PHIL 244 - Bioethics

Credits: 5
Introduces student’s to ethical issues relating to medical practice and biological research. Topics may include reproductive ethics (especially concerning genetic engineering and testing); definitions of health, disease, and disability; abortion and end of life care (advanced directives, assisted suicide, euthanasia); experimentation (both human and animal); and practitioner-patient relationships.

Enrollment Requirement: Eligible for ENGL 99 or instructor consent.

Satisfies Requirement: Humanities/Fine Arts/English
Course Fee: $2.00

Course Outcomes:
Students who successfully complete this class will be able to:

Demonstrate command of important philosophical terminology, themes, and arguments related to the major normative ethical theories.
Apply ethical theories to contemporary problems in biology and medicine.
State and evaluate non-trivial theories and arguments related to bioethics.

Program Outcomes
Form, analyze, and assess beliefs while demonstrating intellectual humility and respect towards the beliefs of others.

College-wide Outcomes

Critical Thinking - Critical thinking finds expression in all disciplines and everyday life. It is characterized by an ability to reflect upon thinking patterns, including the role of emotions on thoughts, and to rigorously assess the quality of thought through its work products. Critical thinkers routinely evaluate thinking processes and alter them, as necessary, to facilitate an improvement in their thinking and potentially foster certain dispositions or intellectual traits over time.
Written Communication - Written Communication encompasses all the abilities necessary for effective expression of thoughts, feelings, and ideas in written form.