Module PS4611-KP07

Duration

1 Semester

Turnus of offer

on request

Credit points

7

Course of studies, specific fields and terms:

• Master Infection Biology 2023, compulsory, interdisciplinary
• Master Infection Biology 2018, compulsory, interdisciplinary

Classes and lectures:

• PS4611-S Scientific Writing (only offered in the WS) (seminar and project work, 2 SWS)
• PS4621-S: Ethics in Infection Biology and Public Health (only offered in the SS) (seminar and project work, 2 SWS)

Workload:

• 150 hours private studies
• 60 hours in-classroom work

Contents of teaching:

• Societal and ethical implications of research and practice in infection biology and public health
• Basics of philosophy and sociology of science: Basic concepts, methods, models of theory dynamics
• Good scientific practice
• Basics of bioethics: duties of investigators, obligations to colleagues, ethics of clinical research
• Ethics of human subjects research and of animal experiments. Environmental ethics. Governance of technology. Risk assessement
• Use and implications of images in science
• Fundamentals of ethics: basic terms, concepts, aspects of metaethics.
• Basic issues of research ethics and cases from recent debates
• Publication of scientific studies, including structuring and writing of a scientific article, scientific journals and their procedures
• Design of scientific studies from an ethical and statistical viewpoint, ethical approval for animal and human studies
• Peer review process, including critical analysis of publications and studies, post publication peer review
• Scientific misconduct, the legal framework of research, good scientific practice, retractions
• Different forms of scientific writing, including poster and power point presentations or grant applications

Qualification-goals/Competencies:

• You will be able to explain the methodology of the natural sciences in terms of their philosophy of science and theories of science
• You can recognize ethical dimensions of practice and dcision-making.
• You can understand the rules of Good Scientific Practice (GSP) of the University of Lübeck and of the DFG-guidelines and the relevant laws in Germany and abroad.
• You can participate in current discussions in bioethics and research ethics
• You can reflect on ethical dimensions of biomedical sciences, especially of infection biology and of public health
• You can write a structured ethics paper about a self-chosen topic
• The students will be able to critically assess the design of scientific studies, including the ethical, statistical and legal framework
• They can critically assess published work of other authors and discuss the scientific content.
• They can assemble data for a scientific publication and draft the written framework for such a manuscript.

Grading through:

• Essay, talk and written exam

Responsible for this module:

• Prof. Dr. phil. Christoph Rehmann-Sutter

Teacher:

• Institute for Experimental Endocrinology
• Institute for History of Medicine and Science Studies
• Prof. Dr. phil. Christoph Rehmann-Sutter
• Prof. Dr. Jens Mittag

Literature:

• M. J. Selgelid, M. P. Battin, & C. B. Smith (Eds.) : Ethics and infectious disease Oxford, Blackwell 2006
• Ben Mepham : Bioethics. An Introduction for the Biosciences Oxford: Oxford University Press 2008
• Margaret P. Battin, Leslie P. Francis, Jay A. Jacobson, and Charles B. Smith : The Patient as Victim and Vector: Ethics and Infectious Disease Oxford: University Press 2011, 2nd ed.

Language:

• offered only in English

Notes:

Last Updated:

28.11.2025