This unit of study offers a critical review of the field of bioethics. The course canvasses different ways that bioethics is 'made-up' in discourse, thought and practice, and the meaning of 'bioethics' historically and in contemporary society. Mapping some of the key literature on current on-going debates and contentions, the seminars explore different perspectives that people have of bioethics from points within and outside of the discipline and why bioethics and bioethical dilemmas have become important objects of popular and professional concern. Topics include the moral and ethical dimensions of advances in biomedical science and biotechnology, patient privacy and its limits, the virtuous bioethicist, narrative in bioethics, going public in bioethics, bioethics across cultures, feminist bioethics, bioethics and non-human animals, and, environmental bioethics in the clinic and public. Learning activities will include seminars and small group discussion.
All assessments must be completed to pass this Unit.

In this unit of study students gain the background in ethical philosophy necessary to engage in advanced analyses of issues in bioethics. Introduction to Ethical Reasoning familiarises students with classical theoretical frameworks such as virtue ethics, Kantian deontology, and utilitarianism that have been influential in the history of Western philosophy. The unit also examines more contemporary approaches to ethics, such as the capabilities approach, feminist ethics, human rights doctrines, and poststructuralist approaches. Across these different theoretical frameworks, discussions will focus on topics such as cultural relativism, universalism in ethics, difference and power.
All assessments must be completed to pass this Unit.

This unit of study introduces some key philosophical questions and debates concerning medicine and the biomedical sciences. It is divided into three sections. The first explores key concepts and distinctions such as health, disease, mental illness and disability. The second section deals with topics that lie at the heart of a scientific approach to medicine, namely, causation, experimentation, evidence and clinical reasoning. The final section of the course invites students to reflect critically on the preceding section by exploring the rationality claims of non-orthodox approaches, by inquiring closely into the meaning of medical terms, and by taking a broad view of the notion of risk.
All assessments must be completed to pass this Unit.

How does biomedicine both influence and reflect the broader society of which it is a part? This unit of study addresses this general question by examining a set of issues relating to sex and drugs. A key theme in the course is the "medicalisation" of human experience in the domains of gender, reproduction and sexual behaviour. The course aims to widen the scope of bioethical inquiry through readings that explore the issues from a range of different perspectives including history, sociology, politics, health policy, philosophy, religion, feminism, public health, and personal experience. Each topic introduces specific concepts which students are encouraged to apply. Students are also encouraged to draw on their own disciplinary and/or professional background. Seminars, online discussions and coursework will provide opportunities to learn from other students, and apply learning from other units of study in bioethics.
All assessments must be completed to pass this Unit.

This unit of study begins by introducing students to intersections amongst health care, ethics, and the law. In particular students will explore the moral basis of law and the means by which law influences moral norms, clinical practice, and health policy. Students learn how to critically read and analyse primary sources of law relevant to bioethics. Students will then examine a number of areas of law that have particular significance for bioethics and society including consent, tort law, competence, advance directives, maternal-foetal conflicts, abortion, reproduction, end-of-life-decision-making, genetics and infectious disease.
All assessments must be completed to pass this Unit.

This unit of study introduces students to the ethical, social and legal issues that underlie a wide range of biotechnologies, including: genetics, genomics, human reproduction, stem cell research, nanotechnology and emerging biotechnologies., Key concepts influencing debates in this area are covered, such as 'procreative beneficence', personhood, risk, consent, public engagement, and property in the body (including gene patenting). Topical case studies are included to keep up with recent developments in the field. Students will explore the ethical limits to research and knowledge.
All assessments must be completed to pass this Unit.

This unit of study introduces students to research ethics in its social context. It explores the philosophical underpinnings of the research endeavour including the justifications for engaging in research, research priorities and research integrity. The unit also reviews the history of research and the impact of research abuse on subjects, both human and animal. International and national guidelines for ethical human and animal research will be covered and participants are encouraged to develop practical skills in relation to their own research. The second part of the unit investigates current areas of controversy and public interest in research.
All assessments must be completed to pass this Unit.

This unit of study provides students with an overview of the broader philosophical, ethical, socio-political and cultural issues that underlie public health and public health research. Students will first review the history of public health and examine the values that underpin health promotion and disease prevention. The second part of the unit examines the place of facts and values in public health and the construction and use of information, with particular reference to evidence-based-medicine. The third part of the unit examines the cultural, moral and social context of public health including the social determinants of health, the construction of health services, the determination of research priorities and issues relating to human rights and global health.
All assessments must be completed to pass this Unit.

