FYSM 146 - Inconvenient Truths:Contemporary Controversies in Science,Law,and Policy

Institution:

Trinity College

Subject:

Description:

Over the past decade Americans have engaged in vigorous debates about a variety of important issues that require us to think clearly about the relationship between science, law, and public policy. Recently, the issue of global warming has captured the headlines and created controversy as politicians have debated the persuasiveness of scientific arguments that predict an impending environmental crisis. Michael J. Fox, who has Parkinson's disease, has criticized the Bush Administration for limiting federal funding for embryonic stem cell research. And only last year, the Supreme Court ruled that the federal government may not prosecute doctors in Oregon who prescribe life-ending drugs to terminally ill patients under that state's Death with Dignity Act. Did global warming cause Hurricane Katrina and its catastrophic aftermath Should all eleven and twelve year old girls receive Gardasil, the vaccine that can prevent many forms of cervical cancer Do we have the right to die In this seminar we will first seek to understand why scientific evidence itself has increasingly come under attack as policy makers have confronted these vexing questions. We will then explore several of the most important issues that are part of the broader debate about science, law, and policy. These include: stem cell research, global climate change, assisted suicide, AIDS prevention, and Human Papillomavirus vaccine. 1.00 units, Seminar

Credits:

1.00

Credit Hours:

Prerequisites:

Corequisites:

Exclusions:

Level:

Instructional Type:

Lecture

Notes:

Additional Information:

Historical Version(s):

Institution Website:

www.Trincoll.edu

Phone Number:

(860) 297-2000

Regional Accreditation:

New England Association of Schools and Colleges

Calendar System:

Semester

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