This course is designed to introduce students to the social and socio-structural factors influencing the health of individuals and populations. The first portion of the course will centre on how to measure and interpret common metrics of health, such as measures of morbidity, illness, disability, and life expectancy. Subsequently, we will explore human health from a historical perspective, learning about the primary factors that have driven massive health improvements over the past century. Emphasis will be placed on the similarities, and differences, in these health transitions across high-, middle-, and low-income contexts. We will then explore the social and structural factors underlying health disparities both across populations and between individuals, including the roles of gender, wealth, educational attainment, occupation, ethnicity, and immigrant status. We will discuss emerging trends that threaten these continued improvements—obesity, cardiovascular disease, smoking, drug overdose, and dementia. In these discussions, we will focus on the role of social relationships in affecting health, and the ways that inequality, social stigma, and biases can perpetuate detrimental health behaviours. 

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:

1. calculate and explain population health measures to describe infant and child health, adult health, disability, and mortality;
2. generate and understand quantitative findings through figures, graphs, and tables;
3. identify the primary determinants of population health in both high and low-income contexts;
4. understand the role of quantitative and qualitative research methods for exploring disparities in health; and
5. characterise the current barriers to improved population health faced by high and low income contexts.

Required Resources

Mel Bartley. Health Inequality: An Introduction to Concepts, Theories and Methods, 2nd Edition. ISBN: 978-0-745-69110-7

A number of required readings will come from this text, which is available as an e-book and at ANU Library

Staff Feedback

Students will be given feedback in the following forms in this course:

• written comments
• verbal comments
• feedback to whole class, groups, individuals, focus group etc

Student Feedback

ANU is committed to the demonstration of educational excellence and regularly seeks feedback from students. Students are encouraged to offer feedback directly to their Course Convener or through their College and Course representatives (if applicable). The feedback given in these surveys is anonymous and provides the Colleges, University Education Committee and Academic Board with opportunities to recognise excellent teaching, and opportunities for improvement. The Surveys and Evaluation website provides more information on student surveys at ANU and reports on the feedback provided on ANU courses.

Class Schedule

Week/Session	Summary of Activities	Assessment
1	Introduction to the study of health disparities
2	Measuring mortality, morbidity, and illness part 1
3	Measuring mortality, morbidity, and illness part 2
4	How inequality gets under the skin
5	Psycho-social explanations for health disparities
6	Public policy, structural inequality, and health	Critical analysis paper 1 due (August 31st)
7	Development and health inequalities
8	Axes of inequality: gender, education, class	Critical analysis paper 2 due (September 28th)
9	Axes of inequality: race and racism, bias and stigma
10	Social inequalities across the life course	Op-ed data assignment due (October 12th)
11	So what can we do? Policies, programs, and change efforts
12	Student presentations	Op-ed presentations (October 26th)
13		Final op-ed due (November 5th)

Tutorial Registration

ANU utilises MyTimetable to enable students to view the timetable for their enrolled courses, browse, then self-allocate to small teaching activities / tutorials so they can better plan their time. Find out more on the Timetable webpage.

Assessment Summary

Assessment task	Value	Due Date	Return of assessment	Learning Outcomes
Quizzes	20 %	*	*	1,2,3
Critical analysis paper 1	15 %	31/08/2022	07/09/2022	1,2,3,4,5
Critical analysis paper 2	15 %	28/09/2022	05/10/2022	1,2,3,4,5
Op-ed data assignment	10 %	12/10/2022	19/10/2022	1,2,3,4,5
Op-ed presentation	10 %	26/10/2022	28/10/2022	2,3,5
Final op-ed	20 %	04/11/2022	01/12/2022	1,2,3,4,5
Student-led tutorial session	10 %	*	*	3,4,5

* If the Due Date and Return of Assessment date are blank, see the Assessment Tab for specific Assessment Task details

Policies

ANU has educational policies, procedures and guidelines, which are designed to ensure that staff and students are aware of the University’s academic standards, and implement them. Students are expected to have read the Academic Misconduct Rule before the commencement of their course. Other key policies and guidelines include:

• Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure
• Special Assessment Consideration Policy and General Information 
• Student Surveys and Evaluations
• Deferred Examinations
• Student Complaint Resolution Policy and Procedure

Assessment Requirements

The ANU is using Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the Academic Integrity . In rare cases where online submission using Turnitin software is not technically possible; or where not using Turnitin software has been justified by the Course Convener and approved by the Associate Dean (Education) on the basis of the teaching model being employed; students shall submit assessment online via ‘Wattle’ outside of Turnitin, or failing that in hard copy, or through a combination of submission methods as approved by the Associate Dean (Education). The submission method is detailed below.

