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POLITICS 303
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Prof. Sammy Basu
Office: Smullin 322 Hours: TTh930-1130 or by appointment. 5033706264 |
COURSE SUMMARY
In this ethics and public policy course we will
reflect upon death in modern America.
More specifically, we will examine four cases in which mortality looms
large: Health Care, Physician-Assisted Suicide, Death Penalty, and Oil. We will focus upon the use and
criticism of particular modes of 'Arguments, Reasons, and Values' in the effort
to reflect meaningfully upon each case.
In addition, students will complete an independent project:
'service-learningÕ experience, or shadow and reflection paper, or research
paper relating to mortality.
COURSE OBJECTIVES
|
Think: |
"Man is only a reed, the weakest thing in
nature; but he is a thinking reed." m Blaise Pascal (1623-1662), PensŽes (1670, vi.347). |
|
Read: |
"Read
not to contradict and confute, nor to believe and take for granted, nor to find talk and discourse, but to weigh and
consider." m Francis Bacon (1561-1626), 'Of Studies,' Essays, (1597). |
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Write: |
"Then,
rising with Aurora's light, The Muse invoked, sit
down to write; Blot out, correct,
insert, refine, Enlarge, diminish,
interline." m Jonathan Swift (1667-1745), On Poetry (1733, I.85). |
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Speak: |
"'The
time has come,' the Walrus said, 'To talk of many things: Of shoes -- and ships --
and sealing wax -- Of cabbages -- and Kings -- And why the sea is
boiling hot -- And whether pigs have wings.'" m Lewis Carroll (1832-1898), Through the Looking
Glass (1872) |
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Research: |
"Know then thyself,
presume not God to scan, The proper study of
mankind is man, Plac'd on this isthmus
of a middle state, A being darkly wise, and
rudely great: With too much knowledge
for the sceptic side, With too much weakness
for the stoic's pride, He hangs between: in
doubt to act or rest, In doubt his mind or
body to prefer; Born but to die, and
reas'ning but to err; Alike in ignorance, his
reason such, Whether he thinks too
little or too much." m Alexander Pope (1688-1744), An Essay on Man (1733, Epistle, ii.1.1). |
COURSE EVALUATION CRITERIA
This course is organized around the readings, class
discussion, and student experience/research.
The grade has five components listed below, all of
which must be passed to pass the course.
Late penalties will be assigned.
If you believe that you may
have a disability requiring accommodation, please contact
Disability Services, Baxter Hall, Phone: (503) 370-6471, (TT)
(503) 375-5383.
(1) Regular participation in class discussions and
assignments (20%)
- engage with the films, readings, internet, and view-points of others. Attendance does not constitute
participation.
(2) Mid-Term Examination (20%)
- on introductory materials, health care, and physician-assisted suicide.
Format will include short-answer
questions, identify and explain questions and so on with emphasis on crucial
facts, concepts, and arguments.
(3) Service-Learning Reflective essay (30%)
- a brief (8-10 pp. i.e., 2400-3000 word) reflective
essay drawing upon 20-25 hours
of on-site service involvement, personal journal of experiences, and relevant
secondary scholarship.
Or
Shadow and Analysis paper (30%)
- a sustained (15-20pp. i.e.,
4500-6000 word) analysis paper upon a particular role or institution based upon
participant observation with or shadowing of person(s) occupying the role or
institution, and relevant secondary scholarship.
Or
Argumentative Research paper (30%)
- an extended (20-25pp. i.e., 6000-7500 word) piece of
original research bringing philosophical and
conceptual issues to bear upon a specific empirical controversy involving
mortality in contemporary America.
(4) Oral presentation (10%)
- brief (15-20 min.) in-class presentation of
reflections upon the service-learning experience, analysis of shadow
observation, or the arguments of the research. 10 min Q & A.
Presentation must make use of
Ôinformation technology.Õ
Email presentation at least two days before scheduled date.
Turn in draft of accompanying paper at time of
presentation.
Paper and presentation materials are not one and the same although they will
certainly share elements.
(5) Final examination (20%)
- on introductory materials, death penalty, oil, and student presentations of
their own projects.
Format will include short-answer questions, identify
and explain questions and so on with emphasis on crucial facts, concepts, and
arguments.
In addition, students will be expected to become adept
in navigating the internet and evaluating web-site sources to obtain data and
distinct perspectives.
See: http://www.willamette.edu/~sbasu/poli303/useofweb.htm
http://www.willamette.edu/~sbasu/poli303/EvaluatingWebResources.htm
REQUIRED COURSE
READINGS
It is important that you complete the assigned reading
and take the time to reflect on it before coming to class. The
required texts listed below are available for purchase at the WU
Bookstore. Additional required
readings on the WWWeb or on reserve at Hatfield Library will be available
through the online syllabus.
Cover
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Author |
Title |
Publication |
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Peter A. Ubel
M.D. |
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The MIT Press P, 2001 ISBN-10:
0262710099 ISBN-13: 978-0262710091 |
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Robert P.
