Bioethics: DNA-technologies, Ethics and Human Identity

Module title	Bioethics: DNA-technologies, Ethics and Human Identity
Module code	PHL3077
Academic year	2022/3
Credits	15
Module staff	Dr Christine Hauskeller (Convenor)

Duration: Term	1	2	3
Duration: Weeks	11

Number students taking module (anticipated)	15

Module description

Bioethics is the discipline that discusses all ethical issues and social conflicts that arise from modern developments in the medical and life sciences and biotechnology.

In this module we will discuss themes of human dignity, human rights, equality, and intergenerational justice. You will encounter a critical position toward the predominant way of doing bioethics in philosophy that avoids engaging with the real life conditions in which science and technologies operate and affect the lives of individuals and change society.

We discuss bioethics as a philosophical discipline concerned with technologies and moral principles or rational decisions, and the ways in which individuals and communities in a pluralist global world respond and are affected by medical and biotechnological innovations. You will consider the entanglement between philosophical concepts of society and the individual and the ethical and normative approaches of different schools in bioethics and how cultural values affect social, scientific, ethical and knowledge practices.

The lectures will present a set of themes, which provide you with a broad understanding of bioethics as a global approach to new science and technologies of life. The module focuses on different ethical approaches in bioethics, including sociological bioethics and feminist bioethics. Illustrative case studies will be explored in the seminars. The conceptual and methodological focus is on the gap between theory and practice, uncertainty and notions of justice and fairness. You will also look at value pluralisms and cultural relativism and the history and culture of forms of ethical reasoning.

Basic knowledge of key moral theories as taught in year 1 and year 2 modules would be an advantage but is not a formal requirement. This module is available to students in sociology and other departments as an optional module in philosophy.

Module aims - intentions of the module

This module aims to:

familiarise you with the history of, and different positions, theories and problems in current bioethics;
familiarise you with ethical issues of genetics, stem cell research and issues of social and cultural identity, through engagement with applied case studies;
advance your ability to analyse texts, criticize, empirical and philosophical arguments and reflect on your own preferences in making arguments and your ideas of right and wrong.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

1. demonstrate in-depth knowledge of a range of key topics in bioethics;
2. understand and apply different empirical and theoretical perspectives in bioethics;
3. critically appraise forms of argument on ethical issues from different philosophical and sociological perspectives.

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

4. analyse arguments in moral philosophy and social ethics;
5. critically engage with both abstract and practical ethical issues.

ILO: Personal and key skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

6. write scholarly, well-argued reflective essays;
7. construct normative arguments;
8. express your own thoughts and ideas at different levels of abstraction in discussion and writing.

Syllabus plan

Whilst the module’s precise content may vary from year to year, it is envisaged that the syllabus will cover some or all of the following themes:

Self and Identity
Human Nature
Genetic engineering
Designer Babies
Race
Transnational adoption
Genetics in Society
Biology and Ideology

Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)

Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities	Guided independent study	Placement / study abroad
22	128	0

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

Category	Hours of study time	Description
Scheduled Learning and Teaching activity	22	Weekly 2-hour lectures/seminars or 1 hour lecture + 1 hour seminar
Guided Independent study	48	Weekly reading
Guided Independent study	25	Preparation of presentation and recording
Guided Independent study	55	Research for essay

Formative assessment

Form of assessment	Size of the assessment (eg length / duration)	ILOs assessed	Feedback method
Contribution to seminar discussions	Continuous	1, 4, 5, 7	Oral
Essay Outline	500 words	1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7	Written

Summative assessment (% of credit)

Coursework	Written exams	Practical exams
70	0	30

Details of summative assessment

Form of assessment	% of credit	Size of the assessment (eg length / duration)	ILOs assessed	Feedback method
Essay	70	2,000 words	1-8	Written
Reading review	30	10 minutes	1-8	Oral and written
	0
	0
	0
	0

Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)

Original form of assessment	Form of re-assessment	ILOs re-assessed	Timescale for re-assessment
Essay	Essay (2,000 words)	1-8	August/September reassessment period
Reading review	Reading review 800 words	1-8	August/September reassessment period

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

Basic reading:

Ahluwalia, P. (2007) ‘Negotiating Identity: Post-colonial Ethics and Transnational Adoption’, Journal of Global Ethics, 3:1, 55-67, DOI: 10.1080/17449620701219881

Nelson, A. (2016). The Social Life of DNA: Race, Reparations, and Reconciliation After the Genome, Boston, Beacon Press, Introduction, pp. 1-27.

Helga Kuhse and Peter Singer (eds), A Companion to Bioethics, Blackwell Publishing (2001).

Lisa A. Eckenwiler and Felicia G. Cohn (eds), The Ethics of Bioethics: Mapping the Moral Landscape, Johns, Hopkins University Press (2007).

Jonathan Glover: Choosing Children: Genes, Disability, and Design (Uehiro Series in Practical Ethics), Oxford University Press (2008).

Juergen Habermas, The Future of Human Nature, Polity Press (2002).

Christine Hauskeller, Steve Sturdy and Richard Tutton (eds), Special Issue Sociology: Genetics and the Sociology of Identity, SAGE (2013).

Nelkin, D. and Lindee, S. (2004), The DNA Mystique: The Gene as a Cultural Icon, 3rd Edition. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, Chapter 8: Genetic Essentialism Applied

Key words search

Bioethics, Feminist Ethics, Genetics, Identity, Philosophy

Credit value	15
Module ECTS	7.5
Module pre-requisites	None
Module co-requisites	None
NQF level (module)	6
Available as distance learning?	No
Origin date	27/02/2020
Last revision date	17/01/2022