aVLET021p Medical Ethics 1 -
lecture
Spring 2025
Syllabus
Welcome to aVLET021p Medical Ethics 1 – Lecture (Spring 2025)
This course consists of six lectures covering some of the core areas of contemporary
bioethical debate. Through these sessions, we will explore fundamental ethical theories,
their application in medical practice, and the complex dilemmas that arise in healthcare
decision-making.
The lecture topics are as follows:
1. The History and Role of Ethics in Medicine
a. The Birth of Modern Medical Ethics
b. From Medical Ethics to Bioethics
2. Theoretical Foundations of Bioethics
a. Consequentialism
b. Deontology
c. Virtue Ethics
d. Casuistry
e. Ethics of Care
3. Principlism
a. History
b. Theory
c. Applications
4. Theories of Well-Being: Complexities of Defining Patient Benefits
a. Well-being
b. Hedonism
c. Desire-Fulfilment Theory
d. Objective-List Theory
5. Ethical Issues in Healthcare Practice
a. Confidentiality
b. Truth-Telling
c. Informed Consent
d. Vulnerable Patients
6. Doctrine of Double Effect
a. Historical Context & Traditional Formulation
b. Application
c. Objections
7. Exam
aVLET021p Medical Ethics 1 -
lecture
Spring 2025
Assessment
The final exam will consist of 20 multiple-choice questions, with a required passing
score of 60%. The exam will cover all topics discussed during the lectures.
To support your preparation, selected reading materials have been uploaded to the IS
Learning platform, which directly address key exam questions. It is strongly
recommended that you study these materials in addition to attending the lectures,
as all exam topics will be thoroughly explained in class.
For full reading titles, please consult the full information of the course present on the IS.
Please note that lectures will be also streamed here:
http://live.cesnet.cz/muniukba11114.html
Selected Readings
Lecture 01 – The History and Role of Ethics in Medicine
• Campbell, A. V. (2017). Bioethics: The basics (2nd ed.). Routledge. (Chapter 1)
Lecture 02 – Theoretical Foundations of Bioethics
• Veatch, R. M., & Guidry-Grimes, L. K. (2020). The basics of bioethics (4th ed.).
Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group. (Chapter 1 – A Map of the Terrain of Ethics)
• Kuhse, H., & Singer, P. (2009). A companion to bioethics (2nd ed.). WileyBlackwell.
(Part 3)
• Beauchamp, T. L., & Childress, J. F. (2013). Principles of biomedical ethics (7th
ed.). Oxford University Press. (Part 1)
Lecture 03 – Principlism
• Seoane, J. A. (2016). Bioethical decision making and argumentation. Springer.
Lecture 04 – Theories of Well-Being: Complexities of Defining Patient Benefits
• Jonsen, A. R., Siegler, M., & Winslade, W. J. (2022). Clinical ethics: A practical
approach to ethical decisions in clinical medicine. McGraw Hill. (Section 2.1)
aVLET021p Medical Ethics 1 -
lecture
Spring 2025
• Parfit, D. (1984). Reasons and persons. Clarendon Press. (What Makes
Someone’s Life Go Best)
Lecture 05 – Ethical Issues in Health Care Practice: Confidentiality
• van der Geest, S. (2003). Confidentiality and pseudonyms: A fieldwork dilemma
from Ghana. Anthropology Today, 19(1), 14–18.
• Kuhse, H., & Singer, P. (2012). A companion to bioethics (2nd ed.). WileyBlackwell.
(Part XII, Chapters 42–45)
• Jonsen, A. R., Siegler, M., & Winslade, W. J. (2022). Clinical ethics: A practical
approach to ethical decisions in clinical medicine (10th ed.). McGraw Hill.
(Section 2.3)
Lecture 06 – Doctrine of the Double-Effect
• Quill, T. E., Lo, B., & Brock, D. W. (1997). The rule of double effect—A critique of
its role in end-of-life decision making. The New England Journal of Medicine,
337(24), 1768–1771.
• Jonsen, A. R., Siegler, M., & Winslade, W. J. (2022). Clinical ethics: A practical
approach to ethical decisions in clinical medicine (10th ed.). McGraw Hill.
(Section 3.1)
• Foot, P. (1967). The problem of abortion and the doctrine of the double effect.
Oxford Review, 5, 5–15.
For queries reach out: leandro.loriga@med.muni.cz