Jones |
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University of Notre Dame Press P, 2007 ISBN-10:
026803267X ISBN-13: 978-0268032678 |
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Benjamin Dov
Fleury-Steiner |
Jurors' Stories of Death:
How America's Death Penalty Invests in Inequality |
University of Michigan Press P, 2004 ISBN-10:
0472068601 ISBN-13: 978-0472068609 |
|
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Terry
Tamminen |
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Island Press, 2006 ISBN-10: 1597261017 ISBN-13: 978-1597261012 |
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COURSE
SCHEDULE
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DATE |
CLASS
SUBJECT |
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T
Aug 28 |
¯ Introduction: Death in America Why ÔdeathÕ? |
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¯ What is Political Theory? Political Philosophy? What
is political theory? Assignment: "What does death mean?" (1-2 paras) Assignment:
ÒHow would you live if you knew you only had ten years to live?Ó |
|
Th
Aug 30 |
¯ Data on Death in America UNDP
HDR: Infant
mortality rate UNDP
HDR: Life
expectancy at birth Read: Amartya Sen, ÒLive Long and ProsperÓ and Amartya Sen,
"Mortality as an Indicator of
Economic Success and Failure." Economic Journal, Vol. 108, January 1998,
1-25 (On Reserve) or online at jstor |
|
|
Assignment: complete the questions on statistics given below http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/pubs/pubd/other/atlas/atlas.htm Results: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/misc/atlasres.pdf Maps for All
Causes: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/gis/atmapall.pdf Eg.
Smoking and
COPD Also
worth a look: |
|
T
Sep 4 |
¯ The Historical Meanings
of Mortality Read: Aris, Philippe. 1980.
"Five Variations on Four Themes," in The Hour of
Our Death.
(Trans.) H. Weaver. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 602-14. (ON RESERVE) 1. http://www.museum.upenn.edu/Greek_World/pottery_big-28.html 2. http://vrcoll.fa.pitt.edu/medart/image/England/abergavenny/mainabergavenny.html 3. http://www.dboc.net/rouen/oc_rouen_aitre.php 4. home.vicnet.net.au/~foskc/
19th_century_cemeteries.htm 5. http://www.cnn.com/HEALTH/9804/23/dying.cancer/ Assignment: complete the Aries
worksheet |
|
Th
Sep 6 |
¯ Analyzing Arguments,
Reasons, and Values: Theorists of Liberalism and What is Liberalism? Read: Gaus, Gerald F. 1996. ÒLiberalismÓ, Stanford Encyclopedia
of Philosophy,
NOV 30 1996 |
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¯ Library Research and Navigating the internet Ford C Schmidt Hatfield
Library Tel:
503-375-5407 E-mail:
fschmidt@willamette.edu http://library.willamette.edu/ |
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¯ Digital Fieldwork http://www.willamette.edu/~sbasu/poli303/EvaluatingWebResources.htm |
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¯ Service Learning Experience, or Shadow
& Reflection, or Research
Paper Khela Singer-Adams Director,
Community Service Learning Tel:
503.370.6807
E-mail:
ksingera@willamette.edu http://www.willamette.edu/~sbasu/poli303/service-learning.htm |
|
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Pricing Life: Why It's Time
for Health Care Rationing Peter A. Ubel
M.D. Cover
and Backflap |
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T
Sep 11 |
Cartoons on healthcare PBS: History of US health
care UNDP HDR: Health
expenditure per capita History of medical codes: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/doctors/oath.html http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/category/2512.html http://www.publicagenda.org/issues/overview.cfm?issue_type=healthcare |
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Read: PL, pp. xiii-30 Criticism of OHP |
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http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1444391 Talk of the Nation, September 24, 2003 á The demand
for health care is nearly limitless, but funds are finite. How do we
decide which patients get expensive treatments and which do not? Some
argue that rationing is the fairest way. Host Neal Conan and guests examine
the economics and ethics of health-care rationing. |
|
For |
http://covertheuninsuredweek.org/ 2007
State-level Universal health care bills |
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Against |
Paul http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=6293 http://www.cato.org/about/about.html This article addresses health care
rationing by arguing that a free-market approach will provide a better
incentive structure for consumers in seeking better health care for their
money, rather than a rationing system that allows people to leech off the
system by seeking unnecessary treatments. |
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Th
Sep 13
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Read: PL, pp. 31-65 Chapter
4: The Challenge of Measuring Community Values in Ways Appropriate for Making
Rationing Decisions |
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For |
Lindsay ÒAged-Based Health Care RationingÓ By Claire Andre and Manuel
Velasquez. Issues in Ethics - V. 3, N. 3 Summer
1990 |
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Against |
Daniel Some highlights: WonÕt this result in rationing like in Canada? The U.S. Supreme Court recently established that rationing is
fundamental to the way managed care conducts business. Rationing in U.S.
