Ethical Issues in Teaching Death and Dying: Pedagogical Aims in End‐of‐Life Ethics

Abstract

AbstractNearly all ethical issues in teaching can be formulated in terms of what it takes to be a good teacher. This chapter focuses on the ethical issues in death and dying, especially as they overlap with end-of-life issues in medical ethics. What should be the pedagogical aims in teaching these topics to undergraduates? This is an ethical issue addressing the stance of the teacher towards the students and what it means to be a good teacher. The current trend in educational assessment is to focus on the outcomes of education, generally in terms of skills gained. The skills of consulting with others in the emotionally-charged time of facing death and making good decisions are rarely covered. We need to face our limitations in knowing what count as good decisions and well-developed skills. Interdisciplinary courses that focus on difficult decisions are important new developments in education, but they are hard to teach well, challenging conceptions of what a good course is.