Module manager: Sophie Goddard
Email: S.Goddard@leeds.ac.uk
Taught: Semester 1 Feb to 30 Apr View Timetable
Year running 2024/25
This module is not approved as an Elective
Following two modules examining in some detail issues arising in healthcare at the beginnings and endings of lives, the aim of this module is to introduce you to a range of ethical issues that arise more pervasively throughout medical/nursing practice. Thus the module will examine some general issues concerning the carer/patient relationship, in particular the demands for truth-telling, trust, confidentiality, and consent in medicine. What philosophical arguments underlie these demands, and what exactly is their stringency? We will also consider certain general considerations that bear on the professional's ethical decision making, in particular the role of ethical codes and the justification, if there is one, for professionals to appeal to conscience in objecting to undertaking certain practices in healthcare.
On completion of this module, students should be able to:
- Display understanding of a number of key philosophical texts and traditions relating to professional issues in health care;
- Display understanding of ethical rationales underlying current approaches to central concepts in health care ethics;
- Explain and evaluate arguments put forward in debates about professional issues in the context of health care, and relate them to key theoretical positions.
Topics such as:
Honesty, loyalty, confidentiality and trust; use and abuse of codes; ethical models such as patient advocacy; individual conscience; compromise and sharing responsibility.
| Delivery type | Number | Length hours | Student hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| On-line Learning | 8 | 2 | 16 |
| Independent online learning hours | 34 | ||
| Private study hours | 100 | ||
| Total Contact hours | 16 | ||
| Total hours (100hr per 10 credits) | 150 | ||
On-Line Learning = online tutor-led discussion.
Independent Online Learning = working through exercises online.
Private Study Time = students be assigned set readings, and will be given teaching materials to work through at their own pace. These materials will set the readings in context, at certain points provide prompts for carefully structured online discussions, which will be supported by tutors.
Essay plan (400 words).
Contribution to online discussions will be assessed (on participation rather than content) to encourage regular, active participation.
There will also be an online personal tutoring system to review progress on completed modules and identify any areas where further support is needed.
| Assessment type | Notes | % of formal assessment |
|---|---|---|
| Essay | 3,000 words | 90 |
| Group Discussion | Participation in online discussions | 10 |
| Total percentage (Assessment Coursework) | 100 | |
Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated
The reading list is available from the Library website
Last updated: 1/31/2025
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