health care is based on income: if you can afford care you get it, if you
canÕt, you donÕt. A recent study by the prestigious Institute of Medicine
found that 18,000 Americans die every year because they donÕt have health
insurance. ThatÕs rationing. No other industrialized nation rations health
care to the degree that the U.S. does. If there is this much rationing why donÕt we hear about it? And
if other countries do not ration the way we do, why do we hear about
them? The answer is that their systems are publicly accountable and ours
is not. Problems with their health care systems are aired in public,
ours are not. In U.S. health care no one is ultimately accountable for how it
works. No one takes full responsibility. The rationing that takes place in U.S. health care is
unnecessary. A number of studies (notably the General Accounting office report
in 1991, and the Congressional Budget office report in 1993) show that
there is more than enough money in our health care system to serve
everyone if it were spent wisely. Administrative costs are far higher in the
U.S. than in other countriesÕ systems. These inflated costs are directly tied
to our failure to have a publicly-financed, universal health care
system. We spend at least twice more per person than any other country, and
still find it necessary to deny health care. ***** Coverage A single public plan would cover every American for all medically-necessary services including: acute, rehabilitative,
long term and home care, mental health, dental services, occupational
health care, prescription drugs and supplies, and preventive and public
health measures. Boards of expert and community representatives would
assess which services are unnecessary or ineffective, and exclude them
from coverage. As in the Medicare program, private insurance
duplicating the public coverage would be proscribed. Patient co-payments and
deductibles would also be
eliminated. |
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T
Sep 18 |
Read: PL, pp. 67-136 |
|
For |
Matt L http://meetingsnet.com/news/meetings_sccm_poll_guidelines/ Ubel discusses how
physicians are currently rationing health care under his broad definition of
what constitutes bedside rationing. This link discusses a poll that was given
to the Society of Critical Care Medicine members. The poll, like Ubel's
examples, shows how bedside rationing is already occuring and that some tough
decisions must be made with financial limitations in mind. |
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Against |
Margaret J Tenncare: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uud11ft2HJU Private Medical Contracting: http://www.ncpa.org/ba/ba268.html From the patient's
perspective, efficiency and equity are not inherently imbalanced. Translating
the values (both morally and economically) of the public into
well-articulated public policy can prove to be pragmatically flawed in both
senses. Tenncare (an example for my home state) is a good example of the
flawed implementation of quantified values when it comes to patient care. The
second site offers legally questionable implications of standardized health
care in a commodity-based economy. |
|
Also |
unequal
treatment 2 http://www.cmwf.org/publications/publications_show.htm?doc_id=221257 http://www.commonwealthfund.org/newsroom/newsroom_show.htm?doc_id=223608 http://www.cmwf.org/topics/topics.htm?attrib_id=9105&portal=yes http://www.cmwf.org/publications/publications_show.htm?doc_id=247164 http://www4.nas.edu/onpi/webextra.nsf/web/minority?OpenDocument |
|
Th
Sep 20 |
Read: PL, pp. 137-183 |
|
For |
Ben E http://www.news.cornell.edu/stories/June05/hippocratic_oath.mh.html an argument against bedside rationing the hippocratic oath presents a moral qualm for doctors. They are
supposed to do no harm and by some extension do everything they can to save
a life. This idea is often critiqued on the internet partially because
people say the oath is outdated. The website i found is a 2005 update to
the oath done by Cornell university. I think that it can be interpreted
to suggest that bedside rationing by a medical professional goes against
their basic principles. So its not an argument so much against the rationing
but against doctors morality to ration. |
|
Against |
Annie http://bioethicsdiscussion.blogspot.com/2005/02/bedside-rationing-is-it-ethical-would.html Maurice Bernstein, MD posted a blog addressing the ethical
issues of bedside rationing in conjunction with a review of P. Ubel and R.
Arnold's ÒThe unbearable rightness of bedside rationing; physician duties
in a climate of cost containmentÓ. He cites the review and quotes
from it the point Ubel and Arnold seek to make which is that bedside
rationing is necessary to control health care costs and when done correctly
is a moral practice. He then poses a basic question, whether individuals
feel that bedside rationing is in fact ethical and if there is a better
way to manage health care than what he calls the ÒUSA
private/governmental forms of health care deliveryÓ (Bernstein, 2005). http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/category/11529.html |
|
Also |
http://www7.nationalacademies.org/ocga/laws/PL106_525.asp http://www.cmwf.org/publications/publications_show.htm?doc_id=221257 http://www.commonwealthfund.org/newsroom/newsroom_show.htm?doc_id=223608 http://www.cmwf.org/topics/topics.htm?attrib_id=9105&portal=yes http://www.cmwf.org/publications/publications_show.htm?doc_id=247164
2004 http://www.commonwealthfund.org/topics/topics_list.htm?attrib_id=15314
vid http://www.commonwealthfund.org/programs/programs_list.htm?attrib_id=9133 http://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/publications_show.htm?doc_id=295334 2005 http://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/publications_show.htm?doc_id=289279 http://www.commonwealthfund.org/surveys/surveys_show.htm?doc_id=506847
2006 |
|
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Robert P.
