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Unit outline_

HSBH1013: Society and Health

Semester 2, 2020 [Normal day] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

In this unit, students will examine the main social determinants of health and the meaning of health for different populations. Students will also consider how health is delivered and by whom. This includes the breadth of the health workforce (both paid and unpaid) and health consumers. Embedded in this unit will be considerations of ethics and legal concerns for health professionals, cultural awareness and interdisciplinarity.

Unit details and rules

Academic unit Participation Sciences
Credit points 6
Prerequisites
? 
None
Corequisites
? 
None
Prohibitions
? 
None
Assumed knowledge
? 

None

Available to study abroad and exchange students

Yes

Teaching staff

Coordinator Nikki Wedgwood, nicole.wedgwood@sydney.edu.au
Lecturer(s) Vanessa Lee, vanessa.lee@sydney.edu.au
Kate O'Loughlin, kate.oloughlin@sydney.edu.au
Nikki Wedgwood, nicole.wedgwood@sydney.edu.au
Tutor(s) Julian Wood, julian.wood@sydney.edu.au
Siun Gallagher, siun.gallagher@sydney.edu.au
Kylie Crnek-Georgeson, kylie.crnek-georgeson@sydney.edu.au
Type Description Weight Due Length
Presentation group assignment Tutorial presentation 1 (12%)
Oral presentation
12% Multiple weeks 15 minutes
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5 LO6
Presentation group assignment Tutorial presentation 2 (18%)
Oral presentation
18% Multiple weeks 15 minutes
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5 LO6
Assignment Short answer responses (30%)
Written task
30% Week 06
Due date: 27 Sep 2020 at 23:59
1200 words
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO4 LO5 LO6
Assignment Submitted assignment (40%)
Submitted assignment
40% Week 12
Due date: 22 Nov 2020 at 23:59
TBC
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO9 LO8 LO7 LO6 LO5 LO4
group assignment = group assignment ?

Assessment summary

  • Tutorial presentation 1 (12%): Students will form groups in the first tutorial (Week 2). Between weeks 3 - 7 each of the five tutorial groups will give one presentation answering a set questions based on the weekly readings assigned for that week. Each presentation will be followed by about 15 minutes of question time during which each of the remaining four groups will ask the presentation team a question about their topic based on the week’s reading.
  • Tutorial presentation 2 (18%): Between weeks 8 - 12 each of the five tutorial groups formed in week 2 will give one presentation answering a set questions based on the weekly readings assigned for that week. Each presentation will be followed by about 15 minutes of question time during which each of the remaining four groups will ask the presentation team a question about their topic based on the week’s reading.
  • Short answer responses (30%): Construct short answer responses based on the literature provided on Canvas for questions on three theories of health and class. 
  • Take-home exam (40%): The exam will comprise of short-answer questions to be answered by set readings.

 

You must complete all the assessment tasks to pass the entire unit. Failure to attempt or to submit any assessment items in this unit of study will result in you being awarded an Absent Fail Grade (AF) regardless of your cumulative marks.

Detailed information for each assessment can be found on Canvas.

Assessment criteria

The University awards common result grades, set out in the Coursework Policy 2014 (Schedule 1).

As a general guide, a high distinction indicates work of an exceptional standard, a distinction a very high standard, a credit a good standard, and a pass an acceptable standard.

Result name

Mark range

Description

High distinction

85 - 100

 

Distinction

75 - 84

 

Credit

65 - 74

 

Pass

50 - 64

 

Fail

0 - 49

When you don’t meet the learning outcomes of the unit to a satisfactory standard.

For more information see guide to grades.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

  • Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
  • After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

Academic integrity

The Current Student website provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and automated writing tools

You may only use generative AI and automated writing tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator. If you do use these tools, you must acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section. The assessment instructions or unit outline will give guidance of the types of tools that are permitted and how the tools should be used.

Your final submitted work must be your own, original work. You must acknowledge any use of generative AI tools that have been used in the assessment, and any material that forms part of your submission must be appropriately referenced. For guidance on how to acknowledge the use of AI, please refer to the AI in Education Canvas site.

The unapproved use of these tools or unacknowledged use will be considered a breach of the Academic Integrity Policy and penalties may apply.

Studiosity is permitted unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission as detailed on the Learning Hub’s Canvas page.

Outside assessment tasks, generative AI tools may be used to support your learning. The AI in Education Canvas site contains a number of productive ways that students are using AI to improve their learning.

