Bioethics Minor (M)

This 21-credit undergraduate minor in Bioethics offers undergraduate students the opportunity to engage in discussion and examination of the ethical questions that arise in biology and health care. Topics are examined from theoretical as well as practical perspectives through the analysis of specific cases and issues from a variety of disciplines such as medicine, law, theology, philosophy, political science, and psychology. A minor in Bioethics is a perfect complement to many majors and career paths:

  • Pre-medicine
  • Nursing
  • Rehabilitation sciences
  • Exercise physiology
  • Athletic training
  • Theology
  • Philosophy
  • Social work
  • Pre-pharmacy
  • Business
  • Pre-law
  • Education

Concordia University Wisconsin is a unique institution in the Concordia University System because we have a large population of health care students who would especially benefit from a minor in Bioethics. Students with a minor in Bioethics would be qualified to serve on hospital ethics committees, institutional review boards, and other ethics committees. This added qualification would make any student an attractive hire for the health care field, the private sector, and governmental agencies. This program accepts 6 credits of elective courses, allowing students to tailor their own programs to their specific needs and interests.

Minor Program Goals

  • Foster students’ sensitivity to the moral dimensions of science, health care delivery, and research.
  • Develop a deep appreciation for confessional, Lutheran approaches to life issues.
  • Provide students with the knowledge and methods to analyze ethical issues in biology and health care.
  • Enable students to make the best possible decisions when faced with dilemmas involving bioethics.
  • Promote student involvement in bioethical dialog at the local, state, and national levels.
  • Model an attitude of respect for all points of view.
  • Enable students to be leaders in the church as it attempts to address troubling ethical issues involving biology and health care.

Curriculum

Required Core Courses
Western Thought & Worldview
Old Testament (Bible Content)
Biblical Theology (Christian Doctrine)
Recommended Liberal Arts Dimensions Courses
Moral Philosophy
Any REL course with a number above 204
Required Minor Courses
PHIL 221Human Dignity3
PHIL 350Bioethical Dilemmas in Contemporary Society3
POLS 285American Politics and Health Care Policy3
REL 203New Testament 1 3
REL 287Christian Care Giving3
Minor Electives
Select two of the following: 26
Environmental Ethics
History and Philosophy of Science
Christian Apologetics
Christ and Culture
Research Ethics
Christian Ethics
Social Psychology
Cosmogony
Understanding Death and Dying
Aging and the Social Environment
Total Hours21
1

To complete the pair with REL 201 Old Testament in the core.

2

At least one elective must carry an REL or PHIL prefix.