Online Modules
Please note this programme is provisional and subject to change. Check this page again for updates over the coming months.
All online modules are live and will run on selected Friday afternoons from 12-5pm (GMT).
Module 1: Introduction to Neuroethics
November 7th 2025
1A: Introduction to Neuroethics
What is Neuroethics? What do Neuroethicists do?
The aim of this first session is to introduce to the students a range of typical topics, problems, and dilemmas that arise in neuroethics, from the clinical to the societal, from the immediately practical to the speculative and anticipatory; to convey the multifaceted nature of neuroethics as a field, and the raison d’être of this course; to introduce the students to each other, and to the course coordinators; to provide an overview of the course as a whole, and how it hangs together.
At the end of session 1A, students will be able to :
- Define (broadly) what neuroethics is, where it historically came from, and which (traditional) disciplines are most commonly represented in the field;
- Recognise the rationale of the course content and structure;
- Find and access course materials and contacts.
1B: Neuroethics Careers in Academia and Industry
How can I become a professional neuroethics researcher and what career routes are available to neuroethicists? If I want to work in academia, how can I secure a research position and / or research funding? Outside academia, where can I find roles within industry? What consultancy opportunities are there for people trained in neuroethics research?
Session 1B introduces the various career options open to neuroethicists and how to secure employment in neuroethics research, covering both academic and non-academic career paths.
For academic careers, it will outline: the kinds of roles available in academia at pre- and post-doctoral level and where to look for such roles; funders of neuroethics research and the schemes currently available; and how to decide which institutions and schemes to target for your research.
For careers outside academia, the session will give an overview of: the kinds of roles into which neuroethicists are recruited; how these roles differ from academia in content and progression; and how training in neuroethics research can equip you to work as an independent consultant in partnership with industry.
The aim of Session 1B is to equip students with the tools they need to navigate and nurture a career in neuroethics, including which skills are sought after in which fields and domains; how neuroethics skills can be applied in different domains; the ability to weigh the pros and cons of academic and non-academic neuroethics work.
At the end of Session 1B, students will be able to :
- Recognise a variety of professional roles which require neuroethics research skills;
- Find and navigate relevant academic and non-academic recruitment platforms;
- Conceptualise and rationalise a neuroethics career path
Module 2: Neuroethics and Normative Arguments
November 14th 2025
2A: Thinking Through Problems in Neuroethics
What is an argument? How do we spot errors in reasoning so we can distinguish between good arguments and bad arguments?
Session 2A introduces the logical dimension of ethics in general and neuroethics in particular and shows how to reason critically and rationally about issues in neuroethics. The skills practiced in this session underpins the rest of the course, and draws on some of the topics, problems, and dilemmas presented in 2A to help contextualisation.
The aim of Session 2A is to introduce key concepts and fallacies in argumentation analysis; help students recognize what signifies a good/bad argument; enable students to analyse and formulate sound arguments; and apply argument analysis in a neuroethics context.
At the end of Session 2A, students will be able to :
- Recognise common logical fallacies used in (normative) argumentation;
- Distinguish between sound and unsound arguments;
- Distinguish between an argument being valid and sound;
- Formulate sound arguments in a neuroethics context.
2B: Normative and Philosophical Analysis in Neuroethics
What is normative, philosophical analysis? How can it help you to resolve neuroethical dilemmas or problems? How do different viewpoints on real-world problems and dilemmas relate more broadly to different ethical theories? Why is this important for analysing empirical data?
This session will build on and deepen understanding of the role of normative philosophical analysis as one of the main methods in neuroethics research. Having seen in session 2A some examples of this method applied to real-world issues in neuroethics, the session will unpack more formally the theoretical positions and methods in ethics and moral philosophy which lie behind particular viewpoints on such issues.
The aim of Session 2B is to provide students with the tools to unpack normativity as an element of neuroethics research; provide students with fundamental knowledge about philosophical methods in neuroethics; help students visualise how to implement philosophical methods in neuroethical research projects.
At the end of session 2B students will be able to:
- Distinguish and outline the difference between descriptive and normative claims in neuroethics;
- Recognise and summarise key normative-philosophical methods (e.g. reflective equilibrium)
- Apply normative-philosophical analysis on real-world neuroethics problems
- Design neuroethics projects on a foundation of normative-philosophical analysis.
