POPLHLTH 210 : Equity and Inequalities in Health
Medical and Health Sciences
2024 Semester One (1243) (15 POINTS)
Course Prescription
Course Overview
In Aotearoa/New Zealand:
- 80% of household wealth is held by 20% of households
- Women, on average, are paid 9.5% less than men for the same employment positions
- Māori, on average, die 7 years younger than other groups
- approximately 37% of trans and non-binary people have attempted suicide
- lesbian, gay and bisexual individuals are victims of 10-15% more personally-directed criminal offences than the population average.
POPLTH 210 is a core course in the B.HSc. programme and offers an in-depth understanding of social causes underpinning health (in)equity and (in)equalities. During the semester, you will examine inequity and inequality in various ways: what they are, why they exist, and how best to address them.
Strongly grounded in socio-critical concepts and theories, a semester in PH 210 exposes students to the complexity of social determinants or 'the causes of the causes'. As a health professional, be it clinical, academic, administrative or otherwise, it is vital to understand how different groups experience different social structures, and the same social structures differently, bringing about patterned difference in health and illness is essential. This course is designed to be a component of your development of such an understanding.
The main aims for this paper are for you to:
- Develop an understanding of the diverse manifestations of health and social inequities and inequalities;
- Demonstrate the ways in which inequities and inequalities in health are created and maintained;
- Recognize how inequities and inequalities in health for diverse groups may be measured;
- Discuss the appropriateness of solutions and interventions for reducing these inequity and inequality issues across diverse communities.
The issues covered in this course are central to many of the challenges currently faced in the health sector and in broader society today. We hope the course will be interesting, thought-provoking, and stimulating. The different topics in this course will encourage you to question and challenge yourself - and others - both in your study and your future work. This course is conceptual and theoretical in focus, builds on your previous studies, aiming to deepen your understanding and analysis of social and health inequities and inequalities.
Capabilities Developed in this Course
| Capability 1: | People and Place |
| Capability 2: | Sustainability |
| Capability 3: | Knowledge and Practice |
| Capability 4: | Critical Thinking |
| Capability 5: | Solution Seeking |
| Capability 6: | Communication |
| Capability 8: | Ethics and Professionalism |
Learning Outcomes
- Reflect on own and others’ perceptions and experience of equities and inequalities, synthesise information from multiple sources: historical connections, material realities, current events and positionalities to construct knowledge and explanations of the effect of these issues on self and the health and wellbeing of other ethnic groups. (Capability 1.1, 1.3, 3.1 and 3.2)
- Interpret and apply understanding of theories to explain the connections between societal systems, inequality and equity issues in society. (Capability 1.1, 1.2, 3.1, 3.2 and 3.3)
- Develop, apply and deconstruct how societal systems create and maintain inequalities and illustrate knowledge on how these affect diverse communities. (Capability 1.1, 2.1 and 3.1)
- Identify, describe and demonstrate an understanding of of key concepts and theories related to inequality and equity. (Capability 4.1 and 4.2)
- Apply theories to real-life examples in order to critically discuss and demonstrate knowledge about the role of society. (Capability 3.1 and 5.2)
- Write and present layered and complex material in succinct and conceptually-relevant language. (Capability 3.1, 3.2, 6.1, 6.3 and 8.1)
- Identify and create solutions to socio-economic issues that inform health inequities. (Capability 5.1, 5.2 and 5.3)
Assessments
| Assessment Type | Percentage | Classification |
|---|---|---|
| Economic Inequality Media Analysis | 10% | Individual Coursework |
| Book Review | 15% | Individual Coursework |
| Pro/Con Essay | 25% | Individual Coursework |
| Final Exam | 40% | Individual Examination |
| Tutorial Tests | 10% | Individual Coursework |
| 5 types | 100% |
| Assessment Type | Learning Outcome Addressed | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | ||||
| Economic Inequality Media Analysis | ||||||||||
| Book Review | ||||||||||
| Pro/Con Essay | ||||||||||
| Final Exam | ||||||||||
| Tutorial Tests | ||||||||||
Workload Expectations
This course is a standard 15-point course and students are expected to spend 10 hours per week involved in each 15-point course that they are enrolled in.
