Introduction to Medical Ethics and Bioethics

This course will introduce students to the field of bioethics with specific attention to common ethical problems found in the modern practice of medicine. We will start by examining conventional Western bioethical normative claims about the primacy of autonomy, and its relationship to beneficence, non-maleficence, and justice. We will use real-world case studies to bring out how genuine bioethical dilemmas consistently force us to confront competing, important human values. Controversial topics may include euthanasia, physician-assisted suicide, abortion, research, and decision-making for children and incapacitated patients. The course will be faculty led/facilitated but grounded in class discussion and will require students’ close reading of a variety of materials prior to each class.