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DEGREE REGULATIONS & PROGRAMMES OF STUDY 2011/2012
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DRPS : Course Catalogue : School of Social and Political Science : Science Studies Unit

Undergraduate Course: History of Medicine 1 (SCSU08003)

Course Outline
SchoolSchool of Social and Political Science CollegeCollege of Humanities and Social Science
Course typeStandard AvailabilityAvailable to all students
Credit level (Normal year taken)SCQF Level 8 (Year 1 Undergraduate) Credits20
Home subject areaScience Studies Unit Other subject areaEnvironmental Courses
Course website None Taught in Gaelic?No
Course descriptionA general introduction to the history of medicine in Western society from the Ancient Greeks to the twentieth century. It will examine some of the different ways that doctors have thought about health and illness over the past two and a half thousand years and will raise general questions about the historical origins of modern scientific medicine, the role of experts in society, the extent and limits of applicability of scientific thinking, and the relationship between scientific research and public policy. Special attention will be paid to the way that different systems of medical knowledge, and the diagnostic and therapeutic practices associated with them, were adapted to the particular social and historical environments in which they developed.
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations Other requirements None
Additional Costs None
Information for Visiting Students
Pre-requisitesNone
Displayed in Visiting Students Prospectus?Yes
Course Delivery Information
Delivery period: 2011/12 Semester 2, Available to all students (SV1) WebCT enabled:  Yes Quota:  None
Location Activity Description Weeks Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
CentralLecture1-11 17:10 - 18:00
CentralLecture1-11 17:10 - 18:00
CentralLecture1-11 17:10 - 18:00
First Class Week 18, Monday, 17:10 - 18:00, Zone: Central. Appleton Tower, Lecture Theatre 4
No Exam Information
Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes
Students who successfully complete the course will be able to:
1. describe the main stages in the changing nature and social organisation of Western health care and healing practices, from the Ancient Greeks to the present day;
2. discuss the dominant ideas about health and illness, their causes and treatment, that have prevailed in Western medicine in different historical periods;
3. discuss how ideas about health and illness and the organisation of health care relate to the wider social and cultural context in which they are articulated;
4. critically evaluate the use of historical evidence in historical argument.
Assessment Information
Assessed by a short assessment approx. midway through the course (for up to 30% of the overall mark); and a long 2,000 word essay, submitted via WebCT to a deadline date, for the remaining possible 70% of the overall mark. In order to pass the course, the long essay must be passed.
Special Arrangements
None
Additional Information
Academic description Not entered
Syllabus Not entered
Transferable skills Not entered
Reading list Not entered
Study Abroad Not entered
Study Pattern Not entered
KeywordsNot entered
Contacts
Course organiserDr John Henry
Tel: (0131 6)50 4262
Email: John.Henry@ed.ac.uk
Course secretaryMrs May Rutherford
Tel: (0131 6)50 3932
Email: may.rutherford@ed.ac.uk
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© Copyright 2011 The University of Edinburgh - 16 January 2012 6:47 am