Results for THINK 11

How might we apply ideas from ethical theory to contemporary issues and debates in biotechnology? This course will provide critical encounters with some of the central topics in the field of bioethics, with an emphasis on new technologies. Controversies over genetic engineering, stem cell research, reproductive technologies, and genetic testing will provide an opportunity for you to critically assess arguments and evidence. We will begin with an overview of the field and the theoretical approaches to bioethics that have been derived from philosophy. You will then have the opportunity to engage in debate and learn how to identify underlying values and how to apply ideas from ethical theory to contemporary problems.

Why were minority religious groups excluded from the majority's vision of a Shi'i Iranian nation? How and when were women included as citizens of a new Iran? nnIn this course, specific attention will be paid to key events of the 20th century that shaped modern Iran: the Constitutional Revolution (1905-11), the 1953 coup, the White Revolution (1963), the Islamic Revolution (1978-79), the Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988), and the post-revolutionary period in general. Through a close reading of key poems, short stories, and films created in this period, this course will identify major inclusionary and exclusionary forces in the process of nation-building in 20th-century Iran. Specific attention will be paid to issues of ethnicity, religion, and gender. In addition to reading texts (poetry and prose) and watching films, students will be called on to present critiques of these literary and cinematic products in the form of brief oral presentations and short writing assignments. The final project will involve interviewing Iranian expatriates on issues covered in the lectures. Students will work in small groups to produce short videos of these interpersonal encounters.

Is it useful to conceptualize housing through a human rights lens? Are there ethical tools that we can use to think about housing that can work on a variety of different scales? This one-unit course aims to explore ideas about human rights as they intersect with ideas about housing. We will begin the class by examining philosophical ideas of what exactly are human rights and then move through different scales of context to discuss what housing as a human right can mean on international, national, regional, and particular levels. During the trip at the end of the quarter, students will be provided opportunities to apply the metrics and methods of thought used during the quarter to think about housing justice and ideas about housing as a human right in the Bay Area.nnnTo be admitted to the course, students must apply by 11:59 pm on Friday, November 4 through the ASB website, www.tinyurl.com/stanfordasb2017nnnLimited to students participating in the Alternative Spring Break program. See http://asb.stanford.edu for more information.