Postgraduate - UnitAPG4394 - Questions of life and death

This unit entry is for students who completed this unit in 2013 only. For students planning to study the unit, please refer to the unit indexes in the the current edition of the Handbook. If you have any queries contact the managing faculty for your course or area of study.

print version

12 points, SCA Band 1, 0.250 EFTSL

To find units available for enrolment in the current year, you must make sure you use the indexes and browse unit tool in the current edition of the Handbook.

Level	Postgraduate
Faculty	Faculty of Arts
Organisational Unit	Centre for Human Bioethics
Offered	City (Melbourne) Second semester 2013 (Day) Clayton Second semester 2013 (Off-campus)
Coordinator(s)	Professor Michael Selgelid

Notes

Previously coded CHB4102

Synopsis

This unit examines a variety of ethical issues concerning the beginning and end of life, such as the morality of abortion, infanticide, and causing death. The unit also deals with the ethical problems raised by new reproductive research and biomedical technologies, such as embryo experimentation, cloning, genetic counselling, genetic therapy and genetic engineering. There will be discussion of a range of philosophical problems central to these issues, including the sanctity of life doctrine, notions of potentiality, the nature of personhood, the acts/omissions distinction, and the definition of death.

Assessment

Written work (6500 words): 75%
Take-home exam (2500 words): 25%

Chief examiner(s)

Professor Michael Selgelid

Contact hours

One x 2.5 hour seminar per week

Off-campus attendance requirements

For off-campus students: no timetabled contact hours although students are welcome to attend seminars for on-campus students when the unit is running in both modes.

Prerequisites

APG4393 or equivalent

Additional information on this unit is available from the faculty at:

http://www.arts.monash.edu.au/bioethics/pgrad/units/chb4102.php