|
Lecturer(s)
|
|
|
|
Course content
|
1. Normative and descriptive ethics. An introductory dilemma; the relationship between moral beliefs, behaviour, and ethical justification. Basic ethical approaches, moral psychology, and empirical approaches to studying morality, including the Oxford Utilitarianism Scale. 2. Foundations of bioethics, medical ethics, and the ethics of science. Applying ethical principles to the COVID-19 pandemic and the allocation of scarce resources. Social and economic conditions of healthcare, public and private funding, and the moral limits of markets. 3. Patients, professional relationships, and diversity in healthcare. Student presentations and discussion: confidentiality, refusal to provide care, intercultural communication, and approaches to people with disabilities or mental health conditions. 4. The good life, life-and-death decisions, and justice in care. Student presentations and discussion: quality of life, life-sustaining treatment, euthanasia, access to care, and market principles in medicine. 5. Ethics of biomedical research. Student presentations and discussion: historical controversies, research involving humans and animals, stem cells, genetic diagnosis, and the relationship between research freedom and regulation. 6. Ethical issues in biomedical technologies. Student presentations and discussion: artificial intelligence, imaging technologies, nanomedicine, robotics, cybersecurity, and risk assessment. 7. Ethical imagination and decision-making in biomedical practice. Integrated analysis of model scenarios, benefits and limitations of evidence-based approaches, anticipation of future ethical problems, and defence of recommendations.
|
|
Learning activities and teaching methods
|
Monological explanation (lecture, presentation,briefing), Dialogue metods(conversation,discussion,brainstorming), Self-study (text study, reading, problematic tasks, practical tasks, experiments, research, written assignments), E-learning, Students' portfolio, Seminar activities
- Preparation for credit
- 20 hours per semester
- Class attendance
- 20 hours per semester
|
|
Learning outcomes
|
In the course, students will first focus on general bioethics, its terminology, procedures and basic theoretical approaches. The seminars will proceed from the acquisition of general expertise in the field of bioethics, especially to their application to selected problematic areas of biomedical disciplines. During the final seminars, the ability to connect these selected problematic phenomena with a broader social context will be practiced. In addition to this expertise, students will be guided throughout the course to develop the ability to critically analyze the moral dilemmas of bioethics and ethics in the biomedical fields.
Upon completion of the course, students will be able to distinguish between normative and descriptive ethics, explain basic ethical approaches and principles of bioethics, and apply them to concrete situations. They will be able to identify an ethical problem, distinguish empirical findings from value judgements, and consider the perspectives of different affected parties. They will be able to compare possible courses of action, justify their position, and respond to counterarguments. When discussing healthcare, biomedical research, and technologies, they will take social contexts, professional responsibility, and relevant legal requirements into account.
|
|
Prerequisites
|
No prior specialist knowledge of ethics or bioethics is required. Additional prerequisites are specified in the course description and study plan.
|
|
Assessment methods and criteria
|
Combined examination
Study of course materials. Active participation in discussions and exploration of model dilemmas. Preparation and delivery of a presentation in pairs or groups of three, with at least 10 minutes of presentation time per student, and facilitation of a subsequent discussion. The presentation will introduce a specific ethical problem, different perspectives, and possible courses of action. Its main purpose is to stimulate debate and develop ethical imagination and argumentation skills.
|
|
Recommended literature
|
-
BREY, P. Biomedical Engineering Ethics. 2009.BERG-OLSEN, J., PEDERSEN, S., HENDRICKS, V. (eds.), A Companion to Philosophy of Technology. Blackwell. ISBN: 978-1-405-14601-2..
-
GERT, Bernard, CULVER, Charles M., CLOUSER, Danner. Bioethics: A Systematic Approach. Second Edition. Oxford: Oxford University Press 2006. ISBN 0-19-515906-3..
-
JONSEN A. J. SIEGLER M. WINSLADE W. J. Klinická etika: Praktický přístup k etickým rozhodnutím v klinické medicíně. Praha: Triton 2009. ISBN 978-80-7553-653-2..
-
SINGER P. Spisy o etickom žití. Bratislava: Vydavateľstvo Spolku slovenských spisovateľov 2008. ISBN 978-80-8061-332-7..
-
SINGER, Peter. Spisy o etickom žití. Bratislava: Vydavateľstvo Spolku slovenských spisovateľov 2008. ISBN 978-80-8061-332-7..
|