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Case Analysis (individual) |
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It
is not uncommon for evaluations to raise a variety of social, political,
and ethical issues. In order to explore these issues, we will analyze a
case study. Since case analysis is essentially self-learning through
simulated experience, its success depends on the lively exchange of
information, ideas, and opinions during case discussions. Students must
come prepared to discuss all aspects of the case, apply the concepts in
the readings to the case, and be able to answer questions posed by the
instructor or fellow classmates or it will adversely affect your class
participation grade. |
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| Case: The Tuskegee Health Experiment |
| This is a short case reading but deals with a
case that spans decades. One of the interesting aspects of the
case is that while the experiment began in 1932, the implications and
ethical issues did not receive much attention until 1972. The case
is important and led to a number of important safeguards regarding the
treatment of human subjects. |
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| Suppose you are a member of the Senate Subcommittee that
investigated this matter. You know that the committee chair feels that
the study was "outrageous and intolerable." Do you agree? Normally you
have your staff prepare your written testimony, but in this case you
have decided to do it yourself. You have decided that your written
testimony
in the form of a memo to the committee. Your testimony should
answer three questions: 1) was the study ever needed (did it produce
valuable information; 2) was the information generated in a manner that
abused the rights of study participants; and, 3) did the
doctors and nurses behave ethically over the course
of the entire study. In formulating your answer be sure to
consider the following: |
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Do the ends justify their means?
Was the study ever worthwhile and needed?
If it was, at what point did the behavior or the Doctors and nurses
cross the line? How does the timing of events influence your
judgments? |
| Exactly who was engaged in unethical
behavior? Was it just the doctors and bureaucrats who designed
and funded the study? Were the nurses and doctors who
participated in different aspects of the study acting ethically?
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| To whom were the doctors and nurses
accountable? Who should they be accountable to? Did the
doctors and nurses face conflicting ethical obligations?
Were some acts more unethical than others were? |
| Was there a way to obtain the same
information or conduct the study using an alternative research
design that would have removed or minimized the ethical and moral
issues? |
| Can a "Tuskegee experiment" happen again?
What recommendations do you have for safeguards that would prevent a
study like this from being conducted? |
| What are some of its long-term impacts of the
Tuskegee Study on society? |
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| While your testimony does not need to respond to
these questions directly, they may help you to think through the issues
involved. |
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| The following materials should help you to
formulate your testimony: |
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| Time permitting, we will also watch a movie about
these events entitled
Miss Evers’ Boys
(1997) staring Alfre Woodard, which won a
Golden Globe award. |
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| Written Assignment |
| Your testimony should be in the form of a memo to
the Senate oversight committee and should answer the three questions
above. Your testimony is limited to 3 single-spaced pages, 12
point font with 1 inch margins. If you need guidance on writing a
memo, see my
PLS 500 website. |
