Modern Ethical Challenges in Neuroscience and Organ Transplantation

Prerequisite: Must be a junior, senior or graduate student. Today we face unprecedented innovations in neuroscience and medicine. While these advances offer new hope, they also challenge medical, legal, and ethical paradigms. We will explore the ethical constructs surrounding topics including brain death, brain-computer interfaces and other adaptive technologies, and organ transplantation. The course material will include clinical and legal cases, scientific literature, film and popular culture, and experiential learning at Stanford Hospital. We will also focus on cultural comparisons between the US and Japan, where brain death is not widely accepted and deceased donor organ donation is rare. Course evaluation will be based on participation, written work, and team projects.