Unit rationale, description and aim

This unit provides students with the opportunity to frame and explore a particular issue in contemporary healthcare ethics of relevance to their professional practice. The research should be largely theoretical in nature, involving reading and reflection on the nature and complexities of the issue under consideration and the contributions of scholars and practitioners to our understanding of the issue.

2025 10

Campus offering

No unit offerings are currently available for this unit

Prerequisites

Nil

Learning outcomes

To successfully complete this unit you will be able to demonstrate you have achieved the learning outcomes (LO) detailed in the below table.

Each outcome is informed by a number of graduate capabilities (GC) to ensure your work in this, and every unit, is part of a larger goal of graduating from ACU with the attributes of insight, empathy, imagination and impact.

Explore the graduate capabilities.

Analyse the nature and scope of the healthcare eth...

Learning Outcome 01

Analyse the nature and scope of the healthcare ethics issue under investigation and its clinical implications

Work autonomously to gather pertinent data and per...

Learning Outcome 02

Work autonomously to gather pertinent data and perspectives, bringing to bear relevant clinical and scholarly literature on the problem

Critically assess some major schools of thought on...

Learning Outcome 03

Critically assess some major schools of thought on the issue

Effectively communicate research findings in diffe...

Learning Outcome 04

Effectively communicate research findings in different modes and contexts

Content

Students are required to submit a research proposal (500 words) to the course co-ordinator at least 4 weeks prior to the start of the semester, in which they set out the proposed issue for study, and a bibliography of 8-10 relevant scholarly works. The research should be largely theoretical in nature, involving reading and reflection on the nature and complexities of the issue under consideration and the contributions of historical and contemporary figures to our understand of the issue. It should not, therefore, involve original empirical research for which ethical clearance would be required, though that does not preclude the use of general case studies or reference to existing published empirical or clinical data.

Assessment strategy and rationale

 The assessment strategy for this unit is essentially designed to facilitate a directed piece of research. The two early written analysis tasks provide the students with the opportunity to engage with some key readings in the area of their research, and skill development in the analysis and critical engagement with texts in this area. The research essay task provides students with the opportunity to undertake sustained philosophical reading and research, culminating in an extended piece of formal writing that examines their capacity to develop a coherent argument in response to an important philosophical question. 

Overview of assessments

First written analysis task      Requires student...

First written analysis task     

Requires students to demonstrate understanding of key concepts and debates, analysis of a text, and written exposition.  

Weighting

20%

Learning Outcomes LO1

Second written analysis task      Requires studen...

Second written analysis task     

Requires students to demonstrate understanding of key concepts and debates, comparative analysis of two texts, and written exposition.

Weighting

30%

Learning Outcomes LO1, LO2

Argumentative/Research Essay Requires students to...

Argumentative/Research Essay

Requires students to critically analyse an important debate in the field and to develop a coherent position.

Weighting

50%

Learning Outcomes LO1, LO2, LO3

Learning and teaching strategy and rationale

This unit involves 150 hours of focused learning including discussion with the applicable staff member guiding the project, attendance at seminars (as applicable), and preparation of assessment. The unit has been designed as a predominantly project-based learning opportunity that builds on learnings from earlier units. The two early textual analysis provide early skills development that then leads directly into the research essay project on which students work throughout the second half of the unit.

Representative texts and references

Texts will be chosen in consultation with the supervising member of staff.

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