UW, Department of Bioethics & Humanities

The Minor in Bioethics and Humanities is particularly useful for students aspiring toward careers in the health professions and is designed to provide an appreciation of the culture of medicine and allied fields. The Department of Bioethics & Humanities is devoted to teaching and research in the history of medicine and science, and in the ethics and philosophy of medicine.

STUDENTS MUST DECLARE A MAJOR and have completed a minimum of 45 credits before declaring a minor. Students must have the major advisor sign off on minor declaration paperwork in order to ensure that students meet university satisfactory progress requirements. Fill out a change-of-major/minor form available on our website at http://depts.washington.edu/bhdept/acapro/BH_Minor_Declaration_UoW1827.pdf or at any advising office, Schmitz Hall, Rm. 225, or the Undergraduate Advising Center, 171 Mary Gates Hall.

COMPLETING THIS MINOR will require at least two years, as many courses are offered only once a year or in alternate years. It is preferable to allow three years, beginning with 100-300 level elective courses in the sophomore year. Junior standing is required to enroll in most of our courses even if you are a declared minor. PLAN AHEAD! No substitutions will be allowed for either core or elective courses.

University of Washington minors must meet the following guidelines to be considered for approval:

Unit/Departmental Minors

25-35 credits
A minimum of 50% or 15 credits, whichever is greater, of 300/400 level courses.
A student cannot receive a minor in their major. * (see Interdisciplinary Minors)
A minimum of 50% or 15 credits, whichever is greater, must be completed in residence at the UW campus granting the minor.
Minors may request a minimum cumulative 2.0 GPA for courses applied to the minor; higher grade and GPA requirements are subject to additional review.
Courses taken Satisfactory/Not Satisfactory will not be counted toward a minor.
Students must declare a major and have completed a minimum of 45 credits before declaring a minor.
Students must have the major advisor sign off on minor declaration paperwork in order to ensure that students meet university satisfactory progress requirements.

The form for declaring a minor are available here, at any advising office, Schmitz Hall, Rm. 225, or the Undergraduate Advising Center, 171 Mary Gates Hall.

It is advised that all declared and prospective BH minors sign up for our BH listserv to receive periodic reminders and updates on classes, events, scholarships, etc... You may sign yourself up at:
https://mailman1.u.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/bh_minor

****NEW PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS EFFECTIVE AUTUMN QUARTER 2011****

Students already in a program will benefit from these new options and B H 417 will continue to satisfy the requirement for students who do have it on their records.

What we changed:

1. Removed B H 417 - Disease in History, from Core Course II and Elective list. This course is being dropped due to faculty retirement. It will continue to satisfy the requirement for students who already have it on their record.

2. Added B H 485 - Concepts of the Body in 19th and 20th Century America, to Core Course II list.

3. Added new B H course B H 456 - Social Justice and Health, to Core Course I and Elective list.

4. Added new B H course B H 460 - Responsible Conduct of Research, to Elective list.

Requirements: 25 credits of Bioethics & Humanities and related courses (15 of which must be B H ) with a minimum of 2.0 GPA required in each course presented for the minor. This information is all available on the minor worksheet which will be very helpful to keep track of your progress.

Courses must be distributed as follows:

Choose one of the following: BH 411, BH 420, BH 456, BH 474/PHIL 411, or PHIL 242
Choose one of the following: BH 401, BH 481, or BH 485
Additional credits selected from the following electives to total 25 credits; 15 credits must be BH courses: BH 401*, BH 402/PHIL 412, BH 404, BH 411*, BH 420*,
BH 440/PHIL 459, BH 456*, BH 460, BH 474*, BH 481*, BH 483, BH 485*, BH 497,
BH 499; ANTH 305, ANTH 308, ANTH 322, ANTH 374, ANTH 375, ANTH 415,
ANTH 440, ANTH 474, ANTH 475, ANTH 476, ANTH 477, ANTH 479;
BIO A 450, BIO A 465, BIO A 476, BIO A 483; CHID 332, CHID 433, CHID 434;
EPI 405; GENOME 351; GEOG 380, GEOG 480; G H 201, G H 401, G H 402, G H 403,
G H 415; HIST 311, HIST 312; HSTAA 316; HUM 211; H SERV 475; LSJ 332, LSJ 433, LSJ 434; NURS 410, NURS 412; PHARM 493; PHIL 102, PHIL 160, PHIL 240,
PHIL 242*, PHIL 345, PHIL 360, PHIL 409, PHIL 410, PHIL 411*, PHIL 412, PHIL 413, PHIL 415, PHIL 440, PHIL 459, PHIL 460, PHIL 481, PHIL 482; SOC 331, SOC 374,
SOC 431.

Total of 25 credits includes core courses. Any of the courses listed above in 1) and 2) may be used as electives if they are not counted toward the core requirements.

*Signifies a core course. If a B H course is cross-listed with another department’s course, B H credits toward the required 15 credits will be accepted.

The Department of Bioethics & Humanities is in the School of Medicine. Courses and related information are listed under School of Medicine in the Time Schedule and the UW General Catalog.

B H undergraduate courses will require entry (add) codes during registration period one. Entry codes will only be distributed to declared B H minors only. Larger courses will open to all after registration period one ends on a first-come, first-served basis with no entry code required. Our smaller courses will still require entry codes, and we will begin wait lists after registration period one ends.

