PHIL 226Biomedical Ethics
- Units
- 0.50
- Faculty
- Arts
- Subject
- Philosophy
When it runs
- F24
- W25
- S25
- F25
- W26
- S26
- F26
- W27
- S27
Ran in 7 of the last 7 terms. Winter 2027: scheduled, 2 lecture sections. Spring 2027: schedule not out yet.
Students will grapple with a sample of ethical issues in medicine and health. The primary goals of doing so are: (1) to gain familiarity with key ethical concepts and values, which may include patient autonomy, beneficence, justice, care, anti-ableism, inclusion, and others; and (2) to enhance core critical thinking skills needed for ethics, which will help improve each student’s self-understanding (of not only what they think is right and wrong, but, more importantly, why) and their capacity to engage with different perspectives on the "whats" and "whys' of ethics in a spirit of open-mindedness, mutual respect, and constructive cooperation. Assignments will typically include at least one writing-intensive assignment and will be designed to help students develop and showcase the familiarity with concepts and the skills for ethics described above.
Prerequisites
None listed.
Antirequisites
None listed.
Leads to
No course lists it as a requisite.
Fall 2026 sections
| Section | Class | Enrolled | Meets |
|---|---|---|---|
| LEC 001 | 3315 | 91 / 100 | MW 11:30–12:50 |
Winter 2027 sections
| Section | Class | Enrolled | Meets |
|---|---|---|---|
| LEC 001 | 3774 | 0 / 100 | MW 08:30–09:50 |
| LEC 701 | 1469 | 57 / 9999 | Online or by arrangement |
Reviewed on UW Flow
73% liked it61% easy65% useful
From 111 ratings and 28 comments on UW Flow. The most helpful comments, quoted as written, without names. Read them all on UW Flow.
This class is very interesting and overall a good elective. Attendance is required, you get 1% of your grade for showing up to every lecture. Then there were 6 quizzes, each worth 5% with your lowest dropped. Attendance and the quizzes are free. The paper will be the most challenging thing you write but overall not bad. I recommend biomed, premed students to take this course, especially with Nick Ray.
Jun 2024 · liked it · 2 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this
This is not a bird course. However if you are interested in a career in healthcare the content is super informative and will definitely benefit you down the line. There is A LOT of reading and writing involved so I would not recommend taking this in a term if you already have a heavy course load. I loved the prof, and thought the format of the course (lecture videos and notes) was really well done. Overall I would recommend taking this class, but keep in mind it requires a lot of time and effort.
Jan 2021 · liked it · 2 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this
It's all about the two term essays, make sure you're putting work into that and all will be well. No exam, easy Friday participation marks and Chris Lowry gives you what you need to know and you just form an opinion and write an essay on one of the weekly issues. Half the term's topics are potential essay topics, you pick one out of 5. There are TA sessions before the essay is due, if you go in with even a vague idea of what you want to write or what your opinion is on a topic the TA's give you a lot of material to work with. Interesting and relevant topics, class discussion helps in getting points for your essay but it's not necessary to always go to class.
Mar 2017 · liked it · 2 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this
This was honestly a really helpful class. I wish we had more class discussions/smaller assignments (mine was two 2.5% reflections and two 47/48% papers for the midterm and final) so I could reflect over the entire course properly. This class was basically a CASPER prep course but from 6:30-9:20 in the STC basement.
Jan 2025 · liked it · 1 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this
The course discusses a lot of really interesting topics through many case studies and assesses the philosophical inquiries about them. Topics range from things like: euthanasia, genetic screening, patient rights, etc.
The course that Lowry taught had no final exam or midterm, but was composed of 3 or 4 papers, the last one being an individual paper and the others were groupwork.
The papers are actually pretty legit and the marking scheme for them is somewhat ambiguous. The TAs are incredibly inconsistent, at least when I was taking the course and the papers are a bit hit and miss.May 2016 · liked it · 1 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this
Discussed on r/uwaterloo
51 posts and comments in 39 threads mention PHIL 226, July 2011 to December 2024. Quoted word for word, newest first; each reply sits under the post and the comment that started its branch. Search r/uwaterloo for newer posts.
