NTU Course
Overview

Global Health Law and Ethics

Offered in 114-1Updated

  • Serial Number

    50661

  • Course Number

    MGH7041

  • Course Identifier

    853 M0410

  • No Class

  • 2 Credits

  • Elective

    DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH / Health Policy and Social Studies?Program / Population Studies Program / Doctoral Program in Global Health / Master's Program in Global Health / Institute of Health Policy and Management

      Elective

    • DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH

    • Health Policy and Social Studies?Program

    • Population Studies Program

    • Doctoral Program in Global Health

    • Master's Program in Global Health

    • Institute of Health Policy and Management

  • PO-HAN LEE
  • Tue 6, 7

  • 公衛603(原601

  • Type 2

  • 24 Student Quota

    NTU 24

  • No Specialization Program

  • English
  • NTU COOL
  • Core Capabilities and Curriculum Planning
  • Notes

    The course is conducted in English。、 MING-JUI YEH合授

  • Limits on Course Adding / Dropping

    • Restriction: juniors and beyond

  • NTU Enrollment Status

    Enrolled
    0/24
    Other Depts
    0/15
    Remaining
    0
    Registered
    0
  • Course Description
    Health issues are highly politicised (domestically and diplomatically), and health governance has been complicated by involving diverse actors with different agendas and approaches. In this course, we will thus consider the questions: How ‘global’ is global health? What are its normative implications? Therefore, this course explores the role of law and ethics in global health governance, including but not limited to the work of related multilateral institutions, policy implementations, research activities, and political processes. The course is divided into two parts. In the first nine weeks (Part I), we will look at the normative dimension of global health, particularly reflecting on the contestation and application of core concepts, theories, and analytical frameworks. As follows (Part II), we will turn to its empirical dimension to identify the legal and ethical accounts of different global health issues.
  • Course Objective
    At the end of the course, the students are expected to: - Explain public health history, philosophy, and values (D17-1); - Apply ethical approaches in global health research and practice (GH-2); - Display critical self-reflection, cultural humility, and ongoing learning in global health (GH-6).
  • Course Requirement
    Students must read designated readings before lectures and actively participate in class discussions. The course is assessed by weekly attendance, contributions, the midterm debate, and an oral presentation (final): - Course attendance (10% of the final grade): Students with three or more unexcused/unnotified absences will receive an F for the course. - Class contribution (30% of the final grade): The weekly evaluation is split equally between peer assessment and participating lecturers. - Midterm debate (30% of the final grade): Two oralists present arguments, while the remaining members serve as support to prepare the oralists’ arguments. - Final presentation (30% of the final grade): Everyone prepares a 15-minute presentation – identifying, clarifying, and analysing the ethical and legal dimensions of a global health issue by applying relevant ethical principles and theories to support, oppose, or propose revisions to existing relevant policies.
  • Expected weekly study hours before and/or after class
    Depends on how familiar you are with the topic of the week and how focused you are when going through the readings. Hopefully not too stressful.
  • Office Hour
    Office Hours: By appointment. This course will be conducted in English. Up to 30 students.
    *This office hour requires an appointment
  • Designated Reading
    Supplementary material will be distributed before the class. Also see the detailed schedule below.
  • References
    - Gostin, L.O. & Meier, B.M. (eds., 2020). Foundations of Global Health & Human Rights, Oxford University Press. - Harrington, J. & Stuttaford, M. (eds., 2010). Global Health and Human Rights: Legal and Philosophical Perspectives, Routledge. - Packard, R.M. (2016). A History of Global Health: Interventions Into the Lives of Other Peoples, Johns Hopkins University Press.
  • Grading
    10%

    Course attendance

    Students with three unexcused/unnotified absences will receive an F for the course, regardless of performance in other components.

    30%

    Class contribution

    Weekly evaluation is split equally between peer assessment (50%) and participating lecturers (50%), using four categories: - 10 points (most constructive and beneficial to the discussion) - 8 points (moderate contribution) - 6 points (could contribute more) - 4 points (irrelevant or off-topic contribution). Contributions to in-class discussions, including non-verbal or written forms, will be considered.

    30%

    Midterm debate

    The debate question and rules will be announced in Week 3. Each team designates two oralists to present arguments, while the remaining members serve as support, preparing the team’s arguments on site in Week 9.