Module 3: Neuroethics, Science, and Medicine
November 21st 2025
3A: Empirical Methods in Neuroethics
What are the most up to date research methods in neuroethics and how do you select the right one for your research questions? How do you design your own research project in neuroethics and you apply the right empirical methodology to your project? How is normative and philosophical analysis applied to your empirical data to produce conclusions in ethics?
Session 3A introduces empirical approaches to neuroethics research. It explains how qualitative and quantitative methods can be matched to projects according to the demands of specific research questions and areas of investigation, and how normative analysis can be carried out on your data to produce conclusions in ethics.
The aim of the session is to enable students to recognize key empirical methodologies in neuroethics research; provide tools to critically examine the role of empirical data for descriptive and normative neuroethics research respectively; support students in developing their thinking about how to employ certain empirical methods in neuroethics projects, and to formulate why.
At the end of Session 3A, students will be able to :
- Recognise key methods in qualitative and quantitative empirical neuroethics;
- Illustrate and compare the strengths and weaknesses of qualitative and quantitative research;
- Conceptualise and rationalise a neuroethics study design which (partially of wholly) implements specific empirical methods.
3B: Clinical Neuroethics
What does neuroethics mean in clinical practice? How can training in neuroethics help when applied in this way?
This module will cover common dilemmas and issues that may be faced by health and medical professionals in particular when dealing with patients, e.g. dementia; psychosis; learning difficulties; compromised capacity or other vulnerable groups; communication or language barriers; consent; and data management. Issues which arise in the clinic are a central and substantial part of the content of neuroethics, and the module provides an introduction to this key aspect of the field.
The aim of Session 4B is to familiarise the students with the role and work of a clinical neuroethicist; give the students the opportunity to engage with real-world neuroethical challenges and dilemmas; provide a fundamental understanding of how clinical neuroethics is done in practice, and how it can be combined with a non-clinical neuroethics career.
At the end of Session 4B, students will be able to:
- Explain the role of a clinical Neuroethicist;
- Recognise key methodological/professional guidelines for clinical neuroethics work;
- Critically analyse real-world (in-clinic) neuroethical problems and dilemmas.
Module 4: Neuroethics, Culture, and Society
December 5th 2025
4A: Citizen Science, and Participatory Neuroethics
Why should we involve the public in neuroethics research? How can we work with key stakeholders to design studies, and make them fundamental parts of our projects? What kind of approaches to co-production are relevant to neuroethics research?
In this session, the students will engage with the ‘how, what, and why’ of co-production, participatory, and citizen science methodologies in neuroethics. The session will outline the key theoretical underpinnings of such projects, provide the opportunity to learn about common hurdles and tools for successfully planning and carrying out research projects which incorporate the general public and/or key stakeholders in an integral way.
The aim of Session 3B is to provide the students with the fundamental rationale behind, and knowledge about key methods of, citizen science and participatory research.
At the end of Session 3B, students will be able to:
- Recount the normative basis for participatory neuroethics;
- Exemplify a variety of ways in which participatory (and/or citizen science) neuroethics projects can be designed for specific purposes;
- Anticipate common hurdles to participatory neuroethics projects, and undertake concrete mitigation strategies to overcome those hurdles;
- Conceptualise and rationalise a neuroethics study design which implements participatory neuroethics research methods.
4B: Interdisciplinary and Crosscultural Neuroethics
What makes Neuroethics uniquely interdisciplinary and cross-cultural? What makes neuroethics such an interdisciplinary field? How do different methods work together? Which methodological skills are necessary for a neuroethics project, or a career in the field?
The aim of session 4A is to give students a fundamental understanding of how the variety of disciplines involved in neuroethics research can fit together; why neuroethics as a field is so varied in terms of disciplinary basis, and how methods can be mixed for specific research aims. The students will develop skills in identifying and critically evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of methodological approaches and disciplines, and in building well-balanced cross-disciplinary projects and teams.
At the end of session 4A, students will be able to :
- Outline the main methodologies most commonly used in neuroethics research;
- Explain why and how different disciplines should be utilised to complement each other in a joint or shared methodological approach;
- Assess when methodological intertwinement is appropriate, and when it is not.
