A list of current bioethics course offerings can be found at 2009-2010 Bioethics Course Schedule
For a complete list of bioethics courses and their descriptions, see below.
Required Courses
BIE 701: HISTORY OF CONTEMPORARY BIOETHICS (2/3) A survey of contemporary bioethics from the 1960’s to the present. The focus will be on historically significant cases that raised major issues, the context in which those issues were explored, and the kinds of reasoning and conclusions utilized in deciding them. Representative cases include the choice of candidates for dialysis by the “God Committee,” Karen Ann Quinlan (and other cases of PVS), and the response to the Tuskegee syphilis study. Staff
BIE 702: BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH ETHICS (3) A historical and conceptual survey of ethics and policy issues in biomedical research. Emphasis will be placed on research involving human subjects; translational research, including oversight of novel biotechnologies; and the ethical implications of research design and funding decisions. Topics will include the regulatory structure of research and proposals for reform; genomics and biospecimen research; and the relationship between medical research and medical treatment. Students will be required to take any 2 of the following 3 courses: Clinical Ethics, Biomedical Research Ethics, and Public Policy, Medicine, and Justice. King
BIE 703: BIOETHICS THEORY (3) An investigation of the main theoretical approaches to contemporary bioethics and their philosophical foundations. The starting point will be the principles of beneficence, autonomy and justice first propounded in the Belmont Report. Criticisms of and alternatives to what has come to be called the “principlist approach to bioethics” will be critically reviewed. Hardgrave
BIE 704: PUBLIC POLICY, MEDICINE, AND JUSTICE (3) An examination of the organization of medicine and biomedical science in the United States today. The relationships between scientific and medical institutions and the implementation of public policies will be critically analyzed in light of the requirements of the principle of justice. Topics will include conflicts of interest, broadly understood, within and between institutional and professional actors; the regulation of medical practice; access to health care; and the balance between the public good and market forces. Students will be required to take any 2 of the following 3 courses: Clinical Ethics, Biomedical Research Ethics, and Public Policy, Medicine, and Justice. Moskop
BIE 705: CLINICAL ETHICS (3) This course will focus on “ethics at the bedside” and will make extensive use of case studies. The emphasis will be on patient-provider relationships, broadly understood, and on problems of communication, and on the social, cultural, and institutional contexts in which they arise. Clinical decision making in a wide range of contexts will be examined. Questions of organizational ethics will also be considered. Students will be required to take any 2 of the following 3 courses: Clinical Ethics, Biomedical Research Ethics, and Public Policy, Medicine, and Justice. Moskop
BIE 706: BIOETHICS SEMINAR (2/3) A weekly seminar on bioethics topics of interest featuring WFU and invited external faculty, with additional student presentations. Participants will also engage presenters and scholarly literature on ethical issues arising in the profession of bioethics, controversies concerning the role of the bioethics professional, and the standards and evaluation of practitioners of bioethics. King, Hall
BIE 791/792: THESIS RESEARCH (1-6) Research directed toward fulfilling the thesis requirement. May be undertaken at any time, but full-time students are encouraged to begin thesis planning in the spring and complete the thesis during the summer term. Alternatively, full-time students may complete the thesis during the fall semester following completion of all course work.
Elective Courses
BIE 707: BIOETHICS AS A PROFESSION (2) A critical examination of the scholarly literature both in and about bioethics. Topics may include the ethics of the profession of bioethics, controversies concerning the role of bioethics professionals, and the standards and evaluation of practitioners of bioethics. King
BIE 708: RESEARCH METHODS (may be required for the thesis option) (2) An introduction to the methods, concepts and tools used in quantitative and qualitative empirical research in bioethics. Students will develop skills in the design, conduct, interpretation, and evaluation of bioethics research. Hall & Shumaker
BIE 709: ETHICS OF HEALTH COMMUNICATION (3) Topics may include the following: (1) Communication with patients, including truth-telling, confidentiality, and techniques for effective communication; (2) Communication within and between institutions, including portable advance directives, access to patient records, and the prevention of medical errors; and (3) Communication with the public, including issues arising from the presentation of bioethical issues in news media, film, and television. Hyde
BIE 710: GLOBAL BIOETHICS (2/3) A comparison of American bioethics with the views of other societies and cultures, including western and non-western perspectives and developed and developing world perspectives. Topics may include: individualism vs. the community, reproductive freedom, organ transplantation, definitions and views of death, access to medical advances, and the use of human subjects in medical research. Other issues include health disparities, justice in research, and the role of humanitarian aid in promotion of global health. Staff
BIE 711: CURRENT TOPICS IN CLINICAL AND BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH ETHICS (2/3) An in-depth critical examination of selected topics of current interest in clinical and research ethics. Topics will be identified by staff and students. Examples of pertinent topics include human pluripotent stem cell research; assisted reproduction; research without consent; the sale of human organs; pandemic and biodefense preparedness; synthetic body parts and transhumanism; genetic enhancement; regenerative medicine and biogerontology. Prerequisites: Clinical Ethics or Biomedical Research Ethics. May be repeated for credit. King
BIE 713: LAW, MEDICINE, AND ETHICS (2/3) An examination of the relationships between law and medicine, including the legal regulation of medical practice, concepts of medical malpractice, medical neglect, informed consent and legal competence, confidentiality and privacy, and definitions of death. The ethical implications of the intersection of law and medicine will be critically analyzed. Coughlin
BIE 715: MEDICINE AND RELIGION (2) An introduction to the views of the major religious traditions (Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, Islam, Judaism, and the various branches of Christianity) about the nature of disease and death and the practice of medicine. Specific topics may include the accommodation of religious practices in a medical setting, religiously based refusals of treatment, and conflicting views of the boundaries between religious and medical interests. Staff
BIE 721/722: RESEARCH/INDEPENDENT STUDY (1-2) Students may work with a faculty member on a project of mutual interest. May be repeated for credit.
BIE 725: HEALTH CARE LAW AND POLICY (2/3) This course introduces students to the structure, financing and regulation of the health care system and proposals for its reform. Topics include Medicare, medical staff disputes, health care antitrust, HMO’s and insurance regulation. This course is cross-listed as Law 525. Hall
BIE 757: BIOTECHNOLOGY LAW AND POLICY (2/3) This course surveys a range of legal and public policy topics in biotechnology, such as: FDA regulation of drugs and devices, regulation of medical research, products liability, insurance coverage of pharmaceuticals, intellectual property, and genetics. This course is cross-listed as Law 657. Hall
BIE 794: BIO-ETHICS AND LAW (2/3) Students act as a court or administrative agency and write opinions addressing emerging legal and ethical issues created by society’s advancements in medicine and biotechnology, including genetic testing, biomedical experimentation, reproductive rights and end of life decisions. This course is cross-listed as Law 594. Coughlin & Hall