PHIL 1130 - Biomedical Ethics
3 Credits
Introduces students to philosophical reflection on ethical issues that arise in the practice of medicine and health care. We will examine several major ethical theories, critiques of these theories, and alternative approaches to ethical decision-making. We will investigate a range of specific ethical issues/topics through the lens of these theories and approaches. Applied topics may include enhancement technologies, euthanasia and physician assisted death, end of life care, abortion, systemic injustice in healthcare, distribution of scarce resources, healthcare consumerism, research ethics, patient rights and consent, and reproductive technologies.
Major Content Areas
Introduction to culturally and religiously relevant considerations around medical treatment (such as perceptions around death and dying, medical intervention, and directives to physician). Introduction to key concepts employed in medical ethics such as patient rights (including confidentiality, consent, and directives), autonomy vs. paternalism, systemic injustice (in relation to race and other vulnerable groups), diverse criteria pertaining to personhood and death, acts of omission vs. acts of commission, ethical considerations for medical research, and patient advocacy. Survey of ethical theories (e.g. consequentialism, deontological theories, virtue ethics, care ethics). Moral issues in biomedical ethics (these will vary depending on individual instructor’s choices, but may include the professional-patient relationship, death and end of life decisions, suicide and physician-assisted suicide, genetics and human reproduction, human and animal research, social justice and access to health care, biotechnology and enhancement).
Learning Outcomes
Summarize and analyze ethical theories. Apply ethical theories and concepts to biomedical issues. Formulate, analyze, and assess one’s own ethical perspectives on biomedical issues. Identify the elements relevant to an ethical problem and generate and evaluate the ethical implications that follow from them. Engage in respectful dialogue about controversial and complex moral issues.
Minnesota Transfer Curriculum (MNTC) Goals
06 - Humanities/Fine Arts 09 - Ethical/Civic Resp
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