TRS 342 - Medical Ethics

Upper Division

Prerequisites
TRS 281 or TRS 380 or TRS 381 or TRS 382 or TRS 383 or TRS 384 or TRS 385 or TRS 386 or TRS 387 or TRS 388 or TRS 389 or PHIL 220; Minimum grade D-.

With the dramatic changes in medical practice in recent decades, from new technologies, to changes in financing, to a changed conception of patient rights, medical ethics has rapidly moved from obscurity to become one of the most important areas of applied ethics. This course will introduce the basic principles and methods of contemporary medical ethics with special attention to the theological concepts, frameworks, and analyses that have been used by Catholic ethicists. Readings and discussion will focus on the role that various methods and approaches might play in unraveling the complex threads of contemporary moral debates related to health care. Along with a focus on virtue ethics and competing models of the patient-physician relationship, a wide range of issues will be analyzed: informed consent, confidentiality, research involving human subjects, appropriate care for seriously ill newborns, abortion, physician-assisted suicide, and proposals for health-care reform.

Core Curriculum Designation(s)
TUTE - Theological Explorations

Repeatable
No

Fee
$30

Additional Notes
Previous course number: TRS 142

Course credits: 3