Ethics in Life Sciences

URL study guide

https://studiegids.vu.nl/en/courses/2024-2025/AM_470707

Course Objective

This course:
• Provides students with knowledge of central concepts and theories in applied philosophy and professional ethics;
• Provides students with a toolbox of ethical instruments to help analyze moral problems related to (one's own) research in the life sciences and beyond. Students who have taken and successfully finished this course:
• Are able to reflect on ethical issues related to one’s own life science specialization;
• Are capable of impartial and constructive deliberation concerning ethical issues related to one’s own life science specialization;
• Can work in teams on (hypothetical) scientific or technological developments, taking into account multiple values (amongst which safety);
• Have acquired the necessary skills to handle ethical issues in an accountable manner, as a professional academic beyond one's own inclinations and prejudices;
• Have shown a respectful and accountable attitude in dealing with group dynamics during the seminar groups and group project.

Course Content

Researchers in life sciences help generate knowledge that builds the future of our society. Therefore, professional academics should be accountable for their decisions, experimental designs and presentation of results. In this course, the principles of justification will be illustrated with cases of technology ethics, medical ethics and care ethics. An ethical dialogue on animal research is simulated through a role-play exercise. Finally, as a group training project, an ethical deliberation on a developed product that is safe by its design is prepared and executed in confrontation with another team.

Teaching Methods

Ethics in the Life Sciences is a part-time course of four weeks (3 ECTS). The total study time is 80 hours. The different elements have the following study time:
• Lectures: 13 hours
• Seminar groups: 15 hours
• Group assignment: 20 hours
• Exam: 2 hour
• Group project presentation and deliberation: 3 hours
• Self study: 27 hours Please note that attendance to the seminars is compulsory. Attendance to the lectures is highly recommended. In our experience, relying on self-study alone is insufficient to apply the theory of the lectures in the assignments of the seminars, and to pass the exam.

Method of Assessment

• Intellectual participation in the seminars and group project (10%)
• Multiple-choice exam (50%)
• Execution of the group project, the presentation and deliberation (40%) All three elements have to be passed.

Literature

Available on Canvas

Target Audience

Compulsory course in all former FALW Master programmes, except HealthSciences and Neuro Sciences

Additional Information

Lectures, seminars, the exam and the final assessment are in English.

Entry Requirements

Bsc Biology, Biomedical Sciences, Psychology with profile BiologicalPsychology or Neuropsychology