The following graduate-level courses offered at UNC and the immediate vicinity explicitly address public health ethics or topics directly relevant to public health ethics. Each has been approved for the Certificate in Public Health Ethics.

Click on a heading to jump directly to the corresponding section:

• Courses in the UNC School of Public Health
• UNC Ethics-related courses outside the School of Public Health
• Ethics-related courses at Duke University
• Ethics-related courses at NC State University

Courses in the UNC School of Public Health

EPID 786 COMMUNITY-DRIVEN EPIDEMIOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE (3) An introduction to concepts and methods in community-driven environmental justice research and present opportunities for active involvement in problem solving. Topics include public health and social justice and collaborative development of community-driven research questions. (On request.) Wing.

EPID 826 SOCIAL EPIDEMIOLOGY: CONCEPTS AND MEASURES (3) This course introduces students to the social epidemiology of infectious diseases. Many of the concepts will also be applicable to non-infectious diseases. Students will learn: several social theories relevant to disease distribution; the tools available to measure social factors and their respective qualities; the relation between inequality and ethics; and means of decreasing inequalities. Spring. Thomas.

EPID 880 FOUNDATIONS OF PUBLIC HEALTH ETHICS (3) In this course students discuss values and principles in public health ethics and how they complement and differ from those in medical ethics. Additional topics include concepts of justice, such as human rights and utilitarianism; how to work through an ethical question, research ethics, professional ethics, and the areas of public health where ethical questions are currently arising. Alternating spring semesters. Thomas.

EPID 898 GLOBAL HEALTH ETHICS SEMINAR (2) Explores issues of justice and ethics raised by health research and interventions around the world. Fall. Behets, Rennie.

HPAA 510 GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES ON ETHICAL ISSUES IN HEALTH POLICY AND ADMINISTRATION (3) This course will address the ethical issues of health policy and administration, with particular attention to the global perspectives on these issues. These global perspectives are both comparative and trans-national. Thus, we will compare the ethical approaches to health system issues in various countries, such as the different perspectives on informed consent, refusal of treatment, physician-assisted suicide, and reproductive health. The course will address global perspectives on the ethical issues in rationing of care, allocation of resources, and cost-containment; ethical issues of corruption, kickbacks, and conflicts of interest; and ethical aspects of research with human subjects in both developing and developed countries. We will also consider the cross-border issues that arise from movement of patients and providers across national boundaries, such as treatment of undocumented aliens, medical tourism, and the “brain drain” of health care personnel from developing countries. Finally, the course will deal with organizational ethics and compliance, including ethical issues for U.S. health care professionals and organizations providing services in other countries. Open to undergraduates. Spring. Harris (teaching on-line in real-time from China in spring of 2008).

HPPA 561 ADVANCED POLICY ANALYSIS (3). This course explores the fundamental political values and systems of thought behind current controversies in health policy. Readings center on theories of justice, ethics, and how values are translated into politics. Fall and spring. Ricketts.

HPAA 710 HEALTH LAW (3) The role of law in the American health care system; the use of law to promote public policy goals of quality, access and cost-containment; the evolution of law; identifying situations that raise legal issues, avoiding legal problems and when to consult legal
counsel. Fall. Harris.

HPAA 711 RESEARCH MANAGEMENT AND ETHICS IN HEALTH POLICY (1) This course is aimed at doctoral and MSPH students with interests in research management and ethics. Using cases and examples, the first part of the course focuses on major management and leadership issues and the second part deals with ethically relevant matters such as whistle blowing, various publishing and authorship issues, conflict of interest and commitment, human subjects, plagiarism and fraud. Spring, Brooks.

HPAA 810  LEADERSHIP IN HEALTH LAW AND ETHICS (3) This course is one of the core courses in the executive DrPH program, comprising some of the core elements of the DrPH curriculum and dissertation. The primary objectives of the course are to enable learners to (1) identify and discuss key issues relating to health law and policy, organizational/situational authority, and public health ethics (including issues pertaining to cultural competency) and (2) to stimulate critical thinking, analysis and debate about these issues as they pertain to other topics that will be explored throughout the DrPH program.