Moderation of Assessment

Marks that are allocated during Semester are to be considered provisional until formalised by the College examiners meeting at the end of each Semester. If appropriate, some moderation of marks might be applied prior to final results being released.

Assessment Task 1

Quizzes

Students are to complete 10 brief weekly quizzes (each worth 2% of the final grade) in weeks 2-11. Quizzes will comprise a mix of multiple choice and short answer, and are designed to monitor student progress on readings and online materials and preparation for tutorial discussion.

Assessment Task 2

Critical analysis paper 1

Word limit:

750 words, excluding references.

(Work within ±10% word count will be accepted without penalty. A 10% penalty will apply to work exceeding this margin, on top of the assessment rubric.)

Value: 15%

Due Date: 31 August

Details of task:

Students will prepare a critical analysis paper based on a guiding question of their choice. These guiding questions will be posted on the course Wattle page at least two weeks before the due date. The critical analysis paper should answer the guiding question(s), critically synthesize course materials, and put forth a compelling argument. Creativity, independent thinking, and disagreement are encouraged! Citing the course materials is required. 

Presentation Requirements:

The critical analysis paper is to be completed in essay style, with an emphasis on using writing as a way to persuade the reader.

The use of tables and/or figures is permitted, but such material must be cited and the source and/or data referenced appropriately.

Assessment Task 3

Critical analysis paper 2

Word limit:

750 words, excluding references.

(Work within ±10% word count will be accepted without penalty. A 10% penalty will apply to work exceeding this margin, on top of the assessment rubric.)

Value: 15%

Due Date: 28 September

Details of task:

Students will prepare a critical analysis paper based on a guiding question of their choice. These guiding questions will be posted on the course Wattle page at least two weeks before the due date. The critical analysis paper should answer the guiding question(s), critically synthesize course materials, and put forth a compelling argument. Creativity, independent thinking, and disagreement are encouraged! Citing the course materials is required. 

Presentation Requirements:

The critical analysis paper is to be completed in essay style, with an emphasis on using writing as a way to persuade the reader.

The use of tables and/or figures is permitted, but such material must be cited and the source and/or data referenced appropriately.

Assessment Task 4

Op-ed data assignment

Value: 10%

Due Date: 12 October

Details of task:

In this assignment, you will begin gathering the data and information needed to write your full op-ed. In particular, you will: 1) describe the issue that your op-ed addresses; 2) provide some data on the scope of the problem (nationally, locally, or both, as appropriate); 3) describe who is most affected by the issue; 4) point to some upstream causes of the issue; and 5) brainstorm/highlight some proposed solutions (you don’t need to choose you “final” proposed solution/intervention for this assignment; just use this space to brainstorm some ideas!). 

Presentation Requirements:

Your answers to these questions do not need to be relayed in essay format. Your responses can be informal (e.g., bullet points). Your response to each question should be a minimum of 3 sentences/bullet points. You will not be graded on grammar or formatting; instead, I want evidence that you have started the research needed to craft your arguments. Be sure to cite your sources—for this assessment you can use whatever citation format you prefer, but the eventual op-ed will need to use Harvard format.

Assessment Task 5

Op-ed presentation

Value: 10%

Due Date: 26 October

Details of task:

•     5-8 minutes = 5-8 slides (roughly 1 minute per slide)

Presentation Requirements:

In your presentation, tell us:

•     The issue you selected, and why you think it’s a pressing population health problem.

•     Evidence of the scope of the problem (local, national, and/or international).

•     Data on disparities in the issue (in other words, how and why is this in issue of inequality and/or injustice).

•     What the research says about the “underlying causes” of the problem.

•     What you think needs to be done and why.

•     Anything else you think is important!

Assessment Task 6

Final op-ed

Word limit:

800 words, excluding references.

(Work within ±10% word count will be accepted without penalty. A 10% penalty will apply to work exceeding this margin, on top of the assessment rubric.)

Value: 20%

Due Date: 04 November

Details of task:

The final assignment for this course is an op-ed. Your task is to convince me and your classmates (…and future readers, because you are going to submit this to a news outlet, RIGHT?!) of the following:

1)   That your chosen issue is a pressing population health issue nationally and locally, and I (and other readers) should care about it;

2)   That the problem you selected is a cause and/or consequence of social inequality and thus related to notions of justice, fairness, and/or equity;

3)   That your proposed intervention or policy would contribute to addressing the underlying causes of the problem in ways that would improve population health.

To make this case, you need to stake a claim and make your voice and opinion clear. Remember: this is not just about sharing facts (though you need to do that, too). This is about crafting a convincing argument, using data to support your claims

Presentation Requirements:

·        Back up your arguments with data (and citations). The use of tables and/or figures is permitted, but such material must be cited and the source and/or data referenced appropriately. Provide a bibliography/works cited in Harvard format.

