Health Sciences

School of Public Health

Sociology of Health and Illness - PHE4SHI/PHE5SHI

Coordinator

Assoc Prof Evan Willis

Unit Details

PHE4SHI/PHE5SHI

Timetable

Timetable

Outline

This elective builds on the core subject on Social and Cultural Perspectives on Public Health. It is intended for students from any stream who wish to explore the sociology of public health in more detail and depth.

The subject is taught by Evan Willis, Professor of Sociology in the School of Social Sciences and one of Australia 's leading health sociologists.

The subject is taught in a combination of block mode (one third) at the University's Beechworth campus and weekly classes at the City campus. A weekend block mode at Beechworth will be held approximately week 4-6. Accommodation and travel costs are at the students own expense although Beechworth has modest accommodation alternatives starting at only $30 pppn 

This subject starts from the basic premise that illness and health are social as well as biological processes. Traditional areas of the discipline of sociology of health and illness are explored and in each case their applicability to public health is stressed. T he theoretical perspectives and substantive issues raised and developed to study them are critically examined. The provision and organisation of health care are examined with emphasis on the social and political context in which public health is pursued and ill-health treated

AIMS

1. to broaden and deepen your understanding of Sociology: in particular how the `sociological imagination' can be applied to the field of health and medicine in general and public health in particular.

2. to critically understand aspects of medicine and public health as institutions by examining their involvement in areas such as technology, AIDS, death and sexuality

3. to introduce you to the notion that sociology can contribute to our understanding of traditional public health topics in both theoretical and practical ways.

WHAT SORTS OF QUESTIONS DO WE CONSIDER?

• What is the social model of health and how does it differ from the biomedical model?
• How can illhealth be understood in sociological terms as a form of deviance?
• Why do women live longer than men in Australia ?
• Is the best predictor of an individual's health status how much they earn?
• What are the current and future social impacts of advances in understanding the genetic basis of disease

•  How do the main sociological perspectives differ in their approach to studying health and illness?

• What social factors have sociologists found that influence the treatment of illness
• What strategies have been adopted by nursing in response to its subordination to medicine and how successful have these been?
• Why is aboriginal health so bad?What social influences have changed our definitions and treatment of mental illness?

•  why has the utilisation of alternative\complementary health care been increasing ?

•  What are the main issues facing regional, rural and remote health services?

BOOKS

If you want a place to start you may like to read my short primer on the sociological imagination

Willis, E (2004) The Sociological Quest: an introduction to the study of social life . 4 th edn, Allen and Unwin Sydney

Textbooks

K. White, (2002) An Introduction to the Sociology of Health and Illness Sage Publications: London ,

J. Germov (2004) Second opinion: an introduction to Health Sociology . Oxford , Melbourne .C.Grbich (ed) (2004) Health in Australia : sociological concepts and issues . Longman, Sydney. 3rd edn.

ASSESSMENT

Two pieces of work are required for purposes of assessment as follows:

Length % of total

1. Theory Essay 1500 40

2. Substantive Essay 2500 60

Enquiries

Email E.Willis@latrobe.edu.au

Lecture Notes

Additional Information