Syllabus

Biomedical Ethical Issues in the Contemporary Malaysian Church

The November Institute

Malaysia Bible Seminary

17-20 November, 2008

 

Course Description

Advances in medical treatment modalities, biotechnological innovations, and genetic-molecular manipulations have brought about a set of unique challenges to issues not faced by the Church before. In this course, a pastoral-theological approach will be used to examine, reflect and develop responses to these difficult moral and ethical issues – test tube and designer babies, facts and fallacies of stem cell therapies, cloning, reproductive issues, abortion, mercy-killing, allocation of scarce healthcare resources, living will, gene therapy, prenatal diagnosis, aesthetic surgery- facing the contemporary Malaysian Church.  This course is relevant to pastors, theologians, church leaders, counsellors, seminarians, doctors, and all Christians who are committed to living ethically in these changing times.

 

Intended Learning Outcomes

The desired outcome of this course is that participants will demonstrate analytical and evaluative skills in their approach to biomedical ethical issues in their own ecclesiastical and cultural context.

By the end of this course, it is hoped that participants will

1. have an enlarged knowledge base of
   1. the foundations of bioethics
   2. pastoral-theological decision making
   3. bioethical issues at the beginning of life, and reproductive medicine
   4. bioethical issues of genetics; stem cells, cloning, and gene therapy
   5. bioethical issues at end of life, death and dying, and organ transplantation
2. have improved their ability to critically reflect on the continuing dialogue of theology, culture and bioethics
3. be able to offer pastoral help and counsel on biomedical ethical issues

 

Course Structure

1. pre-campus preparation
2. on-campus component
3. attending a public forum
4. post-campus reflecting, assessing and synthesising.

 

1.      Pre-campus preparation

Participants should read the following before the on-campus sessions. These are required reading:

• Tang, Alex. Live and Let Live: A Christian Perspective on Biotechnology. Petaling Jaya: Kairos Research Centre Sdn Bhd, 2006.
• Tang, Alex. A Good Day to Die: A Christian Perspective on Mercy Killing. Singapore: Genesis Books, 2005.
• Biomedical Ethics Reader, November Institute 2008                 http://www.kairos2.com/NovInst2008_reader.htm

 

2.      On-campus component

The following outline is a guide to the on-campus component. There will be some scope for flexibility.

NOV 17 (Mon)	NOV 18 (Tue)	NOV 19 (Wed)	NOV 20 (Thu)
8.30 – 9.00am   REGISTRATION	8.15-8.50am   CHAPEL	8.15-8.50am   CHAPEL	8.15-8.50 am   CHAPEL
9.00-10.30am   INTRODUCTION TO BIOMEDICAL ETHICS	9.00-10.30am   ISSUES OF REPRODUCTIVE MEDICINE	9.00-10.30am   ISSUES AT THE END OF LIFE (PART I)	9.00-10.30am   DEVELOPING A THEOLOGICAL-PASTORAL APPROACH
BREAK
11.00am-12.30pm   INTRODUCTION TO BIOMEDICAL ETHICS	11.00am-12.30pm   ISSUES OF REPRODUCTIVE MEDICINE	11.00am-12.30pm   ISSUES AT THE END OF LIFE (PART I)	11.00am-12.30pm   DEVELOPING A THEOLOGICAL-PASTORAL APPROACH
12.30-2.00pm LUNCH BREAK
2.00-3.30pm   ISSUES AT THE BEGINNING OF LIFE	2.00-3.30pm   ISSUES OF GENES AND CELLS	2.00-3.30pm   ISSUES AT THE END OF LIFE (PART II)
BREAK
3.45-5.00pm   ISSUES AT THE BEGINNING OF LIFE	3.45-5.00pm   ISSUES OF GENES AND CELLS	3.45-5.00pm   ISSUES AT THE END OF LIFE (PART II)	8.00-10.30pm   PUBLIC FORUM ON BIOMEDICAL ETHICS

During the on-campus component, write a single one A4 page of reflection journal of your thoughts and reflections on the day’s sessions, to be submitted to me the next morning (journal for Monday 17/11, Tuesday 18/11 and Wednesday 19/11). Journal for Thursday 20/11 may either be emailed to me or sent by post within a week. Journal submitted after one week will not be marked.

