The limits of voluntariness: from coercion to persuasion 3800-LV25-S-OG

KNOWLEDGE:
At the end of the seminar, the student has knowledge of and understanding of:
- the role of ethics and bioethics in the theory and practice of voluntary consent;
- advanced terminology used in discussions on voluntariness and old and new methods of influencing the will, desires, motives, decisions, and behaviors of others;
- the issues and problems of conceptualizing and assessing voluntariness, coercion, undue inducement, nudging and other arational and rational influences, and the current state of discussion and research in the ethics of voluntary consent at a level that leads to specialization.

SKILLS:
At the end of the seminar, the student is able to:
- identify ethical problems and conflicts that arise in the practice of securing and obtaining voluntary consent,
- critically analyze oral and written statements by other authors on the topics of the seminar, including reconstructing theses, identifying factual and normative assumptions, and critically evaluating the correctness and strength of arguments;
- prepare a short written paper on a topic of the seminar in accordance with the rules for writing papers of this type;
- prepare and deliver an oral presentation on a topic of the seminar;
- use English at the B2+ CEFR level, as well as the specialized terminology used in ethics of voluntary consent.

SOCIAL COMPETENCES
At the end of the seminar, the student is able to:
- critically evaluate their knowledge, acquired information, and received content;
- recognize the importance of knowledge in the fields of ethics and bioethics in solving problems arising from the practice of securing and obtaining voluntary consent; seek expert advice when encountering difficulties in solving these problems independently;
- develop ethics/bioethics reliably and responsibly as a theoretical field and social practice;
- recognize ethical, legal, and sociocultural problems and challenges related to their own research and professional work, in particular, to comply with, develop, and promote ethical standards for various bioethics and ethics committees.

ADDITIONAL EDUCATIONAL EFFECTS FOR DOCTORAL STUDENTS

At the end of the seminar, the PhD student:
(a) has as knowledge and understanding of:
- methodology of scientific research in the field of the ethics of voluntary consent;
- ethical and philosophical aspects of fundamental dilemmas brought about by the old and new methods of influencing the will, desires, motives, decisions, and behaviors of others;
(b) is able to:
- use knowledge from various fields in the humanities to identify, formulate and solve - in an innovative way - complex ethical problems brought about by old and new methods of influencing the will, desires, motives, decisions, and behaviors of others;
- critically analyze and evaluate results of scientific research, opinions of experts, and views of other scholars regarding ethical problems of old and new methods of influencing the will, desires, motives, decisions, and behaviors of others;
- participate in or initiate scientific discussions and debates the ethics of voluntary consent;
(c) is ready to:
- critically evaluate one's own contribution to the development of the ethics and bioethics ; and to participate in discussions, formulate arguments, and express one’s own opinions in a manner respectful to others, their views, and to diversity of methods and approaches employed in the humanities;
- recognize the priority of knowledge in solving scientific, theoretical, and practical problems in ethics and bioethics; and to respect standards of good research practice.

The final grade will be based on the following:
(1) ATTENDANCE AND PARTICIPATION. Insightful participation in seminar discussions and group work that demonstrates knowledge of the terminology, problems, precepts, and arguments discussed, as well as familiarity with the assigned readings. This accounts for 40% of the grade.
(2) AN ORAL PRESENTATION on a seminar topic selected from the provided list. The presentation should demonstrate the student’s knowledge of the topic and her analytical and argumentative skills, as well as her ability to deliver an effective oral presentation in English. This accounts for 30% of the grade.
(3) A SHORT WRITTEN ASSIGNMENT (critical analysis of an article or a case analysis), prepared in accordance with the instructions to be provided by the end of April. This accounts for 30% of the grade.

A grade of 5 requires consistent and insightful participation in seminar discussions that draw upon readings and personal experiences. Students will also be expected to give excellent oral presentations and produce written work that demonstrates their mastery of the discussed cases, terminology, precepts, and principles.

Final grades will be assigned according to the following percentages:
100-90% – 5,0; 89-85% – 4,5; 84-75% – 4,0; 74-70% – 3,5; 69-60% – 3,0; 59-0% – 2,0

For PhD students:

The final grade will be based on the following:
(1) ATTENDANCE AND PARTICIPATION: Insightful participation in seminar discussions and group work that demonstrates knowledge of the terminology, problems, precepts, and arguments discussed, as well as familiarity with the assigned readings. This accounts for 40% of the grade.
(2) AN ORAL PRESENTATION on a seminar topic selected from the provided list. The presentation should demonstrate the student’s knowledge of the topic and her analytical and argumentative skills, as well as her ability to deliver an effective oral presentation in English. This accounts for 20% of the grade.
(3) AN ARGUMENTATIVE ESSAY on a seminar topic, prepared in accordance with the instructions to be provided by the end of April. This accounts for 40% of the grade.

Attendance will be monitored weekly. Two absences are permitted per semester.

The readings are divided into two categories: required and optional. All students are expected to read the required texts before class. The required readings will not exceed 40 pages per week. The optional readings will provide additional materials for oral presentations. A full list of required and optional readings will be provided at the first seminar meeting.
The main sources of the required readings are listed in alphabetical order.
-- Blumenthal-Barby, J. S. (2021). Good ethics and bad choices: the relevance of behavioral economics for medical ethics. MIT Press.
-- Faden, R., Beauchamp T.L., King N.M P. (1986). A History and Theory of Informed Consent. New York: Oxford University Press.
-- Feinberg, J. (1989). The Moral Limits of the Criminal Law Volume 3: Harm to Self. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
-- Kiener, M. (2023). Voluntary consent: Theory and practice. Routledge.
-- Pennock, J. R. W. Chapman J.W. (eds.) (1972). Nomos XIV: Coercion, Chicago: Aldine-Atherton, Inc.
-- Pugh, Jonathan (2020). Autonomy, Rationality, and Contemporary Bioethics, New York: Oxford University Press.
-- Sunstein, Cass R. (2016). The Ethics of Influence: Government in the Age of Behavioral Science, New York: Cambridge University Press
-- Thaler, R. H., & Sunstein, C. R. (2021). Nudge: The final edition. Penguin.
-- Wertheimer, A. (2014). Coercion. Princeton University Press.

Więcej informacji o poziomie przedmiotu, roku studiów (i/lub semestrze) w którym się odbywa, o rodzaju i liczbie godzin zajęć - szukaj w planach studiów odpowiednich programów. Ten przedmiot jest związany z programami:

• Bioinformatyka i biologia systemów, stacjonarne, pierwszego stopnia
• Informatyka, stacjonarne, pierwszego stopnia
• Matematyka, stacjonarne, pierwszego stopnia
• Bioinformatyka i biologia systemów, stacjonarne drugiego stopnia
• Informatyka, stacjonarne, drugiego stopnia
• Matematyka, stacjonarne, drugiego stopnia

Dodatkowe informacje (np. o kalendarzu rejestracji, prowadzących zajęcia, lokalizacji i terminach zajęć) mogą być dostępne w serwisie USOSweb:

• Strona przedmiotu 3800-LV25-S-OG w USOSweb