Public Health Law
SLN #: 21334Course Prefix: LAW-651
Course Section: 001
Credit Hours: 2
Instructor(s): Hodge Jr.
Course Books: View List of Books
Course Description:
The protection and preservation of the public health are quintessential goals of government. Equally critical is the need to respect individual rights and morals in American society. The classic conundrum of public health law and ethics is the extent to which government may restrain or impinge citizens’ interests, directly or indirectly, to promote the health and safety of the community. This course, Public Health Law and Ethics, explores the inherent tensions between promoting the public health and protecting the legal and ethical rights and interests of individuals. Public health law and ethics require a careful balancing of collective and individual rights and interests. The objectives of this course are to: (1) better understand the structure and functions of the public health system; (2) define public health through an examination of public health theory and practice; (3) understand the roles of government, private sector entities, and individuals in assuring the conditions for people to be healthy; and (4) assess legal and ethical conflicts between governmental interests in public health and individual interests in liberty or other protected rights in multiple contexts. These conflicts will be examined through critical facets of public health theory and practice— e.g., health promotion and communication; public health powers such as immunization, testing, screening, quarantine, and isolation; public health emergencies; regulation of businesses and professions; and tort litigation for the public’s health. While protecting the public’s health has global dimensions, which will be explored to some degree, the focus of the course is on public health law in the United States.
Additional Information:
Credit Hours: 2
Grading Option: Numeric Grade and ONE-Time Pass Option is Available, or Letter Grade Only
Graduation Writing Requirement: No
Flexible/Upper-Level Writing Requirement: No
Skills Requirement: No
Simulation Course: No
Experiential Learning: No
Seminar: No
Special Withdrawal Course: No
Limited Enrollment Number: 30
Final Exam Given: Yes
Final Exam Type: Take-Home
Participation Points: Yes
Attendance Policy: Per Statement Of Student Policies
* The law school has a policy that is used to calculate credit hours. Please see the Statement of Student Policies.