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    Overview

    Ethical issues in health care, medicine and biotechnology in NZ and globally. Fundamental ethical concepts such as value of life, individual freedom, justice, socio-cultural differences and universal morality.

    What is just healthcare? Is human gene editing morally justifiable? What are the ethical dilemmas involved in euthanasia? Why did wartime medical atrocities occur? This paper explores these questions and many other bioethical topics in Aotearoa NZ and global health, including issues from the beginning to the end of life, from genetic ethics to eldercare, and from public health to world poverty. These issues will be examined through the key bioethical concepts and principles such as the intrinsic value of life, informed consent, autonomy and liberty, beneficence, justice, cultural diversity and ethical universalism.

    About this paper

    Paper title Bioethics: Healthcare Issues and Global Perspectives
    Subject Bioethics
    EFTS 0.15
    Points 18 points
    Teaching period Semester 1 (On campus)
    Domestic Tuition Fees ( NZD ) $981.75
    International Tuition Fees Tuition Fees for international students are elsewhere on this website.
    Prerequisite
    One 200-level BITC or PHIL paper, or 108 points
    Schedule C
    Arts and Music, Science
    Eligibility

    Suitable for third-year undergraduates or above of all disciplines, including sciences, humanities, social sciences and commerce.

    Contact

    Professor Jing-Bao Nie

    jing-bao.nie@otago.ac.nz
    Tel 03 471 6129

    Teaching staff

    Course Co-ordinator: Professor Jing-Bao Nie
    Bioethics Centre Academic Staff

    Paper Structure
    The paper consists of 5 parts:
    • Foundation and Context
    • Healthcare Ethics
    • At the Beginning of Life
    • At the End of Life
    • Cross-Cultural and Global Issues
    Teaching Arrangements

    Lectures with plenty of class discussion, some films, documentaries and student presentation of readings.

    Textbooks

    Textbooks are not required for this paper. All of the readings are available on Blackboard.

    Graduate Attributes Emphasised
    Global perspective, Interdisciplinary perspective, Scholarship, Critical thinking, Cultural understanding.
    View more information about Otago's graduate attributes.
    Learning Outcomes
    Students will have become familiar with the ethical issues involved in a range of bioethical topics and the key bioethical values or principles and their application and will have further cultivated moral sensitivity as well as abilities and skills of:
    • Critical thinking
    • Interdisciplinary dialogue
    • Identifying and analysing bioethical issues
    • Articulating thoughts and reasoning with evidence and coherent arguments

    Timetable

    Semester 1

    Location
    Dunedin
    Teaching method
    This paper is taught On Campus
    Learning management system
    Blackboard

    Lecture

    Stream Days Times Weeks
    Attend
    A1 Monday 14:00-15:50 9-13, 15-22
    Thursday 14:00-15:50 9-13, 15-16, 18-22
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