PHIL 309: Bioethics

PHIL 309-001: Bioethics
(Fall 2020)

10:30 AM to 01:10 PM F

Online

Section Information for Fall 2020

In this course, students will learn about some of the most important bioethical issues faced today and across the human lifespan, from conception to death. How should we approach public health while the United States is in the grips of the COVID-19 pandemic? What are our health care obligations to historically marginalized communities, such as people of color and those with disabilities? How should we deal with racism and sexism in medicine? Is it ethical to make designer babies? How do we know if an adult is capable of making medical decisions on her own? What and when is death? And, do we have an obligation to donate our organs after death?

Diverse approaches to these questions will be considered with an emphasis on moral reasoning. You will learn practical skills for identifying ethical issues in real-world scenarios, and how to grapple with these issues if you pursue a career in health care. The course is recommended for students interested in careers in health care, or those interested in gaining a deeper understanding of ethical issues in health care. No prior background in philosophy is assumed. This course fulfills the SYNTHESIS category of Mason’s CORE requirements for undergraduate training.

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Course Information from the University Catalog

Credits: 3

Examines some major moral issues involved in practice and research in medicine and health care. Topics to be chosen from medical experimentation, definition of death, physician-assisted dying, genetics and human reproduction, distribution of scarce resources, fertility, and organ transplants. Limited to three attempts.
Mason Core: Synthesis
Schedule Type: Lecture
Grading:
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.

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