Core modules
ETH-40044 Moral Theory and Medical Ethics (30 credits, Semester 1)
This module provides an overview of the key ethical theories, frameworks and principles that underpin decisions and action by doctors, health providers, patients and families in relation to treatment plans and to achieve a shared goal. You’ll learn to use these tools to analyse practical moral problems in medical and healthcare ethics. Topics covered typically include: consequentialism; deontology; virtue ethics; the ethics of care; principlism; autonomy and paternalism; the ethical foundations of consent; confidentiality and truth-telling.
ETH-40045 Principles of Medical Law (30 credits, Semester 1)
Developing your knowledge of the key principles, cases and statutes in medical law, you’ll learn to critique aspects of medical law and apply your knowledge of the law to practices in medicine and healthcare. Topics covered typically include: introduction to law; use of cases and statutes; law and consent; capacity; professional negligence; mental health law; confidentiality and the law; the relationship between law and morality; adolescent competence, parental responsibility and child decision-making; and human rights.
ETH-40040 Life, Death and the Human Body (30 credits, Semester 2)
Ranging from abortion and regulation of reproduction to selective reproduction, euthanasia and living organ donation, this module focuses on the often controversial issues surrounding the moral and legal status of humans and human bodies. You will consider the legal and ethical implications for a broad range of issues in healthcare and medicine: interventions at birth and end-of-life, as well as modifications to the human body. Additional indicative topics include advance decisions, terminal sedation, suicide and mental health, court-ordered caesarean section, gender dysphoria, disability and transgender persons.
ETH-40042 Healthcare, Justice and Society (30 credits, Semester 2)
The ethical and legal implications for healthcare practice extend much further than the practitioners and patients themselves, with ramifications for wider society given the breadth and scope of healthcare services. The aim of this module is to deepen your knowledge and understanding of some of the broader legal obligations in healthcare, including international law and the criminal regulation of medicine. You will consider the moral issues that can arise, for example, in allocating healthcare resources without discrimination for children, young people and adults, not just in hospital settings, but also across secure and detained settings, such as prisons and immigration removal centres. Course content is responsive to contemporary issues, but additional topics may include biomedical research, bio-banking, stem cell policy, conscientious objection in healthcare, psychopathy, criminal transmission of HIV, vaccination policy, pandemic management, and infanticide.
ETH-40041 Medical Ethics and Law Dissertation (90 credits, studied throughout the course)
The production of a 15,000 to 20,000-word dissertation provides an exciting opportunity to work under the supervision of an expert in your chosen field of interest, demonstrating a level of knowledge and understanding far beyond what you have learned in class. You’ll be supported to develop the research skills needed to conduct an extended piece of work on a topic of your choice, analysing existing relevant research. While your dissertation must relate to an issue within the broad area of health care law or ethics, you can choose your own topic to reflect your personal or professional interest. Some students start the course with a clear idea about what they want to write about – often an ethical issue from within their own practice – but others find and develop particular interests as the course progresses. Examples of recent dissertation topics which reflect the breadth of the subject include saviour siblings; female genital mutilation versus female genital cosmetic surgery; conversion therapy; AI and robotic surgery; resources and GP virtual consultations; and social media solicitation for organ donation.
