This course is designed to introduce the complex interplay between ethics and the law in the context of medical care. Students will be introduced to philosophical concepts along with legal principles which combine to protect the patient, healthcare professionals, and broad societal interest in a functioning healthcare system. Students will critically assess the role of the law in the medical context and identify the nexus between ethics and the law.

On successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

1. Analyse the advanced principles of medical law, undertake self-directed legal research at an advanced level and evaluate legal and ethical information.
2. Apply principles of medical law and ethics to complex problems, critique the operation of law in the context of medical treatment from a policy perspective, either individually or as part of a team.
3. Structure and sustain concise and cohesive written and oral arguments for a mixed audience.
4. Conduct legal research and analysis both independently and cooperatively in an academic environment.
5. Analyse the impact medical law from a policy perspective.
6. Reflect on their abilities to effectively undertake work as a member of a team.

1. B.Richards and J.Louise, Medical Law and Ethics: A Problem-Based Approach (reference only) (LexisNexis Butterworths, 2014)
2. Materials available on MyUni

All course materials are available on MyUni and please remember to check your student email as all course-related announcements are communicated via email.

Much of the teaching of this course will occur online, there will be a mix of asynchronious and synchronious sessions. All students in the interdisciplinary stream will have some face to face learning.

This course is taught intensively, with one 2 hour 'debrief' session.

Monday 10th, Thursday 13th  and Friday 14th February and 20th February will be intensive classroom days with lectures, activities and discussion. Whilst attendance is not compulsory for passing of the course, it is strongly recommended as the sessions are interactive and will not be recorded. There is a participation grade associated with the course and the material covered here is essential for the understanding and participation in the practical, interdisciplinary day. 

Wednesday 19th February is the compulsory attendance day, failure to attend will result in failure of the course. This is an interactive, interdisciplinary day at the Medical School. You will be consulted by Medical Students during simulation activities, you will need to research and advise on specific legal and ethical issues as they arise during consultations with patients. This activity provides the basis for two of the assessment tasks.

Thursday evening will be a 'debrief' session in which we will discuss the activity, what you learnt and your experiences.

Students in this course are expected to attend every day of the course and to actively participate as the design of the course depends upong active engageement. Students will be given pre-reading and the expectation is that it will be completed. Please refer to Access Adelaide for your timetable and enrolment details.

http://www.adelaide.edu.au/access/

The teaching days will involve a mix of lectures and interactive seminar style sessions. The lectures will  cover substantive law topics, these may include consent to treatment, capacity, regulation of medical professionals, organ donation, consent and the child, medical research and xenotransplantation.

The seminar activities will explore the intersection of the substantive law and ethical considerations. They will be interactive in nature and there is an expectation that all students will attend and participate. Topics may include: decision-making in a crisis, the ethics of organ donation, regulation of innovative treatment and protection of the vulnerable.

A comprehensive course topic list will be available at the commencement of the course.

Students must all attend and participate in the compulsory interdisciplinary day.

**NB: There is a compulsory attendance requirement, failure to attend the course on Wednesday 20th February will result in failure of the course.

Assessment Task	Task Type (Group or Individual)	Due	Weighting	Length	Redeemable	Learning Outcome
Participation	Individual	Ongoing	5%		N	2,3,4,5,6
Legal Brief	Individual	26th February 2020 at @2pm	15%	1,000 words	N	1,2,5
Report	Individual	26th February 2020 at @2pm	10%	1,000 words	N	2,3,4,6
Research Paper	Individual	11th March 2020@ 2pm	70%	4,500 words	N	1,2,4

Wednesday 19th February is a compulsory attendance day, all students will be involved in a practical activity with Medical Students. This day is crucial to the achievement of course learning outcomes and forms the basis for two of the assessment pieces. Attendance is non-negotiable.

Participation:
Students are expected to attend and actively participate, the course is designed as an interactive, immersive learning expderience.
5%

Research Assignment:
A major research paper on a topic of your choosing. Topics must be approved.
Length: 4,500 words
70%


Legal Brief:
This is a legal overview of one of the issues addressed during the practical day with Medical Students. You will be given specific guidance on content.
Length: 1,000 words
15%


Report:
This is a short piece containing personal reflection/report of involvement on the practical day.
Length: 1,000 words
10%


Compulsory Attendance:
All students must attend and participate in the practical day, Wednesday 19th February 2020. Non-attendance will result in failure of the course.

MyUni
Consistent with Law School policy, the primary communication mechanism for this course will be through placing announcements on MyUni. It is essential that students regularly check the announcements page for information. It is your responsibility to check MyUni regularly to ensure you have the most recent information. Any urgent information (such as unexpected cancellation of classes due to illness) will be sent to you by email as well as placed on MyUni.

Referencing
Assignments are expected to be referenced appropriately in accordance with the Australian Guide to Legal Citation.

RETURN OF ASSIGNMENTS AND FEEDBACK
Feedback on the reasearch essay will be returned to students via the Turnitin portal. A marking rubric for the essay assignment( which indicates the matters the examiner will look for in the submitted essays) will be provided to all students in Week 1. Students will be notified by email when assignments can be retrieved from the Turnitin portal.

