Categories: Health Law

Instructor(s)

Charo, R. Alta

Course Data

Room 3250
W 8:00am-10:20am

Pass/Fail: No

Course Description

This course will survey examples of classic public health efforts mediated through law, including quarantine, vaccination, disease surveillance, birth control, drug criminalization, sanitation, food safety, nutrition, and physical fitness. It will also touch on modern areas of activity, such as newborn genetic screening, smoking cessation, accident prevention, gun control, domestic violence reporting, and obesity reduction. Con Law 1 and 2 are not prerequisites, but will be helpful, especially when considering the civil rights issues raised by government efforts to control personal behaviors. Students will prepare final papers from a list of current topics.

Learning outcomes:

Upon completion of this course, students should be able to:
(1) describe and critique the authority of the state and federal government to limit personal freedom, economic transactions and land management for the purpose of promoting public health
(2) distinguish between the legality and the politics of various public health policy choices
(3) appreciate the interplay between immigration, race, class, geography, and education in the history and formation of public health policy
(4) analyze the effect of the Zika virus on the politics surrounding reproductive health.

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