Delaware Interdisciplinary Ethics Program

Planning Goals

Designate a representative from each College by the deans of the seven colleges of UD, representatives from Delaware State University, Delaware Technical College, and Christiana Care Health System comprising an Advisory/Working Group for future Programs in Ethics. By September 15th, 2003 the planning group will be in place.

The Planning Group will solicit advice from the deans on their goals for this program. What form should the program take and how can it add value to the activities of the various Colleges.

Based upon input from the college representatives, the planning group set the following program goals:

  • Create a graduate & undergraduate course in bioethics at the University of Delaware.
  • Hire a specialist in bioethics to teach a newly created course in bioethics and to provide a link to the Bioethics Center at the University of Pennsylvania, directed by Arthur Caplan.
  • Develop an ethics seminar/speaker series.
  • Plan curricular training activities on ethics for faculty and staff.
  • Create a database of faculty and professionals in Delaware with ethics specialization and/or competence, and share this information to attempt to avoid duplication of expense and effort.
  • Develop and elaborate the concept of our future ethics programming in order to incorporate requests for funding in future grant applications.
  • Begin outreach to Christiana Care, A.I. DuPont Hospital, and other constituents in the region.
  • Involve graduate and undergraduate students in ethics instruction and research through the office of Undergraduate Research (a recognized strength) and Graduate Research.
  • Address issues of public concern in research and policy, where appropriate.
  • Look for future grant development opportunities in ethics.

Program Plan 2003 – 2005

  • Convene a meeting of interested University personnel, review plan, assess interests and ask for volunteers.
  • Establish a seminar series.
  • Plan and conduct the Delaware 2004 Ethics Conference.
  • Offer a graduate level seminar on bioethics at DBI.
  • Plan, provide and evaluate a prototype ethics workshop for high school biology teachers.
  • Plan, provide and evaluate a prototype workshop on ethics in health care for hospitals and health care providers.