Law and Health Sciences Concentration
The Law and Health Sciences Concentration provides students with an opportunity to pursue a focused and integrated course of study on issues at the intersection of law, medicine and science. As the debate over health care reform intensifies, new medical technologies question the limits of our ethical principles, and scientific evidence from all disciplines becomes more pervasive in our courtrooms, the need for lawyers trained with an understanding of both our health care system and scientific methods is greater than ever.
Concentrating in Health Sciences at Hastings offers students a fundamental understanding of the U.S. health care system and basic scientific principles necessary for work in this area through the two required courses: Health Law and Scientific Methods for Lawyers. These survey courses allow students to identify particular areas of interest, such as bioethics, global and public health, mental health, genetics or legal issues in reproduction, for more advanced study. Concentrators are also required to take the Health Sciences Concentration Seminar which will bring law students from Hastings together with medical and other graduate students from UCSF to examine some of the leading challenges in areas related to health sciences and the law. The seminar will bring in experts from UCSF and Hastings to enhance student engagement and discussion. Moreover, concentrators would have the ability to participate in research and services opportunities that arise from networking in the Consortium's broader community of scholars.
NOTE: All students must successfully complete the concentration seminar in Law and Health Sciences. Students completing the Concentration must also take Health Law and Scientific Methods. The remaining credit requirements for the Concentration can be obtained from the class lists below. As noted, however, at least 7 units must be completed out of the list of AScience and Health Specific Electives
Total Units Required: 20
A. Required Courses:
Law and Health Sciences Concentration Seminar(2) (Successful completion of the paper satisfies the Hastings= writing requirement.)
- and -
Health Law (4)
Scientific Methods for Lawyers (3)
B. Qualifying Courses in Science, Health, and Related Electives
1. Science and Health Specific Electives (students must take a minimum of 7 units from this list)
[Students may take up to 6 credit hours of any approved UCSF classes toward this requirement.]
Courses:
Administrative Law (3 or 4)
International and Comparative Perspectives of Health Law (3)
Food and Drug Law (3)
Issues in Public and Global Health (3 units)
Science in Law (2 or 3)
Seminars:
Bioethics, Law & Healthcare Decisionmaking Seminar (2)
Bioethics Seminar (2)
Constitution and the Family Seminar (2)
Disability Law Seminar (2)
Forensic Evidence Seminar (2)
Genetics: Issues in Law & Policy Seminar (2)
Incentives in Health Care Seminar (2)
Issues in Law & Health Policy Seminar (2)
Law and Biosciences (3)
Law and Economics Seminar (2)
Law, Psychiatry & the Mental Health System (2)
Law & Social Anthropology Seminar (2)
Mass Justice Seminar (2)
Psychiatry & Law Seminar (2)
Public Health & Homelessness Seminar (2)
Public Policy Advocacy Seminar (2)
Social, Legal & Ethical Implications of Human Reproductive & Genetic Tech. Seminar (2)
Sociology of the Criminal Justice System Seminar (2)
2. Science and Health Related Electives (students may apply no more than four units from this list toward the Concentration)
Children & the Law (2)
Class Actions Seminar (2)
Domestic Violence Law (3)
Family Law (3 or 4)
Insurance Law (3)
International Human Rights (3)
International Human Rights Seminar (2)
Special Education Law Seminar (2)