Development Unit: The Ethics of Public Health Decisions
We will examine the ways in which the Central Question: How do we balance the common good with individual rights and personal liberty? plays out in the realm of public health decision making. To learn how broad ethical questions and approaches apply in a specific context, we will examine the historical and contemporary history of vaccinations, public health mandates, and personal dissent. Within this context, we will read and view informational sources to build background knowledge, analyze and delineate various perspectives and arguments, and develop our own perspectives and positions. We will then work in research teams to further investigate this topic, or a related ethical issue in public health, and write an evidence-based argument that presents and supports an ethics-based position in response to a significant public health question.