Health Law and Policy Courses
498 – Food, Agriculture, and Environmental Law
This course offers an overview of the historical, legal, and policy framework for food and agriculture in the United States. Agricultural and food laws and regulations play a vital role in determining both the health outcomes for our nation and the level of environmental impact to shared natural resources such as air, water, soil, and biodiversity. The course discusses federal environmental statutes in the context of food and agricultural production and provides an introduction to the U.S. Farm Bill, pesticides, farmed animal welfare, genetically modified foods, food access, food safety, and labeling schemes.
437 – Food Law and Policy
This course explores food safety regulations and food access/food justice issues. Using an interdisciplinary approach, the course analyzes issues of sustainability, organic and fair trade labeling law, seed and gene patenting, and international food aid. The course is cross-listed in the Divinity School and in the Center for Bioethics, Health and Society.
525 – Health Care Law and Policy
This course introduces students to the structure, financing and regulation of the health care system and proposals for its reform. Legal topics include Medicare, medical staff disputes, health care antitrust, HMOs and insurance regulation.
399 – Medical-Legal Partnership Clinic
This experiential clinic course focuses on the attainment of fundamental lawyering skills through direct client representation and advocacy, with a particular emphasis on problem-solving and legal remedies to address health-harming legal needs. Through collaboration with healthcare providers, students will identify legal issues that negatively contribute to the health of low-income patient-clients and develop a comprehensive, interprofessional strategy to overcome barriers to health justice.
524 – Medical Liability and Treatment Relationships
An exploration of several legal aspects of the practice of medicine including medical malpractice, informed consent, hospital liability, and the right to die.
480 – Selected Topics in Health Law LAWR III
This writing-intensive course focuses on several hot topics in health law, including public health issues, physician employment contracts, regenerative medicine and the right to try, and telemedicine. The content units will be taught through a series of simulations and case files. The course will meet once a week for a 2-hour class, during the spring semester. While learning substantive health care law, the students will also draft and/or critique both transactional and litigation-based documents.
