The growth of scientific knowledge and technical ability in medicine and the
biological sciences has led to a number of ethical dilemmas which perplex all
of us, but especially those in the health care field. Does the fact that we
can prolong the life of a patient in a permanent vegetative state mean
that we should do so? Is destructive embryo experimentation justified by
the prospect it offers of alleviating infertility? Should research designed to
find 'gay genes' be conducted given that the results of such work might be used
against homosexual people? Should we proceed with research trying to clone
people? These and many other questions raise complex ethical and legal issues.
The study, discussion and teaching of these issues has come to be known as
bioethics -- a field generally defined as covering the ethical issues raised
by medicine and the biomedical sciences.
The Centre for Human Bioethics offers PhD and masters by research degrees.
Academic strengths within the Centre include ethical issues in patient care,
especially involving autonomy and confidentiality; the ethics of clinical
trials; ethical problems of resource allocation; medical end-of-life decisions;
new reproductive technologies; nursing ethics; surrogacy; disability and
discrimination; the new genetics and ethics; moral psychology and moral
development. The centre is also strong in ethical theory, especially virtue
ethics and consequentialism, the relevance of emotions to ethics, partiality
and impartiality in ethics, and feminist ethics. Applied ethics and moral
philosophy has been identified as one of the research strengths of the
faculty.
Refer to the front of the Arts postgraduate section for further information.
Further information is also available at the centre's website at
http://www.arts.monash.edu.au/bioethics Mid-year entry is available for
all of the courses and programs listed below.
Inquiries or applications for the Master of Bioethics by research should be directed, in the first instance, to the administrative officer (telephone (03) 9905 4279). Inquiries concerning the PhD should be directed to Dr Justin Oakley, director, Centre for Human Bioethics (telephone (03) 9905 4266).
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