4709798: CF_Life, Death and Dignity - Bioethical Problems at the Margins of Life

Description

A large part of the bioethical questions dominating the public discussion revolve around either the beginning or the end of human life. For example, topics such as abortion, stem cell research or in-vitro-fertilisation pose questions about how we as individuals and society deal with human life at the time of its beginning, while euthanasia focus on our interaction with human beings at the end of their lives.

This course is intended to provide students with knowledge for orientation in this thematic field, which is characterized by a multitude of sometimes contradictory opinions and positions, on the one hand, and the ability to develop their own well-founded and reflected attitude with regard to bioethical questions about the beginning or end of human life, on the other hand. It offers its students a platform for the critical discussion of arguments, explanations and statements on bioethical questions.

In a first block, the basic positions of (bio-)ethics as well as the concepts of life, death, (human) dignity and the question of the nature and justification of moral law will be dealt with. On the basis of these theoretical principles, the students will deal with concrete bioethical problems in connection with the beginning and end of life in a second block and examine them from both the perspective of an individual as well as social ethics.

Learning Outcomes

Specifically, the course is oriented towards the following learning objectives or aims to impart the following competences: The students

• are familiar with the most important bioethical argumentation and justification strategies, are able to analyse them in terms of their strengths and weaknesses and can evaluate their validity.
• have an understanding of the general and specific bioethical and legal questions and problems related to the beginning and end of human life.
• are aware of the ethical foundations of human dignity and human rights.
• have the knowledge and ability to analyse and reflect on the complex bioethical and legal contexts and problems in the area of the beginning and end of human life and to come to an ethically justified conclusion.
• have the ability to think critically, to justify their position argumentatively with an awareness of existing deviating attitudes and to articulate their position clearly.

Lectures Method

• Lecture, guest lecture, self-study, coaching session, (group) debate…

Admission Requirements

• None, apart from a genuine interest in the topic and the willingness to engage.

Literature

To be determined

Comments

Cross-faculty elective subject:
Notice the special Multi-stage allocation process.