This course 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. We explore basic questions integral to determinations of social injustice as well as moral constraints on the pursuit of health equity.

Examines and compares phenomenology, discourse analysis, and grounded theory. Reviews the history of ideas and critically reads examples of published articles to appreciate how each method frames questions and produces different analyses.

This course introduces students to select biotechnology innovations and invites consideration of the ethical and policy implications surrounding their development and potential use.

This course examines the relationship between bioethics and law. Reviews the basic concepts of both disciplines; their theoretical and practical connections. Analysis of principle legal cases and statutes illustrating such issues as informed consent to treatment, foregoing life support, research with human subjects, confidentiality, and allocation of health care resources. Offered jointly with LAW H 503.

This course introduces students to research methods in bioethics, ranging from qualitative to quantitative: interviews, focus groups, surveys, and experimental and observational designs. Students write research questions, match research methods to research questions, and conclude with a proposal that uses a social sciences empirical approach to address their research question. Offered jointly with PHG 527.