MCH 730 REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH POLICY (3) Permission of the instructor required. Participants examine forces that shape social policy relating to reproduction and differential impact of policy based on age and other factors. Focus on global controversies in reproduction/reproductive health services in context of human/women’s rights. Three lecture hours a week. Spring. Bennett.

MCH 756 UNDERSTANDING AND ADDRESSING HEALTH INEQUALITIES IN THE US (3) This course is being taught to provide knowledge and skills to: conduct needs assessment, critical appraisal and measurement of the distribution, causes and consequences of health inequalities; evaluate or design interventions related to clinical practice, resource allocation, or social policy; and design appropriate etiologic, health services or clinical research, targeted toward understanding, reducing and ultimately eliminating health disparities. Spring Hogan.

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UNC Ethics-related courses outside the School of Public Health

JOURNALISM

490 Ethics of Science and Health Communication (3) This seminar explores the journalistic ethics involved in reporting on a variety of science and health topics. The course will focus on one case study per week. Each student will prepare a feature-length, written report on an ethical issue in science or health journalism and will lead a classroom discussion on that topic. In addition, students will read a variety of articles and books that raise significant ethical issues.

LAW (SCHOOL OF LAW)

380 INTERNATIONAL LAW OF HUMAN RIGHTS (3) Seminar will focus on international and regional human rights treaties and enforcement mechanisms, consider the customary law of human rights and possibly examine particular human rights issues.

781 GENOMICS AND SOCIETY (3) This multidisciplinary course offers students an opportunity to gain a basic understanding of human genetics and explore the ethical, legal, and social implications of recent advances in genetics. Fall. Van Riper.

PUBLIC POLICY

780 ETHICS AND FORMAL ANALYTIC TECHNIQUES I (3) Ethical considerations are integrated with formal analytical approaches in policy advising. Topics include criteria for policy choice, user participation, and analysts’ obligations in political situations. First semester: non-economic techniques. Fall. Webster.

787 ETHICS AND FORMAL ANALYTIC TECHNIQUES II (3) Ethical considerations are integrated with formal analytical approaches in policy advising. Topics include criteria for policy choice, user participation, and analysts’ obligations in political situations. Second semester: mainly cost-benefit analysis. Spring. Rabindran.

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Ethics-related courses at Duke University

POLISCI 175 B DISTRIBUTIVE JUSTICE
Exploration of what constitutes a fair or just distribution of goods in society (e.g. whatever results from a free market; to each according to her needs: whatever distribution is to the advantage of the least advantaged.). Topics include the ownership of private property, egalitarianism, welfare state liberalism, socialism. Readings in political theory with emphasis upon contemporary theories. Instructor: Charney or Spragens

POLISCI 199C DEMOCRACY IN A GLOBAL CONTEXT
What are democratic ethics? How might they find expression in a global context? What implications does globalization have for democratic theory, which typically models itself on the nation-state? How might a democratic ethic be instilled in newly forming/changing global institutions? This course will address such questions as it strives to bring democratic theory into conversation with globalization literatures. Materials will be examine different perspectives on democratic theory, including direct, representative, pluralist, participatory, radical and cosmopolitan models. Spring. Borowiak.

POLISCI 200D INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS
The purpose of this course is to investigate the reasons for, and the consequences of, the rise of human rights as an issue in international politics: Why have human rights gained such a prominent place in the politics among nations? What accounts for the development of an elaborate body of international human rights law? How and under what conditions are international human rights norms implemented? Spring. Risopp-Nickelson.

SOCIOL 171 INTERNATIONAL HEALTH CARE SYSTEM
The interaction of historical, political, economic, cultural, legal/ethical, and sociological factors in the organization and operation of health care systems. Emphasis on how cultural values penetrate the social institutions (politics, economics) that determine health care policies and their reception by societal members. Effects of social and technological change on health care systems, comparing their effects across societies with differing histories, cultural values, and economic systems. Spring. Taylor.

