Bioethics (PHIL 165, SECTION 001)

This course will be an exploration of bioethics through film.  We will begin with a brief survey of ethics, focusing on the deontology of Kant and the Utilitarianism of Mill.  We will then study informed consent with a focus on the Tuskegee experiments, and will watch Miss Evers’ Boys.  Next we will study infectious disease.   We will focus on AIDS, but will also examine the response to swine flu.  We will watch a Nova special on Typhoid Mary, as well as Philadelphia. Our next unit will focus on biotechnology and reproduction.  We will watch an interview with the Ayala sisters.  We will briefly study organ donation, then will turn to a detailed examination of human genetic engineering.  We will watch a Star Trek episode, as well as Gattaca. Next, we will examine the morality of abortion.  Our final unit will concern the ethics of disability.  Throughout the course, our emphasis will be on gaining a dynamic understanding of contemporary issues in bioethics and on widely applying the philosophical principles we learn.

Dana Goswick’s webpage