Sociology of Health (7086.4)

Availability

Syllabus

On completing the unit you will have an increased understanding of how society interacts with health who gets sick, who is healthy, how diseases are understood, and how health care practices are distributed and organised. Sociological approaches to the study of health and disease will be introduced drawing on Political Economy, Talcott Parsons, Foucault and Feminist Theory. Issues explored include the health gap between aboriginal and non-aboriginal Australians, caring for an aging population, changes in the health professional-health consumer relationship, the impact of globalisation on health care, and changes to understandings of life and health in the genomic era.

Learning Outcomes

1. an awareness of the complexities of the impact of society on health, illness, and health care; an ability to recognise, analyse and use various sociological frameworks found in investigations and explanations of health practices in contemporary societies.

Contact Hours

Three hours per week.

Prerequisites

Completion of 24 credit points in any course, or the permission of the unit convener.