School: Medical and Health Sciences

This unit information may be updated and amended immediately prior to semester. To ensure you have the correct outline, please check it again at the beginning of semester.

  • Unit Title

    Law and Ethical Issues
  • Unit Code

    HST6338
  • Year

    2025
  • Enrolment Period

    1
  • Version

    2
  • Credit Points

    20
  • Full Year Unit

    N
  • Mode of Delivery

    On Campus
    Online
  • Unit Coordinator

    Ms Anne TRENT

Description

Students will be introduced to the Australian legal system and will learn how to interpret and apply State and National public health legislation, such as the Public Health Act 2016. Students will have the opportunity to explore legal and ethical concepts and their application to public health practice. Contemporary issues such as tobacco control, obesity prevention, environmental health, gambling, alcohol and vaccinations will be examined. Students will evaluate past public health challenges and identify emerging public health issues, with particular focus on balancing individual rights and responsibilities with population health goals. Students learn how to advocate for public health policy change and gain insights into current ethical debates in public health. Issues around working in public health such as bribery, corruption and rights and responsibilities will be explored. The skills and knowledge gained by undertaking this unit will be transferable globally, with international examples of public health legislation and advocacy strategies being provided within the content.

Equivalent Rule

Unit was previously coded HST5501

Learning Outcomes

On completion of this unit students should be able to:

  1. Critically evaluate the implications of statutory, legal and ethical requirements on public health practice.
  2. Apply knowledge of ethical and legal requirements to improve public health practice.
  3. Formulate advocacy strategies to change public health policy.

Unit Content

  1. The Australian legal system and the Australian legal structure.
  2. Sources of Australian law and historical development.
  3. The law of torts and contract and their relationship to public health practice.
  4. Legal processes, legal reasoning, civil and criminal law.
  5. Rights, responsibilities and ethical research.
  6. Ethical theories and principles in public health practice.
  7. Current public health priorities and relevant global, Australian and Western Australian legislative and regulatory requirements.
  8. Strengths and weaknesses in current public health law.
  9. Advocating for change to public health policy.

Learning Experience

ON-CAMPUS

Students will attend on campus classes as well as engage in learning activities through ECU's LMS

JoondalupMount LawleySouth West (Bunbury)
Semester 213 x 3 hour seminarNot OfferedNot Offered

For more information see the Semester Timetable

ONLINE

Students will engage in learning experiences via ECU’s LMS as well as additional ECU learning technologies

Additional Learning Experience Information

Students will work collaboratively to discuss past and present challenges in developing public health policy. They review advocacy tools and guidelines and gain skills in advocating for changes to public health policy. Students develop critical analysis skills through examination of public health cases and gain experience with reviewing and interpreting legislation at State, National and global levels.

Assessment

GS1 GRADING SCHEMA 1 Used for standard coursework units

Students please note: The marks and grades received by students on assessments may be subject to further moderation. All marks and grades are to be considered provisional until endorsed by the relevant School Progression Panel.

ON CAMPUS
TypeDescriptionValue
Case StudyPublic Health Legislation40%
AssignmentAdvocating for Public Health Policy Change60%
ONLINE
TypeDescriptionValue
Case StudyPublic Health Legislation40%
AssignmentAdvocating for Public Health Policy Change60%

Disability Standards for Education (Commonwealth 2005)

For the purposes of considering a request for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Commonwealth 2005), inherent requirements for this subject are articulated in the Unit Description, Learning Outcomes and Assessment Requirements of this entry. The University is dedicated to provide support to those with special requirements. Further details on the support for students with disabilities or medical conditions can be found at the Access and Inclusion website.

Assessment

Students please note: The marks and grades received by students on assessments may be subject to further moderation. Informal vivas may be conducted as part of an assessment task, where staff require further information to confirm the learning outcomes have been met. All marks and grades are to be considered provisional until endorsed by the relevant School Progression Panel.

Academic Integrity

Integrity is a core value at Edith Cowan University, and it is expected that ECU students complete their assessment tasks honestly and with acknowledgement of other people's work as well as any generative artificial intelligence tools that may have been used. This means that assessment tasks must be completed individually (unless it is an authorised group assessment task) and any sources used must be referenced.

Breaches of academic integrity can include:

Plagiarism

Copying the words, ideas or creative works of other people or generative artificial intelligence tools, without referencing in accordance with stated University requirements. Students need to seek approval from the Unit Coordinator within the first week of study if they intend to use some of their previous work in an assessment task (self-plagiarism).

Unauthorised collaboration (collusion)

Working with other students and submitting the same or substantially similar work or portions of work when an individual submission was required. This includes students knowingly providing others with copies of their own work to use in the same or similar assessment task(s).

Contract cheating

Organising a friend, a family member, another student or an external person or organisation (e.g. through an online website) to complete or substantially edit or refine part or all of an assessment task(s) on their behalf.

Cheating in an exam

Using or having access to unauthorised materials in an exam or test.

Serious outcomes may be imposed if a student is found to have committed one of these breaches, up to and including expulsion from the University for repeated or serious acts.

ECU's policies and more information about academic integrity can be found on the student academic integrity website.

All commencing ECU students are required to complete the Academic Integrity Module.

Assessment Extension

In some circumstances, Students may apply to their Unit Coordinator to extend the due date of their Assessment Task(s) in accordance with ECU's Assessment, Examination and Moderation Procedures - for more information visit https://askus2.ecu.edu.au/s/article/000001386.

Special Consideration

Students may apply for Special Consideration in respect of a final unit grade, where their achievement was affected by Exceptional Circumstances as set out in the Assessment, Examination and Moderation Procedures - for more information visit https://askus2.ecu.edu.au/s/article/000003318.

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