The Section on Humanities and Law provides education, research, and service in health care ethics, health law, the history of medicine, and the medical arts and humanities. Originally established by volunteer attorneys in the 1920s as the Section of Medical Jurisprudence, this program was among the first in the country to require that all medical students receive training in the legal and ethical aspects of medicine. In 1980 the section became the Department of Jurisprudence and Humanities, and in 1989 it was renamed the Department of Preventive and Societal Medicine to reflect its expanded scope. Current sections include biostatistics, epidemiology, health services research and rural health policy, and humanities and law. Three full-time PhD members and one half-time JD member comprise the core faculty for the section on humanities and law, supplemented by MD, PhD, MS, and JD volunteers from the academic and professional communities. The Section plays a substantial role in the Integrated Clinical Experience of first- and second-year medical students. Topics include values and professionalism, confidentiality, informed consent, reproductive ethics, faith and medicine, death and dying, advance directives, income and health, environmental aspects of medical care, and medical mistakes. Film excerpts, guest speakers, role-playing, and other activities introduce topics in the large-group setting. Small-group sections make liberal use of standardized patients, enabling students to practice their approaches to difficult or delicate issues and learn from one another. Two ethics papers are required. Annual student feedback from the Integrated Clinical Experience forms the basis of continual revision of the ethics curriculum. Ratings on the ethics elements generally equal or exceed the ratings for other components. An emphasis on current student experience and immediate applicability has made the content more accessible. Ongoing challenges include the reluctance of many medical students to take “soft” topics seriously when confronted with overwhelming amounts of factual material to master. Fourth-year medical students may select a month-long rotation with the section and complete an independent study project in law, ethics, or medical humanities. Two new courses are offered online: the core ethics class for students in the Allied Health Professions (radiography, physical therapy, medical technology, etc.); and a self-directed study of physician-patient communication for residents. Graduate students in the School of Public Health may satisfy their ethics requirement with a course in Public Health Ethics, and a graduate-level course in Health Care Ethics is popular with students in many other programs. Faculty participation in the Medical Ethics Committee, Ethics Consultation Service, and Institutional Review Board presents opportunities for professional education. Campus departments often request guest lectures or grand rounds presentations. Additionally, a section-based Medical Humanities Interest Group serves the larger community. Plans for 2004 include a fourth-year medical student selective devoted to medicolegal issues, further evaluation and development of the online ethics courses, and development of an interdisciplinary study course on medical mistakes.