Bioethics | Fall 2025 BE+GOA Pilot
Navigate the Ethical Questions of Medicine and Science: How do we know what’s right and wrong in medicine, public health, and life sciences? In this course, you’ll explore some of today’s most pressing ethical dilemmas that significantly impact the medical field. Through engaging debates on topics like the “right to die,” vaccination policies, organ transplants, genetic technology, and animal research, you’ll learn how to discuss differing views with respect. Innovative research projects and interactive discussions will help you develop critical-reasoning skills and think deeply about how we balance individual rights, societal needs, and scientific advancement. The course ends with a deep dive into a bioethical issue of your choosing, helping you understand the crucial role bioethics plays in shaping the future.
Why Take This Course?
If ethical questions in health and science spark your curiosity, this course will sharpen your critical thinking and broaden your perspective on complex issues. You’ll gain the skills to navigate real-world challenges and form your own stance on pivotal bioethical debates—an invaluable foundation for future studies and careers in medicine, science, or ethics.
Synchronous meeting requirements:
- Virtual class sessions will take place every other week and this time will be used for short presentations, Q&A and discussions.
- There will be 1 in-person/F2F session scheduled for a field learning experience and/or meeting with local guest experts. Possible field learning sites include: UCSF Bioethics, Stanford Center for Biomedical Ethics, California Academy of Sciences
UC Approved: 
(Interdisciplinary)
About the GOA Instructor
Jessica Gould – Global Online Academy
As a member of the GOA faculty and Senior Learning Design Coach, Jessica teaches multiple classes and supports other instructors in building learning experiences for our student program. Prior to joining GOA, Jessica worked as a middle and high school Science teacher at a variety of international schools around the world, giving her the fortune of having lived and taught on five different continents. As part of her work at those schools, she has contributed to efforts to transition to a standards-based grading system, develop learner profiles based on core competencies, and build supportive and responsive professional growth programs for teachers. Currently located in Oberursel, Germany, Jessica spends her free time hanging out with friends, looking at art, reading, and marveling at the ocean.
About the BlendEd Local Enrichment Guide
Dan Carroll – BlendEd Consortium
Dan is a national board-certified Physics teacher and is currently teaching Physics and Engineering at the Branson School. Dan’s career spans over 30 years of teaching Physics, Astronomy, and collaborating on multidisciplinary units on Science in Society and Ethical Issues in Science. Throughout this time, Dan has championed creating a learner-centered, inquiry-based environment in the classroom to support science instruction. He believes that an important aspect of his teaching is engaging with students about ethical issues in science. This is especially important for young people who might one day find themselves in a research or tech development career.
As, the Local Enrichment Guide (LEG) for this course, Dan will facilitate both virtual and local in-person sessions designed to complement and enhance student learning in Bioethics.
Student Testimonials