- Conceptualise and rationalise a neuroethics study design which implements Multi-. Inter-, and/or Transdisciplinary methods.
Module 5: Neuroethics and the Public Square
December 12th 2025
5A: Publishing in Neuroethics and Influencing Policy
What is the best way to get my research published and which journals should I choose? How can I maximise the policy impact of my research and what routes are there for influencing policy development?
The first half of this session will focus on getting your neuroethics research published and how you can increase the policy impact of your work. It will give a comprehensive overview of the publications landscape, introducing dedicated neuroethics journals; more general bioethics journals with an interest in neuroethics; clinical journals which take neuroethics submissions.
The second half of the session will also introduce non-academic, policy-relevant, targets for publishing research, drawing on real-world examples. The session will give examples of how neuroethical analysis can support good policy development, by distinguishing between rhetoric and argument, revealing inconsistencies, and identifying opportunities for improving the applicability of policy.
The aim of Session 5A is to inform students about key venues for publishing neuroethics research; how to successfully identify, analyse and work towards changes in specific policy positions; how to navigate the space between academia and policy
At the end of Session 5A, students will be able to:
- Identify appropriate venues for publishing (different types of) neuroethics research;
- Identify and navigate connections between academia and policy makers;
- Conceptualise and rationalise a neuroethics study design with a specific policy, and/or policy-academia collaboration, in mind.
5B: Getting Grants + Summary and Q&A.
Why is the summative assignment to write a grant proposal? What makes a good grant proposal in neuroethics? What should you think about when writing one? How will the assignments be evaluated?
The last session – Session 5B – is split in two. The aim of the first half is to provide the students with guidelines for what signifies a good neuroethics research proposal, and help them prepare for the summative assignment. The second half of the session is dedicated to summarising the online modules, relay practical information about the summative assignment and the in-person Learning accelerator, and offering the students some time to ask overarching questions about the course content, structure, and/or practicalities.
At the end of Session 5B, students will be able to:
- Outline the key items which makes a neuroethics research proposal strong or weak, respectively;
- Apply the learnings from modules 1-5 to a neuroethics proposal presentation (at the Learning Accelerator);
- Apply the learnings from modules 1-5 to design a (mock) neuroethics research proposal (i.e. the summative assignment).
Summative Assignment
Course participants will submit a summative assignment in the form of a mock research proposal, ahead of the in-person Learning Accelerator. The assignment will be evaluated by OWNS lecturers and is a pre-requisite for receiving a course completion certificate from Oxford University.
In-Person Learning Accelerator
Accommodation from 7th to 10th January 2026 for the Learning Accelerator along with most meals throughout the participants’ stay are covered by course fees.
Day 0: The Oxford Neuroethics Lecture
January 7th 2026
Evening: Public Lecture
Followed by a public drinks reception, and dinner with the speaker (only for course participants).
Day 1: Introductions and Presentation Session 1
January 8th 2026
AM: Registrations, networking, meeting participants
PM: Presentations Session 1
In the afternoon, the first session of research proposal presentations will take place. These will give participants an opportunity to present their assessed assignments to fellow participants, and to receive feedback from OWNS lecturers.
This session will finish slightly late, to allow for the networking lunch and for participants to meet ahead of the presentations session.
Evening Programme
The first day’s presentations will be followed by a seated dinner and drinks in Oxford, providing a further opportunity for the participants to socialise, network, and establish contacts with peers and leaders in Neuroethics research.
Day 2: Presentations Sessions 2 & 3
January 9th 2026
AM & PM: Presentations Sessions 2 & 3
There will be a morning and an afternoon session of presentations, followed by a short summary and information slot, where the OWNS leadership team will relay information relevant to summative assignments and course participation certificates. Finally, the day will end with the presentation of the OWNS Best Proposal Award and the announcement of Pump Priming Grant competition details.
Best Proposal Award and Pump Priming Grant
The OWNS Leadership Team and invited jury will rank participants’ research proposals and decide on the Best Proposal Award. Top-ranked proposals will also be invited to be developed further in order to compete for an exclusive Pump Priming Grant of up to £3,000. Details will be announced at the end of the Learning Accelerator.