Introduction, Study Guide and How to use this Pressbook

Introduction

Introduction Playlist

Here you will find help on how to use the Pressbook, how you locate content, how you prepare video essays with your group and what to expect from tutorials.

I’m guessing there are questions. What kind of questions, there’s the rub? I get sent a lot of questions via email so it might be fun to call this next part: Hey, Stephen! I love getting emails starting with Hey, Stephen! It reminds me of To Kill a Mockingbird. I don’t want to ruin the story for you if you haven’t read the book (and if you haven’t, why haven’t you? It is one of the greatest pieces of literature ever published, not just on the themes of law and social justice but any novel about anything… ever) or seen the film (and if you haven’t, why haven’t you? It is one of the greatest film adaptations committed to celluloid… ever) or listened to the audiobook read by Sissy Spacek (you get the idea). Atticus Finch is sitting outside the courthouse where Tom Robinson is being held on remand awaiting trial. A mob arrives. The collective asks Atticus to step aside so they can get to Tom and….

Hold on one hot minute, I need to stop there or if I don’t, I will have to put in a Spoiler Alert.

Atticus’ children, Jem and Scout, witness the melee. Scout, seeing her father is in danger, announces herself to the baying mob. From within the crowd of men she recognises the father of a boy she goes to school. The boy’s name is Walter Cunningham. She calls out to Walter’s father in her Southern drawl, “Hey, Mr Cunningham!”. And in a pivotal moment, Mr Cunningham sheepishly acknowledges Scout Finch…, and that’s why I am going to call the next part, Hey, Stephen!

Hey, Stephen!

Why?

Q: This is my second year of university. Already, I don’t like the direction this is going in. You need to reassure me and tell me I’ll get a 7. Then you need to explain to me, in no uncertain terms, why on earth I need to do this unit when I could be doing fun things like cannulating or going on placement. I’m a good person, well at least I think I am. So, this stuff doesn’t really apply to me. Be concise.

A: Thanks for your question. I’ll do my best. You’ve raised some important issues. Here’s the thing, people aren’t always provided with the information they need to protect themselves in the event things don’t go to plan. That’s what this unit is about. It uses established theories, principles, ethical values, codes of conduct, statutes and the common law to demonstrate that law is not about what’s fair, it’s about what is justiciable in society. It teaches you how to construct robust justifications for your acts and omissions underpinned by current legislation. Sure, it will expose some uncertainties and it will encourage you to connect with why you hold certain beliefs in relation to healthcare delivery. Science moves at a rate that ethical principles and legal judgments struggle to keep up with. It’s evolving and its dynamic. This unit will help you to know your responsibilities in a landscape that refuses to sit still long enough for us to draw breath. I know, right. It’s exciting.

How?

Q: Where have all the [lectures] gone? [How] will we ever learn?

A: Gee, is that question plagiarised? Your name isn’t Peter, Paul or Mary by any chance, is it? Never mind, it’s not important. What if there is another way to teach students that is, if not better, at least equal in terms of achieving learning objectives? Learning is a chore at the best of times. Tasks that you would never had considered doing suddenly become much more tempting than the prospect of sitting through a series of banal comments and giant slides (and not the ones that make you say, wheeeeeeee either – we’ll get onto the problems caused by homonyms and homophones in law and ethics later) passed off as content. The content taught is not dissimilar from previous years; new laws have been enacted and judgments overturned, and this is an appealing part of the administrative and judicial function. It’s just the method this content will be shared is changing. Putting core teaching into this Pressbook will allow you to study the unit at your own pace. It will allow you to revisit concepts easily without having to search through slide after slide of PowerPoint exegesis. If you want to know more about a topic, it will help point you in direction to find out more. I believe this method of content delivery is much more democratic than lectures. Not all students attend CSB338 lectures. Hard to believe, I know but that’s a fact. Some students listen back to recordings and can be deterred by the quality of the audio picked up by the lecture theatre microphones. Everything, except for external readings (case law, statutes, journal articles, textbook chapters) is housed in this Pressbook. Sure, you will have to make time to sit down with it. I know it’s not the same as attending a timetabled lecture and believing learning has manifested. The Pressbook appeals to a flexible learning model; knowledge accretion where you are, rather than knowledge sharing where I am. It appeals to students looking to dedicate time to learning when it is appropriate and convenient. It’s doubtful you will like it at first but give it time. I’ll help you convert.

What?

Q: Whatever, I still want a 7. What hurdles do I have to jump through to get one?

A: Other than engaging with the content, including additional readings; you will still need to attend tutorials. Tutorials are where we will apply things discussed in the Pressbook to enable you to become a top-notch and informed healthcare professionals. Tutorials are an opportunity for us to discuss topics in more detail and explore some of the nuances of legal concepts. Tutorials are also an opportunity for students to work in breakout groups to develop their video essays during class time, plus with real-time support. I am not training lawyers, I know that. I am training HCPs to garner a better understanding of law and ethics pertinent to their professional roles. Tutorials are also where some of the assessment in this unit will take place. Visit the CSB338 Canvas page and under Assessment look for Video Essays. There you will find out lots of additional information on how to develop a video essay and work in groups. Video essays are a great way to demonstrate knowledge effectively. You will get to choose your own groups to work in to develop the video essays. However, there are limitations, and here they are:

• You can only form a group from the same timetable tutorial.
• If you have not joined a group in week 1 of semester and shared that information with me by conclusion of week 1 tutorials, I reserve the right to put you in an appropriate group in your scheduled tutorial time. Emails themed similarly to Hey, Stephen! I joined a group in another tutorial and I’ve booked and paid the deposit for a Sound stage on the Gold Coast to film, and completed the animation using Presto, and secured Morgan Freeman to do the narration, and well, just letting you know, and you can’t change me now won’t cut the mustard and will be met with scorn.

