Postgraduate Course: Health inequities and the social determinants of health (Distance learning) (PGSP11329)
Course Outline
| School | School of Social and Political Science |
College | College of Humanities and Social Science |
| Course type | Standard |
Availability | Available to all students |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
Credits | 20 |
| Home subject area | Postgrad (School of Social and Political Studies) |
Other subject area | None |
| Course website |
None |
Taught in Gaelic? | No |
| Course description | Course aims and objectives
Inequalities or disparities in the health of different population groups are seen both within and between countries. The term ¿health inequities¿ denotes differences in the health status of groups occupying unequal positions in society; such inequities can be seen across multiple axes including gender, ethnicity/race, area and socioeconomic position. This course aims to demonstrate the extent of inequalities in health, to explore the underlying determinants of health and health inequalities, and to consider policy responses to health inequities. It expands on theories explaining how health inequities arise, including behavioural/cultural, psychosocial, material and lifecourse approaches, and investigates the role of government and the potential impact of economic, social and health policy in creating or reducing health inequities. Different explanatory paradigms and their implications for policy intervention will be discussed in relation to the health status of various population subgroups.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
| Additional Costs | None |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
| Displayed in Visiting Students Prospectus? | No |
Course Delivery Information
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| Delivery period: 2013/14 Semester 2, Available to all students (SV1)
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Learn enabled: Yes |
Quota: None |
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Web Timetable |
Web Timetable |
| Course Start Date |
13/01/2014 |
| Breakdown of Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
196 )
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| Additional Notes |
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| Breakdown of Assessment Methods (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| No Exam Information |
Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes
- Analyse the range of factors that influence health
- Critically interpret information on inequalities in health
- Examine contemporary debates regarding the causes of inequalities in health, and distinguish conceptually between health inequalities and health inequities
- Explore the extent of health inequities within and between countries
- Engage with theories accounting for the relationship between health inequities and broader inequalities in society
- Critically examine policy approaches to economic and social policy and the implications for the distribution of health resources within society
- Critically examine the impact that aspects of public policy have on the extent of health inequities in society
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Assessment Information
Assessment will be based on two components:
1) Input to blogs and discussion fora. Students to submit a portfolio of 6 contributions to course discussions, including at least 2 initiated contributions and at least 2 responses to other class members (30%)
2) Written essay of 3,000 words (70%).
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Special Arrangements
| None |
Additional Information
| Academic description |
Not entered |
| Syllabus |
Week
1 Health inequities and the social determinants of health: introduction and overview
2 Social inequalities in health: structural and life-course perspectives
3 Reducing inequalities in health ¿ what are the fundamental policy problems?
4 The welfare system as a determinant of health
5 Gender and health
6 Ethnicity/race and health
7 Place and health
8 Evidence and policy in relation to health inequalities and the social determinants of health
9 The policy experience: strategies for reducing health inequalities, and why they haven¿t worked
10 Policy development and the health inequalities agenda in a global context
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| Transferable skills |
Not entered |
| Reading list |
Indicative reading
Graham H (2007). Unequal Lives: Health and socioeconomic inequalities. Maidenhead; Open University Press.
Bartley M (2003). Health inequality: an introduction to theory, concepts, and methods. London: Policy Press.
Graham H (ed) (2009). Understanding Health Inequalities (2nd ed). Maidenhead; Open University Press.
Green J, Labonte R (2008). Critical perspectives in public health. Abingdon: Routledge.
Hofrichter R (2003) Health and social justice: politics, ideology and inequity in the distribution of disease. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Marmot M and Wilkinson R (eds) (2005). Social Determinants of Health. 2nd edition. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
WHO Commission on the Social Determinants of Health (2008). Closing the gap in a generation: Health equity through action on the social determinants of health. Final Report of the Commission on Social Determinants of Health. Geneva, World Health Organization. http://www.who.int/social_determinants/final_report/en/index.html
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| Study Abroad |
Not entered |
| Study Pattern |
Not entered |
| Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Sarah Hill
Tel:
Email: s.e.hill@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Miss Jade Birkin
Tel: (0131 6)51 1569
Email: Jade.Birkin@ed.ac.uk |
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