Medical Technology and Critical Decisions: an Interdisciplinary Course in Technological Literacy

Bulletin of Science, Technology and Society 7 (1-2):71-77 (1987)
  Copy   BIBTEX

Abstract

This paper describes a new course in Medical Technology and Critical Decisions, part of the Technology Studies Program at Wellesley College, established with the support of the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation's New Liberal Arts Program. The course uses the dramatic new options in medicine presented by technology to individuals and society as a vehicle for promoting general technological literacy in liberal arts students. The course motivates the study of the scientific principles on which the technology rests and the mathematical principles of a methodology for making rational choices. A case in point is the decision of a pregnant woman whether or not to undergo amniocentesis, a procedure used to determine the genetic make-up of a fetus from cells in the amniotic fluid. The course introduces students to the underlying notions of genetics; the physical principles behind the ultrasound imaging technique used to position the needle that draws the fluid; the probability and statistics needed to understand the risks to the woman and fetus both of having and of not having the procedure; and the methodology of decision analysis, increasingly used by genetic counselors to help prospective parents incorporate their personal values into the decision-making process.

Other Versions

No versions found

Links

PhilArchive



    Upload a copy of this work     Papers currently archived: 103,449

External links

Setup an account with your affiliations in order to access resources via your University's proxy server

Through your library

Similar books and articles

Technological Literacy, Old and New.Donald Deb Beaver - 1986 - Bulletin of Science, Technology and Society 6 (2):229-234.
Cybernetics: a New Liberal Arts Course.Thomas T. Liao - 1990 - Bulletin of Science, Technology and Society 10 (3):151-155.
Japanese Values and Technological Development: A New Course.Heinz C. Luegenbiehl - 1987 - Bulletin of Science, Technology and Society 7 (5-6):868-874.
Reflections on Technological Literacy.George Bugliarello - 2000 - Bulletin of Science, Technology and Society 20 (2):83-89.

Analytics

Added to PP
2020-11-27

Downloads
11 (#1,459,590)

6 months
1 (#1,572,794)

Historical graph of downloads
How can I increase my downloads?

Citations of this work

No citations found.

Add more citations

References found in this work

No references found.

Add more references