BTHX 5650 | Disability Ethics
Sept. 2 - Dec. 10
Introduces critical disability studies perspective to contemporary issues in healthcare. Students will analyze a range of issues including medical aid in dying, eugenics, prenatal testing, cochlear implant technology, and sterilization and establish disability-informed approaches to contemporary health care dilemmas. Assignments include readings from diverse authors, viewings, research papers, and presentations.
Course Objectives
Upon completion of the course students should be able to:
- Synthesize critical disability theory, bioethical analysis, and clinical facts in patient care dilemmas.
- Utilize critical disability theory to examine ethical dilemmas that arise in the care for disabled patients.
- Contribute to community discussion around a disability ethics dilemma relevant to the disability community.
These courses welcome learners from various disciplinary backgrounds and are open to graduate students, professional degree students, and upper-level undergraduate students from the University of Minnesota and other institutions. They are also open to learners who are not currently in degree programs but wish to take courses, so long as they meet course prerequisites.
About the Instructor:
Jaime Konerman-Sease, PhD, HEC-C, is a Clinical Ethics Assistant Professor at the University of Minnesota Center for Bioethics. She is a member of the team at the Center for Bioethics that provides clinical ethics services for the MHealth Fairview System. Her role includes clinical ethics consultation, policy development, and education for all hospitals in the MHealth Fairview system. Additionally, she is a member of the UMMC Ethics Committee.
Dr. Konerman-Sease's academic work focuses on Disability Bioethics, Medicine and Literature, and Religious Bioethics. By drawing from historical sources, she highlights novel solutions to modern-day health care problems. Her current project draws on the novels of Jane Austen to provide solutions to the marginalization of patients with chronic and incurable illnesses in Medicine. Her future work will continue to focus on the intersection of Medicine, Literature, Theology and Disability.
Dr. Konerman-Sease completed her PhD in Health Care Ethics and Theology at Saint Louis University in 2022. Konerman-Sease was a 2020-2021 Student Intern for Ethics and Theology at CommonSpirit Health where she assisted in clinical ethics consultation, policy development, and scarce resource allocation. She received the 2023 Emerging Scholar Award from the Institute on Theology and Disability for her doctoral work on chronic illness, Jane Austen, and Christian theology