Postgraduate Course: Law and Medical Ethics: Start and End of Life Issues (LAWS11259)
Course Outline
| School | School of Law |
College | College of Humanities and Social Science |
| Course type | Standard |
Availability | Available to all students |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
Credits | 20 |
| Home subject area | Law |
Other subject area | None |
| Course website |
http://www.law.ed.ac.uk/teaching/online_distance_learning/llm_degrees/llm_in_law/modules/law_and_medical_ethics_-_start_and_end_of_life_issues |
Taught in Gaelic? | No |
| Course description | The function of the course is to discuss the relationship between the law and the practice of medicine in relation to unique issues arising at the start and end of life. As with the 'fundamentals' course, moral and ethical principles will be emphasized in relation to the legal and medical questions considered.
Reproduction and related technological developments such as genetics research, have featured in many high publicity debates of late. At the end of life, attitudes to death are changing while, at the same time, there have been very significant advances in resuscitation techniques and in the medical capacity to influence the natural process of dying; as a result, the subject of euthanasia now stands very high on the medico-legal agenda. Several controversial areas will be covered, particular importance being laid on current concepts of life, the moral status of the embryo and foetus and medical futility.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | Please contact the distance learning team at escript.support@ed.ac.uk |
| Additional Costs | Students should have regular and reliable access to the Internet. Print consumables are recommended to provide hard copy of some on screen materials. |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | Please contact the distance learning team at escript.support@ed.ac.uk |
| Displayed in Visiting Students Prospectus? | No |
Course Delivery Information
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| Delivery period: 2013/14 Semester 2, Available to all students (SV1)
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Learn enabled: No |
Quota: None |
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Web Timetable |
Web Timetable |
| Class Delivery Information |
This course is taught by distance learning. |
| Course Start Date |
13/01/2014 |
| Breakdown of Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 40,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
156 )
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| Additional Notes |
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| Breakdown of Assessment Methods (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| No Exam Information |
Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes
At the end of this course, you will:
1. have a good idea of the legal and ethical conflicts which arise in the practice of modern medicine;
2. understand such concepts as legal personhood, life and death and will be able to evaluate the importance and limitations of autonomy and choice in medical practice;
3. have appraised the concept of medical futility and its application to the euthanasia debate;
4. understand the difficult choices in reproductive technologies;
5. understand the difficulties of apportioning medical resources;
6. and have looked at all these issues in the context of comparative jurisdictions.
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Assessment Information
| One essay of up to 4,000 words (60%); one individual assignment (20%); contribution to weekly online discussions throughout the semester (20%). Requirements for all module assessment will be outlined to students within the individual modules at the start of each semester. |
Special Arrangements
| This course is taught by distance learning. |
Additional Information
| Academic description |
Not entered |
| Syllabus |
1. Control of fertility
2. Medical termination of pregnancy
3. Human fertilisation and embryology regulation
4. Research & experimentation
5. Diagnosis of death
6. Transplantation
7. Bodies as property
8. Medical futility & advance directives
9. Euthanasia & assisted suicide
10.Healthcare resources & care of the aged
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| Transferable skills |
Not entered |
| Reading list |
Not entered |
| Study Abroad |
Not entered |
| Study Pattern |
Not entered |
| Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Mr Gerard Porter
Tel: (0131 6)50 2023
Email: Gerard.Porter@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Ms Clare Polson
Tel: (0131 6)51 4411
Email: Clare.Polson@ed.ac.uk |
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© Copyright 2013 The University of Edinburgh - 13 January 2014 4:35 am
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