THE UNIVERSITY of EDINBURGH

DEGREE REGULATIONS & PROGRAMMES OF STUDY 2024/2025

Timetable information in the Course Catalogue may be subject to change.

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DRPS : Course Catalogue : School of Law : Law

Postgraduate Course: Law and Ethics at the Start and End of Life (LAWS11394)

Course Outline
SchoolSchool of Law CollegeCollege of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
Credit level (Normal year taken)SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate)
Course typeOnline Distance Learning AvailabilityNot available to visiting students
SCQF Credits20 ECTS Credits10
SummaryThis course provides students with an opportunity to apply their knowledge about fundamentals in medical law and ethics to dilemmas arising across the human lifecycle, from start to end of life. It will draw upon and deepen your understanding of the core concepts, roles and responsibilities covered earlier in the programme.
Course description Week 1. Moral & legal status of persons
Week 2. Reproductive autonomy
Week 3. Human reproduction & legal liabilities
Week 4. Assisted reproduction
Week 5. Regulation of the human body
Week 6. Death
Week 7. Transplantation
Week 8. Medical Futility
Week 9. End of life 1: voluntariness
Week 10. End of life 2: the treatment process
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites Students MUST have passed: The Fundamentals of Law and Medical Ethics (LAWS11386)
Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations Other requirements Please note this pre-requisite rule does not apply to students who start their studies in the January semester.
Additional Costs Students should have regular and reliable access to the Internet.
Course Delivery Information
Academic year 2024/25, Not available to visiting students (SS1) Quota:  None
Course Start Semester 2
Timetable Timetable
Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) Total Hours: 200 ( Lecture Hours 40, Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4, Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours 156 )
Assessment (Further Info) Written Exam 0 %, Coursework 100 %, Practical Exam 0 %
Additional Information (Assessment) 4,000 word essay (100%) .

Requirements for all course assessments will be outlined to students within the individual courses at the start of each semester.
Feedback Students will have the opportunity to obtain formative feedback twice over the course of the semester, individually and as part of a group. The feedback provided will assist students in their preparation for the summative assessment.

Details of the School's feedback policy will be available at the start of the course.
No Exam Information
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
  1. demonstrate a critical understanding of the wide range of legal and ethical conflicts that arise in the practice of modern medicine and which are specifically associated with the start and end of life
  2. apply knowledge, skills and understanding of the terms and issues applicable to law and ethics at the beginning and end of life.
  3. develop well-reasoned arguments in response to issues arising from the interaction of medicine, law and ethics at the beginning and end of life
  4. utilise concise and effective communication skills to engage in debates with colleagues from different backgrounds
  5. manage complex legal, ethical and professional issues to make informed judgements on the role of law in all of these areas, as well as considering alternatives, including those followed in other jurisdictions.
Reading List
A M Farrell & E S Dove, Mason and McCall-Smith's Law and Medical Ethics, 12th Edition, Oxford University Press, 2023.

A detailed list of key resources will be available at the start of the course.
Additional Information
Course URL https://edin.ac/2AqosXa
Graduate Attributes and Skills Students will develop their skills and abilities in:

1. Research and enquiry, through e.g. selecting and deploying appropriate research techniques;
2. Personal and intellectual autonomy, e.g. developing the ability to independently assess the relevance and importance of primary and secondary sources;
3. Communication, e.g. skills in summarising and communicating information and ideas effectively in written form;
4. Personal effectiveness, e.g. working constructively as a member of an online community;
5. Students will also develop their technical/practical skills, throughout the course, e.g. in articulating, evidencing and sustaining a line of argument, and engaging in a convincing critique of another's arguments.
Special Arrangements This course is taught by online learning.
Additional Class Delivery Information This course is taught by online learning.

Live tutorials will be offered in 4 of the 10 teaching weeks
Keywordsmedicine,health,research,ethics,autonomy,regulation,futility,consent,capacity,voluntarines
Contacts
Course organiserDr Murray Earle
Tel: (0131 6)50 8183
Email: murray.earle@ed.ac.uk
Course secretaryMs Clare Polson
Tel: (0131 6)51 9704
Email: Clare.Polson@ed.ac.uk
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