Undergraduate Course: Biomedical ethics (PHIL10191)
Course Outline
| School | School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 10 (Year 4 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | This course examines in depth the field of biomedical ethics. Students will learn several of the most prominent approaches to moral reasoning, and they will examine a variety of central issues in biomedical ethics. These issues may include personal and policy decisions about the end-of-life, abortion, the physician-patient relationship, societal obligations to health care, and the uses and abuses of new medical technology.
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| Course description |
This seminar course aims to develop students philosophical understanding of ethical issues in biomedicine and healthcare. The course will focus on several substantial issues, examining them through the lens of approaches to ethical reasoning such as consequentialism, deontology, virtue, and a plurality of principles. The issues examined may include issues at the end-of-life, such as euthanasia and organ donation; issues at the beginning of life, such as abortion and pre-natal testing; issues of the physician-patient relationship, such as the limits of confidentiality and informed consent; and issues arising from the development of new technologies, such as internal medical devices and genetic therapies and enhancements. Students will articulate views on all of these issues in intensive classroom discussion, and they will explore two of these issues in-depth in their written assignments.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
Students MUST have passed:
Knowledge and Reality (PHIL08017) AND
Mind, Matter and Language (PHIL08014)
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | Students studying on MA Cognitive Science (Humanities) are permitted to take this course without having met the pre-requisites of Mind, Matter and Language (PHIL08014) and Knowledge and Reality (PHIL08014). However, it is advisable that students discuss the suitability of the course with their PT and the course organiser before enrolling. |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | Visiting students should have completed at least 3 Philosophy courses at grade B or above. We will only consider University/College level courses. Applicants should note that, as with other popular courses, meeting the minimum does NOT guarantee admission. These enrolments are managed strictly by the Visiting Student Office, in line with the quotas allocated by the department, and all enquiries to enrol in these courses must be made through the CAHSS Visiting Student Office. It is not appropriate for students to contact the department directly to request additional spaces. |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2025/26, Available to all students (SV1)
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Quota: 0 |
| Course Start |
Semester 2 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 22,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
174 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Midterm essay (35%) 1500 words
Final essay (60%) 2500 words
Participation (5%) |
| Feedback |
Guidance will be given in advance of each assignment. This may be in the form of an in-class discussion, a handout, or discussion of a component of the assessed work. Instructor feedback on essay outline and peer feedback provides further formative opportunities ahead of final essay. |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- To understand the most prominent approaches to biomedical moral reasoning
- To think critically about ethical decision-making in medicine and health care
- To analyse and evaluate policies in medicine and health care
- To communicate clearly sophisticated philosophical positions on complex ethical issues
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Reading List
Representative reading list on representative topics
Ethical reasoning and approaches to biomedical ethics: Beauchamp and Childress, Principles of Biomedical Ethics
End-of-Life: Rachels, Active and Passive Euthanasia; Velleman, A Right to Self-Termination?
Abortion: Thomson, A Defense of Abortion; Marquis, Why Abortion Is Immoral
Physician-Patient Relationship: Childress & Siegler, Metaphors and Models of Doctor-Patient Relationships; Higgs, On Telling Patients the Truth
New Technologies: Mallia, From What Should We Protect Future Generations: Germ-Line Therapy or Genetic Screening?; Ten Have, Can the Four Principles Help in Genetic Screening Decision-Making?
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Contacts
| Course organiser | Prof Michael Gill
Tel: (0131 6)51 3083
Email: mgill@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Ms Joan MacKenzie
Tel:
Email: jmacken8@ed.ac.uk |
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