Disciplines
Ethics, Legal Studies, Public Policy, Biomedicine / Biotechnology
About this course
Who has the right to control the human body and even life itself? This interdisciplinary course explores how law, ethics, and society govern the human body in an era of rapid biotechnological change. You will examine contemporary controversies such as gene editing, DNA databases in criminal investigations, and the expansion of forensic identification and surveillance.
The course also addresses reproductive technologies and end-of-life questions, including euthanasia and capital punishment (areas where debates about autonomy, rights, and state authority become especially visible). Rather than focusing on a single discipline, you will work across bioethics, law, sociology, and social policy to understand how bodies are regulated, contested, and defined in practice. You will engage with real-world legal and ethical dilemmas and develop your own research project on a topic that matters to you.
PhD (2021, The University of Sydney), focusing on the gendered perspective on victimhood in the trafficking of men. MSc (2012, Gothenburg University), BA (2009, Moscow State University). Postdoctoral fellow in Criminology (Stockholm University). Polina’s research interests are within the disciplines of criminology and medical anthropology with a special focus on victimhood, gender, post-trafficking needs and help-seeking behavior. Before commencing her academic career Polina was a migrant counsellor and reintegration assistant at the UN Migration (IOM) mission in Russia. She was engaged in providing direct assistance to migrants in distress including victims of human trafficking and exploitation; and assistance in voluntary return and reintegration. With DIS since 2016. On Leave in 2025
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