HEALTH AND SOCIAL JUSTICE

概要

Social justice in public health holds the view that everyone deserves equal rights and opportunities, and the right to good health. Yet today, inequities in health are driven by unequal policies and practices based on the unequal distribution of money, power and resources among communities based on gender, class, race, place and other factors. Incorporating insights from the social sciences, this subject will engage with the social, political, economic and historical factors shaping the root causes of health inequities. Promoting social justice through strategies of health promotion, community development, empowerment and advocacy becomes a driving mission of public health. This subject explores social justice concepts, issues and policy remedies – supporting the development of the necessary analytical tools and information to assess inequality and injustice and address historical and contemporary issues. Students will gain skills and competencies in public health advocacy, that focus on both individual and community level disadvantage, as well as social policy reform and community activism.

目標

At the completion of this subject, students should be able to: 1) Illustrate understanding of social justice concepts, issues and policies in public health 2) Evaluate how health inequities and the forms and meaning that illness take are embedded in various social, cultural and historical contexts 3) Evaluate social justice perspectives and strategies to improve health promotion, community development and policy issues in public health 4) Develop materials for advocacy on significant public health issues using social justice perspectives that focus on strengthening individuals and communities and promoting healthy macro-policies. 5) Assess different strategies for public health advocacy by interrogating the underlying conceptualisation and practice of dominant public health approaches related to health disparities. In each class, small group discussions will be conducted.

授業外の学習

This course introduces a variety of concepts and theories that may be unfamiliar to many students, underscoring the necessity of thoroughly reviewing the pre-distributed lecture materials. To enhance comprehension of the material covered in lectures, exercises will be provided in each session. These exercises encompass key issues that will be pertinent to upcoming lectures and report assignments, necessitating a full grasp of these topics prior to the subsequent class. Furthermore, report assignments will be given in conjunction with specific content segments, and students are expected to engage with these assignments outside of scheduled class hours as part of their revision activities. It is imperative to follow the instructor's directions closely, as exercises may occasionally precede the lectures due to scheduling constraints, thus requiring diligent preparation and review. Preparation for lectures through pre-lecture materials and assignments (approximately 60 minutes) Engagement with report assignments (approximately 60 minutes) Focused review on areas of difficulty or misunderstanding from the previous class (approximately 70 minutes)

所要時間: At least 190 minutes per lecture