TÜRKÇE
ENGLISH
Information
| Unit | INSTITUTE OF SOCIAL SCIENCES |
| PHILOSOPHY AND RELIGIOUS STUDIES (MASTER) (WITH THESIS) | |
| Code | FDB1703 |
| Name | Bioethics Religion Science and Morality |
| Term | 2026-2027 Academic Year |
| Term | Spring |
| Duration (T+A) | 3-0 (T-A) (17 Week) |
| ECTS | 6 ECTS |
| National Credit | 3 National Credit |
| Teaching Language | Türkçe |
| Level | Belirsiz |
| Type | Normal |
| Mode of study | Yüz Yüze Öğretim |
| Catalog Information Coordinator | Dr. Öğr. Üyesi Emine GÖÇER |
| Course Instructor |
The current term course schedule has not been prepared yet.
|
Course Goal / Objective
The course comparatively examines fundamental bioethical topics, including the beginning and end of life, embryo ethics, genetic intervention, reproductive technologies, organ transplantation, transhumanism, and cultural-religious diversity within both secular and religious ethical frameworks. In this context, students systematically evaluate the metaphysical, ethical, and public policy dimensions of biotechnology and medical practices.
Course Content
This course aims to provide students with conceptual and normative depth by evaluating contemporary bioethical issues—such as the value of life, genetic intervention, reproductive technologies, organ transplantation, and transhumanism—through the perspectives of analytical ethics and the philosophy of religion. Students learn to analyze the effects of modern biotechnological developments on human nature, moral responsibility, and ethical and metaphysical boundaries using critical and justified arguments.
Course Precondition
There are no prerequisites for this course.
Resources
1. Aşar, Haluk. Biyoetik Geçmişten Günümüze, Kayseri: Kimlik Yayınları, 2019. 2. Göçer, Emine. Biyoetik Açıdan İnsan Doğası, Ankara: Akademisyen Kitabevi, 2025. 3. Kartal Soysal, Esra. Gen Ötesi- İnsan Sonrası: Epigenetik Felsefesine Giriş, İstanbul: Ketebe, 2020. 4. Kartal Soysal, Esra. Posthüman Dünyada Üreme: Felsefi Bir Giriş. İstanbul: Siyasal Kitapevi, 2023. 5. Kalyoncu, Hamdi. Ölümsüzlük İhtiyacı: İntihar, Ötenazi ve Reenkarnasyon, İstanbul: Boğaziçi Yayınları, 2011. 6. Çadır, Yusuf. Transhümanizm, Ölüm ve Ölümsüzlük, Kırklareli: Kedidedi Yayıncılık, 2023. 7. Agar, Nicholas. Humanity’s End: Why We Should Reject Radical Enhancement. Cambridge: MIT Press, 2010. 8. Beauchamp, Tom L., ve James F. Childress. Principles of Biomedical Ethics. 8th ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2019. 9. Bostrom, Nick. “A History of Transhumanist Thought.” Journal of Evolution and Technology 14, no. 1 (2005): 1–25. 10. Doudna, Jennifer, ve Samuel Sternberg. A Crack in Creation: Gene Editing and the Unthinkable Power to Control Evolution. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2017. 11. George, Robert P., ve Christopher Tollefsen. Embryo: A Defense of Human Life. New York: Doubleday, 2008. 12. Green, James W. Beyond the Good Death: The Anthropology of Modern Dying. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2008. 13. Habermas, Jürgen. The Future of Human Nature. Cambridge: Polity Press, 2003. 14. Jonsen, Albert. The Birth of Bioethics. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1998. 15. Kass, Leon. “Ageless Bodies, Happy Souls: Biotechnology and the Pursuit of Perfection.” The New Atlantis 1 (2003): 9–28.
Notes
1. Kass, Leon. Life, Liberty and the Defense of Dignity. San Francisco: Encounter Books, 2002. 2. Keown, Damien. Euthanasia, Ethics and Public Policy. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2002. 3. Kurzweil, Ray. The Singularity Is Near. New York: Penguin, 2005. 4. Lizza, John. Persons, Humanity, and the Definition of Death. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2006. 5. Marquis, Don. “Why Abortion Is Immoral.” The Journal of Philosophy 86, no. 4 (1989): 183–202.
