PHIL 2060
Biomedical Ethics
A critical examination, in the light of contemporary moral disagreements and traditional ethical theories, of some of the moral issues arising out of medical practice and experimentation in our society. Issues that might be discussed include euthanasia, genetic engineering, organ transplants, medical malpractice, the allocation of medical resources, and the rights of the patient.
Instructors
Amanda Evans, Anne Baril, Brian Talbot, James Gulledge, Jason Gardner, John Doris, Michelle Ciurria, Tomy Ames, William Bell
Reviews
Professor Ciurria is incredibly kind and you can tell how much they enjoy teaching. I enjoyed this class and would highly recommended it to anyone interested in bioethics!
7/15/2025
I always left class with a new or valuable takeaway, and Professor Ciurria was always patient and helpful in explaining the course materials. Very few Professors care as much as she does about the content, and I felt like her approach was relaxed, but highly informative. Make an effort in the discussions--it really is worth it.
5/28/2025
A very flexible professor who values students' learning by offering different lecture styles and encouraging class discussions. A very pleasant and supportive professor!
5/22/2025
She is a lovely professor that truly cares about the subject material and is willing to go the extra mile for her students!
5/14/2025
One of the best professors I've had at WashU. She is clearly passionate about the material and is a versatile teacher. She appeals to many different learning styles and uses modern technology well. She is an asset to any department.
5/13/2025
She is so awesome. She is super knowledgeable about all the topics covered in class and has great takes, especially on prison heath care and incarceration as a whole. I thought it was super illuminating to be in an environment that facilitates learning rather than a desperate need for a good great. Take her if you can!
5/12/2025
Professor Ciurria is a great and caring professor. She makes her classes thought provoking while not making them necessarily difficult. I suggest taking a class with her! (Although she no longer is teaching at WashU)
5/12/2025
she is insanely easy. everyone should take her. half of class is attendance. everything else is graded for completion essentially. she answers her own questions so u dont have to do any reading. all you do is show up. avoid dimarco like the plague and take her
4/10/2025
Tomy Ames was such an amazing professor. This class was, for the most part, a "hands-on" learning experience. I will always remember his teaching for the rest of my career path.
11/20/2024
2 or less hrs/week
interesting topics. not too harsh of an essay grader, so it's pretty easy to make an A on your papers. participation matters a lot
7/7/2024
Gardner is emotionless--quite weird. Did not make any connections with students. Honestly try and participate in the beginning so he remembers you. Was not helpful during office hours--meet with the TA, so much nicer and graded everything. Did not make much of an effort to create an inclusive environment to encourage people to participate.
5/31/2024
2 or less hrs/week
Readings were a bit long sometimes but you can get by without reading much ahead of time. Final projects can be done the night before they're due, super super manageable. Discussions are interesting and have some good topics. Low-key my favorite class of the FL23 semester. And Ciurria is kinda the goat.
5/23/2024
2-4 hrs/week
Class discussions and readings were super interesting. The weekly writing assignments took maybe an hour to finish. Final paper presentation was a great source for feedback before you submit your paper. The professor was so nice. 10/10 recommend Baril, it’s an easy a as long as you show up to class (attendance points) and do the writing assignments. You can still pass the class even if you don’t do the final paper but get 100 on everything else
5/22/2024
Really interesting class, and as long as you participate, you will do well. Highly recommend this professor and this class.
1/17/2024
Interesting list of topics to discuss but the course is defined by discussion. Some of the readings are long but you can get by without all of them. Class discussion dependent on how much others participate too. Can get boring at times but she's nice and open to discussion which was good. Best part was that class ended 10 mins early every time.
1/10/2024
The class honestly had super interesting material that covered various topics such as medical racism, animal ethics, abortion and eugenics, intersex care, addiction, nuclear experiments, and more. The class was entirely discussion-based, meaning that you just had to show up to class and participate once or twice. Final projects are super easy.
1/10/2024
Jason Gardner, this professor is one that is very 'big' on mental health. He doesnt gaf.
1/4/2024
The professor includes interesting topics which display a variety of issues in the biomedical field. The course isn't formatted great and doesn't show both sides of some of the issues. Professor is nice but sometimes says controversial things. Class is very dependent on peers and if they are talkative/what they say so participation is important
12/22/2023
I like Ciurria a lot but I didn't find this class as interesting as I was hoping it was. You kind of just sit there and talk sporadically and then get talked to a lot, and along the way you might learn a few interesting things.
12/22/2023