If you have questions about the minor, please contact the Program Coordinator, at 206-543-5145 or bhinfo@u.washington.edu.

Required Core Courses

Choose one of the following five core courses:

B H 411 Introduction to Bioethics (3) Introduction to field of bioethics. Basic concepts, principles and methods of analysis, with application to some major issues in the field. Case studies utilized to illustrate nature of questions arising in bioethics and to provide students with opportunity to develop skills in ethical analysis.

B H 420 Philosophical Problems in Bioethics (3) Introduces students to philosophical concepts and controversies that underlie contemporary bioethical debates. Issues are explored using the literature of bioethics and philosophy, contemporary film, works of fiction, and conversations with health professionals.

B H 456 Social Justice and Health (5) Examines the moral grounds for the view that social inequalities in health are unjust using contemporary literature from moral philosophy and bioethics, case studies, and film. Explores basic questions integral to determinations of social injustice as well as moral constraints on the pursuit of health equity.

B H 474/PHIL 411 Justice in Health Care (5) Examination of the ethical problem of allocating scarce medical resources. Emphasis on fundamental principles of justice that support alternative health policies. Recommended: prior courses in philosophy or medical ethics.

PHIL 242 Introduction to Medical Ethics (5) Introduction to ethics, primarily for first- and second-year students. Emphasizes philosophical thinking and writing through an in-depth study of philosophical issues arising in the practice of medicine. Examines the issues of medical ethics from a patient's point of view.

AND one of the following three courses:

B H 401 The History of Modern Medicine (3) Survey of evolution of medical theory, practice and institutions in European and American society, from the late 18th century to present.

B H 481 The Pursuit of Health in American Society (3)
Examination of the development of concern for personal health over the past two centuries, and of the evolution of philosophies and practices of health promotion. Emphasis on the influence of both medicine and popular culture on shaping of attitudes toward diet, exercise, dress, sex, and other health behavior.

B H 485 Concepts of the Body in 19th and 20th Century America (3) Investigation of ideas relating to corporeal self in nineteenth- and twentieth-century America. Evolution of physical ideals of manliness/femininity, how ideals related to surrounding culture, how different bodily activities developed to realize ideals. Athleticism, physiognomy, beauty contests, body building, decorations, cosmetics, anthropometry, and phrenology.

Electives: Additional credits from approved electives to total 25 credits for the program, including core courses (15 credits must be in B H courses). New electives are added annually so click here for a current list of the core and elective courses.

Independent Study:

B H undergraduate research is open to juniors and seniors. You may request to complete an independent study project however we strongly encourage you to complete the minor using the course offerings. Faculty are limited on the number of IS credits they can supervise. A student should have in mind a particular project, or topic of interest, and some idea of how they propose to go about studying it independently. B H 499 enables students to investigate areas of intellectual interest that are substantially distinct from existing courses and/or to pursue modes of inquiry that are more intensive, specialized or innovative than those that are encountered in conventional course work.

This option involves a contract between the student and faculty sponsor to complete a specialized program of reading, research, or a distinct project with a plan for meetings, papers and other projects agreed upon at the outset. Students and faculty need to complete the BH499 Independent Study form and submit a copy to the Program Coordinator.

Students wishing to enroll in B H 499 should complete the following steps:
1. Discuss the project with a faculty member of your choice, or choose one in cooperation with the B H Program Coordinator. If the faculty member is willing to serve as a sponsor, agree on the number of conferences required, whether the project will involve one large paper, several essays, annotated bibliography, etc.

2. Fill out the application, describing the format of your study and the specific work to be done and have your sponsor sign it. If you don’t yet have a sponsor, the B H Program Coordinator will route your application to appropriate faculty who may be able to supervise your study.

3. Enter into your IS contract with your faculty sponsor, who will then notify the B H Program Coordinator to register you for B H 499 credits.

CREDITS AND TIME COMMITMENT
How much time do you have for an independent research study?
For a typical research paper, it might be expected that the student will write 5 typed, double-spaced pages per credit. This is only an example—final requirements must be agreed upon with the faculty mentor.

To conform to other course standards, the student is expected to participate in 3 hours of research activities per credit per week. This means that a 3 credit hour independent research study will involve 9 hours of research each week in addition to scheduled meetings with a faculty sponsor.

Bioethics Briefing Book

The Hastings Center Bioethics Briefing Book for Journalists, Policymakers, and Campaigns contains 36 overviews of issues in bioethics of high public interest, such as abortion, health care reform, human and sports enhancement, organ transplantation, personalized medicine, medical error, and stem cells. The chapters, written by leading ethicists, are nonpartisan, presenting reasonable considerations from various perspectives that are grounded in good scientific and ethical facts. They each include recent news stories, clickable experts to contact, linked resources, and (where available) recent legislation and campaign positions. Greater detail on how to use the book is in the introduction. The three framing essays offer valuable insights into the historical and increasing relevance of bioethics to public policy.

Undergraduate Bioethics Journals: Cornell University, Princton University , and University of Pennsylvania publish undergraduate bioethics journals. Research and discussion based articles are published primarily from undergraduate students at schools throughout the US, Canada, and Europe.