Bioethics

A.Y. 2023/2024
6
Max ECTS
40
Overall hours
SSD
SPS/01
Language
English
Learning objectives
This course aims to provide an overview of some of the most pressing issues addressed in the contemporary bioethical debate and is structured in four parts. The first part aims to offer a methodological introduction to the discipline and an overview of two classical issues discussed in bioethical reflection, namely, abortion and end-of-life. This will serve as a fundamental basis to discuss in detail three of the most pressing topics of bioethics in our nowadays society. The second part explores the ethical issues emerging from structural scarcity in healthcare and the necessity to allocate healthcare resources. The third part investigates the ethics of genetics and examines how current and future assisted reproductive technologies may change our understanding of human reproduction. The fourth and final part discusses the ethical problems emerging from the implementation of artificial intelligence in clinical settings, discussing its impact on the doctor-patient relationship and end-of-life decisions.
Expected learning outcomes
This course will allow students to acquire the knowledge and skills necessary for the development of a critical and non-dogmatic reflection on complex bioethical issues. With regard to knowledge, students will be able to: recognize the aims of bioethical reflection, distinguishing the various areas of practical application of the discipline; recognize the ethical theories and arguments used in dealing with specific bioethical issues. Regarding competencies, students will be able to formulate articulated opinions on the topics covered during the course and present their positions in a coherent and well-argued way.
Single course

This course can be attended as a single course.

Course syllabus and organization

Single session

Lesson period
Third trimester
Course syllabus
FRONTIERS IN BIOETHICS

This course aims to provide an overview of some of the most pressing issues addressed in the contemporary bioethical debate and is structured in four parts. The first part aims to offer a methodological introduction to the discipline and an overview of two classical issues discussed in bioethical reflection, namely, abortion and end-of-life. These notions will serve as a fundamental basis to discuss in detail three of the most pressing topics of bioethics in our nowadays society. Therefore, the second part explores the ethical issues emerging from structural scarcity in healthcare and the necessity to allocate healthcare resources. The third part investigates the ethics of genetics and examines how current and future assisted reproductive technologies may change our understanding of human reproduction. The fourth and final part discusses the ethical problems emerging from the implementation of artificial intelligence in clinical settings, discussing in particular the AI impact on the doctor-patient relationship and end-of-life decisions.

FRONTIERS IN BIOETHICS

Part 1: Basics of bioethics
· Lesson 1: Origins, purposes, and epistemological foundations of bioethics
· Lesson 2: Theories and sound arguments in bioethics
· Lesson 3: An overview of ethical issues of abortion
· Lesson 4: End-of-life issues

Part 2: Scarcity, healthcare ethics, and allocation of resources
· Lesson 5: Theories of justice in healthcare 1
· Lesson 6: Theories of justice in healthcare 2
· Lesson 7: Establishing criteria for healthcare resource allocations
· Lesson 8: Formal fairness in allocating scarce healthcare resources
· Lesson 9: Ethical issues of implicit rationing

Part 3: Genetics and reproduction
· Lesson 10: Ethical issues of genetic testing: non-invasive prenatal testing and newborn screening
· Lesson 11: Ethics of in vitro fertilization and preimplantation genetic testing
· Lesson 12: Definitions of disability and the expressivist argument against genetic selection
· Lesson 13: The future of reproduction: ethics of germline genome editing
· Lesson 14: Ethics of genetic enhancement and the obsolescence argument
· Lesson 15: Toward new procreative obligations? procreative beneficence and the non-identity problem

Part 4: Artificial intelligence in healthcare
· Lesson 16: An overview of artificial intelligence and its ethical challenges
· Lesson 17: What Should ChatGPT Mean for Bioethics?
· Lesson 18: AI and its impacts on the doctor-patient relationship
· Lesson 19: AI in end-of-life decision-making

Conclusions
· Lesson 20: Conclusions of the course and discussion of the topics reviewed
Prerequisites for admission
The course has no formal prerequisites. However, it will refer to some issues discussed during the teaching course "Facts, principles and hard choices" (I year).
Teaching methods
The course is composed of both taught classes and debate lessons. Attending students will be able to present a paper chosen from a list that will be given to the students by the professor during the first lesson. The paper that will be presented must be agreed with the teacher. Presenting a paper during the course is NOT mandatory.
Teaching Resources
For attending students: The slides used during the lessons will be available and will form part of the exam material for attending students. Furthermore, during the first lesson the list of compulsory readings for the exam will be communicated.

Non-attending students must write an email to [email protected]

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If you have any questions or need further information about the course, please don't hesitate to reach out to me at [email protected]
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Assessment methods and Criteria
The final exam will consist of an oral discussion on the central issues of bioethics. A considerable part of the final assessment will depend on students' involvement in class discussions.

Students who want to explore a specific topic in more detail can write a paper (max 5000 words, bibliography excluded) and discuss it at the oral interview. The weight of the paper in the final evaluation is 40%. The topic of the paper should be first approved by the Professor. The paper should be submitted to [email protected] at least two weeks before the oral discussion.
SPS/01 - POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY - University credits: 6
Lessons: 40 hours
Professor: Battisti Davide