MIND, "MADNESS" AND SOCIETY: AN INTRODUCTION TO THE SOCIOLOGY OF MENTAL HEALTH AND ILLNESS
SOC2MIN
2019
Credit points: 15
Subject outline
The apparent rise in mental illness is a significant contemporary problem. In Australia, public attention has focused on the epidemic of anxiety and depressive disorders; high rates of suicide among males in rural areas; the mental health of Indigenous people, refugees, and youth; and the effects of illicit drug-use, especially ice. Can we claim that people are more distressed today, than in times past? If so, is this linked to particular changes in our social and material conditions, or is it a consequence of how we define and respond to mental illness and emotional suffering? This subject provides an introduction to sociological perspectives on mental illness. Topics include social responses to mental illness (asylum building, deinstitutionalisation and community care); the growth of psychiatry and other mental health professions; structural inequalities in mental health related to class, gender, ethnicity; the micro-politics of service provision; the rise of therapy culture; and subjective experiences of mental illness.
School: School of Humanities & Social Sciences
Credit points: 15
Subject Co-ordinator: Anne-Maree Sawyer
Available to Study Abroad Students: Yes
Subject year level: Year Level 2 - UG
Exchange Students: Yes
Subject particulars
Subject rules
Prerequisites: 60 credit points of first year subjects in any discipline
Co-requisites: N/A
Incompatible subjects: SOC2SHI SOC3SHI
Equivalent subjects: N/A
Special conditions: N/A
Graduate capabilities & intended learning outcomes
01. Apply sociological concepts to understanding mental health and illness.
- Activities:
- Online quizzes; a 2,000-word essay exploring a topic in the sociology of mental health and illness.
- Related graduate capabilities and elements:
- Literacies and Communication Skills(Writing,Cultural Literacy)
- Literacies and Communication Skills(Writing,Cultural Literacy)
- Inquiry and Analytical Skills(Critical Thinking,Inquiry/Research)
- Inquiry and Analytical Skills(Critical Thinking,Inquiry/Research)
- Discipline -Specific Knowledge and Skills(Discipline-Specific Knowledge and Skills)
02. Explain key concepts and theories in the sociology of mental health and illness.
- Activities:
- Tutorial exercises based on key research articles from sociology of mental health and illness, together with analysis of contemporary social issues/problems; a 2,000-word essay exploring a topic in the sociology of mental health and illness; online quizzes.
- Related graduate capabilities and elements:
- Literacies and Communication Skills(Writing,Cultural Literacy)
- Literacies and Communication Skills(Writing,Cultural Literacy)
- Inquiry and Analytical Skills(Critical Thinking,Inquiry/Research)
- Inquiry and Analytical Skills(Critical Thinking,Inquiry/Research)
- Discipline -Specific Knowledge and Skills(Discipline-Specific Knowledge and Skills)
03. Summarise research and arguments on a specific topic in the sociology of mental health and illness.
- Activities:
- Tutorial exercises based on key research articles from sociology of mental health and illness, together with analysis of contemporary social issues/problems; a 2,000-word essay exploring a topic in the sociology of mental health and illness.
- Related graduate capabilities and elements:
- Literacies and Communication Skills(Writing,Cultural Literacy)
- Literacies and Communication Skills(Writing,Cultural Literacy)
- Inquiry and Analytical Skills(Critical Thinking,Inquiry/Research)
- Inquiry and Analytical Skills(Critical Thinking,Inquiry/Research)
- Discipline -Specific Knowledge and Skills(Discipline-Specific Knowledge and Skills)
Albury-Wodonga, 2019, Semester 2, Blended
Overview
Online enrolment: Yes
Maximum enrolment size: N/A
Enrolment information:
Subject Instance Co-ordinator: Anne-Maree Sawyer
Class requirements
LectureWeek: 31 - 43
One 2.0 hours lecture per week on weekdays during the day from week 31 to week 43 and delivered via online.
TutorialWeek: 31 - 43
One 1.0 hours tutorial per week on weekdays during the day from week 31 to week 43 and delivered via face-to-face.
Assessments
| Assessment element | Comments | % | ILO* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tutorial exercises - 1,000-words | 30 | 02, 03 | |
| Online quizzes - equivalent 800-words | 20 | 01, 02 | |
| Essay - 2,000-words | 50 | 01, 02, 03 |
Bendigo, 2019, Semester 2, Blended
Overview
Online enrolment: Yes
Maximum enrolment size: N/A
Enrolment information:
Subject Instance Co-ordinator: Anne-Maree Sawyer
Class requirements
LectureWeek: 31 - 43
One 2.0 hours lecture per week on weekdays during the day from week 31 to week 43 and delivered via online.
TutorialWeek: 31 - 43
One 1.0 hours tutorial per week on weekdays during the day from week 31 to week 43 and delivered via face-to-face.
Assessments
| Assessment element | Comments | % | ILO* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tutorial exercises - 1,000-words | 30 | 02, 03 | |
| Online quizzes - equivalent 800-words | 20 | 01, 02 | |
| Essay - 2,000-words | 50 | 01, 02, 03 |
Melbourne, 2019, Semester 2, Blended
Overview
Online enrolment: Yes
Maximum enrolment size: N/A
Enrolment information:
Subject Instance Co-ordinator: Anne-Maree Sawyer
Class requirements
LectureWeek: 31 - 43
One 2.0 hours lecture per week on weekdays during the day from week 31 to week 43 and delivered via online.
TutorialWeek: 31 - 43
One 1.0 hours tutorial per week on weekdays during the day from week 31 to week 43 and delivered via face-to-face.
Assessments
| Assessment element | Comments | % | ILO* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tutorial exercises - 1,000-words | 30 | 02, 03 | |
| Online quizzes - equivalent 800-words | 20 | 01, 02 | |
| Essay - 2,000-words | 50 | 01, 02, 03 |
Mildura, 2019, Semester 2, Blended
Overview
Online enrolment: Yes
Maximum enrolment size: N/A
Enrolment information:
Subject Instance Co-ordinator: Anne-Maree Sawyer
Class requirements
LectureWeek: 31 - 43
One 2.0 hours lecture per week on weekdays during the day from week 31 to week 43 and delivered via online.
TutorialWeek: 31 - 43
One 1.0 hours tutorial per week on weekdays during the day from week 31 to week 43 and delivered via face-to-face.
Assessments
| Assessment element | Comments | % | ILO* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tutorial exercises - 1,000-words | 30 | 02, 03 | |
| Online quizzes - equivalent 800-words | 20 | 01, 02 | |
| Essay - 2,000-words | 50 | 01, 02, 03 |
Shepparton, 2019, Semester 2, Blended
Overview
Online enrolment: Yes
Maximum enrolment size: N/A
Enrolment information:
Subject Instance Co-ordinator: Anne-Maree Sawyer
Class requirements
LectureWeek: 31 - 43
One 2.0 hours lecture per week on weekdays during the day from week 31 to week 43 and delivered via online.
TutorialWeek: 31 - 43
One 1.0 hours tutorial per week on weekdays during the day from week 31 to week 43 and delivered via face-to-face.
Assessments
| Assessment element | Comments | % | ILO* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tutorial exercises - 1,000-words | 30 | 02, 03 | |
| Online quizzes - equivalent 800-words | 20 | 01, 02 | |
| Essay - 2,000-words | 50 | 01, 02, 03 |