PHIL 23B: Biomedical EthicsInstructor: Jordan Kokot Prerequisites: Course Description: This course introduces and wrestels with some of the central themes, concepts and issues in biomedical ethics. Ethics is the study of “normativity” or “shoulds,” and biomedical ethics takes on the challenge of thinking through the normative aspects of the fact that we are all biological beings who frequently require medical intervention to help us live and flourish. In a modern context, this medical intervention is highly structured by institution, economic, and legal background conditions, so, this class will also take on questions concerning the medical complex, social norms and assumptions around treatment, and the normative language of “cure.” </br></br>In this course, students will consider some of the ethical dilemmas that scientists, researchers, healthcare practitioners, policymakers, and individuals will face in the wake of the tremendous scientific and technological changes that have taken place in the medical world over the last few centuries. How ought we balance patient autonomy with the specialized knowledge of medical professionals? Should people be able to sell their organs or reproductive services? Should parents be allowed to choose their child’s genetic makeup? What is the relationship between social norms and personal healthcare? How should we think about disability? What are the consequences of the medicalization of gender? Along the way, we will read both works of academic bioethics as well as popular articles on salient contemporary issues.</br></br>The class will be divided into two units. The first will explore basic ethical principles in a medical context. After briefly introducing the three most dominant ethical theories in Western Bioethics (virtue ethics, utilitarianism, and deontology), we will discuss a series of cases that challenge many of our ethical assumptions around healthcare. We will also focus on the ethical guidelines that healthcare workers might employ in the difficult decisions that they make, sometimes daily, by digging more deeply into the ethics of care and “principlism.” Our second unit will investigate a series of important case studies and broach the question of “Biopolitics,” or the political issues that arise at the intersection of existing power structures and bodily autonomy. We will focus on larger scale issues in the medical industry, including disability, mental health, prescription regulation, gender, and the role of medical technologies. This unit will involve a slower, more careful set of targeted readings from thinkers like Eli Clare, Jonathan Sterne, and Paul Preciado. Session: Session I Day: M, T, Th Time: 8:30am - 11:00am Credit Hours: 4 Credits Course Format: Remote Learning Course for Summer 2024 Brandeis Graduation Requirement Fulfilled: HUM Enrollment Limit: 30 students Course Classification: Undergraduate Level Course Course Tuition: $3,700 Course Fees: None Open to High School Students: Yes |