Finally, the unit will conclude with an exam. I will talk more about this on Canvas and in tutorials nearer the time. Well, I must keep something back otherwise you will have no reason to speak to me.

Grrrr!

Q: Groupwork is a melting point of despair. Why do you hate students so much?

A: I don’t hate students. That’s not true. However, I will concede that group work isn’t always fun. Especially if you work with others who insist on riding on the coattails of other’s hard work. So, how do I deal with this? Good, I’m glad you asked that in addition to what, I must say, is a rather pessimistic view of group work. It’s not pessimistic, it’s empirical. (I think I may be taking this contrived narrative too far). Anyway, this is how I approach when students tell me that they are unable to contact a group member or a member has not contributed to the task in the way they said they would originally. First, I contact the student who has had participation concerns raised. It’s up to me, following discussion with the student to determine whether the student can’t participate in the group work or if the student won’t participate in the group work. If it is the former, I look at ways of supporting students to complete the tasks decided by them and their group. If it is the latter, the student receives a mark of zero for that essay and I will discuss with the student whether it is appropriate or even possible they undertake an alternative piece of assessment.

Huh?

Q: Look, I stopped reading ages ago #TLDR. Can’t you just simplify all your indulgent tosh and break down the unit into its constituent parts?

A: Sure, I appreciate your honesty. Here’s a précis (Oooh, get you. Fancy):

• No more lectures, only Pressbook (plus additional readings suggested in the CSB338 Pressbook). Turn that frown upside down and chip away.
• Tutorials, they still run and one tutorial each week will be recorded and uploaded to Canvas. Look at Canvas for the tutorial timetable and tutorial location, and how to access.
• Assessment, video essays (group work) and exam (individual) either in the final week of semester or in the university scheduled central exam period

Next?

Q: This is just the study guide and I already feel drained. Even before we get to learning it looks like we will have to learn how to do stuff before we can learn the other stuff. Right now, this minute you need to show us how to find legislation, look for case law in a couple of jurisdictions, cite and, I don’t know, anything else you think is important for students studying this unit. Then and only then can you start telling us about the Rule of Law.

A: Okay, here are some videos that should help:

How to cite – you will be using APA, this video demonstrates the Australian Guide to legal Citation (AGLC). It’s a helpful video, click the link below and have a look at what the QUT Law Library has to say on citing in coursework:

Thank you, Stephen Booth from QUT’s Law Library for the permission to use this clip

How to find Statutes and Acts of Parliament:

Queensland

Commonwealth

United Kingdom

How to find case law (common law)

Playlists?

Q: You’ve put a playlist at the start of every chapter! You’ve put a playlist at the start of every chapter?

A: Good pick-up. I have. If I wasn’t so advanced in age I might have thought it funny to make one of those overused Anakin/Padmé memes. The final box would have read… But not chapter 9, right? Even chapter 9 gets a playlist. Sub-Q: Why have you done it? Sub-A: I am well aware that the general consensus within each year’s cohort is that law and ethics is a bit… meh. The point of using these playlists is to keep people at the centre point of what’s discussed each week. Overlooking the human factor raised by several of the topics discussed in this unit risks patients being viewed as secondary to their presenting issue. Given the subject matter in this unit is challenging, this is reflected in the playlists. The purpose of their inclusion is not to cause distress through the choice of music. Instead, the purpose is to encourage you to consider a variety of perspectives over and above what is written. You’ll see what I men in a few weeks’ time. As HCPs you will encounter people experiencing some of the subject matter discussed in this unit as part of their daily lives. Although topics are discussed at a distance, it’s important to not lose focus of the fact we are caring for people with all their complexities, intricacies and frustrations. That’s why music helps. It transverses borders and shows you the ‘other’ – a life that’s not necessarily yours but one you may encounter in the course of your work as a HCP. Plus, every one is a banger^[1].

Who?

Q: Who on earth are you? What gives you the right to say you know stuff, and we don’t know stuff? And if we do all the stuff you tell us to, by the end of semester we’ll know stuff too? You seem very sure of yourself. I don’t think I like you.

A: Fair point. My name is Stephen Bartlett. I’m a qualified and registered paramedic and have been involved in paramedic education for a large part of my career. I worked in the UK for the South Central Ambulance NHS Trust (SCAS) for over eleven years. In 2009, I immigrated to Australia to work as an ACP for the Queensland Ambulance Service. I’ve studied law for long enough that I should really be driving a better car and not still cycling to work. I love all the topics in this unit but some topics I enjoy teaching more than others. That’s not to say teaching those subjects will fall below an accepted standard, they won’t. It’s just when we get to Part Three of the Pressbook I will be hitting my stride. Good luck, all the best and above all, enjoy it.

How to study CSB338 and use the Pressbook?