The Daily Tar Heet Wednesday, October 9, 19353:
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.Stall Writer
' When it comes to emotional issues like abortion, most
people could easily take sides. But when students in Douglas
C. Long's bioethics class take a side, they better have a sound
argument...
Professor Long teaches the philosopohy department's most
popular course, bioethics the study of moral problems
that arise in the practice of medicine. The "lightness" or
"wrongness" of abortion and euthanasia are two examples
cf the problems Long deals with every, day.
"He's very cautious," said Kelly Stone, one of Long's
teaching assistants. He makes sure the class is not a forum
for his own views. He's also a good teacher in that when
he expresses ideas, they are unfettered and clear.
"He's a communicator," she said. "He makes sure his
students understand what he's saying before he goes on."
Deborah Williams, a senior from Morganton enrolled in
Long's bioethics class, said: "His lectures are clear. A lot
of philosophy is hard to understand and he explains it well."
Karen Moore, a junior from Huntersville, said: "He's fairly
intelligent. He goes into detail and he's not hard to
understand."
Long holds masters and doctorate degrees in philosophy
from Harvard and has been teaching at UNC since 1967.
He said he decided to be a teacher at an early age.
"I come from a family of teachers and professors, and
it was always understood that I would do somthing like
this," Long said, looking over his paper-covered desk.
Long said he picked philosophy over his first course of
study, chemistry, because it seemed more interesting, and
he thought he would be good at it.
"Philosophy offers a lot of scope for evaluating ideas that
chemistry doesn't," he said. "It also stretches the imagination.
It's good for people to have their imagination stretched."
Long said his favorite areas of study within philosophy
were philosophy of the mind and theories of thought and
ethics. His interest in these areas led him to design a course
that would allow discussion on these subjects. So bioethics
was born.
"I just decided it would be interesting to explore it
Philosophy
(bioethics) to see what philosophical problems were of
interest, and it caught on," he said.
Indeed it did catch on. Since its 1977 introduction, class
size has grown steadily from 50 students in a class to a
high of 150 this year. Jay Rosenberg, department chairman,
said that earlier this year, the department turned away 200
to 300 students because the bioethics class was full.
Long credited the class' popularity to the fact that bioethics
touches people's lives. Whether a mercy killing was justified
would be of interest to a student if a relative was suffering
incurably, he said.
"The topics are important to the students. They want a
better understanding of the issues, more than they could
get from a newspaper or a Donahue show.
"If students must take a philosophy course, and we offer
a course with that kind of interest, students will naturally
gravitate toward it," Long said.
Long said that although the subjects he dealt with could
become highly emotional, the discussions usually were
intellectual, not emotional.
"The way in which I conduct class inhibits people from
simply stating an opinion," he said. "I wait for people to
make useful and instructive points.
"I try to map out opposing positions in as understandable
a way as possible to help others understand their own
positions."
Long said although his views might enter into the
discussions, he did not push them on the students. "I try
to leave the final position with the students," he said.
Long said he enjoyed teaching bioethics, but next semester
the course will be taught by another professor. The
philosophy department has a policy against any course
becoming the "property" of any one professor, Long said.
"Ill be trying to put together a book next semester," he
said. Although he has published many articles in anthologies
and trade journals, this will be his first book.
The book will deal with the concept of 'personhood,' Long
said. It also will discuss topics such as the differences between
people and biological units, how someone counts as a person
and a person's, free will.
from page 1
7
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A.
DTHLarry Childress?
Professor Long says, "The way in which I conduct class inhibits people from simply stating an opinion" j
Subbing
from page 1;
philosopher is doing this, he has a
contribution to make."
Rosenberg said all great political
revolutions resulted from someone's
philosophy. The French Revolution
and the Declaration of Independence
had their roots in John Locke and Jean
Jacques Rouseau, he said.
"Philosophy has its impact, but it's
very roundabout," Rosenberg said.
Philosophers tend to be generalists,
he said. The good ones are able to cross
over that generality.
"Maybe we should be doing more to
establish lines of communications with
others who can make best use of (a
philosopher's skills) straightway," he
said.
The role of philosophy in the Uni
versity community may become more,
prevalent in the future with the intro
duction of more interdisciplinary-study
courses, Rosenberg said. Five to 10
interdisciplinary courses may be added
in the coming year or so, if the
in the past, he said.
