ObjectivesTo study the methods of reasoning and analysis in ethics and law; to examine selected areas of health care and medical practice from a further perspective of medical ethics and law; to assist those involved in teaching or intending to teach in these areas.
Entry requirementsmedical/legal professionals, graduates of a relevant discipline, those going on to research and for anyone wanting to think about and discuss some of the hardest human decisions.
Academic titleMA Medical Ethics & Law
Course descriptionProgramme description
- the deepest philosophical analysis and the most up-to-date legal scholarship applied to a very wide range of medical issues.
- the course discusses controversial issues such as euthanasia and abortion with a balanced approach.
- issues covered range from genetics to psychiatry.
This programme studies ethical and legal dilemmas in modern medicine. Topics include: fertility treatment, embryo research, abortion, treating severely handicapped babies; the implications of the new genetics; euthanasia, assisted suicide, withdrawing treatment; informed consent to treatment and research; medical negligence; structure of the health service and the provision of health care; the doctor-patient relationship; confidentiality and access to medical records. Options may include: justice; psychiatric ethics; teaching medical ethics.
Programme format and assessment
Lectures, tutorials, case studies and mini-options; assessment by coursework, examinations in law and ethics and a dissertation (12,000-15,000 words).
Duration
One year FT (two days a week), two years PT (one day a week in each year), September to June; then to early September for finalists doing dissertation.