APG5730 Bioethics, public policy, and the law
Faculty of Arts
APG5730 Bioethics, public policy, and the law is a level 5, 12-credit-point, postgraduate unit from the Faculty of Arts, offered in 2025 in Semester 1 at Clayton. It has no prerequisites.
- Credit points
- 12
- Offered in 2025
- Semester 1
- Clayton
- Assessment
- No exam
- 4 tasks
- Workload
- 288 hours
- per semester
This is the 2025 handbook entry. See the 2027 entry.
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Requisites
Before APG5730
No prerequisites or corequisites besides the enrolment rules below.
After APG5730
No unit lists APG5730 as a prerequisite in the 2025 handbook.
Enrolment rules
Prohibition: APG4715, APG5734, APR5730
Overview
In this unit, you will examine issues that arise in public healthcare policy and law, and how these relate to ethics. You will explore the formulation and creation of law and policy for controversial health-related issues in democratic pluralistic societies such as Australia. You will examine concepts such as: autonomy and harm, moral pluralism, the role of public opinion in policy formation, collective action problems and healthcare resource allocation. Healthcare issues to be considered may include topics such as voluntary assisted dying legislation, the availability of organs for transplant, reproductive technology policy, mandatory vaccination, and the governance of food.
Offerings in 2025
| Teaching period | Campus | Mode |
|---|---|---|
| First semester | Clayton | Flexible |
| First semester | Clayton | Online |
Assessment
- Exercise/sExercise20%
- Analytical exerciseExercise25%
- Research taskWritten15%
- EssayWritten40%
Learning outcomes
When you finish this unit, you should be able to:
- 1
Explain how moral values relate to the regulation of healthcare practices and health-related public policy;
- 2
Critically evaluate policies and laws associated with the regulation of healthcare and health behaviour;
- 3
Establish your own reasoned conclusions regarding the ethical aspects of healthcare regulation and health-related public policy;
- 4
Use well-developed research skills to undertake rigorous, in-depth analysis of current bioethical issues.
Workload and teaching
- Tutorials30 hours
- Lectures12 hours
- Teaching approachActive learning
Minimum total expected workload to achieve the learning outcomes for this unit is 288 hours per semester typically comprising a mixture of scheduled learning activities and independent study. Scheduled activities may include a combination of teacher directed learning, peer directed learning and online engagement.
This unit engages you in actively applying your knowledge, skills and attributes in interactive, collaborative and reflective activities.
Contacts
- Unit Coordinators
- Professor Justin Oakley
- Chief Examiners
- Professor Justin Oakley
Common questions
What are the prerequisites for APG5730?
APG5730 has no prerequisites, but enrolment rules apply.
When is APG5730 offered?
In 2025, APG5730 runs in Semester 1 at Clayton, with an online option.
How much work is APG5730?
The handbook expects about 288 hours of study across the semester. No students have rated its difficulty yet.
Does APG5730 have an exam?
No. APG5730 has 4 assessment tasks and no exam.