Bioethics

Catalog description

The study of bioethics is both intensely timely (barely a week passes that some relevant, high-profile story is not in the news), and richly interdisciplinary (combining theories and methods from history, sociology, philosophy, law, religious studies, the life sciences, economics and political theory, at the very least). This course will take an in-depth approach to the bioethical framework of principlism. We will learn about the four principles: autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, and justice. Much of the semester will be spent unpacking prominent case studies in which these principles collide, including surrogacy, enhancement, drug legalization, and AI in healthcare. How can bioethics inform decision making in these contested spaces?