    30%

    Final presentation

    Individual/Group presentation includes: - Introduction to the chosen topic and justifying its global health relevance (20%) - Elaboration on its ethical and legal dimensions (20%) - Your reasoning for/against/revising the status quo (20%) - Any further critical reflections (20%) - Citations/mentions of relevant academic and policy references (20%) Slides and oral presentations are graded together.

  • Adjustment methods for students
    Adjustment MethodDescription
    B2

    書面報告取代口頭報告

    Written report replaces oral report

    B4

    個人報告取代團體報告

    Individual presentation replace group presentation

    B5

    團體報告取代個人報告

    Group report replace Personal report

    B6

    學生與授課老師協議改以其他形式呈現

    Mutual agreement to present in other ways between students and instructors

    C3

    Exams replace written (oral) reports

    考試取代書面(口頭)報告

    D1

    由師生雙方議定

    Negotiated by both teachers and students

  • Make-up Class Information
  • Course Schedule
    9/2Week 1Course introduction (Ming-Jui Yeh & Po-Han Lee) [Designated Readings] • Coggon, J., & Gostin, L. O. (2020). The two most important questions for ethical public health. Journal of Public Health, 42(1), 198-202. • Ruger J. P. (2008). Normative Foundations of Global Health Law. The Georgetown Law Journal, 96(2), 423-443. • Viens, A. M. (2019). The Fundamental Importance of the Normative Analysis of Health. Health Care Analysis, 27(1), 1-3.
    9/9Week 2Do law and ethics matter for global health? (Ming-Jui Yeh & Po-Han Lee) [Designated Readings] • Rischard, J.-F. (2001). High Noon: We need new approaches to global problem-solving, fast. Journal of Global International Economic Law, 4(3), 507-525. • Toebes, B. (2015). International health law: An emerging field of public international law. Indian Journal of International Law, 55, 299-328. • WHO (2015). Global Health Ethics: Key Issues. Global Network of WHO Collaborating Centres for Bioethics.
    9/16Week 3Ethical reasoning and decision-making (Ming-Jui Yeh) [Designated Readings] • Benatar, S. R., Daar, A. S., & Singer, P. A. (2003). Global health ethics: the rationale for mutual caring. International affairs, 79(1), 107-138. • Childress, J. F., Faden, R. R., Gaare, R. D., Gostin, L. O., Kahn, J., Bonnie, R. J., . . . Nieburg, P. (2002). Public health ethics: mapping the terrain. The Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics, 30(2), 170-178. • Stapleton, G., Schröder-Bäck, P., Laaser, U., Meershoek, A., & Popa, D. (2014). Global health ethics: an introduction to prominent theories and relevant topics. Global health action, 7(1), 23569. Announcement of the debate question and rules of activity
    9/23Week 4Global governance and transnational legal process (Po-Han Lee) [Designated Readings] • Hoisington, M. (2013). A Special Role for the World Health Organization in the Creation of a Living, Breathing Global Health Governance Constitution. Global Health Governance, 1(2), 1-11. • Meier, B. M. (2006). Employing Health Rights for Global Justice: The Promise of Public Health in Response to the Insalubrious Ramifications of Globalization. Cornell International Law Journal, 39(3), 711-777. • Taylor A. L. (2002). Global governance, international health law and WHO: looking towards the future. Bulletin of World Health Organization, 80(12), 975-980.
    9/30Week 5Justice, social justice, and global justice I (Ming-Jui Yeh) [Designated Readings] • Daniels, N. (2007). Just Health. Chapters 1, 6, 13 (full text accessible through NTU Library).
    10/7Week 6Justice, social justice, and global justice II (Ming-Jui Yeh) [Designated Readings] • Singer, P. (2019). The Life You Can Save (Full text: https://www.thelifeyoucansave.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/The_Life_You_Can_Save_eBook.pdf).
    10/14Week 7Justice, social justice, and global justice III (Ming-Jui Yeh) [Designated Readings] • Rawls, J. (1993). The law of peoples. Critical inquiry, 20(1), 36-68.
