Capstone Project in Applied Bioethics
- Course Number
- CHL3052Y
- Series
- 3000 (Bioethics)
- Format
- Hybrid
- Course Instructor(s)
- Ann Heesters, Kevin Rodrigues
Course Description
The Capstone Project in Applied Bioethics is an experiential learning course through which students integrate the bioethics knowledge gained through the MHSc program toward addressing a real-world applied bioethics issue or topic. Students will design, develop and implement an individual capstone project under the supervision of an approved faculty member with relevant expertise. Capstone Projects must be academically rigorous and feasible to complete within 3 academic sessions and may take a number of forms (e.g., a pilot study, a policy development project, an environmental scan, an ethics needs assessment, an implementation plan for an ethics initiative, an ethics curriculum project). The capstone project provides an opportunity for students to deepen their knowledge of an applied bioethics issue or topic of interest to them, to identify and apply appropriate bioethics methods of inquiry, to cultivate professional skills in effective communication and peer mentorship, and to engage with the complexities and ambiguities of applied bioethics practice in real-world contexts.
Course Objectives
By the end of the course, you will have demonstrated your ability to:
- Design, implement and evaluate an applied bioethics project in their professional practice setting
- Apply and critically appraise relevant interdisciplinary literature to describe and analyze ethical problems in health research, policy and practice
- Advance bioethics knowledge in practice through the effective application of empirical and normative scholarship, ethical reasoning and/or other relevant methods of inquiry
- Engage in applied bioethics inquiry in accordance with the highest ethical standards, scientific integrity and interpersonal collegiality
- Communicate bioethics knowledge effectively to diverse stakeholders using written and oral communication methods
Methods of Assessment
| Project Idea | 10% |
| Project Proposal | 20% |
| Capstone Project: Progress Update | 10% |
| Capstone Project: Presentation | 10% |
| Peer Co-Consulting Team Summary Report | 10% |
| Capstone Project: Final Report | 40% |