Ethics Practices and Legal Compliance
·
Conflicts of Interest in the Bioindustry
·
Corporate Social Responsibility in the Bioindustry
·
Public Safety and Genetic Modification
·
Ethical Marketing and Information Disclosure
·
Intellectual Property in Genetic and Pharmacological Discoveries
·
Use of Human and Non-Human Research Subjects
Assessment
Students’ grades will be determined on the basis of
two exams and classroom participation. Exams will be in a take home, essay
format and comprised of short answer, concept application and integrative essay
questions. The second exam will cover material from the entire course. All exam
essays will be assessed relative to five criteria: clarity and organization in
presentation, attention to detail, integration and comparison of assigned
readings, effective argumentation, effective and proper research (if called
for) and appropriate style and grammar.
The relative weighting of each of these methods of
assessment are as follows:
Midterm Exam 40%
Final Exam 50%
Classroom Participation 10%
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