Course Content and Outcomes Guides (CCOG)

CCOG for PHL 207 Winter 2025


Course Number:
PHL 207
Course Title:
Ethics and Aging
Credit Hours:
4
Lecture Hours:
40
Lecture/Lab Hours:
0
Lab Hours:
0

Course Description

Investigates central ethical issues pertaining to the care of older persons. Explores various ethical principles and frameworks and their application to various ethical issues and dilemmas that arise in caring for older persons. Examines how to identify ethical issues in caring for the older persons and helps develop more proficiency in ethical decision making. Prerequisites: WR 115, RD 115 and MTH 20 or equivalent placement test scores. Audit available.

Intended Outcomes for the course

Upon completion of the course students should be able to:

  • Articulate key philosophical arguments in the field of ethics and aging.
  • Identify the influence of culturally based perspectives, values and beliefs to examine how diverse philosophical perspectives affect human experience.
  • Construct arguments on issues dealing with ethics and aging using critical reasoning to identify and investigate philosophical theses and evaluate information and its sources.
  • Respond to arguments on issues dealing with ethics and aging using critical reasoning to identify and investigate philosophical theses and evaluate information and its sources.

Integrative Learning

Students completing an associate degree at Portland Community College will be able to reflect on one’s work or competencies to make connections between course content and lived experience.

General education philosophy statement

Philosophy courses ask students to use critical thinking and reasoning skills in multiple ways: to identify the content, structure, and influence of beliefs, to examine how diverse philosophical perspectives affect human experience, and to construct and respond to arguments on a variety of philosophical issues. They encourage students to both create and understand their and others’ frameworks of meaning, and to use this new understanding in their own lived experience.

Course Activities and Design

The course will be conducted in both the standard classroom and distance learning settings.  It will involve lectures, discussions, and other assignments such as exams and papers.

Outcome Assessment Strategies

Assessment strategies will include some of the following:

  • Essays in the form of in-class exams, short papers, or term papers,

  • Short-answer exams,

  • Student presentations,

  • Class and small group discussions,

  • Attendance and participation.

Course Content (Themes, Concepts, Issues and Skills)

The course will focus on some or all of the following ethical questions that arise in caring for older persons:

  • What should the aging and dying experience be like?

  • What is futile care?

  • Are assisted-suicide and euthanasia appropriate end-of-life care options?

  • What role should hospice and palliative care play in end-of-life care?

  • What is the appropriate use of artificial nutrition and hydration in end-of-life care?

  • How should decision-making conflicts be resolved in end-of-life care?

  • How should society structure health care for the elderly?

Competencies and Skills:
Students will learn to do the following:

  • Examine a clinical or social situation and identify ethical issues/dilemmas

  • Discuss clinical or social situations from ethical point of view

  • Devise and justify ethical responses to identified situations

  • Evaluate discussions of identified ethical issues/dilemmas