This unit of study offers a critical review of the field and methods of bioethics. The course explores the meaning of 'bioethics' as a concept and practice, both historically and in contemporary discussions. The seminars critically explore a diverse range of different methods used in bioethics. Topics include what ‘bioethics’ is, the use of moral theory, liberal and conservative approaches, employing arguments and thought experiments, epistemic justice, empirical bioethics, reflective equilibrium, Indigenous and environmental bioethics, global bioethics and the role of compromise in bioethics debate. Learning activities will include seminars and small group discussion.

Participants in this Unit of Study (UoS) will develop the foundational knowledge of moral theory necessary to
engage in advanced analyses of issues in health ethics. This course is arranged around three types of moral thinking: consequentialist, non-consequentialist, and theory-neutral positions. We will explore each of these. In so doing, we will read a combination of classic texts and recent articles that provide an introduction to theoretical frameworks such as virtue ethics, deontology, and utilitarianism. We will also become familiar with critical and contemporary approaches to ethical thinking, such as egalitarianism, the capabilities approach, feminist ethics, and principle-based ethics. In addition to gaining an understanding of these theories and approaches, students in this UoS will consider a variety of topics pertinent to current ethical debates, including cultural relativism, universalism in ethics, difference, power, and oppression.

As the capstone, this Unit of Study will allow Masters of Bioethics students to draw together their learning and reflect on the place that bioethics should have in society. Students will critically engage in issues including the relationship between bioethics and advocacy; the contribution of bioethics to policy; the role of bioethics researchers in multi-disciplinary collaborations; how bioethics issues are discussed in the media, popular culture and literature; and the role that the public should play in discussions of bioethics issues. Students will respond to a range of topical examples throughout the semester. They will also have the opportunity to determine their own assessment topic.

This unit of study introduces some philosophical questions and debates concerning health, medicine and the biomedical sciences. We will begin by exploring some basic concepts and distinctions such as health, disease, mental illness and disability. We will then explore topics that lie at the heart of a scientific approach to health and medicine, such as causation, experimentation, evidence and clinical reasoning. Towards the end of the course, students will be invited to reflect critically on the preceding sections by exploring the rationality claims of non-orthodox approaches to health and medicine, by inquiring closely into the meaning of medical terms, and by taking a broad view of notions like health, disease or risk. This unit will appeal to students who want to take a deep dive into ideas and commitments that make the health professions and the health sciences distinctive. It will encourage you to question deeply-held assumptions; it will help you feel confident to draw on philosophical scholarship, and it will equip you to evaluate reasons, evidence and arguments with the kind of rigor that philosophy demands.

BETH5104 Bioethics, Law and Policy centres on the following question: What is the relationship between bioethics, law and policy? The goal of the course is to investigate the effects of bioethics debates on law and policy (e.g., UNESCO’S Universal Declaration on Bioethics and Human Rights),and how law and policy shape some of the issues we address in bioethics (e.g., voluntary assisted dying in Victoria). We will explore key similarities and differences between law and bioethics, in terms of subject matter and in terms of approaches and methods as well. Topics and cases related to clinical medicine, public and global health, and research will guide the conceptual work we will conduct collectively and individually.

This unit of study critically examines research ethics in its wider context, from how research is structured to its dissemination. It explores the ethical underpinnings of a variety of research methods and their uses in
humans and non-human animals including the justifications for engaging in research, key concepts in research ethics and research integrity. The unit also briefly examines the history of research and the impact of research abuse on participants, both human and non-human animal.

This unit provides students with an overview of the ethical and political issues that underlie public health policy and practice. The unit begins with some fundamentals about the nature of public health. We then explore key concepts in public health ethics including equity, liberty, utility, justice, and solidarity, and consider different ways of reasoning about the ethics of public health. A range of current public health problems and issues are presented and discussed, including ‘lifestyle’ diseases, screening, public mental health, health communication, and pandemics. Throughout, the emphasis is on learning to make sound arguments about the ethical aspects of public health policy, practice and research. Students will be encouraged to ask questions, and to compare and debate competing answers to those questions. What is public health? To what extent should we each be free to engage in practices that harm our health? What is the proper role of the state in attempting to change the health of populations? What is equity and why does it matter (and why aren’t we doing more about it)? Most learning occurs in the context of five teaching interactive intensives and the assigned course readings, which focus on the development and application of reasoning skills.

This unit will facilitate students to critically review the ethical issues that underlie the delivery of healthcare. Students will explore: dominant theoretical approaches relevant to ethical reasoning in the clinical context; key ethical concepts in the clinical encounter (such as autonomy, professionalism and confidentiality); major contexts in which ethical issues arise in clinical practice (such as the start and end of life); and the role of clinical ethics consultation. The unit will also consider specific issues and populations within clinical practice, such as healthcare in underserved populations. This Unit is taught predominantly online. Depending on student interest, periodic interactive workshops will also be offered. These can be attended in person, or via Zoom (synchronously or asynchronously).

