Syllabus
Building upon the lessons below, learners will also critique assigned articles, participate in discussion boards, compose a comprehensive essay and participate in a comprehensive ethics simulation.
WEEK 1: ETHICS AND MORALITY: UNIVERSAL NORMS AND VIRTUES
- Universal morality concept
- Morally in a pluralistic world
- De-emphasis on virtues in contemporary culture
WEEK 2: MORAL STATUS WITHIN THE RELATIONSHIP: TO WHOM IS ONE OBLIGATED AND WHO HAS RIGHTS?
- Five theories of moral status (who counts?)
- Person, personhood and respect for persons in bioethical discussion
- Perspectives on paramount importance of moral status
- Professional-Patient Relationship in the setting of epidemics
WEEK 3: AUTONOMY
- Autonomy, the first among the principles in ethical healthcare practice
- The place of autonomy in the actual healthcare practice
- Two autonomies flowing bilaterally between the parties
WEEK 4: NONMALEFICENCE
- Nonmaleficence, broader than maintenance of health and restoration to health
- The Hippocratic Oath today
- Principlism and ethical decision-making in context
WEEK 5: BENEFICENCE
- Principles of beneficence and “the good”
- Autonomy, nonmaleficence, beneficence in making moral choices
WEEK 6: JUSTICE
- Persisting injustices, inequities and disparities and bioethics justice
- Global justice and locally-applying justice
WEEK 7: MORAL THEORIES
- Three quandary-focused theories: utilitarianism, Kantianism and rights theory juxtaposed to the place of virtue ethics
- Ethical theories in the setting of epidemics
WEEK 8: METHOD AND MORAL JUSTIFICATION
- Equilibrium informed by the common morality in contrast with utilitarianism, Kantianism, rights theory, and virtue theory
- Principlism from an African-American perspective in contrast with European-American perspective
