Ethics

Data

Official data in SubjectManager for the following academic year: 2021-2022

Topic

The main aim of the course is to present the most relevant ethical considerations and dilemmas, which are related to biotechnological research, and also to the applications of biotechnology. In addition, during the course students will get acquainted with the social and legal debates that are implicated by the progress of biotechnology. In the course, the following topics will be discussed: the ethics of clinical trials involving human subjects, the ethics and the legal regulations of animal experiments, the ethical questions about the use of organs and tissues, the ethical issues of cloning and genetic interventions.

Lectures

• 1. Introduction - Dr. Szolcsányi Tibor
• 2. The role of ethics in biotechnology. - Dr. Szolcsányi Tibor
• 3. The main moral theories. - Dr. Szolcsányi Tibor
• 4. The most fundamental ethical principles of healthcare profession - Dr. Szolcsányi Tibor
• 5. The ethics of clinical trials 1. - Dr. Szolcsányi Tibor
• 6. The ethics of clinical trials 2. - Dr. Szolcsányi Tibor
• 7. The ethical implications of animal experiments 1 - Dr. Szolcsányi Tibor
• 8. The ethical implications of animal experiments 2. - Dr. Szolcsányi Tibor
• 9. Ethical issues raised by stem cell research, and by reproductive medicine 1. - Dr. Szolcsányi Tibor
• 10. Ethical issues raised by stem cell research, and by reproductive medicine 2. - Dr. Szolcsányi Tibor
• 11. The ethical debates about reproductive human cloning. - Dr. Szolcsányi Tibor
• 12. The ethics of the use of organs and tissues for research or for therapeutic purpose. - Dr. Szolcsányi Tibor
• 13. Gene-ethics 1. - Dr. Szolcsányi Tibor
• 14. Gene-ethics 2. - Dr. Szolcsányi Tibor

Practices

Seminars

• 1. The relation between scientific and ethical consideration in medicine.
• 2. The role of ethics in biotechnology.
• 3. On how to apply ethical theories in decision making 1.
• 4. On how to apply ethical theories in decision making 2.
• 5. Critical thinking, scientific cognition, and the methodology of empirical research.
• 6. The ethics of scientific publication.
• 7. Case studies about issues raised by biotechnology 1.
• 8. Case studies about issues raised by biotechnology 2.
• 9. Short presentations given by the students 1.
• 10. Short presentations given by the students 2.
• 11. Mini conference on ethical and social implications of the possible future use of germ-cell genetic intervention in the human genome 1.
• 12. Mini conference on ethical and social implications of the possible future use of germ-cell genetic intervention in the human genome 2.
• 13. Summarizing discussion.
• 14. Written test

Reading material

Obligatory literature

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Literature developed by the Department

Course materials: Neptun Meet Street.

Notes

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Recommended literature

Justin Burley and John Harris (eds.): A Companion to Genethics, Balckwell Publishers Ltd., Massachussets/Oxford, 2002
Gehring, Verna V., Genetic Prospects: Essays on Biotechnology, Ethics and Public Policy, Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc., 2004
Andrew Johnson, Alan Holland: Animal Biotechnology and Ethics, Springer, 1997.
Peter Singer: Practical Ethics, Cambridge University Press, 1979, 48-72.
Hoeyer, K., Koch, L.: The Ethics of Functional Genetics: Same, Same, but Different?, Trends in Biotechnology, 24(9), 387-3789, 2006.
H. Verhoog: Naturalness and the Genetic Modification of Animals, Trends in Biotechnology, 21(7), 294-297, 2003.
F. S. Collins, E. D. Green, et al.: A Vision for the Future of Genomic Research, Nature, 422, 835-847, 2003

Conditions for acceptance of the semester

Maximum of 15 % absence allowed

Mid-term exams

Written test. To improve the grade, the test can be repeated two times. Oral exam is also an option for that purpose.

Making up for missed classes

According to the Code of Studies and Examinations

Exam topics/questions

Available on Neptun Meet Street.

Examiners

Instructor / tutor of practices and seminars

• Dr. Szolcsányi Tibor