Patti Ross: Disease and Values

Syllabus - PHIL 220 Disease and Values,
Disease and Values Winter 2005
Patti Ross
Philosophy Department Carleton College

Course description
The clinical sciences (e.g., medicine, psychiatry, clinical psychology) provide fertile ground for the examination of tensions between human values and science. We will explore these tensions by focusing on psychiatry -- in particular, psychiatric diagnosis and classification. Topics include, but are not limited to, defining values, the relationship between medicine and science, the nature of taxonomies and diagnosis, defining mental disorder, the role and importance of culture, genetics, technology and politics in understanding diagnoses and classification.

Text
Values and Psychiatric Diagnosis. John Z. Sadler. Oxford University Press, 2005.

Date Topic Reading
Jan 4 Introduction and overview
Jan 6 Understanding Values Introduction - pp. 2 - 28; Chapter 2 - pp. 22 - 46
Jan 11 Science and Medicine, Science and Nosology Chapter 3 - pp. 56 - 83 (up to 3.3.2)
Jan 13 Classification: Compromising Scientific Principles? Chapter 3 - pp. 83 - 109 (up to 3.3.3.2)
Jan 18 Critiques of Rigor Chapter 3 - pp. 109 - 127
Jan 20 Research Projects Research day
Jan 25 Patient, Profession and Guild Chapter 4 - pp. 142 - 163
Jan 27 Defining Mental Disorder Chapter 5 - pp. 168 - 196
Feb 1 Sex and Gender Chapter 6 - pp. 204 - 241
Feb 3 reports on current progress - main issues Research day
Feb 8 Culture Chapter 7 - pp. 252 - 285
Feb 10 exegesis Research day
Feb 15 Genetic Nosology Chapter 8 - pp. 292 -321
Feb 17 Technology Chapter 9 - pp. 328 - 355
Feb 22 Politics Chapter 10 - pp. 360 - 405
Feb 24 Diagnosis and Values Chapter 11 - pp. 416 - 469
Mar 1 thesis, objections and counter-arguments Research day
Mar 3 presenting projectsResearch day
Mar 8 presenting projectsResearch day
Mar 14 Final Projects Due