Master of Arts in Bioethics (MA/BIO)

Bioethics Courses

BE 5000 Introduction to Bioethics: Matters of Life and Death
An overview of the Hippocratic/Judeo-Christian tradition in medical ethics against the background of biblical-theological discussion of human nature, medicine, and healing and as a context for the rise of the new bioethics. Three hours.

BE 5100 Intensive Bioethics Institute
A survey of the field of bioethics, introducing competing ways of addressing biological issues in historical, philosophical, and theological perspective. A national/international team of 15-20 top Christian bioethicists address special areas of expertise. Three or four hours.

BE 5299 The Clinical Context
An explanation of basic precepts of clinical medicine and clinical ethics for students not already familiar with them. Designed to be taken concurrently with BE 5300 by students who need to gain this background understanding in order to be able to understand the material covered in BE 5300. One hour.

BE 5300 Clinical Issues in Bioethics
Questions such as clinical consultation, ethics committees, and the role of the pastor addressed by a clinician with the help of case studies. Two hours.

BE 5499 The Public Policy Context
An explanation of basic federal and state governmental structures and legislative processes for students not already familiar with them. Designed to be taken concurrently with BE 5500 by students who need to gain this background understanding in order to be able to understand the material covered in BE 5500. One hour.

BE 5500 Bioethics and Public Policy
The interface of bioethics and public policy in North American and international contexts, with special attention to such topics as the early twentieth-century eugenics movement, medicine in Nazi Germany, Roe v. Wade and its background, the growing interest in euthanasia, the Human Genome Initiative and its implications, and questions of resource allocation. Two hours.

BE 5600 Law and Bioethics
Questions such as the proper role of law in shaping people’s bioethical views and practices and the current state of the law regarding a wide range of bioethical issues are addressed by a legal educator with the help of case discussions. Two hours.

BE 5700 The Right to Life and the Law
The Right to Life and the Law is a study of the complex medical, social, legal, and bioethical issues raised by such controversial topics as abortion, euthanasia, and infanticide, including a survey of Supreme Court and other judicial decisions pertaining to these issues. Two hours.

BE 5800 Bioethics Regional Conference Course
The regional bioethics conferences held by Trinity in various parts of the U.S. and world provide special opportunities to learn from and interact with Christian leaders in bioethics from around the country and beyond. The course includes a preconference reading program and postconference writing program tailored to the topic of the conference. Class meetings with the professor take place at the conference. May be repeated for credit. Two or three hours.

BE 5900 Bioethics National Conference Course
The annual national/international bioethics conference at Trinity provides a unique opportunity to learn from and interact with Christian leaders in bioethics from around the country and beyond. The course includes a preconference reading program and postconference writing program tailored to the topic of the conference. Class meetings with the professor immediately precede and are interspersed throughout the conference. May be taken in addition to an Institute course such as BE 5100 or BE 6500 offered in conjunction with the conference. May be repeated for credit. Two or three hours.

BE 6100 Bioethics Colloquium
The colloquium meets periodically during the term, with a professor of record and a combination of visiting lecturers, faculty, and student presentations. Local pastors, physicians, and others are invited to attend, offering a meeting point between the program and church and medical communities. May be repeated for credit. One or two hours.

BE 6300 Bioethics, Human Dignity, and the Church
Issues in bioethics raise fundamental questions of human dignity in the lives of people everywhere, to which the church is uniquely well positioned to speak. This course enables students to understand many of today’s bioethical challenges to human dignity and to develop practical ministry resources to address them through the preaching, teaching, worship, counseling, and outreach ministries of the church. Three hours.

BE 6400 Readings in Bioethics
Readings in bioethics from Hippocrates through the beginning of the modern bioethics period in Fletcher and Ramsey and on to the present. Readings in the earlier periods focus on the birth and development of the Hippocratic/Judeo-Christian tradition. Readings in the contemporary bioethicists place special focus on the secularization of bioethics as seen in such writers as Singer, Engelhardt, and Childress. The course may focus on either classical or contemporary readings. Three hours. 84

BE 6500 Advanced Bioethics Institute
A methodological investigation of how to do bioethics with a range of approaches critically assessed from a biblical-theological perspective. End-of-life treatment provides a test case. A national/international team of 15-20 top Christian bioethicists address special areas of expertise. Three or four hours.

BE 6600 Classic Cases in Bioethics
Many of the major issues in bioethics have been shaped by pivotal medical and legal cases. This course examines such cases in detail and uses them as a springboard for understanding the larger ethical issues that they address. Three hours.

BE 6700 Personhood in Theological and Philosophical Perspective
Analysis of the role played by this key concept in bioethical debate against the background of philosophical and theological usage. Three hours.

BE 7476 Bioethics Capstone Comprehensive Examination
A comprehensive examination scheduled by the student with the program director consisting of broad essay questions that allow the student to demonstrate a grasp of the field as a whole. Students should register for this capstone option in the semester they plan to take the examination. Zero hours.

BE 7478 Bioethics Capstone Project
Independent study culminating in a bioethics-related project, as arranged with the program director or designate. Students should register for this course the semester they start the project. Zero to four hours.

BE 7480 Bioethics Capstone Integrative Paper
Independent study culminating in an integrative paper. Students developing and writing an integrative paper may register for 0 to 2 credit hours. Students should register for this course the semester they start the paper. Zero to two hours.

BE 7485 Bioethics Thesis
Independent study toward development of an academic thesis. Required of all students choosing to write a thesis. Students may not register for this course until the semester after the thesis proposal has been approved. Zero to four hours.

BE 7486 Bioethics Thesis Extension
A total of three semesters extension for BE 7485 may be granted when progress is being made on the thesis. Extension fee when not in enrolled in other courses. Counts as half-time student status when registrant affirms that a minimum of twenty hours per week are invested on the thesis. No Credit. Zero hours.

BE 7501 Guided Research in Bioethics
Independent study as arranged with a graduate school faculty member. One to three hours.

BE 7700 Bioethics Seminar
Topical course conducted as a seminar on a question such as autonomy and informed consent, health care systems, resource allocation, genetic intervention, or end-of-life decision making. May be repeated for credit. One to four hours.

Updated to 2008-09 Catalog