HNRS 235 Shades of Grey: Ethics in Healthcare

The study of ethics involves systematizing, defending and recommending concepts of right and wrong behavior. In the healthcare arena, we will discuss the difference between right and wrong as it pertains to life and death and caring for other people. The tricky thing is that there is often not a clear 'right or wrong' in ethics; it isn't about looking at things in black and white but rather all shades of grey in between. The class will feature a selection of topics, case discussions and student-led presentations. Potential topics include gene-edited babies, palliative care or abandonment of care, whether children have vaccination rights, whether assisted dying will become the new norm, and sex and dementia-is it love or assault? The class format will primarily feature group discussions, guest speakers from various areas of healthcare, and student presentations. 

Credits

1

Offered

Fall, odd years

Student Learning Outcomes

1. Improved communication skills: writing clearly, reading intelligently, and analyzing critically.
2. The ability to consider an ethical dilemma in the context of the four core bioethical principles: autonomy, beneficence, nonmaleficence, and justice.
3. Application of an ethical decision-making process to various contemporary and complex health care issues.
4. The ability to influence decision-making among peers; use and model self-reflection, listening, empathy, and awareness as an ethical leader.