STS 4650 - Advanced Topics in Clinical Ethics

(crosslisted) BSOC 4650
(CA-AS, ETM-AS)

Spring. 4 credits. Letter grades only.

Prerequisite: STS 2051 or permission of instructor.

K. Overby.

In this advanced course, students will use their knowledge and analytical skills to explore complex value-laden issues in contemporary healthcare and health policy debate. Case studies and news stories will springboard discussion around topics including the changing professional-patient relationship, medical decision-making, emerging technologies, contemporary health concerns, evolving care-delivery systems, and the healthcare experience of vulnerable populations. Discussions will emphasize contextual issues and vantage point at the individual and societal levels, as well as the interconnections between bedside ethical dilemmas and broader health system, health policy, and sociocultural/political issues. Topics will encompass the life span from maternal-fetal to end-of-life. We will utilize speakers/field trips to enhance exposure to different voices. Readings will be selected from the popular press and healthcare, ethics, social science, and law literatures.