LAW 7254 - Seminar on Public Health Law in Historical Context: Vaccination, Quarantine, and the War on STDs.

2 to 3 Credit Hours

Prerequisites: Law 7243, 7244, or Law 7253, or with the written permission of the instructor.
Requirements: The paper will fulfill the upper level writing requirement.
Description
This is an elective course. This seminar will focus on themes that have appeared in the history of public health law and research, as analyzed in several key publications. It will give students a general introduction to how the unique powers associated with public health law, such as the potential use of coercion in the application of medical interventions on both an individual and population basis, have developed. It will also engage students in an exploration of the role of the government, the scientific establishment, and individual scientists/investigators who were involved in two now discredited research programs carried out by the US Public Health Service. The seminar will culminate in student research projects that will generate a paper and a class presentation.