Jones |
|
|
T
Sep 25 |
Cartoons
on assisted suicide Legal
and Political Timeline in Oregon Oregon
Death with Dignity Act Compassion
and Choices site Not
Dead Yet blog Read: LTSFE, pp. 1-54 Chapter
2: Interlude: Inequality and hardship in America |
|
|
|
|
For |
Derek http://www.americangeriatrics.org/products/positionpapers/vae94.shtml Note the distinction between allowing
death and facilitating it and how allowance is perceived as morally
acceptable because of the patient's choice, yet facilitation is not even in
the face of the patient's choice of death. |
|
Against |
Lindsay M http://endoflife.northwestern.edu/physician_assisted_suicide_debate/what.cfm#Important%20Facts On
page 43 of Liberalism's Troubled Search for Equality, Jones says "...PAS
ought to be understood as an expensive taste and that is opportunity costs to
the disadvantaged outweigh its benefits to the privileged few who support
it." He argues that PAS is inherently unequal because not everyone in
the U.S. has equal access to health care. As a result, the economically disadvantaged
who do not have adequate assistance and support in end of life care may be
forced to choose this option for their inability to pay for end of life care
services. Liberalism desire to maintain equality at first glance would
support PAS and not let moral or religious factors influence its legislation,
however, in reality PAS prevents equality due to the lack of universal health
care in the U.S. This
site outlines some of the core ideas about PAS and why it could be considered
a physicians obligation to support patients desire to end their life. |
|
Th
Sep 27 |
Read: LTSFE, pp. 55-123 |
|
For |
Matt W http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-righttodie6aug06,1,127804.story
James
Ricci examines the failure of the California Compassionate Choices Act, Bill
374, to make it out of committee in the California Assembly in June of this
year. The legislation, modeled
after OregonÕs 1994 death with dignity statute, would allow mentally
competent patients with less than six months to live access to a legal
prescription of drugs. Ricci
attributes failure of the Act to opposition from disability rights activists
who contend that HMOs would respond to the legislation by withholding
expensive care from the disabled and terminally ill until they chose to
die. RicciÕs article reflects
JonesÕ concern that social contexts such as a race, poverty, and gender,
along with limited health insurance, financial, and caregiving resources make
Òfull free and voluntary choiceÓ illusory (123). While some disability rights advocates support legislation
because of its safeguards, anxiety is especially great among disabled Californians
who have experienced a denial to healthcare access by HMOs and fearfully view
the U. S. healthcare system as Òincreasing unjust and savage.Ó They join with Jones in opposing
physician assisted suicide at least until more equitable access to the health
care system renders individual choice truly free and voluntary. |
|
Against |
Daniel C on Tuesday http://www.compassionandchoices.org/news/index.php There is a .pdf file on the first article of the
site that links to a study regarding the concerns of Not Dead Yet and
other groups, suggesting that there is no "slippery slope" (or at
the very least, we have not found the slope in the last 8 years of the Oregon PAS
law), that the problems we saw about amputation don't exist regarding PAS. We'll take a look at some of these numbers in class,
and perhaps ask some questions about the data. |
|
also |
Monty Python on Not Dead Yet Thomas More and Utopia with AS Onpoint on inequality SF FedRB on wage inequality Pulling Apart on Oregon stat sheet Doyle on Death Electric edge on Bouvia Not Dead Yet on Bouvia AMA on Bouvia Disabled advocates on The REAL Hemlock Society Oregon Nurses |
|
T
Oct 2 |
Read: LTSFE, pp.124-219 Chapter
6: Missing Persons |
|
For |
Isaac R http://www.nccbuscc.org/prolife/programs/rlp//03rlgloth.shtml Who better to discuss the moral logic of physician assisted
suicide than the Bishops of the Catholic church. As mentioned in class on
Thursday the separation of church and state was done so out of the respect of
the importance of religion to our founding fathers, many of whom
were Protestant. So here is an argument that can appeal to the
traditionalist in all of us. |
|
Against |
Tain C I chose an Article
that can be found from Oregon's Right to Life. this is the
article: http://www.pccef.org/pressreleases/press32.htm and this is the
website: http://www.ortl.org/end-of-life/assisted.php Basically what the
article is doing is talking about these nurses who acted on their own accord
and helped try to end the life of a man with throat cancer. |
|
also |
NYT on Child Care Plan Bill OR DwD 9 yr stats Lovelle Svart: July 17 intro,
med
request, last
day, audio
Sept 28 CC on Brownback |
|
Th
Oct 4 |
Read: LTSFE, pp. 219-270 Chapter
8: Physician-Assisted Suicide as an Expensive Taste: An Egalitarian Critique Conclusion:
Toward and Egalitarian Critique White
privilege, able-bodied
privilege |
|
For |
Ben E http://www.southparkzone.com/episode-vid-106.htm South Park. Season 1 Episode 6 entitled
"Death". In this episode Stan's grandfather is old and tired of
life. The "B" plot of the episode involves Grandpa convincing Stan
and his friends to kill him and put him out of his misery. After multiple
failed attempts Death himself brings back Stan's great-great grandfather's
ghost to tell Stans grandfather that it is wrong to push his desire to end
his life onto his family. I think this is an appropriate site for two
reasons. First of all it specifically mirrors Jones' thought that the
practice of PAS should not be forced on the whole population because a small
group wants it. More generally I think it is a good concluding note to end
on. |
|
Against |
Maluhia http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/pagerender.fcgi?artid=1305846&pageindex=1 Rebuttal: http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=1070869 Peter A. Goodwin provided the care for the first
recipient of physician-assited suicide under the Oregon Death
with Dignity Act. In this letter to the editor he answers objections to his
actions and physician assisted suicided in general. These objection
include PAS as a barrier to end of life care reform, Kevorkian practices,
socio-economic concerns relating to PAS and PAS becoming widespread.
Notably, Goodwin concludes, "I agree that physician-assisted suicide is not
the most important issue concerning us, but it has encouraged us to confront
those more important issues." |
|
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T
Oct 9 |
|
|
Th Oct 11 |
Midterm Exam |
|
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A 1 A-1 B+ 5 B 3 B- 3 C+ 4 |
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Jurors' Stories of Death:
How America's Death Penalty Invests in Inequality Benjamin Dov
Fleury-Steiner |
|
|
T
Oct 16 |
Read: JSD, pp.ix-28 Preface Chapter
1: Introduction Chapter
2: Race, Politics, Punishment, and the Bureaucracy of Death |
|
|
|
|
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Trial
by Jury |
|
|
In
David Hume's History of England, he tells something of the powers that the kings
had accumulated in the times after the Magna Carta, the prerogatives of the
crown and the sources of great power with which these monarchs counted: The
first paragraph of the Act that abolished the Star Chamber repeats the clause
on the right of a citizen to be judged by his peers: Abolition of the Star
Chamber
July 5, 1641 An act for the regulating of the privy council, and for
taking away the court commonly called the star-chamber. ÒWHEREAS
by the great charter many times confirmed in parliament, it is enacted, That
no freeman shall be taken or imprisoned, or disseised of his freehold or
liberties, or free customs, or be outlawed or exiled or otherwise destroyed,
and that the King will not pass upon him, or condemn him; but by lawful
judgment of his peers, or by the law of the landÉÓ Many
English colonies adopted the jury trial system including the United
States.
