Bioethics, Humanities and Medicine (BHM)
(Interdisciplinary Minor)
Director Professor of Philosophy Ana S. Iltis
The interdisciplinary minor in Bioethics, Humanities and Medicine is designed to foster students’ understanding of the ethical dimensions of
science, health research and health care delivery; to provide students with the knowledge and skills necessary to engage and analyze these
dimensions; to facilitate students’ integration of their education in the humanities and their understanding of, and approach to, medicine and
health care; and to allow students to bring this interdisciplinary knowledge to bear in medical education and practice.
The minor requires 18 hours. No more than 3 credits counting towards a major and no more than 6 credits counting towards another minor can
also count towards the Bioethics, Humanities and Medicine minor.
Core Courses for the Bioethics, Humanities and Medicine Minor
HMN 370: Medicine and Humanities (3h): Scholars from the Reynolda and Bowman Gray campuses lead a seminar on ideas and questions at
the intersection of medical science and the humanities. Topics include medical history; the expression of disease in literature and art; the ethics
of genetics research; the interplay of religion and medicine; and the economics of health care
PHI 161 Introduction to Bioethics (3h) or PHI 367: Philosophical Theories in Bioethics (3h)
PHI 161: Introduction to Bioethics (3h): A study of ethical issues that arise in health care and the life sciences such as
informed consent, experimentation on human subjects, truth-telling, confidentiality, abortion, and the allocation of scarce
medical resources.
or
PHI 367: Philosophical Theories in Bioethics (3h): A study of the main philosophical approaches to contemporary bioethics.
Each approach is examined critically and students explore how each approach informs analysis of contemporary issues in
bioethics.
Electives in the Bioethics, Humanities and Medicine Minor
Students must take 6 credit hours of courses from Group A and 6 credit hours of courses from Group B. Courses in Group A must be taken in
two different departments. Courses in Group B must be taken in two different departments. For course descriptions, please see the Bulleting of
the Undergraduate Schools.
Group A
ANT 362 Medical Anthropology (3h)
COM 345 Rhetoric of Science and Technology (3h)
COM 355 Survey of Health Communication (3h)
COM 356 Health Communication: Patient-Provider (3h)
COM 357 Health Communication Campaign (3h)
COM 358 Health Communication and Bioethics (3h)
CNS 334 Ethics in Health and Human Services (3h)
CNS 335 Health and Human Services in Diverse Society (3h)
ECN 240 Economics of Health and Medicine (3h)
HES 360 Epidemiology (3h)
HPA 150 Introduction to Public Health (3h)
SOC 331 The Social and Legal Contexts of Medicine (3h)
SOC 335 Sociology of Health and Illness (3h)
SOC 336 Sociology of Health Care (3h)
SOC 369 Death and Dying (1.5h)
SOC 383 Special Topics Seminar in Medicine and Health Care (3h)
WGS 321 Gender and the Politics of Health(3h)
Group B
HMN 365 Humanities and Nature (3h)
HST 113 Health, Disease and Healing in World History (3h)
HST 339 Sickness and Health in American Society (3h)
PHI 161 Introduction to Bioethics (if PHI 367 is used to fulfill core requirement) (3h)
PHI 360 Ethics (3h)
PHI 367 Philosophical Theories in Bioethics (if PHI 161 is used to fulfill core requirement) (3h)
PHI 368 Concepts of Health and Disease (3h)
REL 307.Magic, Science, and Religion (3h)
REL 329.Chinese Medicine (3h)
REL 330. Pope, Jefferson & Imam: A Study In Comparative Ethics (3h)
Other courses, including Special Topics courses in a number of departments, may be suitable as electives in the minor. These courses can be
counted toward the minor with the approval of the interdisciplinary minor in Bioethics, Humanities and Medicine committee.