Fall 2024
What course / prof taught you the most or changed your perspective on the world the most? 36 points, 19 comments
“I have a co-op on campus next term and it’s giving me a lot of free time because it ends at 3:30. I’d love to sit in on a class and use my time to learn something interesting. …”
u/8strws: “biomedical ethics (phil 226) was incredibly interesting and the discussions we had were super thought-provoking. the workload is also pretty light.”
Spring 2024
what’s the best social sci class to take? 1 point, 4 comments
u/B0b-loblaww: “… Courses like psych 101 and phil 226 (or any ethics) are good to have. …”
Fall 2023
PHIL 319J 1 point, 2 comments
“Hey, Has anyone taken PHIL 319J before? If yes, what was the difficulty level of the course.”
u/Ok-Ad-3004: “I haven’t taken it but was deciding between that and PHIL 226 last year to take for my minor. PHIL 319J seems to be the harder course, there’s a lot of deadlines as well as heavier assignments (debate, report, paper, as well as weekly assignments). …”
Spring 2022
Phil 226 1 point, 4 comments
Has anyone taken either PHIL 226, ENVS 105, or BET 420 and is willing to share your experience? 2 points, 0 comments
u/WarExotic4523: “Looking to take one of these in the fall to fulfill my Impact requirement as an engineer. Any advice on your experience with any of them or which to take would be very welcome. Thanks!”
Fall 2021
spcom 223? 1 point, 13 comments
u/throwaway1280310253: “Has anyone taken this course? I'm wondering if this course is something that doesn't require too much work and relatively fair in terms of marking. Debating if I should take this or PHIL 226”
u/fruitypuch: “I’ve taken PHILL 226 I really liked it the prof is really nice and he makes it interesting too.”
u/Popular_Ad_3997: “I’m in Phil 226 right now with Jim Jordan, 25% for 20 discussion posts/reflections, 25% for an essay, 50% for a second essay but you can write another if you don’t like your mark on the first I’m going to end up with a 96-98 in the class”
KIN 232 vs PHIL 226 0 points, 3 comments
u/Ronaldocr7123: “I was looking for a 5th course for my Winter term and was deciding between KIN 232 (Kin stats) with Laura Jane Williams or PHIL 266 (Biomedical Ethics) with Brian Orend. I’ve heard good things about Brian Orend and was unsure which class I should go with. …”
Which course would have a easier and lighter workload? 0 points, 2 comments
u/Klutzy-Can-626: “Choosing between ENGL 108D or ENGL 108P or PHIL226. Used to be a potterhead in elementary and middle school, but haven’t been reading the books for years. …”
u/warriorprincess0: “Currently taking PHIL 226 with Prof. Chris Lowry. It consists of four assignments (one which requires you to post on the discussion board 10 out of 18 times based on that weeks readings). If you're ok with readings, then go for it. …”
Spring 2021
PHIL 226 1 point, 0 comments
u/Ok-Ad-3004: “Has anyone taken PHIL 226 online in the past year or so? I added it for my fall 2021 term and was hoping to get some insight into what the course is like. Thanks in advance!”
Pls advice or give suggestions to this confused incoming biomedical science freshman 5 points, 13 comments
“Hi, I am currently trying to create and prepare my course schedule before the selection period starting June 5th. …”
u/confused_amoeba2309: “… you are interested in - personally, I took MATH 127, 128 (don't do this), STAT 202 and PHIL 226 3) Talk with your academic advisor to see how a course helps you advance in your program (you don't know how many times people come to realize they have been taking courses that they …”
Pls advice or give suggestions to this confused incoming biomedical science freshman 0 points, 4 comments
u/rjln: “… Program electives: you can choose from: CS 200, HLTH 101, HLTH 102, HLTH 320, HLTH 340, HLTH 341, HLTH 407, MATH 127, MATH 128, PHIL 226 (or any other introductory ethics course), PSYCH 101, PSYCH 261, SOC 101, SOC 248, SOC 249, STAT 202 The undergrad calendar for more …”
mirror mirror on the wall, who's the birdiest of them all? [serious, please help] 55 points, 21 comments
u/tronbishh: “PHIL 226 is a great example of mix of easy mode and actually interesting”
Check it elsewhere for Fall 2026
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