Public Health Law

Catalog description

This course is about the legal and social justice framework for urgent public health issues, such as regulation of vaccinations, tobacco control and infectious diseases such as Ebola. The course focuses on the U.S. Constitution and the way in which it defines government powers, duties, and restraints to assure the health of all populations. The course also examines the theories and concepts behind public health law, the constitutional tensions between public health efforts and the counterbalancing rights to liberty, freedom of speech, of association, and others. Students also will learn how to spot the policymaking issues involved with implementation of laws in a community, including public health community organizing and advocacy efforts.