Jury trials in criminal cases were a protected right in the original Constitution and the Fifth,
Sixth,
and Seventh Amendments of the U.S. Constitution extend the rights to trial
by jury to include the right to jury trial for both criminal and civil
matters and a grand jury for serious cases. From Wikipedia |
|
|
Jury role, civic participation and deliberative
democracy |
|
|
http://www.soundportraits.org/on-air/execution_tapes/ http://amarillo.com/images/headlines/051101/deathrow.jpg |
|
|
Death
Penalty Cartoons jury cartoons Capital
Jury Project ARW
on CJP
responsibility, confusion, bias ABA
on DP Race
to Execution (Trailer) DPIC's
new State-by-State information database. CJP
Study
of Juror Misperceptions DPIC on exonerations |
|
|
DPIC
on Race DPIC
on geography |
|
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Death
Penalty Variances |
|
|
All
acquitted in boot camp beating video trial
pics
14
yr-old Martin Lee Story video Jury: Ten
people total - four men and six women make up the six deliberating jurors and
the four alternates. All deliberating
jurors are white and the four alternates are made up of three whites and one
asian. |
|
|
Death
Penalty Status |
|
|
Cruelty
of DP Lethal
injection stay
of execution |
|
|
D.W.
Griffiths Birth of a Nation (1915) |
|
|
Eberhardt et al, Looking
Deathworthy |
|
For |
Christina http://www.fdp.dk/uk/racism.php This website addresses a
race related issue with capital punishment that the author does not really discuss - how defendants who had murdered a black person were treated less harshly than
individuals who murdered a white person - whether the defendant is a person
of color or a poor white . The author goes to great lengths in the book to address issues with race related with capital punishment but he doesn't really focus on how the race of the victim plays
a potential role in the sentence the defendant receives and
neither does popular discourse on the subject. http://web.amnesty.org/pages/deathpenalty-index-eng Amnesty International
is one of the main groups against capital punishment. They work closely with the United Nations and want
to impose a moratorium on capital punishment. Recently, the Supreme Court decided to halt two executions in Kentucky while it could examine the lethal injection process used - the same method that is used in Texas. They are trying to determine if lethal
injection is unconstitutionally cruel. This is the main page for Amnesty International and its views on capital punishment. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5042365 Good clip that lays out the
basic statistics (from a liberal stand point) and also discusses prosecutors and the impact the race of the victim has on the sentence handed down by the jury. |
|
Against |
Angie This article is interesting because it puts a different ÒspinÓ
on the exact same statistics that are commonly used to bolster
arguments against capital punishment.
However, it is important to note that it is only the work of an individual man who is also the vice-president of
Justice for All, a victimÕs rights organization from Texas. Although the credibility of this website/organization may be questionable, it seems to be
a prevalent voice on the issue. In search after search on capital
punishment and related issues sources from pro death penalty.org kept
coming up. One of the most notable aspects of the racism essay is the narrow
way in which the author views racism, I believe Fluery-Steiner referred to
this as the Òperpetrator perspectiveÓ (17). Another interesting aspect of
this organization is that they keep a detailed database of expected
executions. Two websites: http://www.prodeathpenalty.com/racism.htm http://www.prodeathpenalty.com/Pending/scheduled_executions.htm |
|
Th
Oct 18 |
Read: JSD, pp. 29-65 Chapter
4: Insiders |
|
For |
Tain This is a website devoted solely for the abolishment
of the death penalty. There are articles titled act now, which is a link
giving a certain inmate whose time is almost up and what we should be doing
to try and release them, and why. Also, they give the facts and figures
of the death row- I looked particularly at Racial Bias, because it was
in the chapter we were reading
for today. |
|
Against |
Isaac http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/angel/procon/haagarticle.html Besides the numerous biblical passages that
advocates of capital punishment like to quote, there aren't nearly as
many vocal advocates online for the death penalty as compared to those
who are against it. All religious contradictions aside this article does an
admirable job outlining the importance of having the ultimate
punishment in place for those who commit the ultimate crime. "Execution
of those who have committed heinous murders may deter only one murder
per year. If it does, it seems quite warranted. Its is also the only
fitting retribution for murder I
can think of." |
|
T
Oct 23 |
Read: JSD, pp. 66-128 |
|
For |
Zandy http://www.tv-links.co.uk/video/1/6033/16006/95570/134882 http://www.tv.com/the-west-wing/take-this-sabbath-day/episode/801/summary.html
"The West
Wing," Season 1, Episode 14, "Take This Sabbath Day." The
basic plot involves a surprise Supreme Court decision that reverses a lower
court's decision and in effect, allows a state execution. Since the Court
ruled on the issue on a Friday, the execution cannot take place until 12:01
