Public Health Law Course Number: Law 480 Hours: 3 Course Type: Upper-Level Writing Requirement: Rigorous Writing Experience (RWE) Skills Requirement?: No Final Exam?: No Description: This course explores legal, policy, and ethical issues arising in the practice of public health. The course will introduce students to the distinctions between traditional medical care and public health activities and consider the implications of public health's population health perspective. The course will review the legal foundations of the government's public health powers and also examine the tension between public health activities and individual civil liberties, property rights, commercial speech, and other legally protected interests. Specific topics may include: (1) infectious disease surveillance, disease reporting laws, and privacy; (2) public health control measures such as quarantine, isolation, and forced medical treatment; (3) compulsory vaccination laws; (4) health promotion campaigns and regulation of commercial speech; (5) tobacco control; and (6) tort litigation to advance public health interests. Related Courses: This course will draw on some concepts that are introduced in Health Law: Bioethics and Quality of Care and Health Law: Organization, Regulation, and Finance. Because the course is designed to foster independent research by students in their own areas of research, however, it is suitable for anyone with an interest in the field. Prerequisites: Mandatory: None Recommended: Health Law: Bioethics and Quality of Care or Health Law: Organization, Regulation, and Finance (or experience in the health field) may be helpful, but are not required. Instructor(s): R. Saver Semester(s): Spring