This unit of study critically examines research ethics in its wider context, from how research is structured to its dissemination. It explores the ethical underpinnings of a variety of research methods and their uses in
humans and non-human animals including the justifications for engaging in research, key concepts in research ethics and research integrity. The unit also briefly examines the history of research and the impact of research abuse on participants, both human and non-human animal.

This unit provides students with an overview of the ethical and political issues that underlie public health policy and practice. The unit begins with some fundamentals about the nature of public health. We then explore key concepts in public health ethics including equity, liberty, utility, justice, and solidarity, and consider different ways of reasoning about the ethics of public health. A range of current public health problems and issues are presented and discussed, including ‘lifestyle’ diseases, screening, public mental health, health communication, and pandemics. Throughout, the emphasis is on learning to make sound arguments about the ethical aspects of public health policy, practice and research. Students will be encouraged to ask questions, and to compare and debate competing answers to those questions. What is public health? To what extent should we each be free to engage in practices that harm our health? What is the proper role of the state in attempting to change the health of populations? What is equity and why does it matter (and why aren’t we doing more about it)? Most learning occurs in the context of five teaching interactive intensives and the assigned course readings, which focus on the development and application of reasoning skills.

This unit of study introduces students to human research ethics in its wider context It explores the ethical underpinnings of the research endeavour including the justifications for engaging in research and research integrity The unit also briefly reviews the history of research and the impact of research abuse on human participants

Medicines save lives but they can be costly and can have serious adverse effects. Value-laden decisions are continuously being made at individual, institutional, national and international levels regarding the medicines we need, want and can afford. In this unit of study, we will explore and critique global and national policies and processes related to medicines, examining how research and development agendas are set; how medicines are assessed and evaluated; and how new technologies are translated into practice. We will also explore broader trends such as globalisation, commercialisation and changing consumer expectations. By the end of the course, students will understand the forces shaping the development, regulation, funding and uptake of medicines both nationally and internationally, and the political, ethical, legal and economic issues that are at stake. This course is designed to appeal to a wide range of students from ethics, law, public health, health care, policy, communications, economics, business, politics, administration, and biomedical science.

This unit examines a range of ethical issues within neuroscience and mental health, and how our understanding of these issues is important for research, diagnosis, treatment, and policy making. Students will not only examine how contemporary scientific practices have ethical, social, cultural and legal implications, they will also examine how ethical, social, and cultural factors can affect our understanding of neuroscience and mental health, and the underlying assumptions of researchers in these fields. The course aspires to inform future decision-makers in health, public policy, clinical settings and academia of the unique contributions and skills that biomedical ethics provides to the fields of mental health and neuroscience. Topics may include the nature of psychiatric disorders and their relationship with prevailing social and cultural factors, the implications of new technology for treatment and enhancement, the philosophical basis of the concept of mental disorder, the extent to which neuroscience can or cannot help us understand and treat mental illnesses, the relationship between researchers and public understanding of the research, the relationship between power, the psychiatric profession, and the categorisation of patients, the complex relationship between morality, mental health and the law, and whether scientific research can help us answer philosophical questions.

This unit will provide an opportunity for approved candidates to pursue a self-directed project equivalent in size and scope to a 6cp unit of study, under supervision. Students will be expected to discuss and plan the project with their supervisor, then submit drafted material to an agreed timetable, and to discuss this drafted material with their supervisor before submitting a final essay. All assessments must be completed to pass this unit. Supervisor contact will be the equivalent of 1/2 hour per week for the semester.

This unit must be taken in conjunction with BETH5302 (Research Project B). Students must receive formal permission from the Program Director to enrol in BETH 5301 and BETH 5302. . The Research Project (i.e. parts A and B combined) provides opportunity for research and in-depth learning in a bioethics topic of special interest or importance to the student. Successful completion of the project may also provide students with the research experience required for the pursuit of a higher degree. This unit involves independent research and regular meetings with a supervisor. In the process of completing the Research Project (i.e. parts A and B combined), students will produce an original 15,000 word treatise. Choice of topic depends on the availability of an appropriate supervisor. It is recommended, but not required, that BETH5301 and BETH5302 are taken in consecutive separate semesters, rather than concurrently. A mark for both BETH5301 and BETH5302 combined is provided at the completion of BETH5302. It is possible to take these units in distance mode.

This unit must be taken in conjunction with BETH5301 (Research Project A). Students must receive formal permission from the Program Director to enrol in BETH 5301 and BETH 5302. The Research Project (i.e. parts A and B combined) provides opportunity for research and in-depth learning in a bioethics topic of special interest or importance to the student. Successful completion of the project may also provide students with the research experience required for the pursuit of a higher degree. This unit involves independent research and regular meetings with a supervisor. In the process of completing the Research Project (i.e. parts A and B combined), students will produce an original 15,000 word treatise. Choice of topic depends on the availability of an appropriate supervisor. It is recommended, but not required, that BETH5301 and BETH5302 are taken in consecutive semesters, rather than concurrently. A mark for both BETH5301 and BETH5302 combined is provided at the completion of BETH5302. It is possible to take these units in distance mode.