AM Monday morning. This leads to various members of the presidential staff to
face the ethical question of whether the state should have the right to
execute anybody. Of course, the only person with any power to commute the
sentence is President Bartlett, himself a devote Catholic. Throughout the
episode, you get the views of three different religious groups (Quakers,
Jews, and Catholics), all of which oppose the death penalty in one way or
another. This is what makes the show especially interesting as it approaches
the issue of the death penalty almost entirely from a religious point of
view. The arguments are not based on the death penalty being discriminatory
or on it being simply bad policy. Rather, it approaches the issue simply as a
moral wrong and as something that the state should never enforce.The writer
of the show, Aaron Sorkin, also took great care in developing his arguments
by utilizing many thinkers including Immanuel Kant, St. Augustine, and Thomas
Aquinas to show that we as a society might want to reevaluate our opinions on
capital punishment and that execution by the state may perhaps be an
antiquated/evil practice. All in all, the common theme of the episode is that
capital punishment is a form of vengeance and that it is something that the
state should not have the authority to do. (Note: The title refers to a
passage in Ten Commandments, Deuteronomy 5:1-22, which reads 'Take care
to keep holy the sabbath day as the LORD, your God, commanded you.") |
|
Against |
Nick http://www.wesleylowe.com/cp.html On this page Mr. Lowe expresses
information that supports the death penalty from many different angles. These arguments span from the deterrent effect of the death penalty to
Religious justification of the Death Penalty. His most interesting point is the argument of cost. Some argue that the death penalty costs more
for the state then a Life term would. He points out that estimates of cost for LWOP vs. DP are
based on a comparison between a very
conservative estimate and a very
liberal estimate. He also points out that on average a person who commits
murder will only spend 5 years and 11 months in
prison for the crime. He also points out that most of the expenditures
for these DP cases are in the appeals process. He also discusses the "racial"
aspect of the capital punishment argument. He points out that racism in the system
can only be eliminated by eliminating racism, not the system. "If and when discrimination occurs
it should be corrected. Not, however, by letting the guilty blacks escape the
death penalty because guilty whites do, but by making sure that the
guilty white offenders suffer it as the guilty blacks do. Discrimination
must be abolished by abolishing discrimination - not by abolishing
penalties. However, even if...this cannot be done, I do not see any good
reason to let any guilty murderer escape his penalty. It does happen in
the administration of criminal justice that one person gets away with
murder and another is executed. Yet the fact that one gets away with it is
no reason to let another one escape." |
|
W Oct 24, 3pm |
|
|
room 218 Truman
Wesley Collins Legal Center, Willamette University College of Law. |
Marquis—an outspoken death penalty
ÒretentionistÓ—has argued the virtues of capital punishment on national
television programs like Dateline
and in the pages of the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times. Abolitionist Bill Long has written a history
of capital punishment in Oregon and published articles on the subject in Willamette
Week, the Oregon State
Bar Bulletin, and the Willamette
Law Review. Both are
experienced criminal law scholars and debaters. |
|
Admission is free
and the public is invited. |
Sponsored by Willamette University College of
Law chapter of the American Constitution Society. Its purpose is to heighten
the dialogue surrounding the death penalty in Oregon and its impact on the
average citizen as well as the stateÕs public policy. For more information
contact either smaison@willamette.edu, rsteiner@swcp.com or call (Denny, (503) 798-1344) |
http://news.opb.org/article/oregons-death-dignity-law-turns-10/
|
Th
Oct 25 |
Read: JSD, pp. 129-161 |
|
For |
Matt W In Benjamin Fleury-Steiners ÒJurorsÕ stories of
death,Ó he discuses how many jurors construct defendants as immoral
outsiders. Judging what kind of person they are by where they are from or
what they look like. One of the only ways to counter this argument is
by looking at the true brutality of each individual crime. Realizing that
racism and unfairness do exist in our capital punishment systems today is
only the first step to deciding on weather or not the death penalty is good
for America and others around the world. http://www.prodeathpenalty.com/Pending/scheduled_executions.htm http://deathpenaltycurriculum.org/student/c/courtroom/jury/question.htm#options http://academic.udayton.edu/race/03justice/crime02.htm |
|
Against |
Matt L http://www.soci.niu.edu/~critcrim/dp/pro/ws1 This
is an article in favor of the death penalty saying that it is fair becasue
the death penalty has been reformed since Furman v. Georgia. New standards
for the imposition of the death penalty require the "sentences of death
will not be `wantonly' or `freakishly' imposed." The author argues that
the death sentence is not arbitrary and is only used for the worst offenders.
