Spring 2018/Fuller Live!

Pasadena & Phoenix

ET535

Brown

ET535: THE ETHICS OF LIFE AND DEATH (4 Units: 160 hours). Nicholas R. Brown.

DESCRIPTION: This course considers ethical concerns arising at the beginning life (e.g. prenatal screening, abortion, infertility, reproductive technologies, embryonic stem cell research), through chronic conditions and urgent health crises, and finally considers medicalization of our dying process. Given the cultural distance of the biblical world from our biotechnological society, some find it challenging to know how Scripture informs our relationship to medicine and health care. This course investigates secular and religious approaches while assuming that the Scripture and the Christian tradition remain central for living faithfully as embodied creatures.

LEARNING OUTCOMES: (1) Students will gain a rudimentary understanding of the biology and science involved in bioethical issues. (2) They will reflect on the intersection of Christian faith and technology, learning from church tradition and biblical texts even as they recognize the unique ethical challenges of our era. (3) Students will be equipped to discuss with believers and nonbelievers the complexities of these moral issues. (4) Through thoughtful discussion and reasoned arguments, students will develop a distinctively Christian framework by which they can analyze and respond to bioethical concerns.

COURSE FORMAT: This class meets once per week for three-hour sessions for a total of 30 hours of classroom instruction for lecture and discussion plus 10 hours of directed learning activities for a total of 40 instructional hours. The course will consist of interactive lectures with occasional movies and documentaries. Guest speakers will share from their experiences as patients, hospital chaplains, and the like. Note: Students must read assigned material not only to facilitate discussion but also to assure their academic success on regular assignments.

REQUIRED READING: 950 pages required.

Kotva, J., Stephen E. Lammers, M. Therese Lysaught, & Allen Verhey, Eds. On Moral Medicine: Theological Perspectives in Medical Ethics. 3rd ed., Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2012. ISBN: 978-0802866011, Pub. Price $70.00. Note: Ebook available in Fuller Theological Seminary Library. You cannot use a previous edition of this text for this course. [600 pp. assigned]

Radner, Ephraim. A Time to Keep: Theology, Mortality and the Shape of a Human Life. Baylor University Press, 2016. ISBN: 978-1481305068, Pub. Price $49.95. [250 pp. assigned]

Other readings on contemporary medical issues and ethics, available via the Internet or on eReserves. [100 pp. assigned]

ASSIGNMENTS AND ASSESSMENT:

Participation (attendance + required reading) (15%). [This assignment is related to learning outcomes 1-4] [64 hours of reading].
Twenty-minute group presentation on a required course reading around an area of ethical concern (25%). [This assignment is related to learning outcomes #1, 3] [18 hours].
Interview and 2000-word theological reflection paper on experience of health care or crisis (25%). [This assignment is related to learning outcomes 1, 2, 4] [20 hours].
One 1500-word articulation of your approach to medical ethics for your vocational context (25%). [This assignment is related to learning outcome #4] [18 hours].
Weekly posts to Canvas of 250 words about reading and course material (10%). [This assignment is related to learning outcomes 1-4] [10 hours of DLAs].

PREREQUISITES: None.

RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM: Option to meet the TH5 requirement in the 120 MDiv Program.

FINAL EXAMINATION: None.