| Unit name | Public and Global Health Law |
|---|---|
| Unit code | LAWDM0131 |
| Credit points | 30 |
| Level of study | M/7 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24) |
| Unit director | Dr. Kirton-Darling |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you may not take alongside this one |
Not applicable |
| School/department | University of Bristol Law School |
| Faculty | Faculty of Social Sciences and Law |
Why is this unit important?
Public and global health invite a focus on two things in particular: the distinct matters that arise when we consider health at a population level; and the distinct responsibilities that public authorities have to prevent ill health, and protect and promote good health. Law is an essential part of public and global health. Laws are important both in empowering and constraining interventions for the public’s health. And as aspects of wider social and political determinants of (ill) health, laws are seen as individually and collectively significant in understanding the causes of better or worse population health. This unit critically explains the meanings of public and global health, and the vital ways in which laws and other forms of governance are part of these fields. In its applied focus, it looks to politically-controversial questions, such as the control of infectious disease, health and the environment, and the influence of commercial activities on population health.
How does this unit fit into your programme of study?
This unit centres on the embedded nature of law and governance within public and global health. It focuses on population-level health questions, and the very meaning of framing a matter as one that should be subject to regulation as a public health concern. It addresses law and population health at sub-national, national, international, and global levels. For students on the Health, Law, and Society LLM, it is an optional unit that will be of particular interest if you are interested in the roles of health law and governance as applied to populations. For students on other programmes, it provides the opportunity to learn about public and global health, and how law forms a part of these.
An overview of content
This unit aims to embed a knowledge and critical understanding of the related fields of Public and Global Health Law, considered in historical, social, and theoretical contexts. The unit covers the relationships between population health and law and policy, including the practical and theoretical issues associated with ‘population approaches’, and by introducing the established and growing academic fields of public and global health ethics. Historical and contemporary perspectives are provided, and related to contemporary challenges and problems concerning population health and globalisation. The unit is characterised by its strong combination of teaching and research-led learning methods.
How will students, personally, be different as a result of the unit?
This unit will advance your substantive and critical knowledge and understanding of public and global health, and how law and other forms of governance are engaged in these. Its topic focus is varied, to help expand your insights into different practical and theoretical challenges.
Learning outcomes
On completion of the unit, a successful student will be able to:
Your learning on the unit is achieved through mixed methods of teaching and learning, incorporated in lectures, guided independent reading and exercises, and seminars. The unit aims to enable you to attain, synthesise, and critically engage with ranging materials and ideas. As such, you will receive clear framing and guidance in lectures and teaching materials. This will enable you to undertake your own independent reading and study. And your learning will be secured through preparation for, and participation in, fortnightly seminars where you will: discuss and debate critical questions; check and advance your understanding; engage in tasks that promote breadth and depth of understanding.
Tasks which help you learn and prepare you for summative task (formative):
The unit offers ranging tasks, consolidated in fortnightly seminars, to advance both your substantive knowledge and understanding and your critical reasoning skills. In addition, there is a 500-word formative exercise, to be submitted approximately half way through the unit. This comprises an outline plan for a Law Reform Project. This does not contribute to your final grade. Rather, it enables you to practise and apply the skills required for the summative task. You will receive individual feedback on your plan, as well as broader general feedback and essay preparation and writing guidance.
Task which counts towards your unit mark (summative):
The unit is assessed by a single, 4,000-word Law Reform Project. This is a structured body of work that allows you to demonstrate attainment of all the unit’s intended learning outcomes. The Law Reform Project has three main parts. Overall you: identify and problematise a specific area within public and global health law; propose and detail a law reform; and justify the adoption of the proposed reform. Detailed guidance concerning this structure is provided within the unit materials.
When assessment does not go to plan:
When a student fails the unit and is eligible to resubmit, the unit will be reassessed on a like-for-like basis, and the student will ordinarily be permitted to submit revised work.
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. LAWDM0131).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the University Workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The assessment methods listed in this unit specification are designed to enable students to demonstrate the named learning outcomes (LOs). Where a disability prevents a student from undertaking a specific method of assessment, schools will make reasonable adjustments to support a student to demonstrate the LO by an alternative method or with additional resources.
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. For appropriate assessments, if you have self-certificated your absence, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (for assessments at the end of TB1 and TB2 this is usually in the next re-assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
