MPH5223 · Social and cultural determinants of health

Overview

This unit explores health, and health outcomes, influenced by culture and society, at individual and population levels. It provides skills to enhance understanding of the perspectives of First Nations Australians ways of knowing, being and doing. The unit also explores culturally and socially diverse communities, focusing on improving health and wellbeing, to enhance experiences and improve impacts of the health and social care systems. It draws on concepts derived from studies of society and culture to identify and discuss relationships between health and wellbeing, and the socio-economic and cultural realities in which people live. The consequences of socio-economic disadvantage, inequality and inequity, and discrimination, and how these can be addressed in health settings, are a key focus.

Offerings

Assessment

The Handbook does not list a final examination among the assessment items. That is not a guarantee there is none.

Assessment in this unit includes hurdle assessment tasks. Failure of any hurdle assessment task may result in failure of the unit.

Assessment details may change. Please refer to the assessment information in Moodle closer to the start of the teaching period.

Requisites

The Handbook lists no prerequisite, corequisite or prohibition for this unit.

Learning outcomes

1. Apply key principles of social and cultural thought to the lived experience, ways of knowing being and doing of First nations Australians.
2. Apply key principles of social and cultural thought to the lived experience of culturally diverse Australians.
3. Develop and apply the social imagination to examine the social and cultural production, construction and organisation of health and wellbeing, locally and globally.
4. Apply social, cultural and political ideas as analytical tools to critically examine cultural, social, political and economic factors influencing health and wellbeing.
5. Critically examine and evaluate familiar aspects of culture and society, including historical representation, in order to extend knowledge of the socio-economic and cultural structures, institutions and processes relevant to health at local and global levels.
6. Form an appreciation of how multiple levels of disadvantage based on cultural, socio-economic or ethnic background, gender, or sexual orientation can intersect, leading to further discrimination and subsequent worsened health outcomes.
7. Explore factors affecting health of First Nations Australians.
8. Explore factors affecting health of culturally and socially diverse individuals and populations in Australia.

Workload

This 6 credit point unit will be delivered over a 12 week semester. There will be six hours of own time tasks per week plus 6 hours of self-directed learning per week. This will include one block days plus online tasks.

Student experience, not official rules. Nothing here changes what the Handbook says.