Postgraduate Course: Reproduction and the Law (LAWS11514)
Course Outline
| School | School of Law |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
Availability | Not available to visiting students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | This course provides students with an understanding of the law, policy, and precedent associated with the regulation of human reproduction in the UK. It provides a solid legal grounding in this area by focusing on key topics including: abortion, assisted reproduction, embryo research, wrongful life and wrongful birth, and surrogacy. |
| Course description |
This course operates in an area fraught with legal and ethical dilemmas. It will equip students to navigate a range statute, case law, policy and relevant legal and ethical secondary material in order to critically analyse extant frameworks in this controversial field. The core focus of this course will be UK jurisprudence, but it will also provide scope for students to reflect on the issues raised in relation to other jurisdictions.
On completion of this course, students will be able to:
1. Demonstrate a critical understanding of the principal legal and policy frameworks that govern the regulation of reproduction.
2. Identify, analyse and argue issues of law and policy relating to human reproduction.
3. Demonstrate the ability to work independently in researching and analysing issues in reproduction and the law.
4. Communicate clearly through class discussion and written assignments their understanding and application of the legal issues covered by the course.
The type of issues that may be taught and discussed in this course include:
- Abortion
- Embryo research
- Assisted reproduction (e.g. IVF, mitochondrial replacement therapy)
- Surrogacy
- Wrongful life and wrongful birth claims
- Contracepton
|
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
|
Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Course Delivery Information
|
| Academic year 2024/25, Not available to visiting students (SS1)
|
Quota: 25 |
| Course Start |
Semester 1 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 20,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
176 )
|
| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
|
| Additional Information (Assessment) |
This summative assessment of this course will comprise of a 4,000 word essay (100%). There will be an optional formative assessment for this course. |
| Feedback |
Feedback on the formative assessment may be provided in various formats, for example, to include written, oral, video, face-to-face, whole class, or individual. The course organiser will decide which format is most appropriate in relation to the nature of the assessment.
Feedback on both formative and summative in-course assessed work will be provided in time to be of use in subsequent assessments within the course.
The formative assessment for this course will be optional. Feedback on the formative assessment will be provided in written format.
Feedback on the summative assessment will be provided in written form via Learn, the University of Edinburgh's Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Demonstrate critical understanding of the principal legal and policy frameworks that govern the regulation of reproduction.
- Identify, analyse and argue issues of law and policy relating to human reproduction.
- Demonstrate the ability to work independently in researching and analysing issues in reproduction and the law.
- Communicate clearly through class participation written assignments their understanding and application of the legal issues covered by the course.
|
Reading List
There will be no set text for this course, but reading lists are likely to include:
Anne-Maree Farrell and Edward Dove, Mason and McCall Smith's Law and Medical Ethics (12th ed) (OUP, 2023)
Emily Jackson, Medical Law: Text, Cases and Materials (6th ed) (OUP, 2022)
Emily Jackson, Regulating Reproduction: Law, Technology and Autonomy (Hart, 2001) |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Knowledge and Understanding:
The student will be able to demonstrate critical understanding of the principal legal and policy frameworks that govern the regulation of reproduction.
Graduate Attributes: Skills and abilities in Research and Enquiry The student will be able to identify, analyse and argue issues of law and policy relating to human reproduction.
Graduate Attributes: Skills and abilities in Personal and Intellectual Autonomy The student will be able to demonstrate the ability to work independently in researching and analysing issues in reproduction and the law
Graduate Attributes: Skills and abilities in Communication The student will be able to communicate clearly through class participation written assignments their understanding and application of the legal issues covered by the course. |
| Keywords | LLM,Law,Medical Law and Ethics,Reproduction |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Catriona McMillan
Tel:
Email: Catriona.McMillan@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Miss Hannah Ackroyd
Tel: (0131 6)50 2008
Email: hackroyd@ed.ac.uk |
|
|
University Homepage