Contributions of Latin American thought to bioethics

The 20th and 21st centuries have been characterized as an era where techno-scientific development has confronted human beings with a large number of problems and ethical conflicts that require, for their reflection, new tools of thought that promote a judicious analysis of situations and decisions, which, among other issues, encompass everyday matters or professional practice.

Bioethics, among the many definitions that have been constructed of it, is understood as a field of knowledge, discourses and practices that attempt to address emerging problems related to the role of medical sciences, technosciences, multiculturalism and the relationships between man and nature, their effects and impacts on the lives of individuals, populations and humanity in general.

Latin American bioethics in the 21st century is characterized by a focus on social intervention and the expansion of epistemological boundaries. Biomedical and techno-scientific issues (the concerns that gave rise to the field of knowledge known as bioethics in the 1970s) are reinterpreted within the complex realities of Latin America and now constitute one of the areas addressed by the practices of these disciplines.

Contemporary trends in bioethics in our continent, such as: the bioethics of Human Rights; the bioethics of protection; the ethics of convergence; the bioethics of intervention; the bioethics of good living; and narrative bioethics, among others, confirm this fact. 

The specific challenges facing bioethics in the Latin American and Caribbean context, marked by increased violence, inequality, and poverty, among other factors, open new avenues for discussion where the participation of not only experts but also the community as a whole is crucial. This seminar, with its transdisciplinary approach, aims to contribute to addressing and mitigating these injustices.

Objective

• Analyze The conceptual and comprehensive foundations of bioethics from Latin American perspectives, as well as its practical application to the conflicts and problems that arise in the social, economic and cultural contexts of our region.

 Specific objectives 

• Identify the foundations of Bioethics.
• To delve deeper into the basic foundations of the field of Bioethics from Latin American perspectives. 
• To recognize the landscape of problems in the Latin American and Caribbean context in the face of bioethical problems and conflicts.

• Contemporary issues in the emergence of bioethics
• Principles of bioethics
• Method for decision-making in bioethics 
• Approaches to the problems and methods of Latin American bioethics
• Critiques of abstract universalism and the dualisms of European modernity
• Towards a cartography of contemporary Latin American bioethics
• Bioethics in contexts of inequality and poverty
• Bioethics and health 
• Bioethics and environmental conflicts 
• Challenges that the Latin American and Caribbean context poses to bioethics education

• De Zubiría, S. (2021). Latin American bioethics: towards a propaedeutic foundation. Bogotá: Universidad El Bosque.
• Deaton, A. (2015). Chapter 4. Health in the modern world. In A. Dean. The great escape: health, wealth and the origins of inequality. Mexico: Fondo de Cultura Económica. 
• Escobar Triana, J., & Ovalle Gómez, C. (2016). Contributions of bioethics to the resolution of environmental conflicts. Colombian Journal of Bioethics, 10(2), 105–126.
• Escobar, J., and Aristizábal Ch. (2011). Principles in bioethics; sources, proposals and multiple practices.
• Garrafa, V & Porto, D. (2008) Intervention Bioethics, In: J. Tealdi, Latin American Dictionary of Bioethics. Bogotá: UNESCO – Latin American and Caribbean Network of Bioethics: National University of Colombia. pp. 161-164. 
• Gracia, D. (2008). Decision-making procedures in clinical ethics. Madrid: Triacastela. pp. 17-45. 
• Hottois, G. (2007). What is Bioethics. Bogotá, Colombia: Kimpres Ltda.
• Riechmann, J. (2005). A vulnerable world. Essays on ecology, ethics and technoscience. Madrid, Spain: Los libros de la catarata. 

The basic requirements for taking a seminar are:

• Availability of at least 4 hours per week to dedicate to the seminar course.
• Internet access.
• Reasonable handling of communication and computer tools.
• Language proficiency in the language in which the course will be taught. The official languages ​​are Spanish and Portuguese.

The seminars last 12 weeks, plus the completion of a final project. A total of 90 hours of dedication will be credited.

A course consists of twelve classes, each accompanied by required readings, supplementary readings, discussion forums, and learning activities proposed by the teaching team, as well as partial submissions and a final project. The course is delivered online and asynchronously. Some instructors may propose synchronous activities. In these cases, the time and date will be agreed upon in advance between the teaching team and the students to ensure everyone's participation. To pass the seminar, students must participate in at least 80% of the discussion forums and activities proposed by the instructors, complete all scheduled partial submissions, and pass the final project.

The possible payment methods are credit card, bank transfer and bank deposit.