Medical Ethics, Law and Humanities

In this module, you will learn how to approach ethics of new medical practices, technologies and developing science, aiming to construct proactive (as opposed to reactive) approaches to ethical analysis and regulation. Technical advances over the last century tremendously changed the practice of medicine. This development continues - today’s medicine is being changed by information technology as well as convergence in neuroscience, genetics, data science, AI and robotics. Cutting-edge science slowly makes its way to the bedside, with recent advances such as IVF, mitochondrial replacement therapy, AI and assistive robots.  How will the practice of biomedicine look like in the future? How will we be born, live and die in the increasingly information-technological biomedical landscape? How should medical care look like in the future? The Future of Medicine Ethics module is a space to examine key trends in the development of medical technologies and associated ethical challenges, as well as develop ethically-informed recommendations for future practice. 

This module will introduce you to the major developments in medical practice and medical thought, as well as the main methodological approaches and debates in the field of medical history. Founded in 1733, St George’s was the second medical school in England to train doctors, allowing us to draw - where appropriate - on St George’s primary archival and other historical sources. The module will give a broad introduction to the early western medical tradition but focus principally on the modern period from 1700 to the present, giving an opportunity to think comparatively about the modern construction of the history of a western tradition of medicine and biomedical research. 

The module introduces key skills and approaches which support students in making the most of the other modules, introducing key methods and approaches in medical humanities. The module will also demonstrate the use of various methodological approaches such as narrative, ethical, philosophical, visual or literary analysis to understand key aspects of healthcare practice and research such as the doctor-patient relationship, experiences of illness, trauma, self, medical treatment and healing. 

This module explores the ethical and legal issues and underlying concepts in the professional practice of healthcare professionals. This Medical Ethics and Law module is Core to the MA programme, as the knowledge base and associated ethico-legal reasoning skills are considered to underlie all other course elements. It is best conceived of as the practical application of moral philosophy to the clinical arena, with critical examination of associated key legal aspects of healthcare practice.  

You will conduct an independent research project in an area of interest to you. The module covers preparation and planning for the research as well as the analysis, discussion and presentation of the outcomes of the research. You will be supervised by an experienced academic based at St George’s, and will have a chance to either address a topic of pre-existing interest, or be supported in developing a research idea from conception to fruition. This will help to develop and apply a range of transferable, professional and analytical skills.  

In this module you will look at the ethical, legal and social aspects of clinical practice. Reflecting on the key concepts that underpin ethical thinking about clinical practice (such as autonomy, paternalism, consent), and discussing ethical and legal dilemmas in clinical practice from the beginning to the end of life provides an opportunity for in depth ethical consideration of clinical practice. Students will also gain tools for a systematic approach to analysis of ethical cases.  

Humanitarian responses in conflict settings play a pivotal role in addressing health needs that arise directly and indirectly due to the impact of war on health systems and infrastructure. The nature of a conflict also influences the physical and mental health of the population. Even though civilians should be protected during conflict, not all conflict settings are examples of armed conflict, and conflict is embedded within a socio-cultural and political context and affects all aspects of everyday life. We propose this module to address different forms of conflict and to critically examine ethical challenges during times of conflict and humanitarian action.  Humanitarian action must now respond to increasingly complex crises. Challenges faced by humanitarian workers, when working both nationally and internationally, are impacted by the changing nature of conflict, climate change, and disasters in a globalised world.

In addition, humanitarian organisations are under pressure in terms of their values and roles in volatile political situations especially when they are structured by extreme religious ideology. The effects of humanitarian crisis are increasingly globalized, as seen in current trends of migration and forced displacement. Humanitarian health efforts involve cross-cultural endeavours and due to advancements in medical technologies, medical dilemmas are further fraught with ethical challenges. Human rights frameworks are applied against the backdrop of health injustice and vulnerable populations in conflicts and demand that humanitarian actors undertake roles in truth, peace, reconciliation, and justice efforts.

This module exposes some of the most pressing questions about the fragility of the human condition; responding to human distress in extreme situations means that decisions are not always ideal. Ethical dilemmas faced by humanitarian health actors will be critically analysed drawing on case scenarios and on examples of their moral experience of the field.  

Using an applied medical humanities’ approach, in which the different Humanities disciplines (philosophy, cultural studies, literary studies, sociology, history of art) and Medicine are used as lenses through which to analyse illness, human experience and clinical practice, this module will take the leg as its primary focus. The leg, as a tangible example of a component of the body, allows us to explore the ways in which bodies are constructed culturally, clinically, politically and experientially. The module will explore ideas such as surface and depth, normality and abnormality, presence and loss, visibility and invisibility, beauty and ugliness, illness and health. It will examine the relations between culture, society, the body and illness. What does it mean to be and have a body? How do we speak about and define bodily experience? What happens when the body fails? How do we diagnose and treat the body? Patients and healthcare practitioners might answer these complex questions in very different ways, and yet understandings of those questions underpin medical practice and the experience of patients.  

Today all countries, and most especially low-income countries, are threatened by several significant global health challenges. The effects of globalization and global decision-making on issues that affect health may inform, or sometimes compromise, national health policies, strategies, and plans. Government leaders must not only address health problems within their borders, but those that come across their borders, for example specific diseases like HIV/AIDS, avian influenza, and Covid-19. As our understanding of the multiple determinants of health has dramatically expanded, exercising governmental  responsibility for the human right to health on behalf of their populations calls for political commitment to the development of a national health policies which go beyond planning for the personal health care system. It is necessary to consider from a broader perspective issues of political, economic, social, institutional, educational, and environment circumstances, among others. In addition, health inequities, and issues concerning access to, and the quality of, health and health systems have moved centre stage in policy thinking.  Now globally,  nationally, and locally these “goods” are very unequally distributed. 