·        In your op-ed, you should draw on course readings and concepts. You should also integrate non-assigned, external readings and materials.

·        Please use Times New Roman or Arial size 12 font, 1-inch margins, and double space.

Assessment Task 7

Student-led tutorial session

Marks will be awarded for leading discussion during one tutorial session in the semester (10%). Students will provide a brief presentation synthesizing information from the week's materials, and lead a discussion of their strengths, weaknesses, and implications for social inequalities in health.

Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is a core part of the ANU culture as a community of scholars. At its heart, academic integrity is about behaving ethically, committing to honest and responsible scholarly practice and upholding these values with respect and fairness.

The ANU commits to assisting all members of our community to understand how to engage in academic work in ways that are consistent with, and actively support academic integrity. The ANU expects staff and students to be familiar with the academic integrity principle and Academic Misconduct Rule, uphold high standards of academic integrity and act ethically and honestly, to ensure the quality and value of the qualification that you will graduate with.

The Academic Misconduct Rule is in place to promote academic integrity and manage academic misconduct. Very minor breaches of the academic integrity principle may result in a reduction of marks of up to 10% of the total marks available for the assessment. The ANU offers a number of online and in person services to assist students with their assignments, examinations, and other learning activities. Visit the Academic Skills website for more information about academic integrity, your responsibilities and for assistance with your assignments, writing skills and study.

Online Submission

You will be required to electronically sign a declaration as part of the submission of your assignment. Please keep a copy of the assignment for your records. Unless an exemption has been approved by the Associate Dean (Education) submission must be through Turnitin.

Hardcopy Submission

For some forms of assessment (hand written assignments, art works, laboratory notes, etc.) hard copy submission is appropriate when approved by the Associate Dean (Education). Hard copy submissions must utilise the Assignment Cover Sheet. Please keep a copy of tasks completed for your records.

Late Submission

Late submission permitted. Late submission of assessment tasks without an extension are penalised at the rate of 5% of the possible marks available per working day or part thereof. Late submission of assessment tasks is not accepted after 10 working days after the due date, or on or after the date specified in the course outline for the return of the assessment item. Late submission is not accepted for take-home examinations.

Referencing Requirements

Accepted academic practice for referencing sources that you use in presentations can be found via the links on the Wattle site, under the file named “ANU and College Policies, Program Information, Student Support Services and Assessment”. Alternatively, you can seek help through the Students Learning Development website.

Extensions and Penalties

Extensions and late submission of assessment pieces are covered by the Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure. Extensions may be granted for assessment pieces that are not examinations or take-home examinations. If you need an extension, you must request an extension in writing on or before the due date. If you have documented and appropriate medical evidence that demonstrates you were not able to request an extension on or before the due date, you may be able to request it after the due date.

Privacy Notice

The ANU has made a number of third party, online, databases available for students to use. Use of each online database is conditional on student end users first agreeing to the database licensor’s terms of service and/or privacy policy. Students should read these carefully. In some cases student end users will be required to register an account with the database licensor and submit personal information, including their: first name; last name; ANU email address; and other information.
In cases where student end users are asked to submit ‘content’ to a database, such as an assignment or short answers, the database licensor may only use the student’s ‘content’ in accordance with the terms of service – including any (copyright) licence the student grants to the database licensor. Any personal information or content a student submits may be stored by the licensor, potentially offshore, and will be used to process the database service in accordance with the licensors terms of service and/or privacy policy.
If any student chooses not to agree to the database licensor’s terms of service or privacy policy, the student will not be able to access and use the database. In these circumstances students should contact their lecturer to enquire about alternative arrangements that are available.

Distribution of grades policy

Academic Quality Assurance Committee monitors the performance of students, including attrition, further study and employment rates and grade distribution, and College reports on quality assurance processes for assessment activities, including alignment with national and international disciplinary and interdisciplinary standards, as well as qualification type learning outcomes.

Since first semester 1994, ANU uses a grading scale for all courses. This grading scale is used by all academic areas of the University.

Support for students

The University offers students support through several different services. You may contact the services listed below directly or seek advice from your Course Convener, Student Administrators, or your College and Course representatives (if applicable).

• ANU Health, safety & wellbeing for medical services, counselling, mental health and spiritual support
• ANU Diversity and inclusion for students with a disability or ongoing or chronic illness
• ANU Dean of Students for confidential, impartial advice and help to resolve problems between students and the academic or administrative areas of the University
• ANU Academic Skills and Learning Centre supports you make your own decisions about how you learn and manage your workload.
• ANU Counselling Centre promotes, supports and enhances mental health and wellbeing within the University student community.
• ANUSA supports and represents undergraduate and ANU College students
• PARSA supports and represents postgraduate and research students