Global and environmental ethics 3800-BE-EGS-OG

The course is intended to a) acquaint students with contemporary theoretical perspectives and axiological and normative positions in the field of global and environmental ethics, b) acquaint students with key issues and debates in the field, in particular challenges related to various aspects of global health and global and environmental justice, in the context of the climate crisis, c) deepen their knowledge about vulnerability in the context of global and environmental injustices, d) to develop skills in ethical analysis of i) health and environmental policies and projects, ii) socio-environmental conflicts, including in countries of the Global South, iii) international research projects involving vulnerable individuals and groups and in collaboration with low- and middle-income countries, e) to build communication competence to participate in the debate on global and environmental bioethics issues.
Didactic methods: text analysis, discussion, case analysis, group work, "role play". Part of the classes will be workshops (simulation of the work of an international research ethics committee).
The course covers following topics:
I. Contemporary theoretical perspectives:
- development of environmental and global bioethics and relationship between them,
- main philosophical accounts of the relationship between humans and the environment,
- concepts of Anthropocene, ecosystem, climate crisis, environmental crisis, planetary crisis,
- categories of global health, environmental health, health justice, environmental justice,
- social and environmental determinants of health.
II. Global bioethical challenges of today:
- epidemics and pandemics,
- poverty,
- access to health care,
- inequities,
- equitable distribution of resources globally,
- food security,
- migration,
- demographic change.
III. Human rights and global and environmental bioethics:
- human rights as the foundation of global bioethics and global health policy,
- global public health and the role of international institutions,
- basic principles, initiatives and programs of international cooperation for the protection and promotion of public health and global health,
- human rights and the environmental and climate crisis.
IV Sustainable development and environmental sustainability:
- philosophical and axiological foundations of the concept of sustainable development and the assumptions of environmental ethics and posthumanist ethics,
- health and the UN Sustainable Development Goals, the concept of sustainable health policy at the global and local levels.
V Projects and programs:
- principles for designing and conducting research and social projects involving vulnerable individuals or communities, particularly those from low- and middle-income countries,
- analysis of selected health, health education, health equity and environmental justice programs and activities implemented in such communities.

Type of course

general courses

Course coordinators

Katarzyna Bielińska

Learning outcomes

Knowledge:

After completing the course the student has in-depth knowledge and understanding of:
- theoretical and subject specifics of contemporary global and environmental bioethics,
- concepts and categories used in contemporary global and environmental ethics,
- basic axiological and normative positions in contemporary global and environmental ethics,
- key issues in global health and global and environmental justice,in the context of the climate crisis,
- the issue of vulnerability in the context of global and environmental injustices,
- the relevance of human rights to contemporary global and environmental ethics,
- values and principles of sustainable development, principles for designing sustainable health and environmental policies and projects, including programs targeting vulnerable groups and communities,
- principles of conducting research with participation of vulnerable groups and communities and in cooperation with low- and middle-income countries.

Acquired skills:
After completing the course, the student is able to:
- analyze critically texts related to the course thematics, and the views and arguments of other authors, including the class participants,
- identify, interpret and analyze adequately ethical problems in the area of global health and socio-environmental conflicts,
- argue substantively and adequately, select and construct advanced normative and factual arguments, formulate responses to criticism,
- conduct ethical analysis of a health and environmental policy or project, including those targeting vulnerable groups and communities,
- conduct an analysis of a socio-environmental conflict, including in countries of the Global South, from environmental justice perspective,
- conduct an analysis of an international research project involving vulnerable individuals and groups and in cooperation with low- and middle-income countries,
- prepare an oral presentation (paper) on global and environmental ethics,
- participate in a debate on issues in global and environmental ethics.

Acquired social competences:
After completing the course the student is ready to:
- evaluate critically information and content received,
- recognize the relevance of ethics and bioethics to global health and other global challenges related to the environmental and climate crisis,
- engage as a bioethicist in development of sustainable policies or projects for health, health education, health justice and environmental justice,
- engage as a bioethicist in the debate on global public health, socio-environmental conflicts, and sustainable development,
- work in a team, in various roles, including leadership.

Assessment criteria

Evaluation criteria:
Activity – 20%
Oral presentation – 20%
Written evaluation of a research project with the participation of vulnerable individuals or communities or from low and middle income countries – 15%
Written project/evaluation of the project of action for health protection, health promotion pursuing the Sustainable Development Goals – 15%
Oral exam – 30%

Bibliography

Benton-Short, L. (2023). Sustainability and Sustainable Development. An Introduction. Rowman&Littlefeld.
Bioethical Insights into Values and Policy: Climate Change and Health. (2016). C.C. MacPherson. (red.). Springer.
Coolsaet, B. (2021). Environmental Justice: Key Issues. Routledge.
Global Health. Ethical Challeges. Second Edition. (2021). S. Benatar, G. Brock. (red.). Cambridge University Press.
Have, H. ten. (2016). Global Bioethics: An Introduction. Routledge.
Human Rights in Global Health: Rights-Based Governance for a Globalizing World. (2018). M.B. Meier, L.O. Gostin, M. Robinson (red.). Oxford University Press.
Johnson, B.L., Lichtveld, M.Y. (2022). Environmental Policy and Public Health. T. 1-2. Taylor&Francis.
Rolston III, H. (2012). A New Environmental Ethics: The Next Millennium for Life on Earth.
Routledge.
Williston, B. (2023). The Ethics of Climate Change: An Introduction. Routledge.

Teksty, materiały i casusy dostarczone przez prowadzącą. Liczba stron do przeczytania nie przekroczy 30 tygodniowo.

Additional information

Information on level of this course, year of study and semester when the course unit is delivered, types and amount of class hours - can be found in course structure diagrams of apropriate study programmes. This course is related to the following study programmes:

Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system:

Description of 3800-BE-EGS-OG in USOSweb