Undergraduate Module Descriptor

LAW3175: Medical Ethics and Law Foundations

This module descriptor refers to the 2019/0 academic year.

Module Aims

The aim of this module is to provide a sound understanding of applied ethics in the medical context, and to understand how the law and ethical principles interact.  You will also understand how the law has evolved from a paternalistic model in the 20th Century to a patient-centred model in the modern day.  The course considers the implications of the current approach to ethical issues in medicine, considers some of the ethical dilemmas which may face medical practitioners and whether the law provides a satisfactory resolution of those dilemmas.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

This module's assessment will evaluate your achievement of the ILOs listed here – you will see reference to these ILO numbers in the details of the assessment for this module.
On successfully completing the programme you will be able to:
Module-Specific Skills1. Demonstrate comprehensive knowledge of the legal and ethical principles relevant to medical practice;
2. Understand, critically reflect upon and evaluate the operation of the contemporary field of medical ethics within the legal and social context;
3. Synthesise and critically assess the content of legal and ethical norms.
Discipline-Specific Skills4. Demonstrate detailed and comprehensive knowledge and understanding of a range of legal and ethical concepts, values and principles and explain the relationships among them, and their limits;
5. Apply legal and ethical knowledge to a problem and construct an argument supported by relevant principles and authorities.
Personal and Key Skills6. Communicate and engage in debate effectively and accurately, orally and in writing;
7. Identify, retrieve and use efficiently a range of library-based and electronic resources (both legal and medical journals) with minimum guidance;
8. Work independently with minimal supervision and interact effectively within a team and learning group.