Late Submission Penalties
When an assessment is submitted after the due date, without an extension, 5% of the total mark possible will be deducted for every 24 hours or part thereof that it is late, including each day on a weekend and public holidays. For example, an essay that is submitted after the due date and time but within the first 24 hour period, and that has been graded at 63%, will have 5% deducted, for a final grade of 58%. An essay that is more than 24 hours late will lose 10%, etc.

Word Length Penalties
5% of the total mark possible for a written assessment will be deducted for every 100 words (or part thereof) by which it exceeds a stipulated word limit. For example, a 3,000 word essay graded at 63% will have 5% deducted if it is between 3,001 and
3,100 words long for a final mark of 58%. If the essay is between 3,101 and 3,200 words long, 10% will be deducted for a final mark of 53%, etc. Word limits include all words in the text, in headings, in quotations, but exclude citations in footnotes.

Any separate cover page, table of contents, bibliography or list of sources is excluded from the word limit. If the word limit is misstated, this may be regarded as academic dishonesty.

Word counts do not include footnotes, headings or cover page information. Quotations are included in the word count.

Finality of Assessment Grades

Students are advised that Course Coordinators will not enter into negotiations of any kind with any student regarding changes to their grades. It is irrelevant, in any given circumstance, that only a minimal number of additional marks are required to inflate a student’s grade for any individual assessment item or course as a whole. Pursuant to the University’s Assessment for Coursework Programs Policyand the Adelaide Law School Assessment Policies and Procedures, grades may only be varied through the appropriate channels for academic review (such as an official re-mark).

Moderation

In accordance with the University’s Assessment for Coursework Programs Policy, course coordinators ‘ensure that appropriate marking guidelines and cross-marking moderation processes across markers are in place’ in each course. Procedures adopted by Adelaide Law School to ensure consistency of marking in courses with multiple markers include:

• assurance of the qualifications of markers, and their knowledge of the content covered in each course;
• detailed marking guidelines and assessment rubrics to assist in the marking of items of assessment;
• sharing of example marked assessments at various grade bands across markers;
• reviewing of selected marked assessments from each marker by the course coordinator;
• comparison of the marks and their distribution across markers;
• automatic double-marking of all interim assessment receiving a fail grade, and of final assessments where a student’s overall result is a fail grade;
• the availability of re-marking of assessments in accordance with Adelaide Law School’s Assessment Policies and Procedures.

Approval of Results by Board of Examiners

Students are reminded that all assessment results are subject to approval (and possible moderation/change) by the Law School’s Board of Examiners. Assessment results at the University are not scaled. Under the Assessment for Coursework Programs Policy, students are assessed ‘by reference to their performance against pre-determined criteria and standards … and not by ranking against the performance of the student cohort in the course’. However, under that same policy, the Board of Examiners (as the relevant Assessment Review Committee for courses at Adelaide Law School) is required to ‘ensure comparability of standards and consistency’ in assessment. On occasions, the Board of Examiners will form the view that some moderation is required to ensure the comparability of standards and consistency across courses and years, and accordingly provide fairness to all law students. All assessment results are therefore subject to approval (and possible change) until confirmed by the Board of Examiners and posted on Access Adelaide at the end of each semester.

As a result of some student feedback there is now a combination of options for assessment with less of an emphasis on groupwork. In 2012 there was an electronic tutorial requirement but unfortunately the prgoramme that was used did not work and will not be used in 2013. For those who choose the online tutorial option they will be run through MyUni which is more stable and reliable.

The University Writing Centre provides academic learning and language development services and resources for local, international, undergraduate and postgraduate coursework students enrolled at the University of Adelaide.

The centre offers practical advice and strategies for students to master reading, writing, note-taking, time management, oral presentation skills, referencing techniques and exam preparation for success at university through seminars, workshops and individual consultations.

Lex Salus Program

Lex Salus (law and wellbeing) is an initiative of the Adelaide Law School aimed at destigmatising mental health issues; promoting physical, mental and emotional wellness; building a strong community of staff and students; and celebrating diversity within the school. It also seeks to promote wellness within the legal profession, through the involvement of the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of South Australia, the Honourable Chris Kourakis, as the official Patron of the program.

Students can participate in the Lex Salus program by attending barbecue lunches, pancake breakfasts, knitting and crochet circles, seminars, guest speakers, conferences and other activities. Our Facebook page, website and regular all-student emails promote upcoming events, and have tips and information on wellness.

Our Lex Salus YouTube channel also includes videos on topics like managing stress, and interviews with LGBTQ lawyers and their supporters which celebrate diversity and individuality. Students who commit to 10 hours of volunteering with Lex Salus in one year can have their service recognised on their academic transcript and through a thank you morning tea with the Chief Justice and law school staff.

Student Life Counselling Support

The University’s Student Life Counselling Support service provides free and confidential service to all enrolled students. We encourage you to contact the Student Life Counselling Support service on 8313 5663 to make an appointment to deal with any issues that may be affecting your study and life.

Academic Honesty

Academic dishonesty is a serious act of academic misconduct. All students must be familiar with the University’s Academic Honesty Policy.

Academic dishonesty is a serious matter and is treated as such by the Law School and the University. Academic dishonesty (which goes beyond plagiarism) can be a ground for a refusal by the Supreme Court of South Australia to admit a person to practice as a legal practitioner in South Australia.

Academic honesty is an essential aspect of ethical and honest behaviour, which is central to the practice of the law and an understanding of what it is to be a lawyer.