LAWPUBL 746 : Special Topic: Comparative Health Law and Policy
Law
2024 Semester One (1243) (15 POINTS)
Course Overview
Our health shapes our lives, our opportunities, and our communities. How nations provide healthcare can enhance or hinder nearly all other aspects of society – including the economy, employment, education, the environment, and civil rights. Law and policy are integral to the development of healthcare systems, but their use can both promote and hinder improvements in health outcomes. This three-day intensive course aims to engage students in critical reflection on the development and coordination of domestic health systems and the use of law and policy to shape and reform those systems. More broadly, the course covers a range of issues of significance to domestic health systems, including access to affordable health care, public health preparedness, health equity, climate change, the balance of individual rights with state power, and the obligations of nations to their citizens in times of crisis.
The class will first explore why and to what extent nations should value the health of their population. Next, the course will introduce different models of domestic health systems along with their founding assumptions and underlying principles. Then students will analyse the key features, strengths, and weaknesses of different national health systems, focusing in particular on systems in New Zealand, the United Kingdom, the United States, Taiwan, and Australia, among others. The class will then introduce and analyse the critical role that law and policy play in the design and reform of health care systems and how legislators, regulators, and the courts can shape the health of a nation. Finally, students will collaborate in groups to develop a presentation proposing specific reforms to address an existing challenge in a domestic healthcare system.
Materials for this class will include a diverse array of academic scholarship from legal, economic, medical, health policy, and health services research sources, as well as government materials including legislation, regulations, guidance documents, and caselaw.
Capabilities Developed in this Course
| Capability 2: | Sustainability |
| Capability 3: | Knowledge and Practice |
| Capability 4: | Critical Thinking |
| Capability 5: | Solution Seeking |
| Capability 6: | Communication |
| Capability 7: | Collaboration |
| Capability 8: | Ethics and Professionalism |
Learning Outcomes
- Explain and critically analyse the features of different theoretical models for domestic health systems. (Capability 3.1)
- Discuss and compare the fundamental elements of how nations structure, finance, and regulate domestic health systems. (Capability 2.1 and 3.1)
- Critically analyse and compare the strengths and weaknesses of domestic health systems in a particular area. (Capability 3.1 and 4.1)
- Critically reflect on the development and application of the law to healthcare systems and healthcare crises (Capability 2.1 and 3.1)
- Analyse and evaluate the policy tools available to government to address challenges facing a domestic healthcare system and the appropriate application of those tools. (Capability 4.1, 5.1 and 8.1)
- Apply the knowledge and skills developed in the course to propose sustainable legal and policy solutions to specific health challenges in different political, economic, and social contexts. (Capability 2.1, 5.1 and 8.1)
- Demonstrate an advanced level of skill in the planning, execution, and communication of original research through completion of a research essay. (Capability 6.1 and 8.1)
- Collaborate and work on a team toward a common goal. (Capability 7.1)
- Communicate and debate appropriate health policy and legal solutions for specific challenges facing domestic health systems. (Capability 6.1)
Assessments
| Assessment Type | Percentage | Classification |
|---|---|---|
| Research Essay | 65% | Individual Coursework |
| Group Project and Presentation | 15% | Group Coursework |
| Research Essay Proposal Outline | 10% | Individual Coursework |
| Class Participation and Discussion | 10% | Individual Coursework |
| 4 types | 100% |
| Assessment Type | Learning Outcome Addressed | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | ||
| Research Essay | ||||||||||
| Group Project and Presentation | ||||||||||
| Research Essay Proposal Outline | ||||||||||
| Class Participation and Discussion | ||||||||||
Workload Expectations
This is an intensive 15-point course. There will be around 24 hours of lectures in this course. As a general guide, you should expect a workload of three hours outside of the classroom for each hour spent in class. The guideline for the total workload for this course is 150 hours.
Delivery Mode
Campus Experience
The activities for the course are scheduled as an intensive 3-day delivery from 22-24 May, 2024. Attendance is required to complete and receive credit for components of the course. Classes will not be recorded.
Learning Resources
Course materials are made available in a learning and collaboration tool called Canvas which also includes reading lists and lecture recordings (where available).
Please remember that the recording of any class on a personal device requires the permission of the instructor.
Student Feedback
At the end of every semester students will be invited to give feedback on the course and teaching through a tool called SET or Qualtrics. The lecturers and course co-ordinators will consider all feedback and respond with summaries and actions.
Your feedback helps teachers to improve the course and its delivery for future students.
Class Representatives in each class can take feedback to the department and faculty staff-student consultative committees.
Academic Integrity
The University of Auckland will not tolerate cheating, or assisting others to cheat, and views cheating in coursework as a serious academic offence. The work that a student submits for grading must be the student's own work, reflecting their learning. Where work from other sources is used, it must be properly acknowledged and referenced. This requirement also applies to sources on the internet. A student's assessed work may be reviewed for potential plagiarism or other forms of academic misconduct, using computerised detection mechanisms.
Class Representatives
Class representatives are students tasked with representing student issues to departments, faculties, and the wider university. If you have a complaint about this course, please contact your class rep who will know how to raise it in the right channels. See your departmental noticeboard for contact details for your class reps.
Inclusive Learning
All students are asked to discuss any impairment related requirements privately, face to face and/or in written form with the course director, lecturer or tutor.
Student Disability Services also provides support for students with a wide range of impairments, both visible and invisible, to succeed and excel at the University. For more information and contact details, please visit the Student Disability Services’ website http://disability.auckland.ac.nz
Special Circumstances
If your ability to complete assessed coursework is affected by illness or other personal circumstances outside of your control, contact a Student Academic and Support Adviser as soon as possible before the assessment is due.
If your personal circumstances significantly affect your performance, or preparation, for an exam or eligible written test, refer to the University’s aegrotat or compassionate consideration page https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/academic-information/exams-and-final-results/during-exams/aegrotat-and-compassionate-consideration.html.
This should be done as soon as possible and no later than seven days after the affected test or exam date.
Learning Continuity
In the event of an unexpected disruption, we undertake to maintain the continuity and standard of teaching and learning in all your courses throughout the year. If there are unexpected disruptions the University has contingency plans to ensure that access to your course continues and course assessment continues to meet the principles of the University’s assessment policy. Some adjustments may need to be made in emergencies. You will be kept fully informed by your course co-ordinator/director, and if disruption occurs you should refer to the university website for information about how to proceed.
Student Charter and Responsibilities
The Student Charter assumes and acknowledges that students are active participants in the learning process and that they have responsibilities to the institution and the international community of scholars. The University expects that students will act at all times in a way that demonstrates respect for the rights of other students and staff so that the learning environment is both safe and productive. For further information visit Student Charter https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/forms-policies-and-guidelines/student-policies-and-guidelines/student-charter.html.
Disclaimer
Elements of this outline may be subject to change. The latest information about the course will be available for enrolled students in Canvas.
In this course students may be asked to submit coursework assessments digitally. The University reserves the right to conduct scheduled tests and examinations for this course online or through the use of computers or other electronic devices. Where tests or examinations are conducted online remote invigilation arrangements may be used. In exceptional circumstances changes to elements of this course may be necessary at short notice. Students enrolled in this course will be informed of any such changes and the reasons for them, as soon as possible, through Canvas.