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Health Law and Emerging Technologies (LAWS70421)
Graduate coursework level 7Points: 12.5On Campus (Parkville)
About this subject
- Overview
- Eligibility and requirements
- Assessment
- Dates and times
- Further information
- Timetable(opens in new window)
Contact information
March
Lecturer
Professor Emeritus Loane Skene, Coordinator
Email: law-masters@unimelb.edu.au
Phone: +61 3 8344 6190
Website: law.unimelb.edu.au
Overview
Availability(Quotas apply) | March |
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Fees | Look up fees |
Health and medical law is constantly changing, with new technology, new treatments and new ethical issues. These developments may raise pressing concerns for health service providers, government agencies, other regulatory bodies, academics in many fields and more broadly for society. This subject will focus on a range of emerging issues. Discussion will be highly specialised with detailed analytical examination and critical reflection on relevant issues, taking account of established theories on different bodies of knowledge or practice. It will focus on Australian federal and Victorian law but include discussion of developments in other countries.
The subject will be taught by Professor Skene, who has more than 30 years’ experience in legal practice, law reform, policy advice and ethical analysis. She has served on numerous federal and state advisory committees, including the federal Lockhart and Heerey Committees on human embryo and stem cell research.
This subject provides a critical examination of a range of new developments in medicine and science. Principal topics include legal and ethical issues, and current processes of legislative revision at federal and state level, relating to:
- Mandatory childhood vaccination
- Developments in reproductive technology (IVF, surrogacy etc)
- ‘Personalised medicine’
- ‘Gene editing’ and other emerging scientific techniques
- ‘Medical tourism’ (treatments in other countries that are not permitted in Australia)
- Human stem cell research and its applications
- Use of stored genetic material and cell lines in clinical treatment and research
- Organ transplants
- Other topical issues that arise later and while the subject is being taught.
Intended learning outcomes
A student who has successfully completed this subject will:
- Have an advanced and integrated understanding of the medical or scientific basis of the various emerging technologies considered in the classes.
- Be able to critically evaluate, analyse, interpret and assess relevant ethical and legal issues arising from those technologies.
- Have an advanced understanding of issues of human rights, equality of access to health care and potential discrimination that may arise in emerging technologies, including in an international context
- Have examined a range of legislation and law reports in order to understand underlying principles that may be relevant when new technologies emerge, particularly when there seem to be no applicable legal principles in an emerging area.
- Have the cognitive and technical skills to generate critical and creative ideas, and to critically evaluate existing legal theories, principles and concepts
- Be able to suggest legal and other changes that may be appropriate to regulate emerging technologies.
- Have an advanced understanding of the factors and processes driving parliamentary revision of the legal framework; and other means of achieving regulatory change, such as ethical and professional guidelines.
- Have advanced communication skills to clearly articulate and convey complex information to specialist and non-specialist audiences; and to be an engaged participant in ongoing debates regarding emerging and contemporary issues in the field.
- Be able to critically analyse ethical and legal issues arising from new technologies in a detailed, fully referenced research essay.
Last updated: 3 November 2022
Eligibility and requirements
Prerequisites
Melbourne Law Masters Students: None
JD Students: None
Corequisites
None
Non-allowed subjects
None
Recommended background knowledge
Applicants without legal qualifications should note that subjects are offered in the discipline of law at an advanced graduate level. While every effort will be made to meet the needs of students trained in other fields, concessions will not be made in the general level of instruction or assessment. Most subjects assume the knowledge usually acquired in a degree in law (LLB, JD or equivalent). Applicants should note that admission to some subjects in the Melbourne Law Masters will be dependent upon the individual applicant’s educational background and professional experience.
Inherent requirements (core participation requirements)
The University of Melbourne is committed to providing students with reasonable adjustments to assessment and participation under the Disability Standards for Education (2005), and the Assessment and Results Policy (MPF1326). Students are expected to meet the core participation requirements for their course. These can be viewed under Entry and Participation Requirements for the course outlines in the Handbook.
Further details on how to seek academic adjustments can be found on the Student Equity and Disability Support website: http://services.unimelb.edu.au/student-equity/home
Last updated: 3 November 2022
Assessment
Additional details
- Class presentation (10%)
- 2,000 word presentation paper (20%) (26 April)
- 5,500 - 7,000 word research paper (70%) (14 June) on a topic approved by the subject coordinator
A minimum of 75% attendance is a hurdle requirement.
Last updated: 3 November 2022
Quotas apply to this subject
Dates & times
- March
Principal coordinator Loane Skene Mode of delivery On Campus (Parkville) Contact hours 24-26 hours Total time commitment 150 hours Pre teaching start date 15 February 2017 Teaching period 15 March 2017 to 21 March 2017 Last self-enrol date 20 February 2017 Census date 15 March 2017 Last date to withdraw without fail 5 May 2017 Assessment period ends 14 June 2017 March contact information
Lecturer
Professor Emeritus Loane Skene, Coordinator
Email: law-masters@unimelb.edu.au
Phone: +61 3 8344 6190
Website: law.unimelb.edu.au
Time commitment details
136-150 hours The pre-teaching period commences four weeks before the subject commencement date. From this time, students are expected to access and review the Reading Guide that will be available from the LMS subject page and the subject materials provided by the subject coordinator, which will be available from Melbourne Law School. Refer to the Reading Guide for confirmation of which resources need to be read and what other preparation is required before the teaching period commences.
Additional delivery details
This subject has a quota of 30 students. Please refer to the Melbourne Law Masters website for further information about the management of subject quotas and waitlists.
Last updated: 3 November 2022
Further information
- Texts
Prescribed texts
Specialist printed materials will be made available free of charge from the Melbourne Law School prior to the pre-teaching period.
- Related Handbook entries
This subject contributes to the following:
Type Name Course Graduate Diploma in Health and Medical Law Course Master of Law and Development Course Graduate Diploma in Legal Studies Course Juris Doctor Course Master of Health and Medical Law Course Master of Laws - Links to additional information
law.unimelb.edu.au
- Available through the Community Access Program
About the Community Access Program (CAP)
This subject is available through the Community Access Program (also called Single Subject Studies) which allows you to enrol in single subjects offered by the University of Melbourne, without the commitment required to complete a whole degree.
Entry requirements including prerequisites may apply. Please refer to the CAP applications page for further information.
Additional information for this subject
If required, please contact law-admissions@unimelb.edu.au for subject coordinator approval.
Last updated: 3 November 2022