Program Overview

---

Urban Bioethics Program

The Urban Bioethics program at Temple University offers a comprehensive curriculum that explores the intersections of bioethics, health justice, and social sciences. The program is designed for professional and graduate students, with a focus on addressing structural health inequities and promoting health justice.

Course Offerings

The program includes a range of courses that provide students with a foundation in bioethics, health justice, and research methods. Some of the courses offered include:

• UBTH 5001: Foundations of Health Justice and Bioethics I (Professional Students): This course introduces students to key ethical frameworks in bioethics, emphasizing their applications and limitations in addressing structural health inequities.
• UBTH 5002: Foundations of Health Justice and Bioethics II (Professional Students): This class examines the evolution and impact of bioethics as a field, critically analyzing how bioethical principles and policies shape healthcare, law, and public health.
• UBTH 5022: Community Engagement and Health Justice (Professional Students): This course explores the theory and practice of community engagement in healthcare, research, and advocacy, centering ethical, structural, and political considerations.
• UBTH 5023: Community Engagement II (Professional Students): This is the second of a two-course series that incorporates a hands-on, community-based approach to analyzing community strengths and challenges.
• UBTH 5031: Health Care Policy and Economics (Professional Students): This course focuses on the values, organization, funding, and logistics of health care delivery in the United States.
• UBTH 5041: Bioethics, Health Justice & the Social Sciences: Theory, Methods & Practice (Professional Students): This course provides an introduction to research methods and inquiry in bioethics and health justice, equipping students with the tools to critically examine and challenge health disparities.

Graduate Courses

The program also offers a range of courses for graduate students, including:

• UBTH 5101: Foundations of Health Justice and Bioethics I (Graduate Students): This course introduces students to key ethical frameworks in bioethics, emphasizing their applications and limitations in addressing structural health inequities.
• UBTH 5102: Foundations of Health Justice and Bioethics II (Graduate Students): This class examines the evolution and impact of bioethics as a field, critically analyzing how bioethical principles and policies shape healthcare, law, and public health.
• UBTH 5122: Community Engagement and Health Justice (Graduate Students): This course explores the theory and practice of community engagement in healthcare, research, and advocacy, centering ethical, structural, and political considerations.
• UBTH 5123: Community Engagement II (Graduate Students): This is the second of a two-course series that incorporates a hands-on, community-based approach to analyzing community strengths and challenges.
• UBTH 5131: Health Care Policy and Economics (Graduate Students): This course focuses on the values, organization, funding, and logistics of health care delivery in the United States.
• UBTH 5141: Bioethics, Health Justice and the Social Sciences: Theory, Methods and Practice (Graduate Students): This course provides an introduction to research methods and inquiry in bioethics and health justice, equipping students with the tools to critically examine and challenge health disparities.

Special Topics Courses

The program also offers a range of special topics courses, including:

• UBTH 5210: Special Topics: Social Science Approaches to Health Justice and Bioethics: This course features a rotating set of topics exploring the intersections of social sciences, health justice, and bioethics.
• UBTH 5220: Special Topics: Clinical Bioethics and Health Justice: This course explores ethical challenges in clinical settings, with a particular focus on how health justice considerations influence patient care, provider decision-making, and institutional policies.
• UBTH 5230: Special Topics: Contemporary Issues in Bioethics and Health Justice: This course examines evolving and pressing issues at the intersection of bioethics, public health, and social justice.
• UBTH 5240: Special Topics: Research Ethics and Health Justice: This course explores ethical considerations in research involving human subjects, with an emphasis on the ethical implications of health disparities, power dynamics in research, and community-based research ethics.

Advanced Topics Courses

The program also offers a range of advanced topics courses, including:

• UBTH 5250: Advanced Topics in Health Justice: This course is a four-week survey course of contemporary issues and questions in bioethics, with a focus on health justice.
• UBTH 5260: Advanced Topics in Bioethics: This course is a four-week survey course of contemporary issues and questions in bioethics, with a focus on bioethics.

Independent Study Courses

The program also offers independent study courses, including:

• UBTH 5082: Independent Study 1 (Professional Students): Working in conjunction with an advisor, students will craft and complete an independent study course on a topic or area of interest that is relevant to their professional development.
• UBTH 5182: Independent Study 1 (Graduate Students): Working in conjunction with an advisor, students will craft and complete an independent study course on a topic or area of interest that is relevant to their professional development.
• UBTH 9082: Independent Study 2 (Professional Students): Working in conjunction with an advisor, students will craft and complete an independent study course on a topic or area of interest that is relevant to their professional development.
• UBTH 9182: Independent Study 2 (Graduate Students): Working in conjunction with an advisor, students will craft and complete an independent study course on a topic or area of interest that is relevant to their professional development.

Field Study Courses

The program also offers field study courses, including:

• UBTH 5189: Field Study I: Students will identify a specific health justice or bioethics issue within Philadelphia or another urban setting and collaborate with academic, medical, and community mentors to develop and begin implementation of an innovative intervention aimed at improving health in a fiscally sustainable way.
• UBTH 9189: Field Study II: Students will refine and evaluate their intervention, ensuring long-term sustainability and measurable impact.

Thesis Courses

The program also offers thesis courses, including:

• UBTH 9995: Thesis (Professional Students): Working in conjunction with a thesis advisor, students will conduct an original research project and produce a publishable-quality paper.
• UBTH 9996: Thesis (Graduate Students): Working in conjunction with a thesis advisor, students will conduct an original research project and produce a publishable-quality paper.