Call for Papers DEADLINES EXTENDED TO MARCH 16th 2012

 
The 6th Annual Postgraduate Conference in Bioethics is pleased to announce a call for papers for the 2012 conference “Bioethics and the Body”

The 2nd to the 4th of May 2012
The Wellcome Collection, Euston Road, London
Bioethics and the Body
www.postgradbioethics.co.uk
Email: postgrad.bioethics@gmail.com

Guest Speakers: John Harris (Manchester), Jackie Leach Scully (Newcastle), Gill Haddow (Edinburgh) and Kevin Warwick (Reading)

The human body is historically a subject of great philosophical, political, and socio-cultural contention, and as such a key object of concern for biomedical ethics. It is the biological system which grounds and gives rise to consciousness and personhood, the vehicle which enables us to be members of society and the preservation of it is the overarching goal of modern medicine.

As such “the body” has become a subject of intense bioethical research and discussion across many disciplines. Within the theme of the body, we have identified four key areas of interest around which this year’s conference will be structured:

¤ The Treatment/Enhancement Distinction
¤ Disability Ethics
¤ Sociology of the Body
¤ Transhumanism

This conference seeks to engage with these issues through postgraduate student presentations, as well as offering masterclasses on each of the four key themes, facilitated by our guest speakers.

We invite postgraduate students to take part in the masterclasses as well as paper presentations which address the conference theme.

Topics for papers may include but are certainly not limited to:

¤ Philosophical, legal, anthropological and sociological discussions on the boundaries of medicine and science.
¤ What constitutes “the Body”?
¤ Human enhancement and the extension of biological, physiological, and neurological capacities.
¤ The moral status and significance of emerging forms of biomedical technology.
¤ Ethical issues in transgenics and the human body.
¤ Feminist and Queer approaches to “the Body”.
¤ Methodological approaches to researching “the Body”.

We are now accepting paper proposals. Please email an abstract of no more than 300 words outlining your proposed paper to postgrad.bioethics@gmail.com. The deadline for applications is March 1st, 2012.

Please include your name, contact information and university affiliation in your email. Abstracts are welcome on any bioethical issue relating to the body under the four themes of the conference. We are currently exploring options for the publication of papers given at the conference. In previous years, papers have been published in such journals as Clinical Ethics, Bioethics, and the Journal of Medical Ethics.

There are also some limited audience member places. Preference may be given to those who
address the conference theme and fall within the four areas identified. There will also be a plenary lecture and some ‘added value’ sessions on academic life. These will include talks by funders, a session by early career researchers and a dedicated networking event.

Invited Speakers

The invited keynote speakers leading the four conference themes are:

John Harris (Manchester) on The Treatment / Enhancement Distinction
Jackie Leach Scully (Newcastle) on Disability Ethics
Gill Haddow (Edinburgh) on Sociology of the Body
Kevin Warwick (Reading) on Transhumanism

If you have any questions or wish to submit an abstract please contact us at postgrad.bioethics@gmail.com