Interdisciplinary Course on Bio-Ethics Wins Award

by Miriam Schulman

Margaret R. McLean, Center director of biotechnology and health care ethics, and Leilani Miller, associate professor of biology and Center scholar, won Santa Clara University's Brutocao Award for Curriculum Innovation this month for an interdisciplinary course they developed together, "Ethical Issues in Biotechnology."

The class, which trained students both in rigorous science and in social and ethical inquiry, explored issues from newborn genetic testing to genetically modified foods. Part of its innovative approach was its final project, a poster presentation, where students showed their work to various campus audiences including a special session for the University's Board of Trustees.

McLean and Miller have been invited to do a presentation on the class, "We Can Get There from Here: Meeting Challenges to the Interdisciplinary Teaching of Bio-Ethics," at the American Society for Bioethics and Humanities annual meeting in October.

For McLean, "getting there" can only happen through "true interdisciplinarity." "The mere presence in the classroom of two faculty members from different departments does not guarantee interdisciplinary collaboration," she said. For "Ethical Issues in Biotechnology," that collaboration was achieved by consistent interaction between the two teaching faculty-discussing every lecture, actively participating in every class, engaging each other in conversation during class, and dual grading of every assignment.

Interdisciplinary learning was fostered through the students' creation and presentation of posters that encompassed the scientific basis of a technology and also an ethical analysis of issues raised by its development and/or application.

As University President Paul Locatelli, S.J., wrote in the Brutocao Award letter, "The interdisciplinary nature of the course and its innovative pedagogy have deepened student understanding of scientific and ethical questions that are crucial in today's complex world."

Miriam Schulman is the communication director of the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics.

September 2006