Registry

Module Specifications

Current Academic Year 2012 - 2013
Please note that this information is subject to change.

Module Title Critical Thinking and Health
Module Code NS122
School School of Nursing and Human Sciences
Online Module Resources

Module Co-ordinatorSemester 1: Donal O'Mathuna
Semester 2: Donal O'Mathuna
Autumn: Donal O'Mathuna
Module TeacherDonal O'Mathuna
NFQ level 8 Credit Rating 5
Pre-requisite None
Co-requisite None
Compatibles None
Incompatibles None
Description
This module presents a general introduction to philosophy and critical thinking. Various philosophical traditions are presented and explored by looking at how various authors have grappled with suffering.The Holocaust of WWII is used to examine both philosophical and personal ways of dealing with the existence of evil and suffering. Personal accounts about the Holocaust and its impact on people's views of suffering are examining through the narratives presented by Viktor Frankl and others in documentaries viewed during lecture time.The impact of different philosophical views on suffering are also examined in light of their impact on ethical issues at the end of life. These discussions are applied to current ethical debates about assisted suicide and euthanasia, in particular how these discussions have been influenced by the Holocaust.

Learning Outcomes
1. Identify several major philosophical traditions.
2. Analyse the strengths and weaknesses of philosophical views on suffering.
3. Identify how philosophical perspectives impact a person's position on ethical issues.
4. Explore the role of narrative in philosophy and ethics.
5. Formulate his or her own philosophical position on suffering.



Workload Full-time hours per semester
Type Hours Description
Lecture32Lecture, group discussion and audiovisual presentations
Independent learning time93Reading and preparation of assessment
Total Workload: 125

All module information is indicative and subject to change. For further information,students are advised to refer to the University's Marks and Standards and Programme Specific Regulations at: http://www.dcu.ie/registry/examinations/index.shtml

Indicative Content and Learning Activities
Philosophy.
Overview of philosophy and its relevance for nursing and health care.

Viktor Frankls world.
Suffering and its impact on meaning.

The problem of suffering.
How philosophy explores the meaning of suffering.

God and evil.
Various philosophical approaches to the problem of evil.

Nazi medicine.
How could doctors and nurses do what they did in Nazi Germany?.

Greek philosophy.
Is the unexamined life not worth living?.

Existentialism.
How can we live a meaningful authentic life?.

Nietzsche.
Is morality totally meaningless?.

Naturalism.
The impact of modern science on modern philosophy.

Meaning and suicide.
Ethics, meaning and end-of-life decisions.

Assessment Breakdown
Continuous Assessment100% Examination Weight0%
Course Work Breakdown
TypeDescription% of totalAssessment Date
In Class TestIn class assignments will be carried out at 4 points during the module to develop critical thinking skills.20%Every Second Week
Report (s) (written / oral)Draft essay on Viktor Frankl's book Man's Search for Meaning10%Week 10
EssayExploration of relevant issues raised by Viktor Frankl's book Man's Search for Meaning70%Sem 2 End
Reassessment Requirement
Resit arrangements are explained by the following categories;
1 = A resit is available for all components of the module
2 = No resit is available for 100% continuous assessment module
3 = No resit is available for the continuous assessment component
This module is category 1
Indicative Reading List
  • Frankl, V. E.: 1974, Mans search for meaning, Hodder & Stoughton, London, 0340388315
  • Klemke, E. D.: 2000, The meaning of life, 2nd ed, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 019512703X
  • Diané Collinson and Kathryn Plant: 2006, Fifty major philosophers, 2nd ed, Routledge, London, 0415346088
  • Julian Baggini and Peter S. Fosl: 2003, The philosopher's toolkit, Blackwell, Malden, MA, 0631228748
  • Hugh Mercer Curtler: 2004, Ethical argument, 2nd ed, Oxford University Press, New York, 0195173163
  • A. P. Martinich: 2005, Philosophical Writing, 3rd ed, Blackwell, Malden, 1405131675
  • Lewis Vaughn: 2006, Writing philosophy, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 0195179560
  • Robert C. Solomon: 1981, Introducing the existentialists, Hackett Pub. Co., Indianapolis, Ind., 0915144476
  • Harold S. Kushner: 2002, When Bad Things Happen to Good People, Pan, London, 0330490559
  • John Portmann: 2000, When bad things happen to other people, Routledge, New York, 0415923352
  • C. S. Lewis: 2001, A grief observed, HarperSanFrancisco, San Francisco, 0060652381
  • Corrie ten Boom with John and Elizabeth Sherrill: 1972, The hiding place, Hodder and Stoughton, London, 0340160004
  • Bronwyn Rebekah McFarland-Icke: 1999, Nurses in Nazi Germany, Princeton University Press, Princeton, N.J., 0691006652
  • Vivien Spitz: 2005, Doctors from Hell, Sentient Publications, Boulder, CO, 1591810329
  • Elie Wiesel; translated from the French by Stella Rodway: 1982, Night, Bantam Books, New York, 0553272535
  • Anne Frank: 2007, The Diary of a Young Girl, Penguin, London, 0141032006
  • Alexander Solzhenitsyn: 1974, One day in the life of Ivan Denisovich, Heinemann, London, 0435122002
  • Leo Tolstoy; translated by Aylmer Maude: 2005, A confession, Dover Publications, Mineola, NY, 0486438511
Other Resources
948, DVD, 2004, Anne Frank remembered, Culver City, CA, Sony Pictures, 949, DVD, 2003, Nellie: a life worth living, Poreland, OR, Penumbra,
Array
Programme or List of Programmes
BHSBachelor of Science in Health & Society
Timetable this semester: Timetable for NS122
Date of Last Revision19-SEP-08
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