bioethical issues are pervasive throughout society , and with the scientific progress and technical advances that scientists continue to develop , new bioethical issues are continually arising . the goal of most courses is for students to be able to amass and assimilate information for use , either later in the course or during future activities . this course , topics in bioethics , is designed to allow students to discuss and learn about different bioethical issues and to develop educated personal positions on these topics . sometimes the students go into a topic believing they are on one side , only to find out that it is not a two - sided , black - and - white issue , but a series of intertwined issues separated by large gray areas . for example , many students have heard about the medical testing atrocities of the nazi camps in germany during world war ii . but they are shocked to learn that human experimentation has occurred in the united states and other countries over the past hundred years . through a series of hollywood films and popular and scientific readings , students are exposed to additional topics of gene testing , designer babies , cloning , and other topics . students gather knowledge about the topic , including pros and cons of the different biotechnological issues and uses . during classroom discussions , students discuss the topic , and gain insight into different perspectives through the eyes of fellow students and through introductory readings . before presenting students with any course materials or content , they are given a basic introductory survey ( appendix 1 ) . this 1 ) provides insight into their prior knowledge and 2 ) serves as a first introduction to some of the topics that will be covered in the class . the course has been set up in five parts , the fifth part being student - chosen topics and student - led discussions . the primary topics that have been covered are listed in table 1 , including movies that have been shown during one class period and some suggested readings . additional topics that have been suggested or covered by students are listed in appendix 2 . the course is offered in a single three - hour time slot , allowing the instructor to introduce the topic to be viewed and complete the movie in one class period . students are asked to read relevant literature , including popular literature and historical reports ( appendix 3 ) , before the subsequent class period . students are provided with some guiding questions to facilitate the topic discussion ( appendix 5 ) . see appendix 4 for links to short films about these topics . during the class period following the introduction and movie , students are expected to openly discuss the topic and work through the questions provided ( fig . 1 and appendix 5 ) and any additional questions that arise . the role of the instructor is solely that of facilitator , to assure that the science is sufficiently understood during the discussion and the group stays focused on the topic(s ) being discussed . the students discuss the pros and cons of the topic(s ) and develop their own perspectives and opinions . examples of questions for the human experimentation class discussion ( following the viewing of the film miss evers boys ) . for questions associated with other topics , keeping topics broad is important to allow the students to see the breadth of topics and to explore aspects of interest to them . as an example of the breadth of the topic of cloning having broader topics allows for classes to discuss different subtopics that might be of more individual interest and allows for a more far - reaching introduction to the technology of cloning . the list of discussion questions for each individual topic has been designed to lead the discussion to include the breadth of the topics . student assessment is based on three aspects  participation in discussions , effective written communication , and presentation of a well - prepared topic . class size is critical in having effective student participation , with 8 to 12 students being an optimum number for discussions . students are assessed following each discussion and provided with feedback designed to improve their participation in future topics through a course website . it is also important to provide feedback to students who dominate the discussion to encourage them to allow others to participate . with each topic , students were required to turn in an electronic version of a six- to eight - page ( double - spaced ) essay . essays were graded on the quality of writing and the accuracy of information ( science or historical fact ) . one of the goals of the student - chosen presentations is to create an effective learning environment . students are paired up by the instructor to mix majors to allow for differences in philosophies and understanding . the student presenters are required to provide two articles for the class to read prior to the discussion , with these articles being popular reading ( e.g. , news articles or short review articles ) rather than scientific literature . to facilitate productive discussions , the topics are approved ( sometimes focused , sometimes broadened ) several weeks prior to the presentation , papers are made available one week prior to the presentation , and students prepare discussion questions . the topic presentation , discussion leadership , preparation , article choice and questions provided for the discussion account for 20% of the overall course grade . the students who deliver the presentations also write their fifth position paper on their chosen topic . the informal feedback suggests that the students enjoy the non - lecture style course , which facilitates their ability to develop opinions and to express those opinions through discussion and writing . students have indicated that they gain alternative insight into topics through their classmates during the discussion period . appendix 1 : pre - course survey to be completed at the start of class appendix 2 : student topics and additional topics that could be covered appendix 3 : topics with readings and/or movies appendix 4 : online movie resources appendix 5 : discussion questions for other class topics appendix 6 : results from cloning survey ( spring 2014 )
exposing students to current biotechnological and medical issues is eye - opening for many students in a way that is not always achieved through lecture - based learning . 
 lecture or investigative teaching styles provide a tremendous knowledge base for the students , but sometimes these teaching styles do not allow the student to fully develop , especially personal attitudes to issues in bioethics . through online videos , hollywood movies , 
 guided readings and classroom discussions , students in this course are informed of some bioethical topics , encouraged to learn about other topics , and use this gained knowledge to develop personal positions regarding the value and/or risk of the issues . 
 this course has been well - received by previous students as a favorite in terms of both topics covered and style .