PrF:MVV104K Public Health Emergency Law - Course Information

MVV104K Public Health Emergency Law: Domestic and International

Extent and Intensity

0/1. 3 credit(s). Type of Completion: k (colloquium).

Teacher(s)

Judith West Munson, J.D. (seminar tutor), doc. JUDr. Jiří Valdhans, Ph.D. (deputy)

Guaranteed by

doc. JUDr. Jiří Valdhans, Ph.D.
Department of International and European Law – Faculty of Law
Contact Person: Mgr. Věra Redrupová, B.A.
Supplier department: Department of International and European Law – Faculty of Law

Timetable of Seminar Groups

MVV104K/01: Tue 10. 3. 15:05–16:35 020, 16:40–18:10 020, Wed 11. 3. 13:30–15:00 020, 15:05–16:35 020, Thu 12. 3. 9:35–11:05 020, 11:10–12:40 020
MVV104K/02: No timetable has been entered into IS.

Course Enrolment Limitations

The course is only offered to the students of the study fields the course is directly associated with.

The capacity limit for the course is 18 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 0/18, only registered: 0/18

fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with

• Law (programme PrF, M-PPV)

Course objectives

The EBOLA epidemic in West Africa is currently testing all of the international legal structures that are supposed to control and to stop such deadly developments. It is also testing every domestic legal resource that countries have to deal with individuals—resident citizens, immigrants, travelers, health care workers, among others—who are showing up at the borders of countries around the world and who may be unwitting transmitters of the disease. This includes airports, seaports, and other stations of entry. In a most unusual development, the Czech Republic was threatened with the spread of EBOLA in an attempt to blackmail one million Euros in Bitcoin currency from the country, as reported in the New Zealand Herald on October 28, 2014. The Interior Ministry and the Chief Hygiene Officer of the Health Ministry, Jiri Valenta, as well as the Office of the Czech Police, were all involved in dealing with the resolution of this menace.
This course will provide the students with an emersion into the legal structures with which governmental entities and civil society organizations seek to address this naturally-occurring threat to the human population. It will also, of necessity, include a review of the threats posed by the intentional use of pathogens as agents of extortion or bioterrorism. The CBRN categories, i.e., threats posed by intentional use of chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear deployments--whether launched domestically and/or internationally--will also be covered, as time permits. A major emphasis of the course will be to expose students to international news and events pertinent to the subjects being emphasized in class. For example, students will be immersed in the public health scenarios which constitute emergencies for which legal authority to act is essential.
This year the World Health Organization (WHO) was urged by its Member States to declare EBOLA a “public health emergency of international concern” pursuant to the provisions of the International Health Regulations (IHR 2005). The actions taken by the WHO and the health ministries of the West African countries affected by the Ebola epidemic will be a major emphasis in the course this Spring Semester 2015. Another series of events—launched internationally on February 13, 2014 entitled “The Agenda for Global Health Security” -- will also be explored for relevance to the Ebola epidemic. A guest speaker may be invited to brief the class on the view of these actions of the WHO from the EU perspective. If possible, and if practicable, students will also be introduced to a student taking the same course at the John Marshall Law School in Chicago. They would do this via Skype. The objective would seek to have the students meet each other, discuss a subject of import in both classes; and, then to prepare a ppt presentation regarding what they have learned. Students will be introduced to the legal issues via a variety of teaching mechanisms including case studies, tabletop exercises, and videos, among other instruments as pertinent to the topic. Reference works and resources used in the course are websites and other Internet-based learning mechanisms and communication technologies. There is no textbook for this material, however: ALL STUDENTS WILL BE REQUIRED TO HAVE ACCESS TO A COMPUTER DURING EACH CLASS SESSION FOR SWIFT ACCESS TO INTERNET SITES TO PROVIDE QUICK RESPONSES TO PENDING ISSUES. TYPICALLY THIS REQUIRES THAT THE COURSE BE LOCATED IN THE COMPUTER LAB.

Syllabus

• The internationalization of the human condition will be emphasized in the seminar. Emerging topics of international public health concern (in addition to domestic public health legal issues—see postings associated with this course) will be explored at the beginning of each class session.

Literature

• The Internet is the source of the study materials for this course; in rare instances, hard copies of articles of interest will be supplied to the students during the course, as pertinent.

Teaching methods

Public Health Preparedness and Emergency Legislation is a swiftly moving landscape. As a result, there is no single book to use as a resource. Readings on the Internet sites applicable to the CBRN threats emphasized in class, as will be powerpoint presentations, case studies, tabletop exercises, films, internet videos, YouTube videos, etc., as pertinent to the topic.

Assessment methods

Grades will be based upon the following factors:
Fifty percent (50%) of the grade will be based upon: Class attendance and participation; class-reporting on geographical website(s) selected to be monitored; and, responsibility for coverage of ”hot” topics which may be assigned in the class sessions.
Fifty percent (50%) of the grade will be based upon: The 3-5 page report of the topic each student has selected during the class sessions, as well as a short in-class PowerPoint presentation, based upon that same topic (note: the topic for which must be approved in advance by the instructor).

Language of instruction

English

Further comments (probably available only in Czech)

Study Materials
The course is taught only once.

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