Undergraduate Module Descriptor

LAW3066: Medical Ethics and Law

This module descriptor refers to the 2017/8 academic year.

Module Content

Syllabus Plan

1. Introduction to medicine, ethics and law, including introduction to main theories of applied ethics and medical law principles concerning medical research and practice;

2. Right to health care and the structure of the UK health care system;

3. Consent and confidentiality in medical treatment;

4. Reproductive medicine, including the law and ethics of abortion, assisted reproduction techniques and genetics;

5. Euthanasia and life and death issues.

6. Issues associated with medical research and emerging medical technologies.Teaching in this course is delivered through 11 two hour lectures and three 90-minute interactive workshops. In workshops, students are encouraged to apply their understanding of practical situations (actual or hypothetical) and to reflect upon and critically assess such practices; to ask what are the underlying values of the law and what it aims to achieve. Moreover, students are required to work independently on an oral presentation, supported by power-point, and to present a coherent argument to a specific problem in the field of medical law and ethics.

Learning and Teaching

This table provides an overview of how your hours of study for this module are allocated:

Scheduled Learning and Teaching ActivitiesGuided independent studyPlacement / study abroad
26.5123.50

...and this table provides a more detailed breakdown of the hours allocated to various study activities:

CategoryHours of study timeDescription
Scheduled Learning and Teaching activity2211 x 2 hour lectures
Scheduled Learning and Teaching activity4.53 x 1.5 hour Workshops
Guided independent study56.5Individual reading and lecture preparation
Guided independent study20Workshop Preparation
Guided independent study40Assessment Preparation
Guided independent study7Formative Assessment

Online Resources

This module has online resources available via ELE (the Exeter Learning Environment).