    10/21Week 8Health as an individual and a collective human right (Po-Han Lee) [Designated Readings] • CESCR (2000), General Comment No. 14: The Right to the Highest Attainable Standard of Health (Art. 12), E/C.12/2000/4. • CESCR (2016), General comment No. 22 on the right to sexual and reproductive health (article 12 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights), E/C.12/GC/22. • Meier B. M. (2007). Advancing health rights in a globalized world: responding to globalization through a collective human right to public health. Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics, 35(4), 545-555. • Ruger J. P. (2006). Toward a Theory of a Right to Health: Capability and Incompletely Theorized Agreements. Yale Journal of Law & the Humanities, 18(2), 273-326.
    10/28Week 9Midterm debate (Ming-Jui Yeh & Po-Han Lee) • Argument memo to be submitted on NTU COOL by 23:59, 20 Oct. • Oral arguments to be presented in groups, with some members speaking and others supporting responses.
    11/4Week 10Justice, social justice, and global justice IV (Ming-Jui Yeh) [Designated Readings] • Young, I. M. (2006). Responsibility and global justice: A social connection model. Social philosophy and policy, 23(1), 102-130.
    11/11Week 11The legal determinants of health (Guest lecture: Dr Han-Hsi Liu, Pontes Law) [Designated Readings] • Gostin, L.O. et al. (2019). The legal determinants of health: Harnessing the power of law for global health and sustainable development. The Lancet, 393(10183), 1857-1910.
    11/18Week 12Pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response (Guest lecture: Prof Tsung-Ling Lee, Taipei Medical University) [Designated Readings] • Lal, A. et al. (2022). Pandemic preparedness and response: Exploring the role of universal health coverage within the global health security architecture. The Lancet Global Health, 10(11), e1675-e1683. • Lee, T-L. (2023). Realising the right to participate in pandemic prevention, preparedness and response and beyond. BMJ Global Health. 8, e011689. • Bosha, S. L. et al. (2025). Global Health Governance: The system we inherited and the need for an equitable, decolonized global health governance system. Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics, 53(S1), 6-9. • Villarreal, et al. (2025). The Proposed Pandemic Agreement: A Pivotal Moment for Global Health Law. Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics, 53(S1), 55-58. • Global Health Law Consortium & International Commission of Jurists (2023). Principles and Guidelines on Human Rights and Public Health Emergencies, https://www.icj.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Human-Rights-Public-Health-Emergencies.pdf
    11/25Week 13Advance Medical Directive Across Jurisdictions (Guest lecture: Prof Man-Chung Chiu, Beijing Normal University) [Designated Readings]
    12/2Week 14Conflicts, disasters, and humanitarian actions (Po-Han Lee & Ming-Jui Yeh) [Designated Readings] • Footer, K., & Rubenstein, L. (2013). A human rights approach to health care in conflict. International Review of the Red Cross, 95(889), 167-187. • Rubenstein L. (2020). War, Political Conflict, and the Right to Health. Health Hum Rights. 22(1), 339-341. • Van Hout, M. C., & Wells, J. S. G. (2021). The right to health, public health, and COVID-19: a discourse on the importance of the enforcement of humanitarian and human rights law in conflict settings for the future management of zoonotic pandemic diseases. Public Health. 192, 3-7. • Martineau, T. et al. (2017). Leaving no one behind: lessons on rebuilding health systems in conflict and crisis-affected states. BMJ Global Health, 1-6.
    12/9Week 15Decolonising global health? (Po-Han Lee) [Designated Readings] • Brazelton, M. A. (2021). Health for all? Histories of international and global health. History Compass, 20(1), e12700. • Abimbola S. et al. (2021). Addressing power asymmetries in global health: Imperatives in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. PLoS Medicine, 18(4), e1003604. • Affun-Adegbulu. C., & Adegbulu, O. (2020). Decolonising Global (Public) Health: from Western universalism to Global pluriversalities, BMJ Global Health, 5, e002947. • Chaudhuri, M. M. et al. (2021). Decolonising global health: beyond ‘reformative’ roadmaps and towards decolonial thought. BMJ Global Health, 6, e006371. • Lee, P.-H. (2023). Decolonising Global Solidarity: The WHO’s Broken Alarm and Epidemiological Nationalism. Legalities, 3(1), 44-70.
    12/16Week 16Final presentation (Ming-Jui Yeh & Po-Han Lee)