LAWHONS 722A/B : Medico-legal Problems
Law
2023 Semester One (1233) / Semester Two (1235) (20 POINTS)
Course Prescription
Course Overview
This course will examine the appropriate role of law as a mechanism for governing behaviour related to medical care, health systems, and the protection and preservation of health. The course will analyse the connections that exist between the law, health, and medical care and introduce contemporary problems at the intersection of law, medicine, policy, philosophy and ethics. Such topics may include: What are a patient's rights in New Zealand? How effectively does the law ensure that patients have access to safe, high quality care? When is a doctor permitted or required to breach confidentiality to prevent harm to a patient? Do people have a right to health? What must a nation do to fulfil that right? How do nations allocate limited health care resources? Can the law help them allocate health care resources fairly? How can the law be used to promote health equity within and between its populations and address the social determinants of health? What is the relationship between the environment and human health, and how should nations create sustainable health systems? What legal and ethical issues arise from advances in medical technologies, such as genomics and gene editing, artificial intelligence and machine learning, and wearable medical devices and sensors? How was the law used to protect the health of the public during the Covid-19 pandemic? How will Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) Act 2022 affect health and health care in Aotearoa New Zealand? Weekly class discussions will explore these topics in depth and provide students with opportunities to analyse different legal tools and approaches to address complex societal challenges.
Course Requirements
Capabilities Developed in this Course
| Capability 1: | Disciplinary Knowledge and Practice |
| Capability 2: | Critical Thinking |
| Capability 3: | Solution Seeking |
| Capability 4: | Communication and Engagement |
| Capability 5: | Independence and Integrity |
| Capability 6: | Social and Environmental Responsibilities |
Learning Outcomes
- Develop expertise in current medico-legal problems in New Zealand and globally (Capability 1.2)
- Critically evaluate a specific topic in health law, through research and writing an honours seminar paper (Capability 1.1, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 4.1 and 5.2)
- Communicate a seminar topic to class in a clear, coherent and effective manner (Capability 2.3 and 4.1)
- Identify and critically analyse the application of legal, moral, or ethical theories and principles to complex challenges related to health or health care and evaluate potential solutions. (Capability 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3 and 6.3)
- Analyse complex issues in contemporary health law, with claims and conclusions supported by evidence (Capability 2.3 and 3.1)
- Develop independent thinking in undertaking self-directed research and writing (Capability 5.2)
- Demonstrate an understanding of the variety and scope of challenges related to health and health care in Aotearoa New Zealand, including health inequities, resource limitations, and climate change, and identify potential legal and policy solutions. (Capability 2.3, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3 and 6.3)
- Communicate effectively and engage with class members and lecturer, to give feedback, exchange ideas, ask probing questions, and present persuasive arguments. (Capability 4.1 and 4.2)
- Collaborate in small groups to analyse problems and propose solutions based on evidence, principles, and theory. (Capability 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 4.1, 4.2 and 4.3)
Assessments
| Assessment Type | Percentage | Classification |
|---|---|---|
| Essay | 65% | Individual Coursework |
| Presentation | 15% | Individual Coursework |
| Discussions and In Class Exercises | 20% | Group & Individual Coursework |
| 3 types | 100% |
| Assessment Type | Learning Outcome Addressed | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | ||
| Essay | ||||||||||
| Presentation | ||||||||||
| Discussions and In Class Exercises | ||||||||||
Workload Expectations
This is a 20-point honours course. There will be around 48 hours of seminars 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 200 hours.
Delivery Mode
Campus Experience
Attendance at seminars is required to receive credit for certain components of the course. Seminars will not be recorded. The course will not include live online events. The activities for the course are scheduled as a standard weekly timetable.
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.
Weekly class discussions will draw upon a diverse array of scholarship (legal, medical, health services research, economic, bioethics, philosophical, etc), legal and other government materials, as well as multimedia sources (videos, podcasts, blogs etc).
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 against online source material 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.