Law in a changing genetic landscape.
Law creates artificial relationships between non-related people and entities. It even gives person-hood to non-biological beings such as companies and partnerships (although not yet to non-human species). Genetics describe the underlying relationship of all biological beings. For centuries, law and genetic science developed in parallel with very little overlap. But as genetic discoveries ride the crest of the technological revolution, law finds itself on the back foot. Legal instruments, such as property law and the law of obligations between non-related individuals were crafted in feudal times with the aim of protecting property beyond the death of the owner. With genetic discoveries, we face a myriad of questions, from ownership of gene editing techniques to the dangers of discrimination based on genetic predisposition for disease.
Course Dates
Course details
Tutors
Course details
Tutors
Key Features
Aims of the course
This course will explore how society developed systems of civil obligation and criminal deterrence. As we make our way through concepts of privacy, confidentiality, property and equality, we will ask what happens to these hallowed concepts when they come up against 21st century biotechnologies riding the crest of the genetics wave.
Welcome week (Week 0)
Purpose:
- personal introductions
- introducing the course
- useful reading
- personal objectives
Learning outcomes:
By studying this week, the students should have:
- become familiar with navigating around the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) and from VLE to links and back
- test your ability to access files and the web conferencing software and sort out any problems with the help of the Technology Enhanced Learning team
- learn how to look for, assess and reference internet resources
- contribute to a discussion forum to introduce yourself to other students and discuss why you are interested in the course and what you hope to get out of your studies
Teaching Week 1: What is the law?
Purpose:
An understanding of where law comes from, its primary objectives in maintaining civic society, why it is important to remember that some laws only govern transactions between individuals, others regulate the relations between the individual and the state, and completely different laws apply between nations.
Learning outcomes:
By studying this week the students should have an understanding of:
- the structure of law, legal concepts and relationships
- private/public responsibility, precedents and remedies
- how all of this is relevant to the rules, regulations, conventions and other laws governing the use and application of genetic data.
Teaching Week 2: Law and technology
Purpose:
Law evolves organically and politically and usually slowly. This is in contrast to technology which is a fast response to crisis and available tools and data. How quickly the latter outruns the former, and how “knee jerk” legal reactions to runaway innovations can be as damaging as they are helpful. Understanding that law is useless unless enforceable, and that there is no such thing as a global court/police force to ensure that international ethical rules are upheld.
Learning outcomes
By studying this week, the students should have an understanding of:
- CRSPR, ”designer babies”, food crops and GMO regulation
- the debate around the legality or otherwise of He Jiankui’s procedure. The EU position on GMOs and the recent ruling from the Court of Justice on genetic editing v random mutagenesis.
Teaching Week 3: Law and genetic information
Purpose:
Understanding how law categorises and seeks to protect personal information. Regulation of genetic information, medical confidentiality, doctors’ liability.
Learning outcomes:
By studying this week, the students should have an understanding of:
- the intersection of regulation and genetics
- the law of privacy, anonymity and medical confidentiality
- types of genetic disease
- genetic counselling and the law of negligence
- prenatal scanning and course actions for “diminished “ or “wrongful” life
- individual and family interests in genetic information and third parties’ interests in genetic information
- case study on the liability of local authorities and re-adoption of genetic testing.
Teaching Week 4: Genetic discrimination
Purpose:
What “discrimination” is in law, and how societies seek to control it via common law, statute and international law. The state’s interest in genetic information.
Learning outcomes:
By studying this week, the students should have an understanding of:
- “prohibited grounds” of discrimination
- prohibition of discrimination in the provision of services, employment and insurance
- attempts by countries (e.g. US and Canada) to prevent discrimination on the basis of genetic information
- GINA
Teaching Week 5: Body parts and patients
Purpose:
How law developed out of property rights; types of property recognised by all legal systems. This session will investigate the notion of proprietary interests in biological entities in the UK and other common law systems. We will then explore the roots of patent law and the challenges presented to intellectual property regulators by genetic technology.
Learning outcomes:
By studying this week, the students should have an understanding of:
- the law of body parts
- no property in a body or body parts: Religious origins of rule, Slaves, grave robbers and animals
- current challenges: cosmetic surgery, trade in organs, retention of gametes by fertility clinics, etc
- the notion of property rights arising out of “exercise of skill” (eg dissection or preservation)
- Human Tissue Act 2004
- patent law
- origin, “inventive step”, CRSPR litigation
Week 6: what next?
- assessment of student learning
- assessment of student satisfaction
- encouragement of further study
This course is open to everyone, and you don’t need any previous knowledge or experience of the subject to attend.
Our short courses are designed especially for adult learners who want to advance their personal or professional development. They are taught by tutors who are expert in both their subjects and in teaching students of all ages and experiences.
Please note that all teaching is in English. You should have near-native command of the English language to get the maximum benefit from the course.
Each week of an online course is roughly equivalent to 2-3 hours of classroom time. On top of this, participants should expect to spend roughly 2-3 hours of self-study time, for example, reading materials, although this will vary from person to person.
While they have a specific start and end date and will follow a weekly schedule (for example, week 1 will cover topic A, week 2 will cover topic B), our tutor-led online courses are designed to be flexible and as such would normally not require participants to be online for a specific day of the week or time of the day (although some tutors may try to schedule times where participants can be online together for web seminars, which will be recorded so that those who are unable to be online at certain times are able to access material).
Unless otherwise stated, all course material will be posted on the VLE so that they can be accessed at any time throughout the duration of the course and interaction with your tutor and fellow participants will take place through a variety of different ways which will allow for both synchronous and asynchronous learning (using discussion boards etc).
Fees
The course fee includes access to the course on our VLE, personal feedback on your work from an expert tutor, a certificate of participation (if you complete work and take part in discussions), and access to the class resources for two years after your course finishes.
Concessions
For more information, please see our concessions information page.
Alison Fordham Bursary
University of Cambridge Professional and Continuing Education is proud to offer the Alison Fordham bursary, which is awarded to students who wish to study on one of our short online courses via our VLE, reducing the fee paid by 50%. The bursary is limited to a single award for each set of online courses.
Application criteria:
- applicants should set out their personal learning motivations since priority will be given to those who are returning to learning after an extended break, or have not previously engaged with fully online learning, or are seeking to use the online short course as a bridge towards undergraduate award-bearing study
- applicants who can demonstrate financial need
For more information, please see our bursaries information page.
A certificate of participation and a digital credential will be awarded to those who contribute constructively to weekly discussions, exercises and assignments for the duration of the course.
