A cultural, ethical, medical and legal exploration of Japanese and American Societies

2 credits · Undergraduate

How can someone be dead in America but alive in Japan? Why does Japan have among the lowest rates of life-saving organ transplantation in the world despite being a highly developed society? While death is broadly considered an absolute biological event, the space between life and death may be blurry and influenced by often-competing forces. This course will explore historical, anthropological, ethical, and medical constructs around death and dying, brain death and organ transplantation. Through in-classroom and experiential learning, we will compare the US and Japanese perspectives and will include unique cultural, ethical, and medical experiences in Osaka and Kyoto, Japan.