Spring 2027
Special Topic: Bioethic: Birth, Ill, Sex, Death
In this discussion-based philosophy course, we will study contemporary ethical debates in medicine and biotechnology as they arise in four of our shared human life experiences: birth, illness, sex, and death. We will discuss readings about international and embryonic adoption, prenatal screening, abortion, public oversight of CRISPR-Cas9 and human enhancement, human and non-human animal experimentation, informed consent and patients’ rights, caregiving, elective surgery, recreational drug use, hookup culture, sexual “perversion,” sex work, euthanasia, killing in war, immortality, and the meaning of life.
Throughout the course, we will consider the background role played by the distinction between the natural and the unnatural, and whether the distinction is a constructed one, wielded by social powers in the name of science, as a weapon against populations that are new, marginalized, or perceived as threatening.
To succeed in this course, students should have strong reading comprehension, argumentative writing, and oral discussion skills. The final course grade will be based upon several 2-3-page argumentative response papers, in-class engagement, and the presentation of a final paper in an in-class conference.