Reflection is an important part of your theological study- taking time to think through and process the information received through a Christian worldview. In your reflections:

(1)   Specify the sources which have informed your thinking e.g. insight from our sessions, interaction with others, books you have read (give title, page)

(2)   Identify new ideas, thoughts, discoveries, agreement and disagreement. Interact with your sources (more discussion, less description)

(3)   Relate your comments to your own context.

Length: Maximum 500 words. Aim for honesty and integrity. This reflection paper will be assessed as follows:

Reflection-Assessment

Name:_________________________________  Date _______________

Focus                                                                   High extent         Low extent

Identifies the issue clearly
Resources used
Discussion/Reflection
Discusses, no merely describes/asserts
Discussion relevant to topic
Interaction with the resources
Demonstrate awareness of issues
Personal reflection
Application
Relevance of insight to own context
Insight applied
Presentation
Appropriate academic level/quality
Legibility-grammar, spelling
Readability-flow of writing

Comments:

 

 

7 = Excellent                                      6 = Criteria achieved to a high extent 5 = Mostly well done,                        4 = Good, but room for improvements        minor flaws 3 = Only just satisfactory                    2-1-0 = Inadequate

Adapted from Allan Harkness

 

3.      Public forum

There will be a public forum on biomedical ethics which will be held in City Discipleship Presbyterian Church (CDPC) in Petaling Jaya at 8 pm on Thursday 20^th November 2008. All course participants are expected to attend.

 

4.      Post-campus reflecting, assessing and synthesising

If you are completing this course for credit, after the on-campus sessions, you are expected to read an additional 100 pages (for undergraduates) or 300 pages (for postgraduates) for a 3 credit-course. The reading may be from my recommended list or from other sources. You may read a whole book or selections from different books or journals, depending on your interest. The reading can be part of your research for your research paper. Please list down the names of the books or journals, pages read on a sheet of paper and submit it together with your research paper. The format should be as follows:

Book/Journal Title, pages	Pages read
Beauchamp, T. and J. Childress (2009). Principles of Biomedical Ethics. Oxford, Oxford University Press, 20-30	11
Total

Critical Research Paper

Complete a research project on a topic, theory, issue, concept or practice related to this course. You should decide on your topic by the end of this course and present it to me for approval.

This research process is developed in the following way:

-identify a problem/topic/issue. It must be related to biomedical ethics

-read up on the problem/topic/issue

-develop your thesis/abstract/outline/solution and framework

-read more and reflect on your reading

-start writing

This research paper should be between 4000-5000 words (about 10-15 pages of 1.5 spaced text-about 380-400 words per A4 page) excluding the reference list for postgraduate students, and 3000-4000 words (about 8-10 pages) excluding the reference list for undergraduate students. This research paper will be due by 28 February 2009. You may either mail it to me by post or submit to me by email attachment. I will only accept Microsoft Word document formats (.doc).

 

Criteria for Assessment

Name__________________________________________ Date___________

Topic_________________________________________________________

                                                                              High extant          Low extant

Understand assignment purpose & structure
Identification of key issues
Clearly presented
Significant in scope
Appropriate rationale
Discussion section
Able to identify differences/similarities
Discusses rather than merely describes
Ability to interact/critique resources
Relates to course resources
Insight clear and logical
Challenges/difficulties identified
Suitable selection of issues
Clearly stated means to overcome
Personal Implication
Clear insights
Sense of honesty and realism
Presentation
Writing style- clear and appropriate
Spelling and grammar accurate
Proper references given

General Comments:

 

 

7 = Excellent                                      6 = Criteria achieved to a high extent 5 = Mostly well done,                        4 = Good, but room for improvements        minor flaws 3 = Only just satisfactory                    2-1-0 = Inadequate

Adapted from Allan Harkness

 

Module Assessment

Formal assessment for the course will be based on the following:

1.      Pre and post –campus reading and reflecting (20%)

2.      Reflection Journal (20%)

3.      Participation during the on-campus sessions and in the public forum (10%)

4.      Critical Research Paper  (50%)

 

Resources and Reading

An annotated reading list

 

 

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