While the author does not say it, I assume becasue the death penalty is
reserved for the worst crimes, the imposition of the death penalty does not
matter becasue they deserve to die going into the sentencing phase. |
|
|
Batson
v Kentucky (1986) NYT Court
Revisits Question of Jury Selection Bias Law.com
Boxing with
Jury Selection DCBA |
|
M Oct 29, 7pm, Paulus Lecture Hall (Room
201) Truman Wesley Collins Legal Center, Willamette University |
SLIP-SLIDING AWAY: Dr. Hester Jiskoot, Department of
Geography, University of Lethbridge, Canada Join Dr. Hester Jiskoot in understanding
more about this highly important topic as she explains glacier dynamics,
glacier-climate interactions, water issues, and the impact glaciers have on
our environment. |
|
|
ABSTRACT:
Global climate change has caused widespread accelerated glacier retreat,
which has negative effects on the fresh water available for humans and the
freshwater found in ecosystems. In turn, changing glaciers cause global sea
levels to rise, alter the landscape, and affect climate at the local and
global scale. In order to understand how glaciers fit into our world and how
we fit into the glaciersÕ world it is important to understand how glaciers
work and what causes them to change. By being informed about natural systems
such as glaciers we can understand why some changes in nature happen so fast
while others take longer. We will also be able to see that all these systems
are interconnected and what our influence on these systems can be. |
|
T Oct 30 |
Interim report on student projects |
|
|
|
|
|
Lives Per Gallon: The True
Cost of Our Oil Addiction Terry
Tamminen http://www.livespergallon.org/ |
|
|
Th
Nov 1 |
Read:
LpG,
pp. 1-51 Chapter 1: The Breath of Our Fathers Chapter 2: A Losing Proposition |
|
|
Biblical
worldview on climate change V http://www.christiansandclimate.org/ |
|
|
CA
Proposition 65 – warnings Oil
Pipelines
|
|
|
$10
is true cost per gallon |
|
|
NYT
on Solar
Homes |
|
For |
Angie This opinion piece, from the Brookings Institute, comments on
what Democrats and Republicans have suggested pursuing in response to
the increasing gas prices and AmericaÕs dependence on oil. The author suggests that these ÒsolutionsÓ wonÕt work and instead he suggests
setting a price floor on oil. This idea gets to what some economists
have known for a whileÉoil will continue to be overused until the price
reflects the true cost of the resource, which includes the environmental and
health costs (not just costs of production). These "negative
externalities" are not captured in the dollar amount we pay for oil, so in essence no one has to pay the price directly, but as Tamminen points out,
everyone pays in some way—some more than others. http://www.brookings.edu/opinions/2006/0512globalenvironment_gordon.aspx Another incentive for people to drive fuel-efficient vehicles: http://www.massport.com/about/press_news_cleanvehiclehtml.html |
|
Against |
Zandy http://www.ncpa.org/studies/renew/renew4.html http://mensetmanus.net/windpower/cato/probwind.shtml
Though many may be in agreement that oil is bad for the environment and a resource that is fair from sustainable, very few have come up with alternatives that are not without their drawbacks. Through the essay by Robert L. Bradley Jr. (president of the Institute for Energy Research and is the an adjunct scholar of the Cato Institute) entitled "Why Renewable Energy Is Not Cheap and Not Green," we can take a look at two of the alternatives to petroleum products, wind energy and solar power, and how they are not exactly the eco friendly. Among the issues he addresses is the issue of space (the amount of space needed to create a suitable amount of energy usually far exceeds the usefulness of switching to the more "sustainable" form) and the efficiency of the energy itself (the money spent/resources used tend to greatly exceed the the benefits of going "green"). Above all else, Bradley is suggesting that our oil addiction is not as simple as switching from one medium of energy to another and that there are many more considerations to take into account aside from the effects of oil. Furthermore, he more or less implies that petroleum and natural gases were selected as the favored energy sources for a reason and that just because their flaws are a more self evident now does not mean that a quick switch will solve all of the problems. |
|
T
Nov 6 |
Read:
LpG,
pp. 53-105 Chapter 4: All That Glitters |
|
|
|
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|
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MSNBC interactive and most
popular Oregon
Collier Glacier |
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Oil
companies and
ad/critique (600) http://www.corpwatch.org/article.php?id=219 |
|
|
Government
role http://www.energy.gov/about/EPAct.htm
2005 http://www.cfo.doe.gov/strategicplan/energysecurity.htm |
|
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Advanced
energy initiative 2006 http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/01/20060131-6.html |
|
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Coal http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/23/us/23coal.html http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/08/23/europe/coal.php |
|
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Alberta
Tar/Oil Sands – 2nd behind Saudi, but perhaps 2 trillion ie
8 x Saudi http://www.energy.gov.ab.ca/OurBusiness/oilsands.asp http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/01/20/60minutes/main1225184.shtml http://www.oilsandsdiscovery.com/ Enviro
in hot water – http://www.sierraclub.ca/prairie/tarnation.htm http://www.vbs.tv/shows/index.php?show=Toxic http://www.vbs.tv/player.php?bctid=1019472327&bccl=dW5kZWZpbmVkX191bmRlZmluZWQ= Canada
politics http://www.thecourt.ca/2007/08/16/the-alberta-oil-sands-the-economy-and-the-environment/ US
in relation to Canada http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2007/01/17/oil-sands.html |
|
|
CanadaÕs
Far North Arctic Surveillance System
(3.30) Arctic Cold War (17.41) |
|
For |
Nick In this article the author outlines the health
effects of using high polluting diesel engines and how much it is costing
us every year. Air pollution is responsible from some 3,000 premature
deaths a year. That figure is greater then homicide in California. It is also the cause of 4,400 hospital visits. "In 2000, the California Air Resources Board
(CARB) estimated that diesel PM was responsible for 70 percent of the stateÕs
risk of cancer from airborne toxics (CARB, 2000c). Diesel engines often
remain in operation for decades, with the older engines releasing the
greatest amount of pollution. In 2004 alone, diesel pollution will
cause an estimated 3,000 premature deaths in California—greater than
the estimated 2,300 annual homicides in the state.1 In addition, diesel exhaust
will cause an estimated 2,700 cases of chronic bronchitis and
