Final+Proposal

Senior Seminar Formal Proposal

Title: Bioethics

Name: Brady Roberts

Background: Every day, scientists are redefining not only their professions, but their own moral values. All over the news, we see the consequences of their decisions; stem cell research, cloning, and other so-called 'unethical' experiments are now hugely controversial topics and most people find themselves having a very strong opinion on them. I chose to do a project discussing the personal choices made in regards to bioethics simply because of an interest in the topic at hand. Bioethics is a fascinating moral dilemma and we rarely hear from the scientific point of view in the matter. After gathering initial sources, I suppose I can only make the conclusion that I have my work cut out for me. It was exceedingly difficult to find sources that were unbiased and had a clear focus, as well as an overt connection to my topics of choice. My driving question behind my entire project is: How should scientists refining the definition of bioethics as their job and values are questioned? This question will provide valuable insight to novices on the topic, and enrich the understanding of those who may have prior knowledge.

Vision: Hopefully, the final product will be a way for students and adults alike, to gain an interest and an insight into this meaningful topic. The accessibility will be an issue, as I’m trying to logically present facts in a way that high school students can gain knowledge, without “dumbing-down” the subject matter. The final product should do two things; provide a background for people’s understanding and give them an idea of where scientists are now, past the news reports and interviews and getting a look at what real scientists are doing in the face of a tough ethical decision. By using decision patterns and recent discovery, I feel as though I can safely predict the answer to my driving question. The final product should consist of four things; a research paper with more advanced insights regarding my thesis, a PowerPoint presentation that can provide an initial understanding of my topic to beginners, a portfolio of all my papers and assignments, and my project, which should look like a typical poll.

Goals:
 * Gain an understanding on the history of bioethics
 * Understand where bioethics can go from here, in terms of scientist’s perspective and approach to ‘unethical’ experiments
 * Apply my own opinions to where scientists should research
 * Explain to other what my research has produced, to further understanding of an important topic
 * Poll adults in order to find out what their opinions are on the topic

Products: The two main objects I plan on presenting are my PowerPoint presentation and a poll that I am creating in an attempt to delve into what today’s adults feels about the topic of bioethics. The three areas I have focused on have been in the news as current events recently and hopefully, many teachers and faculty members have a strong opinion on them. This conclusion should only enhance my answer to the driving question.

Task Analysis: To begin creating a final product, several things will be required. I feel as though I will need several books on the subject (done), an audience that is curious in the topic, the Internet, obviously, some current events to set a comparison for historical decisions, a poll, which I have begun to type up in order to ask the faculty at the school their opinion regarding certain bioethical topics, and, perhaps, an expert on the topic, although this isn’t a necessity. The schedule I have put in place looks something like this: By the end of today, 10/19, have my final proposal done, by 10/23, have my faculty poll questions typed up, by 10/27, have an outline of a research paper complete and, by the next class, have a draft of the aforementioned research paper done. From there, final drafts, the PowerPoint, and final projects should be done within a month. The only other piece of research I need to complete for a complete presentation is the project portion, where I plan to design a poll for faculty members to answer to evaluate what the public feels about these issues.

Mentor Analysis: My mentor, Shannon Roberts, is a registered nurse and my mom. She has greatly helped me in my decision making process, especially in the beginning when I had virtually no ideas for a project or a clear focus for my paper. She proved invaluable in this area. Shannon also taught me a good way of organizing research and showed me a decent set of books having to do with bioethics. I plan on speaking with Shannon every week, discussing my progress and my current difficulties. This should not be difficult, as we live in the same house. Keeping this topic interesting to her should no prove to be difficult, as she already has a vested interest in this subject matter. Involving Shannon in this topic will only demand a request and her continued interest. I did not seek a topic expect.

Conclusion: This topic first sparked an interest in me when I went on a Youth and Government trip three years ago. I went to Harrisburg to argue some current events with other teenagers from Pennsylvania. There, things such euthanasia and stem-cell research were discussed and I immediately found myself interested in the subject. It is an issue that everyone should be interested in, as it is crucial to our well-being as a society and as an individual. The skills that I believe are necessary to completing this project efficiently and successfully are researching skills, time-management skills, public speaking skills, and brevity. I am strong in public speaking and researching, but I could always be better at them, so I consider these to be skills that I am strengthening. The main problems I am having with this project is managing time well and be brief in the research paper section. I get distracted easily and can waste lots of time doing something completely unrelated to the task at hand. Also, I am a bit of an elaborator and have trouble being frank in papers and presentation. While I will need to develop these skills more readily as the project advances, the process is going smoothly as of yet.