UNC's philosophy department is
nationally prominent, and part of the
reason it stays that way is the Annual
Chapel Hill Philosophy Colloquium, a
for th record
Tuesday's story "Diplomat heads S.
Africa talk" incorrectly identified James
R. Leutze as chairman of the history
department. Leutze is chairman of the
peace, war and defense curriculum. The
DTH regrets the reporting error.
series of lectures and seminars by
prominent philosophers.
The colloquium, held every October
since 1966, has aquired a national
reputation as ". . . perhaps the best
philosophical conference held in the
U.S. each year and draws philosophers
from all over the. country," according
to a 1974 departmental self-study
preparerd by the department.
The funding for the colloquium
comes from the salaries of professors
who are on leave or who are otherwise
not being paid by the University,
Rosenberg said.
"The funding has not increased for
a very long time, and it does affect us
somewhat," he said. "This year, well
be drawing more on regional talent than
before. It's getting harder and harder
to stay within budget." !
The department also places a heavy
emphasis on publishing and research,
although the University does not allow
philosophy professors research leave.
tract ors-a chance !
to research," Rosenberg said. "We
compensate with what we call 'in-house
leave.' The f professors stay here and
don't teach any classes. We give masters
and doctoral candidates full-time
research for one year. It's as close as
we can come to sabbatical research
leave."
All in all though, Rosenberg said,
everything in the department is going
well.
"We are a good department getting
better," he said.
"There is a reason behind it all, and
students need to see that reason," he
said.
When the new curriculum introduc
ing the General College and bachelor
of arts perspective requirements was
approved, it wasn't done to prevent
students from graduating, Graves said.
"We dont want to strand students
so they can't graduate," he said. "We
hope to be fair without having a lot
Campus Calendar
Wednesday
10:00 a.m. Alpha Phi Omega sponsoring a
bloodmobile in the Great Hall
until 3:00 p.m. Appearing will
be Foxy 107.
Anglican Student Fellowship
invites all students to celebrate
Eucharist at the Chapel of the
Cross.
Noon Campus Y Access sponsoring
discussion on North Carolina
Politics with Thad Beyle, in
Campus Y Lounge.
-3:30 p.m.. Crg er Planoing aftdPlacement
Services is sponsoring an inter
viewing tips workshop for Bus-
r. .; iness majors in T-l Carroll, i
Career Planning and Placement
Services is sponsoring an orien
tation workshop in 210 Hanes. .
4:30 p.m. Career Planning and Placement
Services is sponsoring an infor
mation session for the Navy in
209 Hanes.
6:00 p.m. UNC Clogging Club sponsoring
clogging instruction in 211
Union. Call 967-5759 for
information.
7:00 p.m. UNC Gaming Society sponsor
ing "How to Play Dungeons
and Dragons," in the Union.
AIESEC holding a mandatory
meeting, 208 Union.
Career Planning and Placement
Services is sponsoring an infor
mation session for Lord &
Taylor, Ballroom C, Carolina
." Inn. V
Career Planning and Placement
f Services is sponsoring an infor
mation session for Morgan
Guaranty Trust Company
210 Hanes.
in
of students take advantage of the'
decision."
The School of Journalism also
announced it would be making efforts
to help its seniors graduate in May by
following a procedure similar to the one
announced by the College of Arts and
Sciences.
Like the College of Arts and Sciences,
the School of Journalism includes
junior and senior perspectives in its
curriculum.
Seniors in the Journalism School
who have had trouble in getting classes
to fulfill the perspectives will be allowed
to substitute courses, Dean Richard
Cole said Tuesday.
"We are working with individuals on
a case by case basis," Cole said, adding
that if students had problems they could
go to the Journalism School's office.
"We're being very sympathetic," he
said.
There have been at least four cases
within the last several days where
students have gone in to see about
substituting a course, Cole said. j
In determining which courses can be j
substituted, Cole said it was important;
the proposed course be similar to;
courses already approved as perspec-j
tives courses. i
Students may discuss scheduling;
problems with their journalism advisers,
but if the problem goes beyond what?
the adviser can handle, then the students
must go to the office and meet with?
the dean, Cole said. f
No one faces
cancer alone.
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