Issues in Science

How should we decide who will get organ transplants when the need exceeds supply? Is it ethical for physicians to provide lethal doses of medication to the terminally ill?  Should parents be allowed to withhold medical treatment from children on religious grounds? These are the sorts of questions addressed in this discussion-based seminar that focuses on scientifically anchored ethical dilemmas. Students use the formal principles of bioethics to refine arguments. The course draws upon a wide variety of academic and popular media sources to examine how scientific research is changing our understanding of the world, and how society, in turn, is being transformed by scientific tools.