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

WK Topic Learning activity Learning outcomes
Week 01 Seeing health problems as social issues Lecture (2 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5 LO6 LO9
Week 02 Class origins of health inequality Lecture and tutorial (3 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5 LO6 LO9
Week 03 Mental health of young people Lecture and tutorial (3 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5 LO6 LO9
Week 04 Ethnicity and health Lecture and tutorial (3 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5 LO6 LO9
Week 05 Cultural competency Lecture and tutorial (3 hr) LO5 LO7 LO9 LO10
Week 06 Disability and the illness experience Lecture and tutorial (3 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5 LO6 LO9
Week 07 Indigenous health Lecture and tutorial (3 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5 LO6 LO9
Week 08 Indigenous health services and programs Lecture and tutorial (3 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5 LO6 LO7 LO9 LO10
Week 09 Gender and health Lecture and tutorial (3 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5 LO6 LO8 LO9
Week 10 Advocacy and activism Lecture and tutorial (3 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO5 LO6 LO7 LO8 LO10
Week 11 Unpaid/non-professional health care Lecture and tutorial (3 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5 LO7 LO8 LO9 LO10
Week 12 Health services for disadvantaged groups Lecture and tutorial (3 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5 LO6 LO7 LO9 LO10

Attendance and class requirements

This unit will be delivered fully online in Semester 2020.

Attendance Requirements: Students are required to watch an on-line lecture and attend a one-hour Zoom tutorial per week. Students must attend 90% of scheduled classes, in this case, 11 of 12 lectures and 10 of 11 tutorials.

Lectures -will be available on the HSBH1013 Canvas site by Monday of that week at the latest. Please note that lectures are designed to prime students for the weekly tutorial readings by providing a broad overview and theoretical framework for the tutorial topics. All material covered in lectures is assessable (e.g. in the take-home exam) and material discussed in the lectures and/or provided online is regarded as having been provided to all students in the unit. 

Tutorials – students are allocated a tutorial class time and day when they enrol in this unit. Please attend the class you have been assigned to via Zoom. Tutorial attendance will be recorded each week. Students may only miss one tutorial (without a Special Consideration). Students who miss more than one tutorial without a Special Consideration will be penalised by 2 marks from the overall final mark for the unit for each day of non-attendance over and above the one absence allowed.

Late Penalties: Unless an application for special consideration or special arrangement has been approved, students must submit all assessment for a unit of study on the due date specified in the unit of study outline. If the assessment is completed or submitted within an approved period of extension by way of an approved special consideration application, academic plan adjustment, no academic penalty will be applied to that piece of assessment. If an assessment is submitted after the due date (or extended due date as described above), the late submission of assessment will result in an academic penalty as follows:

Written work submitted electronically after 11.59 pm on the due date will be considered to have been submitted late.

For every calendar day up to and including ten calendar days after the due date, a penalty of 5% of the maximum awardable marks will be applied to late work. For work submitted more than ten calendar days after the due date a mark of zero will be awarded.”

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Required readings

Textbook/Resources

As well as prescribed articles available in eReserve on the HSBH1013 Canvas site, students will require weekly access to the main text for this unit, containing chapters that are part of the required readings as preparation for each week’s tutorial. These chapters can be accessed in various forms: 

  1. the original textbook: Germov, J. (2014) Second opinion: An introduction to health sociology (5thedition), if you prefer to have your own copy of the whole textbook (or later editions);
  2. the e-book version of the original textbook on the University’s library website at: https://ebookcentral-proquest-com.ezproxy1.library.usyd.edu.au/lib/usyd/detail.action?docID=1986008
  3. a smaller, custom publication comprised of six chapters from the original textbook: Germov, J. (2015) BACH1161 Introductory Behavioural Health Sciences + HSBH1003 Health, Behaviour and Society. Note: the chapter numbers in the custom publication will be different to those in the original textbook, but the content is the same.

If you want your own copy of either the original textbook book or the custom book, they can be ordered from the Co-Op Bookshop. Alternatively, you could try sourcing a second-hand copyvia one of the USYD student Facebook groups or the BHS e-community noticeboard or at the SRC’s second-hand textbook shop on Level 4 of the Wentworth Building (Camperdown campus) Monday to Friday 9.00am to 4.30pm or on-line at http://srcusyd.net.au/search_books/

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

  • LO1. demonstrate satisfactory critical literacy
  • LO2. demonstrate satisfactory oral presentation skills
  • LO3. demonstrate the ability to learn collaboratively
  • LO4. value the contribution of social scientific research in understanding the major determinants of health
  • LO5. understand key sociological concepts such as ethnicity, class and gender and how they influence health outcomes
  • LO6. identify, describe and analyse the major social determinants of health and how they impact the health of populations
  • LO7. identify key members who play a role in the health industry including paid and unpaid health professionals, advocates and activists
  • LO8. recognise and understand the difference in the roles key members play in society
  • LO9. distinguish who is considered part of a disadvantaged group and identify what services are available to them and why
  • LO10. identify ethical concerns experienced by different members in the health industry.

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1 Depth of disciplinary expertise

Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.

GQ2 Critical thinking and problem solving

Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.

GQ3 Oral and written communication

Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.

GQ4 Information and digital literacy

Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.

GQ5 Inventiveness

Generating novel ideas and solutions.

GQ6 Cultural competence

Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.

GQ7 Interdisciplinary effectiveness

Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.

GQ8 Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity

An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.

GQ9 Influence

Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes Graduate qualities
GQ1 GQ2 GQ3 GQ4 GQ5 GQ6 GQ7 GQ8 GQ9

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

The short answer assessment has been simplified, with fewer questions and readings whilst maintaining good covering of this critical topic.

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.