Course Learning Outcomes
| Order | Course Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|
| LO01 | Defines the ethical issues arising from modern medicine and biotechnology within an analytical framework. |
| LO02 | Compares religious ethics, secular ethics, and applied ethics models and applies them to bioethical debates. |
| LO03 | Analyzes normative arguments regarding euthanasia, end-of-life decisions, and the value of life. |
| LO04 | Evaluates debates on genetic intervention, CRISPR, and human nature from ethical and philosophical perspectives. |
| LO05 | Compares religious and secular approaches to reproductive technologies (IVF, surrogacy, embryo ethics) |
| LO06 | Discusses the impact of transhumanism and immortality technologies on human nature and ethical boundaries. |
| LO07 | Analyzes the impact of cultural and religious diversity on bioethical decision-making processes. |
| LO08 | Evaluates the functioning of bioethics committees, policy-making processes, and the role of religious arguments. |
| LO09 | Develops coherent, justified, and critical arguments regarding contemporary bioethical problems. |
Relation with Program Learning Outcome
| Order | Type | Program Learning Outcomes | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| PLO01 | Bilgi - Kuramsal, Olgusal | Students learn essential knowledge and approaches in the field. | 5 |
| PLO02 | Bilgi - Kuramsal, Olgusal | Students have extensive knowledge about national and international studies in the field. | 4 |
| PLO03 | Bilgi - Kuramsal, Olgusal | Students perform original researches on the field. | 4 |
| PLO04 | Bilgi - Kuramsal, Olgusal | Gain sufficient knowledge about national and international studies in the field. | |
| PLO05 | Bilgi - Kuramsal, Olgusal | Can do original research in the field. | |
| PLO06 | Bilgi - Kuramsal, Olgusal | Determines a topic from the proposals and develops a report on this issue. | |
| PLO07 | Bilgi - Kuramsal, Olgusal | Discusses and presents the research report. | |
| PLO08 | Bilgi - Kuramsal, Olgusal | Use individual and team work skills in national and international projects | |
| PLO09 | Bilgi - Kuramsal, Olgusal | Recognize the basic sources of the field to use in scientific studies. | 5 |
| PLO10 | Bilgi - Kuramsal, Olgusal | Effective use of a foreign language to follow international literature in the field | |
| PLO11 | Bilgi - Kuramsal, Olgusal | Using higher order thinking skills (critical thinking, problem solving, creative thinking, decision making, reflection) | |
| PLO12 | Bilgi - Kuramsal, Olgusal | They can conduct their work independently and as a member of a team. | 4 |
| PLO13 | Bilgi - Kuramsal, Olgusal | Using scientific research skills in their work | 4 |
| PLO14 | Bilgi - Kuramsal, Olgusal | Follow ethical rules |
Week Plan
| Week | Topic | Preparation | Methods |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Introduction: The Relationship Between Bioethics and Religious Ethics | Obtaining and Reading Relevant and Recommended Resources | Öğretim Yöntemleri: Anlatım, Soru-Cevap, Tartışma |
| 2 | The Value of Life: Religious and Secular Perspectives | Obtaining and Reading Relevant and Recommended Resources | Öğretim Yöntemleri: Anlatım, Soru-Cevap, Tartışma |
| 3 | Euthanasia: Passive and Active Euthanasia | Obtaining and Reading Relevant and Recommended Resources | Öğretim Yöntemleri: Anlatım, Soru-Cevap, Tartışma |
| 4 | Genetic Intervention I: CRISPR and Gene Editing | Obtaining and Reading Relevant and Recommended Resources | Öğretim Yöntemleri: Anlatım, Soru-Cevap, Tartışma |
| 5 | Genetic Intervention II: Human Nature, Essentialism, and Ethical Boundaries | Obtaining and Reading Relevant and Recommended Resources | Öğretim Yöntemleri: Anlatım, Soru-Cevap, Tartışma |
| 6 | Reproductive Ethics I: IVF and Surrogacy | Obtaining and Reading Relevant and Recommended Resources | Öğretim Yöntemleri: Anlatım, Soru-Cevap, Tartışma |
| 7 | Reproductive Ethics II: Embryo Ethics and Status | Obtaining and Reading Relevant and Recommended Resources | Öğretim Yöntemleri: Anlatım, Soru-Cevap, Tartışma |
| 8 | Mid-Term Exam | Exam Preparation | Ölçme Yöntemleri: Yazılı Sınav |
| 9 | Metaphysical and Ethical Distinctions Regarding the Beginning of Life | Obtaining and Reading Relevant and Recommended Resources | Öğretim Yöntemleri: Anlatım, Soru-Cevap, Tartışma |
| 10 | Personhood, Consciousness, and Criteria of Death Regarding the End of Life | Obtaining and Reading Relevant and Recommended Resources | Öğretim Yöntemleri: Anlatım, Soru-Cevap, Tartışma |
| 11 | Organ Transplantation: Religious and Ethical Evaluations | Obtaining and Reading Relevant and Recommended Resources | Öğretim Yöntemleri: Anlatım, Soru-Cevap, Tartışma |
| 12 | Transhumanism I: Posthumanism Debates | Obtaining and Reading Relevant and Recommended Resources | Öğretim Yöntemleri: Anlatım, Soru-Cevap, Tartışma |
| 13 | Transhumanism II: Immortality Technologies and Ethics | Obtaining and Reading Relevant and Recommended Resources | Öğretim Yöntemleri: Anlatım, Soru-Cevap, Tartışma |
| 14 | Cultural and Religious Diversity in Bioethics | Obtaining and Reading Relevant and Recommended Resources | Öğretim Yöntemleri: Anlatım, Soru-Cevap, Tartışma |
| 15 | Policy Analysis: Bioethics Committees, Religious Arguments, and Public Ethics | Obtaining and Reading Relevant and Recommended Resources | Öğretim Yöntemleri: Anlatım, Soru-Cevap, Tartışma |
| 16 | Term Exams | Exam Preparation | Ölçme Yöntemleri: Yazılı Sınav |
| 17 | Term Exams | Exam Preparation | Ölçme Yöntemleri: Yazılı Sınav |
Student Workload - ECTS
| Works | Number | Time (Hour) | Workload (Hour) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Course Related Works | |||
| Class Time (Exam weeks are excluded) | 14 | 3 | 42 |
| Out of Class Study (Preliminary Work, Practice) | 14 | 4 | 56 |
| Assesment Related Works | |||
| Homeworks, Projects, Others | 3 | 10 | 30 |
| Mid-term Exams (Written, Oral, etc.) | 1 | 6 | 6 |
| Final Exam | 1 | 16 | 16 |
| Total Workload (Hour) | 150 | ||
| Total Workload / 25 (h) | 6,00 | ||
| ECTS | 6 ECTS | ||