SP20 PHIL403

Medical Ethics (PHIL403)
Patrick Dieveney
Monday & Wednesday ·  09:30am–10:45am  ·  LA5–149
GE areas satisfied: C2 (Philosophy) and F (Capstone)

In this course, we will be exploring a wide range of issues in contemporary biomedical ethics. Topics discussed in the course include ethical issues concerning the professional-patient relationship, human and animal research, physician-assisted suicide, abortion and embryonic stem cell research, and social justice and health-care policy. The primary goal in the course is to introduce students to various ethical issues in the biomedical sciences, and equip them with the analytical tools necessary to appreciate the various positions and arguments. In the process, students will also gain an understanding of some of the historically prominent theories in normative ethics, e.g., virtue ethics, Kantian ethics, utilitarianism. The course should prove beneficial to those for whom this may be their only philosophy course, and it will provide a good background for those who wish to pursue further studies in philosophy.