For this course, each week you are expected to do 2 hours of lectures, a 1-hour tutorial, 2 hours of reading and thinking about the content and 5 hours of work on assignments and/or test preparation.
Delivery Mode
Campus Experience
The activities for the course are scheduled as a standard weekly timetable.
- Attendance is required at scheduled activities including minimum number of in-person lectures and all tutorials to complete components of the course.
- Lectures will be available as recordings. Tutorials will not be available as recordings. The course recordings may not include live online events or guest lectures including group discussions.
- Attendance on campus is not required for the exam, unless otherwise advised.
Learning Resources
Course materials are made available in a learning and collaboration tool called Canvas which also includes reading lists and lecture recordings (where available).
Please remember that the recording of any class on a personal device requires the permission of the instructor.
Student Feedback
At the end of every semester students will be invited to give feedback on the course and teaching through a tool called SET or Qualtrics. The lecturers and course co-ordinators will consider all feedback and respond with summaries and actions.
Your feedback helps teachers to improve the course and its delivery for future students.
Class Representatives in each class can take feedback to the department and faculty staff-student consultative committees.
None
Other Information
This course is held at The University of Auckland Grafton Campus. Lectures are at 12-1 pm on Mondays and 1-2 pm Thursdays. Tutorials are on Mondays and Thursdays after lectures.
Academic Integrity
The University of Auckland will not tolerate cheating, or assisting others to cheat, and views cheating in coursework as a serious academic offence. The work that a student submits for grading must be the student's own work, reflecting their learning. Where work from other sources is used, it must be properly acknowledged and referenced. This requirement also applies to sources on the internet. A student's assessed work may be reviewed for potential plagiarism or other forms of academic misconduct, using computerised detection mechanisms.
Class Representatives
Class representatives are students tasked with representing student issues to departments, faculties, and the wider university. If you have a complaint about this course, please contact your class rep who will know how to raise it in the right channels. See your departmental noticeboard for contact details for your class reps.
Inclusive Learning
All students are asked to discuss any impairment related requirements privately, face to face and/or in written form with the course coordinator, lecturer or tutor.
Student Disability Services also provides support for students with a wide range of impairments, both visible and invisible, to succeed and excel at the University. For more information and contact details, please visit the Student Disability Services’ website http://disability.auckland.ac.nz
Special Circumstances
If your ability to complete assessed coursework is affected by illness or other personal circumstances outside of your control, contact a member of teaching staff as soon as possible before the assessment is due.
If your personal circumstances significantly affect your performance, or preparation, for an exam or eligible written test, refer to the University’s aegrotat or compassionate consideration page https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/academic-information/exams-and-final-results/during-exams/aegrotat-and-compassionate-consideration.html.
This should be done as soon as possible and no later than seven days after the affected test or exam date.
Learning Continuity
In the event of an unexpected disruption, we undertake to maintain the continuity and standard of teaching and learning in all your courses throughout the year. If there are unexpected disruptions the University has contingency plans to ensure that access to your course continues and course assessment continues to meet the principles of the University’s assessment policy. Some adjustments may need to be made in emergencies. You will be kept fully informed by your course co-ordinator/director, and if disruption occurs you should refer to the university website for information about how to proceed.
The delivery mode may change depending on COVID restrictions. Any changes will be communicated through Canvas.
Student Charter and Responsibilities
The Student Charter assumes and acknowledges that students are active participants in the learning process and that they have responsibilities to the institution and the international community of scholars. The University expects that students will act at all times in a way that demonstrates respect for the rights of other students and staff so that the learning environment is both safe and productive. For further information visit Student Charter https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/forms-policies-and-guidelines/student-policies-and-guidelines/student-charter.html.
Disclaimer
Elements of this outline may be subject to change. The latest information about the course will be available for enrolled students in Canvas.
In this course students may be asked to submit coursework assessments digitally. The University reserves the right to conduct scheduled tests and examinations for this course online or through the use of computers or other electronic devices. Where tests or examinations are conducted online remote invigilation arrangements may be used. In exceptional circumstances changes to elements of this course may be necessary at short notice. Students enrolled in this course will be informed of any such changes and the reasons for them, as soon as possible, through Canvas.