Hiroshima University Syllabus

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Japanese
Academic Year 2024Year School/Graduate School Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences (Master's Course) Division of Humanities and Social Sciences Law and Politics Program
Lecture Code WMD09700 Subject Classification Specialized Education
Subject Name Medical Ethics and Law
Subject Name
(Katakana)
メディカルエシクスアンドロウ
Subject Name in
English
Medical Ethics and Law
Instructor MOUSOURAKIS GEORGE
Instructor
(Katakana)
ムスラキス ジョージ
Campus Higashi-Senda Semester/Term 1st-Year,  Second Semester,  4Term
Days, Periods, and Classrooms (4T) Tues5-8
Lesson Style Lecture/Seminar Lesson Style
(More Details)
 
The teaching of the course will be a mixture of lectures, seminars, and student presentations. Introductory and advanced readings will be identified and will provide a starting point for the lectures and class discussions. Students will also be given the opportunity to identify and explore specific topics and problems of particular interest to them.  
Credits 2.0 Class Hours/Week   Language of Instruction E : English
Course Level 5 : Graduate Basic
Course Area(Area) 23 : Arts and Humanities
Course Area(Discipline) 02 : Ethics
Eligible Students Graduate Students
Keywords Medicine, professional ethics, biomedical ethics, law, medical law 
Special Subject for Teacher Education   Special Subject  
Class Status
within Educational
Program
(Applicable only to targeted subjects for undergraduate students)
 
Criterion referenced
Evaluation
(Applicable only to targeted subjects for undergraduate students)
 
Class Objectives
/Class Outline
Ethics or moral philosophy deals with the critical evaluation of arguments, decisions, and actions according to an agreed upon set of moral principles. Medical ethics is the application of these principles to the field of medical practice and research. Medical law is the body of legal rules concerning the rights and responsibilities of medical practitioners and their patients. Familiarity with the principles of medical ethics and the relevant legal rules is extremely important in order that medical practitioners know how to properly identify and address ethical dilemmas arising in medical practice.
This course is designed to introduce students to several ethical and legal issues arising from medical practice and to some of the key contemporary debates around the question of how medicine should be regulated.
Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:
(a) Understand basic ethical and legal frameworks and explain how these frameworks can help us address contemporary problems in medical practice.
(b) Clearly formulate their own positions on important issues in contemporary medical ethics and law and establish the compatibility of these positions with broader philosophical and legal principles.
(c) Communicate a clear, coherent, and independent exposition of knowledge and analytical skills in class presentations.
(d) Compose well-argued and well-written research papers that show understanding of and analytical engagement with the subject-matter.    
Class Schedule lesson1: Introduction to Medical Ethics and Law.
lesson2: Foundations of Medical Ethics and Law; Ethics; Professional Ethics; Medical Ethics and Biomedical Ethics; Medical Law.  
lesson3: General Ethical Theories (Part 1); Consequentialism; Utilitarianism; Utilitarianism and Medical Ethics.  
lesson4: General Ethical Theories (Part 2); Deontological Theories; Virtue Ethics; Principlism; Principles of Biomedical Ethics.
lesson5: History of Medical Ethics; Medical Ethics Oaths and Declarations (Part 1).
lesson6: Medical Ethics Oaths and Declarations (Part 2).
lesson7: Key Concepts in Medical Ethics and Law; Informed Consent; Capacity for Medical Decision-Making; Voluntariness.
lesson8: Medical Negligence; Medical Negligence and Tort Law; Medical Negligence and Criminal Liability.  
lesson9: The Doctor-Patient Relationship (Part 1); Duties of Medical Professionals; Trust, Honesty and Truth Telling; Disclosure; Confidentiality.  
lesson10: The Doctor-Patient Relationship (Part 2); Conscience and Personal Beliefs; The Non-Discrimination Principle; Professional Boundaries.
lesson11: Medical Research Ethics; The Nuremberg Code; The Declaration of Helsinki; International Guidelines for the Protection of Human Subjects in Clinical Trials.
lesson12: Medical Ethics at the End of Life; Euthanasia and Doctor-Assisted Suicide; Arguments for and against Euthanasia.
lesson13: Legal Responses to Euthanasia and Doctor-Assisted Suicide Around the World; Euthanasia and Doctor-Assisted Suicide in Japan.
lesson14: Organ Transplantation and the Commercialization of Human Biological Material: Ethical and Legal Perspectives.
lesson15: Summary of course contents and presentation of the research carried out by students.  
Text/Reference
Books,etc.
There is no set textbook for this course. Reading materials will be provided. Reference books and other sources will be included in the handouts delivered to the students.   
PC or AV used in
Class,etc.
 
(More Details)  
Learning techniques to be incorporated  
Suggestions on
Preparation and
Review
The instructor will expect students to have covered the prescribed reading by the end of the course. Students are encouraged to read more widely if they get interested in a topic or if they find the material difficult and want to start with a more basic introduction. 
Requirements Admission into this course requires the successful prior completion of undergraduate introductory courses in law and competence in English.  
Grading Method Assessment for this course will be based on class attendance and participation, presentation of research in class and a written research report.
Class attendance and participation: 20%
Presentation of research paper in class: 30%
Research report (2500-3000 words): 50% 
Practical Experience  
Summary of Practical Experience and Class Contents based on it  
Message  
Other   
Please fill in the class improvement questionnaire which is carried out on all classes.
Instructors will reflect on your feedback and utilize the information for improving their teaching. 
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