Health Ethics

This subject is not offered in 2013.

120 hours

None

None

This subject is intended to be accessible to students who have no specific background knowledge related to ethics or public health. Generic academic skills are required.

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For the purposes of considering request for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Cwth 2005), and Students Experiencing Academic Disadvantage Policy, academic requirements for this subject are articulated in the Subject Description, Subject Objectives, Generic Skills and Assessment Requirements of this entry.
The University is dedicated to provide support to those with special requirements. Further details on the disability support scheme can be found at the Disability Liaison Unit website.

This subject introduces students to the study of bioethics and the major ethical issues relevant to health and healthcare provision. It focuses on the ethical implications of advances in medical research and technology for public health and explores them from the perspective of individuals and those concerned with healthcare policy and practice. Topics include: justice and the recognition of health as a human right (e.g. allocation of healthcare resources, human research, social determinants of health, disability); professional ethics; the individual within society (donation and transplantation of human biological materials, immunization, pandemics); choices at the extremes of life (e.g. genetic testing and pre-natal diagnosis, abortion, futility, deceased donation, euthanasia). Students will be introduced to theoretical frameworks for thinking about moral problems and learn moral concepts and approaches for the analysis of key debates. Theoretical concepts will include: moral status, human dignity, autonomy, justice, and universalism in bioethics.

The broad goals of this subject are to

• stimulate and broaden moral imagination.
• explore other points of view
• indentify and challenge moral intuitions
• develop more reflective and informed moral commitments

It is intended that after completing this subject students will

• Understand key concepts and approaches in health ethics
• Appreciate the theoretical foundations of these concepts and approaches
• Be aware of the complexities of interpreting and using these concepts.
• Be able to use these concepts and approaches to perform an ethical analysis of health practice and policy
• Be familiar with the academic literature relevant to key debates and use it in an informed and critical way
• Understand how to reach conclusions in ethical analysis and how to make sound arguments about ethical issues
• Be aware of major areas in health care and public health which are ethically contentious
• Be able to engage in ethical debate on these contentious matters, using key concepts and approaches and with reference to the current literature

• Critical analysis of set readings totalling 1,500 words - due early in semester (30%)
• Class presentation via LMS discussion board: critical analysis of current media report of a health ethics issue -due mid semester (20%)
• Essay of approximately 2,500 words - due at end of semester (50%)

No prescribed text. Students will have access to electronic copies of relevant readings.

This subject is not available as a breadth subject.

Students undertaking this subject should acquire:

• Skills in ethical reasoning and analysis
• Knowledge of the fundamental debates in health care and public health
• Attitudes comfortable with moral ambiguity and complexity