Postgraduate Course: Biotechnology, Law & Society (LAWS11181)
Course Outline
| School | School of Law |
College | College of Humanities and Social Science |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
| Course type | Online Distance Learning |
Availability | Not available to visiting students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | This module considers the regulation of biotechnology and the life sciences. The module draws out two central problems relating to the use of law in this dynamic field. First, it is often difficult for regulators to keep pace with rapid scientific and technological advances. This means that existing legal concepts and regulatory frameworks can soon appear outmoded and inadequate. Second, in an age of moral pluralism, it can be difficult for stakeholders to secure social consensus on how new biotechnologies should be controlled and exploited. As a result, the regulation of biotechnology has often been a site of sharp disagreement. This module examines how these fundamental tensions are mediated within the legal and regulatory structures governing biotechnology and the life sciences at both the national and international levels. |
| Course description |
Session 1: Biotechnology and regulation
Session 2: Stem cell research
Session 3: Scientific advances & statutory interpretation
Session 4: New modes of governance
Session 5: GM foods
Session 6: Intellectual property and the life sciences
Session 7: Genetics and criminal law
Session 8: Genetics and race
Session 9: Biotechnology and our 'post-human' future
Session 10: Current issues
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | Please contact the distance learning team at escript.support@ed.ac.uk |
| Additional Costs | Students should have regular and reliable access to the Internet. |
Course Delivery Information
| Not being delivered |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Appreciate the range of competing considerations and interests at play in the regulation of biotechnology and the life sciences;
- Formulate well-reasoned and coherent arguments relating to biotechnology law;
- Show a solid understanding of current national, regional and international regimes for the control of biotechnology and the life sciences, and where appropriate suggest reforms thereof.
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Reading List
| A list of key module readings will be available in advance of the module. Detailed reading lists are then available each week. |
Additional Information
| Course URL |
http://edin.ac/1NyDAvP |
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Students will develop their skills and abilities in:
1. Research and enquiry, through e.g. selecting and deploying appropriate research techniques;
2. Personal and intellectual autonomy, e.g. developing the ability to independently assess the relevance and importance of primary and secondary sources;
3. Communication, e.g. skills in summarising and communicating information and ideas effectively in written form;
4. Personal effectiveness, e.g. working constructively as a member of an online community;
5. Students will also develop their technical/practical skills, throughout the module, e.g. in articulating, evidencing and sustaining a line of argument, and engaging in a convincing critique of another's arguments.
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| Special Arrangements |
This course is taught by distance learning. |
| Additional Class Delivery Information |
This course is taught by distance learning. |
| Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Mr Gerard Porter
Tel: (0131 6)50 2023
Email: |
Course secretary | Ms Clare Polson
Tel: (0131 6)51 9704
Email: |
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