Health, Law and Justice
- Instructors: Sarah Curi and Alice Noble.
- Duration: 10 weeks, June 1-Aug. 7, 2020.
- Credits: 12.
Through the lens of social justice, Health, Law and Justice will explore legal and ethical issues in American health care. In doing so, this program will focus primarily on:
- The American health care system, dysfunction within that system and the controversial journey toward health care reform.
- Key bioethical debates in health care, particularly those surrounding patient-doctor relationships, treatment choices, reproductive rights and end-of-life care.
We will explore the role of health in justice and individual dignity. Also, as the 2020 presidential election nears, we will join in the essential debate of "What comes next for American health care"?
Throughout the program, students will engage directly with key stakeholders, from policymakers and health care providers to legislators, advocates and business leaders. Field visits, sharing lunches with experts and special projects will enable students to put policy into real-world practice. You will gain the experience, confidence and connections to promote further reform and become future leaders in health care policy and practice.
Ideal for
Designed for students with career interests in public policy; medicine and health care; law; ethics; politics; business; philosophy; economics; and social research, and for any student curious to understand how the American health care system works in practice.
Students in this JBS will earn 12 credits toward graduation. For most students, one JBS may count as a semester of residency toward graduation. All students, particularly transfer students, should review the terms and conditions for academic residency requirements.
Curriculum
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- Cross-listings: This legal studies course is cross-listed in business; social justice and social policy; health: science, society and policy; and American studies.
- Requirements fulfilled: SS
Ten years after the historic passage of the Affordable Care Act, known colloquially as "Obamacare," and months away from the 2020 presidential election, the United States and our health care system are at a crossroads. While the ACA seems to have weathered most of the significant implementation challenges, even its most ardent supporters acknowledge that the law provides only a partial fix for our nation's health care system.
Indeed, access has improved appreciably, but too many still remain uninsured and without access to needed care. Moreover, among advanced nations our costs are the highest by far, and the quality of our care is no better than that found in these less costly nations. We will explore the ACA, the events leading up to its passage, the policies the law was designed to further and its impacts so far.
In this election year, we will study and debate the health reform proposals of the leading presidential candidates. As we look through our health care “crystal ball,” will we see a reversal of ACA reforms, a modest expansion of ACA reforms or a radical redo of our health care system? Let’s discuss!
- Cross-listings: This legal studies course is cross-listed in social justice and social policy, and health: science, society and policy.
- Requirements fulfilled: SS
At the heart of our evolving health care system are the doctor and the patient. Related to the doctor-patient relationship are often complex issues related to patient autonomy, life and death treatment decisions, and the cost of and access to care. They implicate questions of justice and the just distribution of care — a key goal of health care reform. We will explore ethical, legal and social issues — including end-of-life decision-making, physician-assisted suicide, procreative liberty, cloning, and genetic therapies — from the micro level of patient care at the patient's bedside to the macro issues of the health care system in which patient care is delivered and financed.
Note: This course may be used to fulfill hands-on experience (HOE) requirements for legal studies, and health: science, society and policy.
Students will explore an array of complex issues in depth during the seminars as well as in the "real world," as they attend public meetings or hearings and actively dialog with stakeholders. We will examine the day-to-day issues faced by stakeholders in the midst of reform efforts. While connecting theory and practice, students will take initiative and actively engage in structured assignments.
