| January 28 | Introduction to Ethics; Ethics, Science and Society |
| February 4 | Laboratory Safety and Compliance; Scientific Ethics in the News |
| February 11 | Animal Use and Human Subjects; Scientific Ethics in the News |
| February 18 | Dealing with Problems; The Mentor/Student Relationship |
| February 25 | Conflict of Interest and Conflict of Commitment; The Results of Research: Notekeeping and other important issues |
| March 4 | Grant Proposals and Scientific Review Scientific Communication (publication practices and responsible authorship) |
| March 11 | Career Night: Some things that you can do with your degree |
Title: Research Ethics and ResponsibilitiesTime: Wednesday evenings 7:00–9:50 PM, January 28 through March 11, 2009 Place: Chemical & Life Sciences Laboratory Auditorium Instructors:
Course Rubric: MCB 580
Course Reference Number (CRN): 38677
Prerequisite: Graduate standing in MCB or consent of instructor
Credit: 1 Hour Credit, S/U Grade Only
Guest Lecturers (subject to change):
Gary Olsen gary@life.illinois.edu Department of Microbiology, B103 Chemical & Life Sciences Laboratory, MC-110 Stephen Farrand stephenf@life.illinois.edu Department of Microbiology, B103 Chemical & Life Sciences Laboratory, MC-110 Rutilio "Rudy" A Fratti rfratti@illinois.edu Department of Biochemistry, 419 Roger Adams Laboratory
Bob WengertRequired Text:
C. K. "Tina" Gunsalus
Nick Tsiakais
Janice Bahr
Lyndon Goodly
Macrina, F. 2005. Scientific Integrity, Third edition. American Society for Microbiology Press, Washington, D.C.Course Format:
Most weeks class will be divided into two sessions covering different topics. A "typical" session will be:Course Grades:Attendance is mandatory. If you are absent from a class, a make-up paper on the topics covered during the missed class will be required. Failure to make-up for a missed class by turning in the required paper or more than one absence will result in an unsatisfactory grade. (Because this is a short course, missing 2 weeks would mean missing nearly 30% of the material and discussion. We cannot excuse more than one absence.) Make-up papers should be 5–7 pages (typed, 11 or 12 point font, double-spaced, 1 inch margins; this means 1500–2000 words). The paper should focus on the topics missed, describing relevant issues, potential problems, and acceptable practices. The textbook and online materials should provide the background for the paper. All references used should be cited. (Think about it: this is an ethics course.) Following the discussion of the topics, the paper should apply the principles discussed to the case studies presented in the missed class (copies can be obtained from one of the course instructors). The paper should be of suitable clarity and perspective that it would provide a concise overview of the topics to a reader who is unfamiliar with the topics. The paper will be evaluated by the instructors, and if it is not of acceptable quality it will be returned to be rewritten.
- One or more of the instructors will present a general introduction to a topic to the class (about 20–30 min).
- An instructor will introduce a case study related to the session topic.
- Each student will be asked to write a very brief synopsis of the problem and recommended solution (about 5 min). These written assignments will be turned in (generally at the end of class) and used for evaluating attendance. Although they will not be graded, a "satisfactory" level of effort is expected. These assignments must be turned in before leaving the class. Assignments turned in later will not be accepted.
- One or more instructors will lead a class discussion of the the case study.
An S/U grade will be assigned based upon attendance, the in-class writing assignments, participation and completion of assigned on-line training.