Course syllabus for Ethics in biotechnology

The course syllabus contains changes
See changes

Course syllabus adopted 2023-02-02 by Head of Programme (or corresponding).

Overview

  • Swedish nameEtik inom bioteknik
  • CodeBBT012
  • Credits7.5 Credits
  • OwnerMPBIO
  • Education cycleSecond-cycle
  • Main field of studyBioengineering
  • ThemeMTS 7.5 c
  • DepartmentBIOLOGY AND BIOLOGICAL ENGINEERING
  • GradingTH - Pass with distinction (5), Pass with credit (4), Pass (3), Fail

Course round 1

  • Teaching language English
  • Application code 08138
  • Maximum participants60 (at least 10% of the seats are reserved for exchange students)
  • Block schedule
  • Open for exchange studentsYes

Credit distribution

0123 Written and oral assignments 3 c
Grading: UG		3 c
0223 Examination 4.5 c
Grading: TH		4.5 c
  • 23 Okt 2023 pm J DIG
  • 04 Jan 2024 pm J DIG
  • 21 Aug 2024 am J DIG

In programmes

Examiner

Go to coursepage (Opens in new tab)

Eligibility

General entry requirements for Master's level (second cycle)
Applicants enrolled in a programme at Chalmers where the course is included in the study programme are exempted from fulfilling the requirements above.

Specific entry requirements

English 6 (or by other approved means with the equivalent proficiency level)
Applicants enrolled in a programme at Chalmers where the course is included in the study programme are exempted from fulfilling the requirements above.

Course specific prerequisites

Biochemistry, cell and molecular biology, and microbiology corresponding to a bachelor's degree in biotechnology, bioengineering, or similar.

Aim

Biotechnology has enormous potential for improving human health and providing sustainable solutions for providing nutrition, energy and chemicals to society. At the same time, many of these technologies interact with basic processes of life, may affect the personal integrity of individuals, and may have unclear effects on the environment. A problem is that technological innovation and its effects are hard to predict in detail, so decisions will have to be made under uncertainty.

The course aims to develop the students' understanding of ethical aspects that appear when biotechnologies are developed and applied. Students learn a systematic and nuanced way to reason around and to reach well-founded answers to questions regarding how society and individuals should act during the development and application of different technologies. The main emphasis is on the analysis of a number of cases by, among others, theories in normative ethics. Additionally, the course aims at making students aware of laws and rules that regulate biotechnical research and development activities.

Learning outcomes (after completion of the course the student should be able to)

After completion of the course the student should be able to:
  • identify and critically discuss ethical issues that occur in biotechnology, orally and in writing in English;
  • adequately apply basic moral philosofical theories and concepts on existing ethical problems;
  • assess the validity and relevance of arguments that are used in the debate on ethics and biotechnology, argue for different standpoints and take position in a well-founded and transparent way;
  • account for generally accepted and generic policies and guidelines for research ethics and professional ethics;
  • in a nuanced way reflect on her/his professional role from an ethical perspective, including aspects of equality, diversity and inclusion;
  • account for laws, statutes and established routines that regulate experimental and industrial use of biological samples, animals and humans.

Content

Ethics in biotechnology is, simply put, the study of ethical problems and prossibilities that arise during the development and application of biotechnology. During the course, students develop knowledge regarding what actions society and individuals should take in the prospect of development and implementation of new biotechnology. By examining the positions that exist in different societal debates about technologies and what they imply, the students practice the formulation of ethical problems, develop standpoints and solutions, and formulate preliminary answers to ethical questions. We use normative theories, e.g. for virtue ethics, consequentialism, and deontological ethics but also tools for analysis of arguments in order to understand and develop ethical reasoning. Ethical problems are specified by using concrete examples from current debates and research areas, e.g. the CRISPR-Cas method for genome editing, GMO crops, genetic diagnostics and stem cell technology. Issues that will be discussed during the coures include:
  • distribution of responsibilities between society and individuals;
  • engineering ethics and research ethics;
  • classical normative ethics, risk ethics and applied ethics;
  • fundamental conditions for morality, moral methodology, and argumentation analysis;
  • academic honesty and integrity;
  • theory of science;
  • laws and regulations for experimental work with humans, animals, environmental samples, pathogenic organisms, genetically modified organisms;
  • ethical leadership, e.g. conflict handling, master-suppression techniques, equality, diversity and inclusion, and the role of the engineer in a sustainable working life.

Organisation

The course is organized in the form of lectures, group discussions and assignments, and seminars. Attendance at seminars is compulsory.

Literature

The course material consists of scientific and news articles, other literature, podcasts and other web sources. A complete list of materials which will be available at the course homepage.

Examination including compulsory elements

Students are assessed via two essay assignments, active participation at seminars, a quiz, and a final exam.

The essay assignments deal with case studies of biotechnological and work ethics cases, including aspects of equality, diversity and inclusion.

The quiz is a multiple choice test on rules, regulations, good research practice and academic (mis-)conduct.

The final exam consists of questions on theory and methodology relevant to the analysis of ethical issues, and of a brief ethical analysis of one or several biotechnical cases.

Acceptable assignments, quiz and exam results, and active participation in seminars are required for passing the course (grade 3). Higher grades (4 and 5) are based exclusively on the final exam results. More detailed information about the examination is given in the course PM and is presented during the course.

The course examiner may assess individual students in other ways than what is stated above if there are special reasons for doing so, for example if a student has a decision from Chalmers on educational support due to disability.

The course syllabus contains changes

  • Changes to module:
    • 2023-10-11: Digital exam Changed to digital exam by Examinator
      [0223 Examination 4,5 credit] Changed to digital examination