This unit will provide students with an overview of the broader ethical, social and cultural issues that underlie the delivery of healthcare. Students will explore major conceptual models for ethical reasoning in the clinical context; the design and delivery of clinical ethics consultation; and issues relating to the role of the professions. The unit will also examine the foundations of clinical practice, including consent, competence, confidentiality, and decision-making. The unit will consider specific issues and populations within clinical practice, such as the care of vulnerable populations, mental health, and chronic illness. Learning activities will include lectures (in an intensive format), facilitated discussion, case study presentations, and readings.
All assessments must be completed to pass this Unit.

Mental health and mental illness are unique in the field of health care and bioethics. The very nature of psychiatric disorder and its relationship with prevailing social and cultural factors, in addition to the unique status of the mental health patient, necessitate a specific discourse in biomedical ethics in the area of mental health. This course will provide participants with a broad perspective of issues in bioethics applied to mental health and mental illness. Students will examine the history of the psychiatric profession and consider the adequacy of current safeguards against the abuses of power seen in the history of the profession of psychiatry. Other areas considered in the course include the current ethical dilemmas in mental health care, the implications of technological advances in the neurosciences, the philosophical basis of the concept of mental disorder, the relationship between power and the psychiatric profession and the complex relationship between morality, mental health and the law. The course aspires to inform future decision makers in health, public policy, clinical settings and academia in the unique aspects of biomedical ethics in the field of mental health.
All assessments must be completed to pass this Unit.

This unit introduces the ethics of public health. Ethics is the study of what should be done. In public health this requires thinking about what we want healthcare to achieve, both for communities and individuals. As this always involves prioritization and compromise it is important to understand; how and why we focus on some health issues and not others; why we focus on some populations and not others; how we weigh up the benefits, harms and costs of intervening in people's lives; whether our interventions are fair, just and undermine or promote human rights; and how we can best engage with communities and maintain their trust. None of these issues can be understood simply by reference to evidence, efficiency, policy or law. This is where an understanding of ethics can help. By the end of the Unit you will be able to identify the values and ideas upon which public health rests and ready to start thinking proactively about the ethical and legal issues that are raised by public health interventions and health policy. This is a Core Unit for Graduate Diploma and Master in Public Health students.
All assessments must be completed to pass this Unit.

The 'art of health' is more than an historic catchphrase; it is a literal phenomenon. In the past century the visual, literary and performing arts have emerged as vital components of a blossoming 'arts in health' movement which values the contribution of the arts to human health and wellbeing. This unit gives students practical examples of how to incorporate the arts into public health and health care. The course offers a rich and detailed exploration of varying debates in the scholarly and practice-based fields of arts-and-health, which include but are not limited to: status and uses of art therapy; music,
psychology and medicine; narrative, literature and the 'narrative medicine' movement; hospital art, design and architecture; and the role of art in public health, health research, and social marketing campaigns. Students will be treated to a diverse range of guest lecturers from the fields of visual performing arts and related areas of expertise. This course will appeal to students of public health; literary, visual and performing arts; social work; psychology; and related disciplines, who want to understand more about the interconnectedness of the arts with human health.
the arts with human health.
All assessments must be completed to pass this Unit.

This unit of study introduces students to human research ethics in its social context. It explores the philosophical underpinnings of the research endeavour including the justifications for engaging in research, research priorities and research integrity. The unit also reviews the history of research and the impact of research abuse on human participants. International and national guidelines for ethical research with humans will be covered and participants are encouraged to develop practical skills in relation to their own research.

This unit must be taken in conjunction with BETH5302 (Research Project B). These units are available only to students admitted to the Master of Bioethics Research pathway. The Research Project (i.e. parts A and B combined) provides opportunity for research and in-depth learning in a bioethics topic of special interest or importance to the student. Successful completion of the project may also provide students with the research experience required for the pursuit of a higher degree. This unit involves independent research and regular meetings with a supervisor. In the process of completing the Research Project (i.e. parts A and B combined), students will produce an original 15,000 word treatise. Choice of topic depends on the availability of an appropriate supervisor. It is recommended, but not required, that BETH5301 and BETH5302 are taken in consecutive separate semesters, rather than concurrently. A mark for both BETH5301 and BETH5302 combined is provided at the completion of BETH5302. It is possible to take these units in distance mode.

