Bioethics is the study of the ethical dimensions inherent in medical and scientific research, the delivery and practice of health care, and the creation of national and global health policy. In addition to normative analysis, the study of these important topics requires critical examination of the philosophical and theological underpinnings, social and political context, and cultural variables that shape and transform medicine and the life sciences. For this reason, Bioethics is an interdisciplinary field that brings different methodological and conceptual analyses to a core set of concerns that includes: the doctor-patient relationship, the allocation of scarce medical resources, the relationship between human beings and the natural environment, scientific and medical experimentation, access to healthcare, assisted dying and end-of-life care, genetic engineering and enhancement, and advances in biotechnology, genetics, and neuroscience.
Required Courses
The minor consists of 1) the interdisciplinary “Introduction to Bioethics” course, 2) one eligible course in Biology or Public Health, 3) one eligible course addressing social and cultural issues, 4) two eligible courses in philosophical and theological ethics, and 5) Advanced Bioethics (three credit hours). The Minor requires 18 total credit hours, and students may not count the same course toward their major and their minor. Students must earn at least a “C” in the class in order for it to count toward the minor.