PUBPOL 264 ETHICS AND BIOTECHNOLOGY POLICY
This course is an introductory examination of some of the key public policy issues in biotechnology. The emphasis will be upon identifying, analyzing, and providing constructive responses to some of the most serious ethical issues raised by the new genetic technologies. Topics will include: reproduction of human beings by cloning, genetic testing, pharmacogenetics (correlating variations individual's genotypes with differences in response to medicines), and genetic enhancement. Buchanan, Allen

PUBPOL 264S SOCIAL AND POLITICAL HISTORY OF GENETICS
This course surveys the social and political history of genetics from its origins in 1865 through sequencing the human genome, emphasizing public policy and the social and ethical responsibilities of scientists. It begins with the inter-twined histories of eugenics, racial hygiene and human genetics, including how genetics research has been used to support and undermine both biological and social conceptions of "race." The post-World War II emergence of molecular biology as a dominant field in biomedical research will illustrate the convergence of law, politics and science on recombinant DNA in the 1970s, and when creating programs to study the Ethical, Legal and Ethical Implications (ELSI) of genomics in the 1990s. A deep mutualism between academic science and commercial application has been a feature of molecular biology since the early 1980s, including the emergence of biotechnology and the scientific turning of pharmaceutical research. Policy themes include: the openness of science, the role of intellectual property, conflicting roles of scientists and health professionals, ethical issues that arise when people and populations are the subject of research, and the role of "bioethics" in public policy. Cook-Degan.

Duke Law

108S Science, Technology, and Human Values: Ethics in Professions. An introduction to ethics studied through the analysis and interpretation of case studies from the scientific and engineering professions. Topics include: moral development; concepts of truth and fairness; responsible conduct of research; the person and virtues; confidentiality; risk and safety; social responsibility; etiology and consequences of fraud and malpractice; legal aspects of professionalism, and allocation of resources. The capstone course for students completing the certificate in the Program in Science, Technology, and Human Values. Instructor: Vallero and staff. Cross-listed as Engineering 108S. Online Course Synopsis. (SS) CCI, SS, STS

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Ethics-related courses at NC State University

GENETICS 850 PROFESSIONALISM AND ETHICS
The course is designed to give students background in professionalism, scientific ethics and responsible conduct of science. Topics include the role of the scientist in society, ethical theory, data acquisition and ownership, scientific misconduct, authorship, peer review, conflicts of interest and commitment, intellectual property, ethics of teaching and mentoring, ethical treatment of animal and human subjects, ethics of genetics research, job hunting and interviewing.

PA 701 POLITICS AND ETHICS OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION
The linkage of public administration to politics occasionally and policy process in local, state and national government and relationship of public administrators to the agency, government and public. Accountability in public sector, legal and professional responsibilities of public administrators, ethical issues in public administration and codes of ethics.

PHI 311 PHILOSOPHICAL ISSUES IN MEDICAL ETHICS
Such issues as the morality of abortion, suicide, and euthanasia; the meaning and function of the concepts of health, illness, and death; psychological intervention; paternalism in medicine; consent and medical experimentation; and the allocation of scarce medical resources. Consideration of individual rights and fairness. Emphasis on conceptual clarity and the assessment of moral principles.

PHI 375 ETHICS
Examination of traditional questions of philosophical ethics: What are the principles of moral conduct? What sort of life is worthy of a human being? Includes both classic and contemporary literature.

PHI 422 PHILOSOPHICAL ISSUES IN ENVIRONMENTAL ETHICS
Ethical questions about the environment; in particular, what obligations we have to the environment. Topics: animal rights, obligations to species and ecosystems, intrinsic vs extrinsic value, and policy implications of moral judgments.

PHI 816 INTRODUCTION TO RESEARCH ETHICS
Institutional rules guiding the responsible conduct of research (RCR) and their philosophical justification. Rudiments of moral reasoning and their application to RCR. Topics: plagiarism, falsification and fabrication of data, and ethics versus custom, law, science, and religion.

STS (MDS) 304 ETHICAL DIMENSIONS OF PROGRESS
Multidisciplinary examination of traditional western notion of progress, focusing on ethical issues raised by concept of progress, and connections between science, technology and society. Places relationships such as engineering and social responsibility within the context of present day redefinitions of the notion of progress.

STS (MDS) 325 BIO-MEDICAL ETHICS: AN INTERDISCIPLINARY INQUIRY
Interdisciplinary examination and appraisal of emerging ethical and social issues resulting from recent advances in the biological and medical sciences. Abortion, euthanasia, physician-assisted suicide, compromised infants, aids, reproductive technologies, and health care. Focus on factual details and value questions, fact-value questions, fact-value interplay, and questions of impact assessment and policy formulation.