This unit must be taken in conjunction with BETH5301 (Research Project A). These units are available only to students admitted to the Master of Bioethics Research pathway. The Research Project (i.e. parts A and B combined) provides opportunity for research and in-depth learning in a bioethics topic of special interest or importance to the student. Successful completion of the project may also provide students with the research experience required for the pursuit of a higher degree. This unit involves independent research and regular meetings with a supervisor. In the process of completing the Research Project (i.e. parts A and B combined), students will produce an original 15,000 word treatise. Choice of topic depends on the availability of an appropriate supervisor. It is recommended, but not required, that BETH5301 and BETH5302 are taken in consecutive semesters, rather than concurrently. A mark for both BETH5301 and BETH5302 combined is provided at the completion of BETH5302. It is possible to take these units in distance mode.

In this unit we will examine the links between medicine and war. This will be done both through substantive topics and through exposure to different intellectual and methodological approaches drawn from the humanities and social sciences. The focus will be on ethical issues pertaining to health and medicine in times of war. Topics covered include: communicable diseases; new psychiatric problems and techniques; torture; research and innovation; ethical considerations arising from the work and choices of health and medical professionals; and cultural representation of health, medicine and war.
All assessments must be completed to pass this Unit.

This unit will provide an opportunity for approved candidates to pursue an extended project under supervision. Students will be expected to discuss and plan the project with their supervisor, then submit drafted material to an agreed timetable, and to discuss this drafted material with their supervisor before submitting a final draft.
All assessments must be completed to pass this Unit.

This unit of study explores the connections between narrative, literature, ethics and health and medicine. Students will be introduced to the fundamental importance of narrative competence for health professionals and to tools for developing narrative competence. We will consider a range of ethical issues arising from narrative and literature in health and medicine, including differences between how patients/ the public and health professionals/ clinicians understand and value health and illness, and how to incorporate issues around identity, existence and values into public health and medicine. Students will also be given new analytic tools from the humanities for use in health-related settings. It will introduce students to influential theories of narrative and modes of cultural, literary and linguistic analysis that can further enrich our understandings of these texts. Students will encounter and analyse a wide range of literary and non-literary narratives concerned with illness, embodiment and healing. Topics or themes covered during the course include: narrative theory (narratology); narrative competence; literary/cultural representations of health practitioners; rhetoric (semiotics) of health; literary/cultural constructions of disability and femininity; narrative ethics; language and embodiment; medico-literary 'genres; narrating death and dying; and the limits of narrative.
All assessments must be completed to pass this Unit.

In this unit, students will develop a critical awareness of the determinants of effective communication, particularly in relation to health risks to the individual and to society.
The first half covers individual health risk communication in clinical settings, including: theories of health communication, patient centred care and shared decision making; evidence-based communication skills; research paradigms including interaction analysis; cross-cultural communication in health care; discussing prognosis and informed consent. The second half explores risk communication for public health. We teach theories of risk perception and communication with particular application to public health incident responses. We give practical guides to media messages, risk message framing, public engagement using traditional and social media, and the ethical aspects of public communication. The unit offers students the opportunity to learn from outstanding guest lecturers who work in these areas and interactive opportunities for students to try their skills in risk communication and decision making.

This unit of study provides a comprehensive introduction to qualitative inquiry in health. It is designed for beginners and people who want an advanced-level introduction. Workshop One will address: What is qualitative research? How is it different from quantitative research? What is its history? What research questions can it answer? How can I search for qualitative literature? How do I design a qualitative study? You will learn about interviewing, focus groups and observation; participate in a focus group; and design and conduct your own interview. Workshop Two addresses: How do you analyse qualitative data? Is methodology different to method? What are ontology and epistemology? What is reflexivity (and aren't qualitative researchers biased)? What are the ethical issues? How are methodologies and theories used in qualitative research? What is good quality qualitative research? Can I generalise qualitative findings? You will analyse your own interview data; and learn how to make arguments for qualitative research in health. In both workshops you will meet working qualitative researchers and hear about their projects. This advanced Unit will show you a new way of thinking critically about research and researching, and give you the skills and confidence to begin evaluating and doing qualitative research for yourself.

An introduction to qualitative inquiry in health, QUAL5005 is perfect if you're a beginner and want to gain an overview of this research approach. Workshop One addresses: What is qualitative research? How is it different from quantitative research? What is its history? What research questions can it answer? How can I search for qualitative literature? How do I design a qualitative study? You will learn about interviewing, focus groups and observation; participate in a focus group; and design and conduct your own interview. Workshop Two addresses: How do you analyse qualitative data? How are theories used in qualitative research? What is good quality qualitative research? Can I generalise qualitative findings? You will analyse your own interview data; and learn how to make arguments for qualitative research in health. In both workshops you will meet working qualitative researchers and hear about their projects. This introductory Unit will give you the skills and confidence to begin evaluating and doing qualitative research for yourself.