Module SOCI3271: SOCIOLOGY OF HEALTH AND MEDICINE

Department: Sociology

SOCI3271: SOCIOLOGY OF HEALTH AND MEDICINE

Prerequisites

• None.

Corequisites

• None.

Excluded Combination of Modules

• None.

Aims

• To provide students with a sociological framework for understanding the nature of health and illness and issues of health policy and provision.
• This will be primarily based in Sociology but will also draw on Geography, Anthropology and Science and Technology Studies as these disciplines come together in the field of Health Studies.

Content

• In this module we will review key topic in the sociology of health and illness:
• Social patterning of health (inc. Inequalities in health)
• Health and place
• Health across the life cycle (inc. Aging and health)
• Chronic Illness
• Deviance, medicalisation and biomedicalisation
• Institutions of medical knowledge
• Health, Risk and Society
• New medical technologies
• Psychiatry and Mental health
• Social organization of health care
• Evidence-based medicine and standardization in health care

Learning Outcomes

• At the end of the course students will: Understand the nature of the social account of Health and Illness.
• Be able to employ the conceptual programme of the Sociology of Health and of Health Studies in understanding the nature of health and health, biomedicine and health systems in contemporary advanced industrial societies.
• Be able to relate the sociological account of health and illness in advanced industrial societies to issues of public policy formation and implementation in such societies.
• Be able to articulate an argument about health systems and health policies which employs the findings of actual empirical studies in the Sociology of Health and Medicine.

• By the end of the module the typical student will be able to:
• Evaluate sociological arguments and evidence in health contexts SSS1.
• Employ the conceptual apparatus of Sociology in relation to health issues SSS2.
• Undertake and present health related work in a scholarly fashion SSS3.
• Apply theoretical and empirical knowledge to an appropriate sociological question in the field of health SSS4.
• Employ theoretical and methodological expertise as appropriate in health related area. SSS6.
• Be able to convey, both orally and in writing, the meaning of abstract methodological concepts with health relevance in ways which are meaningful to others SSS7.
• Perceive the relevance of, and relate their sociological knowledge to contemporary issues in health and related issues SSS8.

• By the end of the module the typical student will be able to:
• Demonstrate numeracy skills a specified in KS2a i.e. ability to read and interpret complex tables, graphs and charts.
• Demonstrate competence in the use of IT resources as specified in KS3 -a-d inclusive.
• Demonstrate a capacity to improve own learning and performance as specified in KS5 -a-f inclusive.

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

• Teaching is based on lectures and seminars and is structured around the learning outcomes above.
• Lectures are designed to provide a broad framework by addressing major themes, ideas, issues and debates.
• Students will be encouraged to develop their learning skills in relation to note taking, wider reading and further study, and time management.
• Students will be encouraged and expected to be active participants in Seminars.
• The Illness Portfolio is a set of learning activities that support your learning and understanding of conceptual tools on the sociology of health and illness and will help you acquire research and information analysis skills for this subject for the Portfolio. Students are asked to collect information and data related to an illness/condition of your choice throughout the year.
• Seminars will support learning in the Module and the development of your Illness Portfolio.
• Assessment is by summative essay based on the Illness Portfolio.
• These modes of assessment are intended to give students an opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of this area of study, and demonstrate their ability to draw on and use appropriate conceptual language.
• Formative essays, given part way through the module, are designed to help students develop the skills and abilities required for summative work.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment:

One optional essay of 1000-1500 words (maximum).

■ Attendance at all activities marked with this symbol will be monitored. Students who fail to attend these activities, or to complete the summative or formative assessment specified above, will be subject to the procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University