Cross-cultural Medical Ethics
(Rel St 175/Philos 131C) Fall 2024
Tues/Thursday 5:00–6:20pm
Location: Anteater Learning Pavilion 2100 (map here)
Professor: Brianne Donaldson
Email: [email protected]
Description:
Multiple studies show correlations between positive health outcomes and patients’ cultural values.* In this course, we will strengthen cross-cultural fluency in medical ethics by considering varying views on relativism, universality, and contextual medicine. This will include creating a “toolbox” filled with Western normative ethical theories including deontology, utilitarianism, feminist ethics, and justice-based accounts, alongside multiple bioethical concepts and cross-cultural resources related to race, gender, health disparities and religious identities. Through case studies we will use our collected tools to evaluate issues such as on autonomy, truth-telling, definitions of death, reproductive ethics, end-of-life decisions, gene editing, and animal research, among other topics.
*Craigie et al. 1998 ; Jim et al., 2015; King and Bushwick 1994 ; Kurtz et al., 1995 ; Larson and Larson 1991; Levin and Vanderpool 1987; McCormick et al., 2012; Mickley et al., 1992; Prado et al., 2004; Puchalski 2001; Salsman et al. 2015; Sherman et al., 2015
Opening Recitation:
“Do I contradict myself? / Very well then I contradict myself, / (I am large, I contain multitudes.)”
–Walt Whitman, "Song of Myself"
Student Learning Objectives:
1. Articulate 3-4 normative ethical theories in the west.
2. Explain key concepts in bioethics
3. Analyze various multi-cultural responses to critical ethical issues
4. Evaluate views on cultural competence, relativism, universality, and contextual medicine
5. Apply cross-cultural ethical tools to case studies
Professor: Brianne Donaldson
Email: [email protected]
Description:
Multiple studies show correlations between positive health outcomes and patients’ cultural values.* In this course, we will strengthen cross-cultural fluency in medical ethics by considering varying views on relativism, universality, and contextual medicine. This will include creating a “toolbox” filled with Western normative ethical theories including deontology, utilitarianism, feminist ethics, and justice-based accounts, alongside multiple bioethical concepts and cross-cultural resources related to race, gender, health disparities and religious identities. Through case studies we will use our collected tools to evaluate issues such as on autonomy, truth-telling, definitions of death, reproductive ethics, end-of-life decisions, gene editing, and animal research, among other topics.
*Craigie et al. 1998 ; Jim et al., 2015; King and Bushwick 1994 ; Kurtz et al., 1995 ; Larson and Larson 1991; Levin and Vanderpool 1987; McCormick et al., 2012; Mickley et al., 1992; Prado et al., 2004; Puchalski 2001; Salsman et al. 2015; Sherman et al., 2015
Opening Recitation:
“Do I contradict myself? / Very well then I contradict myself, / (I am large, I contain multitudes.)”
–Walt Whitman, "Song of Myself"
Student Learning Objectives:
1. Articulate 3-4 normative ethical theories in the west.
2. Explain key concepts in bioethics
3. Analyze various multi-cultural responses to critical ethical issues
4. Evaluate views on cultural competence, relativism, universality, and contextual medicine
5. Apply cross-cultural ethical tools to case studies
