Ecological Public Health PG (10054.2)
Available teaching periods | Delivery mode | Location |
---|---|---|
View teaching periods | On-campus Online real-time |
Bruce, Canberra UC Sydney Hills, Castle Hill, NSW |
EFTSL | Credit points | Faculty |
0.125 | 3 | Faculty Of Health |
Discipline | Study level | HECS Bands |
Discipline Of Public Health | Post Graduate Level | Band 2 2021 (Commenced After 1 Jan 2021) Band 3 2021 (Commenced Before 1 Jan 2021) |
Graduates in ecological public health will grapple with these complex, interacting issues, and be able to act in ways that transform the wider public health discipline to better understand these risks, opportunities and solutions, and thus help catalyse even wider social transformation.
Learning outcomes
On successful completion of this unit, students will be able to:1. Demonstrate an understanding of what is meant by ecological public health, recognising its substantial overlap with contemporary public health;
2. Demonstrate a critical understanding of the key concepts, including the significant historical events that have shaped the evolution of environmental, ecological and social determinants of health;
3. Apply an integrated understanding of the key interactions (often two-way) between environmental, ecological and social health determinants to contemporary public health challenges;
4. Apply complex systems thinking, including of thresholds (tipping points) to contemporary public health problems; and
5. Present a coherent and sustained argument of barriers and enablers that affect the evolution and incorporation of ecological principles and understanding within wider public health and society.
Graduate attributes
1. UC graduates are professional - display initiative and drive, and use their organisation skills to plan and manage their workload1. UC graduates are professional - employ up-to-date and relevant knowledge and skills
2. UC graduates are global citizens - behave ethically and sustainably in their professional and personal lives
3. UC graduates are lifelong learners - adapt to complexity, ambiguity and change by being flexible and keen to engage with new ideas
2. UC graduates are global citizens - make creative use of technology in their learning and professional lives
1. UC graduates are professional - use creativity, critical thinking, analysis and research skills to solve theoretical and real-world problems
1. UC graduates are professional - communicate effectively
Skills development
Ecological public health seeks to understand the systems that produce good and poor health, to better understand where and how public health practitioners can intervene to support better health and wellbeing. An ecological public health perspective recognises that public health professionals may work in both 'traditional' occupations such as epidemiology, and non-traditional occupations such as studying social behaviours, wellbeing and broader policy development for wellbeing. This subject examines the use of systems thinking and systems modelling to understand the systems that produce health outcomes. It uses multiple case studies to demonstrate both the principles of systems thinking that underpin ecological public health, and to demonstrate the range of settings in which public health practitioners often work. Case studies examined in the course include disaster response, obesity, wellbeing budgeting and policy approaches, adaptation to climate change, and understanding and addressing the global nutrition transition. Through these and other examples the unit provides a strong grounding in the theories of ecological public health and understanding the systems - ecological, built and natural environment, organisational, families and communities - that influence health outcomes, and which public health practitioners seek to influence.
Prerequisites
None.Corequisites
None.Incompatible units
None.Equivalent units
None.Assumed knowledge
None.Year | Location | Teaching period | Teaching start date | Delivery mode | Unit convener |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2024 | Bruce, Canberra | Semester 1 | 05 February 2024 | On-campus | Dr Kimberly Brown |
2025 | Bruce, Canberra | Semester 1 | 03 February 2025 | Online real-time | Dr Kimberly Brown |
2025 | UC Sydney Hills, Castle Hill, NSW | Semester 1 | 03 February 2025 | On-campus | Dr Kimberly Brown |
2025 | UC Sydney Hills, Castle Hill, NSW | Semester 1 | 03 February 2025 | Online real-time | Dr Kimberly Brown |
2025 | Bruce, Canberra | Semester 1 | 03 February 2025 | On-campus | Dr Kimberly Brown |
Required texts
Students are not required to purchase any specific texts. Each week, 1-3 readings will be provided on Canvas and students will be expected to read these.
Submission of assessment items
Extensions & Late submissions
All assessments must be submitted online via the Canvas site.
Moderation
The School of Public Health and Nutrition Policy on Moderation applies to this unit.
A copy of this policy is available on the course Canvas page.
Note that all fails and high distinctions awarded by the primary marker will be moderated by a second marker.
Students must apply academic integrity in their learning and research activities at UC. This includes submitting authentic and original work for assessments and properly acknowledging any sources used.
Academic integrity involves the ethical, honest and responsible use, creation and sharing of information. It is critical to the quality of higher education. Our academic integrity values are honesty, trust, fairness, respect, responsibility and courage.
UC students have to complete the Academic Integrity Module annually to learn about academic integrity and to understand the consequences of academic integrity breaches (or academic misconduct).
UC uses various strategies and systems, including detection software, to identify potential breaches of academic integrity. Suspected breaches may be investigated, and action can be taken when misconduct is found to have occurred.
Information is provided in the Academic Integrity Policy, Academic Integrity Procedure, and University of Canberra (Student Conduct) Rules 2023. For further advice, visit Study Skills.
Learner engagement
All students are expected to regularly engage with the materials on the canvas site, contribute to discussion forums and chat groups.
Participation requirements
None
Required IT skills
You are expected to have good access to the internet and to be fluent at searching the internet, also word processing (eg Word). Use of a reference system such as Endnote or Mendeley will help you; you will be disadvantaged if you don't use these or similar programmes.
In-unit costs
None
Work placement, internships or practicums
None
- Semester 1, 2024, On-campus, UC - Canberra, Bruce (217937)
- Semester 1, 2023, On-campus, UC - Canberra, Bruce (212499)
- Semester 1, 2022, On-campus, UC - Canberra, Bruce (206958)
- Semester 1, 2021, On-campus, UC - Canberra, Bruce (200693)
- Semester 1, 2020, On-campus, UC - Canberra, Bruce (197269)
- Semester 1, 2019, Online, UC - Canberra, Bruce (188650)
- Semester 1, 2018, Online, UC - Canberra, Bruce (182963)