Working professionals and postgraduate students will now be able to learn about the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic for law, ethics and policy in the UK in an innovative new module at Keele University.

The School of Law is proud to announce a new module, led by Dr Mark Eccleston-Turner, which will take place from 21st- 23rd April 2021 and will introduce students to the unique challenges that Covid-19 has presented to society, allowing them to benefit from the most up-to-date teaching in this rapidly evolving area of law and ethics.

Dr Eccleston-Turner is an expert in pandemic response and management and has served as a consultant to the World Health Organisation on procurement of pandemic vaccines.

The pandemic has impacted a vast array of issues within public life including human rights, criminal justice, and the constitution, as well as having a clear impact upon health and healthcare ethics. In many ways, the pandemic has challenged much of the traditional thinking and discourse in each of these areas.

The module will be available as a stand-alone course, as part of the School of Law’s range of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) programmes, and is also open to full-time law postgraduate students. Teaching will be delivered virtually in an intensive three-day block to make it more accessible to individuals in full-time employment, and will consist of interactive lectures, plenary, and small group discussion.

Students who choose to apply to the CPD course will be provided with all the necessary reading materials and can participate in the teaching as normal, but are not required to sit the assessment. This route is open to those who have a keen interest in the impact Covid-19 has had on law and policy, but do not wish to take the module as credits towards a postgraduate qualification.

The module is relevant to those working in strategic and frontline roles in healthcare, social care, and local authority roles, as well as those with an academic interest in the issues the module addresses. Students will develop a clear understanding of the impact the pandemic has had on law and policy and will also gain valuable skills in writing expert reviews by producing a fictionalised Covid-19 public inquiry, if they elect to take the assessment.

Dr Eccleston-Turner, Lecturer in Law, said: “We are so pleased to launch this module for people who are keen to increase their understanding of how Covid-19 has disrupted law and policy, not just in the healthcare arena, but in the wider legal system. It is an exciting, innovative module, that will not just give students a better understanding of the pandemic, but the wider impact it has had on law and society.”

For individuals who would like to register as a CPD student, please visit the Keele University Online Store here.

For individuals interested in taking the module as a postgraduate student, please register when making your module selections.