APG5394 - Questions of life and death - 2017

12 points, SCA Band 1, 0.250 EFTSL

Postgraduate - Unit

Refer to the specific census and withdrawal dates for the semester(s) in which this unit is offered.

Faculty

Arts

Organisational Unit

Monash Bioethics Centre

Coordinator(s)

Dr Peter Douglas

Unit guides

Offered

City (Melbourne)

  • Second semester 2017 (Day)

Clayton

  • Second semester 2017 (Online)

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.

Outcomes

This unit has been designed to enable you to:

  • uncover a variety of important ethical and philosophical questions underlying discussions of issues regarding the beginning and the end of life, and new reproductive and biomedical technologies;
  • analyse these ethical and philosophical issues in detail, drawing on the different ethical theories discussed in APG4393/5393 Ethics;
  • make informed judgements about the ethics of certain biomedical technologies and clinical practices, and the ethics of various decisions regarding the beginning and end of life

Assessment

Within semester assessment: 75% + Exam: 25%

Workload requirements

Minimum total expected workload to achieve the learning outcomes for this unit is 288 hours per semester typically comprising a mixture of scheduled learning activities and independent study. A unit requires on average three/four hours of scheduled activities per week. Scheduled activities may include a combination of teacher directed learning, peer directed learning and online engagement.

See also Unit timetable information

Chief examiner(s)

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.

This unit applies to the following area(s) of study

Co-requisites

APG4393, APG5393 or equivalent

Prohibitions

APG4394, APR5394

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