MOOC COURSE

Beginning and End of Life

Comprender, argumentar y orientarse en las grandes cuestiones bioéticas

Desde el inicio de la vida hasta las decisiones al final de la vida, pasando por las nuevas posibilidades que abren las tecnologías emergentes: un recorrido para abordar algunas de las preguntas más decisivas de la existencia humana mediante herramientas conceptuales, argumentos y perspectivas bioéticas.

100% online

150 €

3 months

Spanish

1 ECTS

Why choose this course

Understanding the Christian vocation in everyday life.

Understand before taking a position

Life is one of the central issues in bioethical reflection. Questions about the beginning of human existence, abortion, euthanasia, assisted suicide or the possibilities offered by emerging technologies involve personal convictions, philosophical arguments, scientific knowledge and practical decisions.

What is a human being? What does a dignified life mean? Is it always worth protecting? To what extent can we intervene in life through technology?

The course provides tools to understand the main positions in contemporary debate and critically evaluate their arguments, avoiding responses based solely on emotions or previously held convictions.

Who it is for

This pathway is designed for you if…

You are interested in the major questions of bioethics

You want to better understand debates about the beginning and end of life, beyond slogans and opposing positions.

You study or work in education, healthcare or social care

You seek conceptual and reasoning tools to address issues involving dignity, vulnerability, care and decisions about life.

You want to develop a more informed judgement

You wish to explore and compare different positions before forming or strengthening your convictions

New technologies raise questions for you

You want to reflect on the possibilities and limits of human enhancement, transhumanism and the pursuit of technological immortality

Course programme

A pathway in three units

Unit 1

The beginning of life

The first unit introduces the main issues concerning nascent life, starting with the stages of embryonic development and the meaning of prenatal vulnerability.

You will explore the language used in the abortion debate and the main pro-life and pro-choice positions, learning to identify their assumptions and arguments.

Unit 2

End-of-life ethics

The second unit addresses some of the most complex issues that arise in the final stages of life. The pathway explores the principle of therapeutic proportionality and clarifies the contemporary meaning of terms such as euthanasia and assisted suicide, also considering the historical evolution of their use.

Unit 3

Emerging technologies and transhumanism

The third unit looks towards the future and the new possibilities for intervention in human life offered by technological development.

The pathway addresses the principle of procreative beneficence, the desire to overcome biological limits and proposals for physical, cognitive and emotional enhancement.

Methodology

An independent, clear and progressive pathway

The course takes place entirely online in an asynchronous format. After enrolling, you will have three months to access the content and organise your studies at your own pace.

Recorded video lessons, selected materials and further resources gradually guide you towards an understanding of the topics. The quizzes in the different units allow you to check your learning throughout the pathway, while the final assessment verifies achievement of the intended objectives.

A flexible, self-directed format designed to offer independence while maintaining clarity, learning progression and academic quality.

Discover APRAonline’s teaching model →

The professor

Prof. Alberto Garcia Gomez

P. Michael Baggot, LC

P. Gonzalo Miranda, LC

Upon completing the pathway

Earn 1 ECTS credit

After completing the three units and passing the final assessment, you will receive the official document provided for by the course, awarding 1 ECTS credit.

The pathway involves a total workload of approximately 25–30 hours, including video lessons, independent study, teaching materials and assessment activities.

Transform faith into life and prayer

Explore the Christian vocation, rediscover the meaning of the commandments and learn to recognise prayer as the heart of your relationship with God. An introductory pathway to integrate what you believe with what you are called to live each day.

Enrol in the course