3. Research Ethics courses Important
Two courses specific to research ethics will be developed and taught at the University of Malawi. Course development will occur during the first year of the project.

The first will be a semester-long survey course on ethical issues in research ethics which focuses especially on those issues most relevant for the African context. This course will be developed and taught by Prof. Mfutso-Bengo. Topics to be covered may include

    • Introduction to African Worldviews on health, Life and death
    • Introduction to African moral philosophy
    • Introduction to African Epistemology
    • Introduction to African medical anthropology
    • Introduction to Applied Ethics
    • Introduction to Bioethics-Environmental ethics, clinical ethics, research ethics, ethics of genetics, animal ethics and ethics of reproductive health
    • Introduction to history of research ethics
    • Research designs and social research
    • Health Research project management
    • Justice issues and health research
    • Introduction to organisational ethics
    • Health Research, medical law and human rights
    • Informed Consent and Research in African context
    • Culture, Morality, and Comparative Ethics
    • Ethical Issues in HIV Vaccine Trials
    • Ethics of International Collaborative Health Research
    • Moral dilemmas and Health Research
    • Ethics of management of health research records
    • Conflict of interests and health research
    • Spirituality and ethics in health research
    • Gender and health research
    • Commutating health research concepts
    • Bioethical research & dissertation
    • Introduction to the work of medical research committee: constitution, composition and function
    • Introduction to data and safety monitoring of clinical trials
    • Designing oral and written consent
    • Writing bioethics cases

The other course will be one of those to be developed and taught by the Visiting Professor hired for the project (see below). Over the tenure of his or her appointment, the Visiting Professor will develop at least two advanced-level courses related to the study of research ethics. These will be developed in collaboration with disciplinary colleagues at the University of Malawi.

Trainees will be required to complete the survey course and one of the courses developed by the Visiting Professor.

The survey course on research ethics will be developed during the first year of the project. The first course taught by the Visiting Professor will be developed during the first quarter of the second year, to be taught the first semester the Visiting Professor is resident in Malawi. When these courses are taught, they will also enroll other students. These will include University of Malawi students, and others recruited through advertising on the web, in local newspapers, and in publicity distributed to other African universities in the region.
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