The module will consider the origins and determinants of health in relation to development, and the international architecture, institutions, and mechanisms which for part of global health governance. It will consider key current issues such as health and foreign policy; health and diplomacy; governance for health and country level including international development assistance for health; and current global mechanism for the control of biological threats to health. The impacts of locally distributed products which are distributed globally, such as tobacco, alcohol and foodstuffs, and the activities of global businesses such as the global tobacco and pharmaceutical industries, will also be considered.

Issues relating global health governance to ethics and law are increasingly important and discussed. The module will introduce students to several relevant ethical and politico-philosophical approaches to the topic of global health, as well as the range of international instruments relevant to global health law. Using concepts and arguments drawn from the fields of political philosophy, moral philosophy, and international law and governance, the module also seeks to develop students’ ability to critically assess ethical and legal issues in global health. The module will explore the role, functions and effectiveness of global organizations affecting health, such as the United Nations, intergovernmental organizations, NGOs, and the private business sectors, as well as multilateral and bilateral donors, and their interactions with national leadership. The role of regional and local governments, professionals, civil society, communities, and individuals will also be explored, as well as  the impact of the global labour market that lead to movement of health professionals seeking better pay and working conditions from low to higher income countries.   

Loss, death and bereavement are three of the most extreme and difficult experiences anyone faces. For doctors and other health and social care workers these complex phenomena must be confronted on an almost daily basis. This module uses textual representations of loss, death and bereavement to explore these key issues. We will examine how far reading literature can help us understand the experiences of others i.e., to what extent and in what way can any of us “imagine the other”. We will consider these experiences both in terms of the formation of personal identity and in terms of challenges to an established sense of self and the mutability of personal identity over time. Students will be able to choose from a broad range of literary texts on these themes, complemented by consideration of other art forms, and will compare these to carefully chosen and accessible examples of clinical literature and practice. 

In this module you will look at the last decades of swift developments in neuroscience, cognitive science and neuro-technologies from an ethical perspective, and examine some of the most interesting challenges brought forward by modern medicine. Since its conception in 2002, neuroethics as a discipline aimed to address ethical and social challenges raised by the recent boom in neuro- and cognitive science and reflect on the impact of neurotechnologies on patients and the society at large. Brain imaging in clinical practice and research raise issues of privacy, confidentiality and communication of incidental findings. ‘Pictures of the brain’ seem to ‘fire up’ not only neurons of research participants but also viewers’ imagination, and facilitate research on the neural correlates of various cognitive functions, sometimes changing our understanding of what it means to have a ‘free will,’ ‘be responsible’ or even ‘be dead’. But how clinical and non-clinical applications of neurotechnologies impact our autonomy, agency and are the benefits of scientific research and access to those technologies justly distributed? Should we engage in cosmetic pharmacology, pharmacological mood brightening or cognitive enhancement? During the module students will engage with those problems, and gain ethical reasoning tools, concepts and perspectives necessary to address those current questions. 

While scientists enjoy generally high level of public trust, a reflective and engaged approach to ethics in research is necessary for science that aims to deliver public good, scientific knowledge and medical advances. In this module, you will focus on ethical and regulatory aspect of biomedical research. You will gain understanding of the history and rationale for research regulation, reflect on the purpose, role and limitations of our regulatory practices and learn about relevant law, regulation and philosophy. By understanding and critically examining key philosophical and ethical aspects of research ethics and regulation, you will also have an opportunity to engage with current issues affecting scientific and medical research. Key moral theories, concepts and approaches used in research ethics will provide a methods toolkit for this important area of analysis.   

The module offers a unique opportunity to address global mental health through   viewing transcultural psychiatry from a humanities perspective and to challenge the dominance of a western medicalised way of categorising mental disorders. To achieve this, students will be exposed to different ways of exploring mental health from humanities-based approaches. Through diverse readings, presentations, film/ documentaries, case scenarios, and seminar discussions, students will be encouraged to consider the relationship between mental health and humanities in global contexts. To this end, the module offers a conscientious approach to the material such as texts and resources that students will engage with and will have a special focus on storytelling and trauma. For example, publications or representations of speech/art from exiled writers and narratives from health activists will be studied and critically analysed to critically consider both positive and negative aspects of mental health during adversity and trauma.

The students will reflect and consider areas of mental health that they see as needing (further)recognition in global health discourses, with a heavy focus on nuanced and marginalized voices, and the role of narrative for bringing mental health injustice and human rights abuses to light for various organizations. The role of narrative in promoting mental health particularly in societies facing conflict, oppression, and lack of mental health care resources will also be analysed. Students will be asked to become ‘advocates’ for a particular cause that they will argue is of vital importance for those engaging in global mental health. They will be asked to develop a way of addressing this issue from a humanities perspective, thus enhancing co-created methodologies, and lived experiences into narrative-based theoretical frameworks.   

When completing your application, you will be asked to provide contact details of two referees. Please ensure these details are accurate. As soon as you have submitted your application, your referees will be contacted by the university asking them to upload a reference to your online application.

One must be a recent academic reference. The other should be either a second academic reference or a professional/employer reference. They should cover your suitability for the course and your academic ability.

Your referees should know you well enough, in an official capacity, to write about you and your suitability for higher education. We do not accept references from family, friends, partners, ex-partners or yourself.

We will send reminder emails to your referees but it is your responsibility to ensure that contact details are correct and referees are available to submit a reference. References should be uploaded within two weeks of making your application.