Medical Ethics (LAWS70259)
Graduate coursework level 7Points: 12.5On Campus (Parkville)
About this subject
Contact information
December
Teaching staff:
Chris Gyngell (Subject Coordinator)
For current student enquiries, contact the Law School Academic Support Office
Overview
| Availability(Quotas apply) | December |
|---|---|
| Fees | Look up fees |
Medical practitioners, policy-makers, the courts, patients and families are dealing with ongoing debates in medical ethics ranging from euthanasia, abortion, resource allocation and managing the risks of research, to issues thrown up at the cutting-edge of science where we can now edit the germline, or create new life via so-called 'synthetic biology'. While we have existing legal frameworks in place for some of these issues, enormous moral disagreements remain. How should we think about these issues?
This subject aims to provide a basic toolkit and skills to engage in deeper ethical reflection about the major debates in medical ethics and about advances in the biological and neurosciences. Professor Julian Savulescu is Director of the Centre for Practical Ethics, the Oxford Centre for Neuroethics and the Institute for Science and Ethics, University of Oxford. He is Editor of the Journal of Medical Ethics and is a recognised world leader in medical ethics. The goal of this subject is not to provide answers to these medical dilemmas, but to enable students to think more deeply for themselves about what their position is and to be able to justify that position to others. A variety of perspectives will be covered through the use of guest lecturers.
The subject will cover recent ethical controversies arising from the COVID-19 pandemic, including triage of patients for ventilators, the ethics of lockdown, discrimination, antibody passports, vaccination, and accelerating research.
Indicative list of principal topics:
- The current revolution in bioethical reasoning and methods in bioethics
- Making good medical/moral judgments for self and others
- Basic ethical theories and concepts
- Abortion
- Euthanasia
- Regulation of research, including:
- Gene editing
- Stem cell research and cloning
- Transgenesis and human-non-human chimeras
- Synthetic biology
- Sale of biological material and body parts
- Regulation of doping in sport
- Reproductive cloning
- Human enhancement
- Genetic selection
- Coercion in reproduction
- Neuroethics
Intended learning outcomes
A student who has successfully completed this subject will:
- Have an advanced and integrated understanding of the nature of ethical argumentation and major current ethical debates
- Be able to critically examine, analyse, interpret and assess ethical issues and construct arguments relevant to their practical resolution
- Be an engaged participant in debate regarding medical ethics, including critically evaluating arguments, and understanding and applying ethical theories and concepts as relevant to their application in a medical context
- Have a sophisticated appreciation of the interplay between ethics and law in medicine, including how ethical principles are relevant to law
- Have an advanced understanding of the modes of moral reasoning that are used in healthcare ethics, health care policy, and in different part of the world, including Australia
- Have the cognitive and technical skills to generate critical and creative ideas relating medical ethics and to critically evaluate existing laws, policies, and ethical arguments pertaining to medical ethics
- Have the cognitive and technical skills to independently examine, research and analyse ethical arguments or policies, practices or law relating to medical ethics
- Have the communication skills to clearly articulate and convey complex information regarding medical ethics to relevant specialist and non-specialist audiences
- Be able demonstrate autonomy, expert judgment and responsibility as a practitioner and learner in the field of medical ethics.
Last updated: 4 March 2025
Eligibility and requirements
Prerequisites
None
Corequisites
None
Non-allowed subjects
None
Recommended background knowledge
Applicants without legal qualifications should note that subjects are taught at an advanced graduate level and requires a thorough background in common law. While efforts are made to meet the needs of students trained in other fields, teaching and assessment activities are designed to give an advanced and integrated understanding of the discipline of law for legal practitioners, learners and researchers.
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: 4 March 2025
Assessment
| Description | Timing | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
5-minute oral presentation and 10-minute questions (in class)
| During the teaching period | 5% |
Research paper on a topic approved by the subject coordinator
| 21 January 2026 | 95% |
| Hurdle requirement: A minimum of 75% attendance is required. | Throughout the teaching period | N/A |
Last updated: 4 March 2025
Quotas apply to this subject
Dates & times
- December
Principal coordinators Julian Savulescu and Christopher Gyngell Mode of delivery On Campus (Parkville) Contact hours 34 Total time commitment 150 hours Pre teaching start date 3 November 2025 Pre teaching requirements Please refer to the Reading Guide on the LMS subject page for confirmation of which resources need to be read and what other preparation is required before the teaching period commences. Teaching period 1 December 2025 to 5 December 2025 Last self-enrol date 7 November 2025 Census date 5 December 2025 Last date to withdraw without fail 9 January 2026 Assessment period ends 13 February 2026 December contact information
Teaching staff:
Chris Gyngell (Subject Coordinator)
For current student enquiries, contact the Law School Academic Support Office
What do these dates mean
Visit this webpage to find out about these key dates, including how they impact on:
- Your tuition fees, academic transcript and statements.
- And for Commonwealth Supported students, your:
- Student Learning Entitlement. This applies to all students enrolled in a Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP).
Subjects withdrawn after the census date (including up to the ‘last day to withdraw without fail’) count toward the Student Learning Entitlement.
Additional delivery details
Please refer to the Melbourne Law Masters enrolment webpage for further information about re-enrolment, subject quotas and waitlists.
Melbourne Law School may reserve places in a subject for incoming international cohorts or where a subject is core to a specialisation with limited alternate options.
Last updated: 4 March 2025
Further information
- Texts
- Related Handbook entries
This subject contributes to the following:
Type Name Course Graduate Diploma in Health and Medical Law Course Master of Laws Course Master of Health and Medical Law Course Graduate Diploma in Laws Course Juris Doctor - Links to additional information
- 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.
Please note Single Subject Studies via Community Access Program is not available to student visa holders or applicants
Entry requirements including prerequisites may apply. Please refer to the CAP applications page for further information.
Additional information for this subject
If subject coordinator approval is required, or for further information about Community Access Program study, please contact us
- Available to Study Abroad and/or Study Exchange Students
Last updated: 4 March 2025