THE COURSE

What is Bioethics with Rob Lovering?

Bioethics with Rob Lovering is an online course conducted live through Zoom in which students learn about a wide variety of issues, concepts, positions, and arguments constitutive of bioethics: the study of ethical issues arising from the biological and medical sciences. Taught by Professor of Philosophy and Chair of the Philosophy Department at CUNY - College of Staten, Rob Lovering (Ph.D.), Bioethics with Rob Lovering is the perfect course for those who seek independent instruction on the various ethical dimensions of bioethical issues such as abortion, stem cell research, human cloning, organ donation, animal experimentation, biological immortality, physician-assisted suicide, and euthanasia.

Why take this course?

Bioethical issues are among the most important moral and, thus, cultural, social, and political issues with which humanity grapples. This is due to the fact that bioethical issues revolve around the potential harming or killing of a being, whether human or non-human. Much is at stake, then, when it comes to bioethical issues, at both the individual and societal levels. (This is precisely why bioethical issues tend to generate intense moral and political discussions and movements.) This course will help students better understand the various ethical dimensions of a wide variety of bioethical issues and, in turn, increase the likelihood that they make more informed judgments and decisions when it comes to such issues.

What does the course cover?

The bioethical issues covered in this course are as follows.

  • Moral status

  • Abortion

  • Stem cell research

  • Human cloning

  • Organ donation

  • Biological immortality

  • Physician-assisted suicide

  • Euthanasia

What are the sources of the course material?

The material covered in the course is drawn from important academic articles written by well-regarded bioethicists, including Peter Singer, Mary-Anne Warren, Michael Tooley, Judith Jarvis Thomson, Don Marquis, Jeff McMahan, John Harris, James Rachels, and more.

For whom is the course suitable?

This course is suitable for a wide range of people, ranging from high schoolers to retirees. Students are placed in courses consisting of their epistemic peers—high schoolers are placed in a course consisting entirely of high schoolers, college students are placed in a course consisting entirely of college students, and college graduates and other adults are are placed in a course consisting entirely of adults. Accordingly, though the subject matter remains the same in every course, the level of discourse about it varies.

How is the course taught?

As indicated above, the course is conducted live through Zoom. Professor Lovering leads discussions of the subject matter with the use of PowerPoint slides that are screen-shared with the students. (Access to all of the slides outside of class sessions is included with the course. For examples of the PowerPoints slides, click here.) Professor Lovering also seeks student participation during class sessions by encouraging each student to ask questions, make observations, provide insights, respond to comments made by their fellow students, share course-relevant anecdotes, and more. Such participation is crucial to developing and honing their ability to think critically about the issues. All of this is done within a context of mutual respect for each other.

When is the course taught?

The days and times of class sessions are agreed upon by Professor Lovering and the student(s) enrolled in the particular section of the course. Each class sessions lasts 1 hour and there are 12 class sessions.

Is the purchase of a textbook (or anything else) required?

No. All you need to do is read through each class session’s PowerPoint slides before it begins and participate in the class discussions.

How much does the course cost?

Individual (One-on-One) Rate: $3,000

Group (Two-to-Eight Students) Rate: $2,000 per student

Payment for the course may be made through PayPal (Rob Lovering) or Venmo (@RobLovering).