about 4,400 hospital admissions (including emergency room, or ER, visits)
for cardiovascular and respiratory illnesses every year. The cost of
these health impacts is $21.5 billion per year." The author suggests that the only way that we can
stop this is by enacting standards and getting the bad polluters off the road
by giving incentives. He also
suggests that we hold ships and trains to these same standards. If this is done we can save 11,000 premature deaths
and 16,000 hospital visits by 2020. The savings to California would be $70 billion. Even though this is an older article it is still
valid while studying the effects of oil on our health. |
|
Against |
Annie In chapter four, "All That Glitters" Tamminen
discusses some of the history surrounding global dependence on oil, the effects of
petroleum on global warming and the consequences faced by third world nations
where these companies operate. Since ChevronTexaco was one of the
companies mentioned, it is important to look at how they address these
issues. http://www.chevron.com/stories/#/anthems/ ADS http://youtube.com/watch?v=jZCD4WA8I04 http://youtube.com/watch?v=l2i4CxyrT64 |
|
Th
Nov 8 |
Read:
LpG,
pp. 107-154 Chapter 6: Worse Poison to Men's Souls |
|
For |
Christina http://www.edmunds.com/advice/fueleconomy/articles/106842/article.html http://www.opentravelinfo.com/travel-guide/uncategorized/how-to-save-money-on-gas-29-tips.html - The first two websites expand on the tips given by
the author to save fuel. The first website tested some of the tips and
the second website provides more tips and gives some reasoning behind
them. http://www.asashop.org/autoinc/jan2006/mech.htm - This website discusses the use of vegetable oil in
diesel engines as an alternative source of fuel. A diesel engine can be
converted to run on vegetable oil and some fast food places will sell
people their used vegetable oil for incredibly low prices. |
|
Against |
Maluhia http://www.saveoursound.org/site/PageServer The Alliance to Protect the Nantucket Sound claims
wind power would ruin fishing grounds that supply local fishermen. The
Alliance also points out that with only 3% of our electricity being used to
generate oil, wind powered electricity will have a "negligible
impact on reducing oil consumption." "Fact: Cape Wind would not make a significant
contribution to the effort to reduce pollution emissions, and in fact, could
aggravate the problem by causing dirty power plants to run more often in
order to be ready to generate power instantly when the wind stops
blowing." |
|
T
Nov 13 |
Read: LpG, pp. 155-211 Chapter 8: The Quality of Mercy - Oil on Trial Epilogue: The Seventh Generation |
|
For |
Paul http://www.hyweb.de/index-e.html Taminen argues that Hydrogen fuel is cleaner by far
than petroleum fuels, especially when the H2 is made from biomass or
electrolysis of water (if the electricity is made from renewable
sources)... He also argues for
H2 as feasable in providing a mass market for an
alternative energy source to petroleum.
These German based websites corroborate his argument with data and pictures showing the likely unsustainability of
continued petroleum based usage and the advantages of Hydrogen as a
practical source of energy. |
|
Against |
Derek http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLhy8v6CYPQ One of the arguments consistently put forth by
Tamminen, and other environmentalists, is that the automobile industry, and
implicitly the oil industry, care little, if at all, for the health and well
being of people through out the world. In this interview, Dr Steven Phillips,
the Medical Director of Global Issues and Projects for ExxonMobil, discusses
his company's current involvement in coping with the malaria problem in their
African workforce. http://www.sasol.com/sasol_internet/frontend/navigation.jsp?navid=1&rootid=1&pnav=sasol&cnav=sasol This is SASOL's website, one of the world leaders in coal to oil
technology. As Earth's stores of oil dwindle, SASOL recognizes that new
manners of procuring the precious commodity are needed or we must replace it.
Coal to oil is the wave of the future for the oil industry as China has
already made moves by building a multi-billion dollar coal to oil facility in
Mongolia with numerous other facilities in design. This would seem to
"refute" Tamminen's argument that our dependence on foreign oil
supplies are as small as they are, since the US produces billions of tons of
coal each year that could be used to relieve our addiction to foreign oil. |
|
|
What to do? |
|
|
Fox
on global warming |
|
|
Ali G on environment Ali G on Environment Republicans |
|
|
Crude Impact: Oil Companies and the
Environment |
|
|
Lawyer: Bay Pilot
Didn't Realize Damage |
|
|
California Sues Over
Emissions
Limits |
|
|
50 years of Protecting Europe's
Environment |
|
|
|
|
|
Top 10
things by Taminnen |
|
|
|
|
|
Canadian energy strategy for a carbon-constrained future |
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Th
Nov 15 |
Taken for a Ride, New Day Films (55 min) |
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T
Nov 20 |
Individual
meetings with professor WITS on making
webpages http://www.willamette.edu/wits/resources/docs/webmedia/webpage.htm |
|
Th
Nov 22 |
Thanksgiving
– No class |
|
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|
T
Nov 27 |
¯ Student Presentations |
|
|
Margaret J: Politics in Modern Art: DonÕt
fear the reaper |
|
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Christina S: |
|
Th
Nov 29 |
¯ Student Presentations |
|
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Isaac R: |
|
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Maluhia G: Hospice: rationing through
volunteerism |
|
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Zandy W: Hospice: care or
capitalism? |
|
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Nicholas B: Hospice: why odyssey? |
|
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Ben H: |
|
T
Dec 4 |
¯ Student Presentations |
|
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Angie G: |
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Paul M: Hospice: the
voluntary experience |
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Annie S: |
|
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Derek B: |
|
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Ben E: |
|
Th
Dec 6 |
¯ Student Presentations |
|
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Matt L: Assisted Living Facilities and
their failures Film: Assisted
Living |
|
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Matt W: |
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Lindsay M: Hospice: Confronting
the obstacles |
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Dan C: |
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Tain C: |
|
Dec
8,9,10 |
Study
Days |
|
Dec
11, 6pm |
|
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Thu Dec13, |
Final Exam and Final Paper due |
