| CODE | SOC0021 | ||||||||||||
| TITLE | Introduction to Sociology of Health, Illness and Medicine | ||||||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 00 - Mod Pre-Tert, Foundation, Proficiency & DegreePlus | ||||||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 4 | ||||||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 4 | ||||||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Sociology | ||||||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | This study-unit will provide a brief introduction to Sociology and the main sociological perspectives and concepts related to health, illness and medicine in society. It will explore the main tenets related to the sociology of the body, the social construction of health, illness and disease as well as examine the dynamic processes that impact on the lived experience of health and illness. It will also explore and examine issues central to the social determinants of health and disease, including the inequalities in health lined to sex/gender, ethnicity and social class. This study-unit will involve group based discussions, different case-studies and scenarios, as well as formal lectures detailing relevant sociological theory. Study-unit Aims: - To introduce healthcare students to the main sociological perspectives and the key sociological theories and concepts underpinning the field of health and illness. - To increase students' knowledge and awareness about classical and contemporary sociological debates of health and illness; - To encourage participants to discuss and assess topical examples in the field of health and illness by applying relevant sociological theory; - To critically examine the social context of health and illness and explore how socio-political, cultural and material influences impact health and illness. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Explain key sociological concepts and theories within the field of sociology of health and illness; - Apply classical and contemporary sociological theory when discussing and debating contemporary health and illness issues, by referring to real-life examples in the field; - Apply sociological concepts when analysing health inequalities, associated with class, ethnicity and gender, and other complex issues in the context of health and illness. 2. Skills By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Effectively articulate and communicate the major issues, debates and perspectives in the sociology of health and illness, in written form or during group discussions/presentations; - Reflect critically on major issues in the field of sociology of health and illness and critically evaluate the sociological approaches to health and illness; - Explore/research a particular issue within the sociology of health and illness and apply acquired knowledge in relation to the content of the course, in the form of a task-based assignment. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: - Barry, A & Yuill C. (Eds.) (2012). Understanding the Sociology of Health: An Introduction (3rd ed.). London: Sage Publications. - Gabe, J. & Monaghan, L. F. (Eds.) (2013) Key Concepts in Medical Sociology. London: Sage Publications. - Giddens, A. & Sutton, P. W (2021) Sociology (9thed.). Cambridge: Polity Press. - Howson, A. (2012). The Body in Society: An Introduction (2nd ed.). Cambridge: Polity. - Nettleton, S. (2020) The Sociology of Health and Illness (4th ed.). Cambridge: Polity Press. - Russell, L. (2013) Sociology for Health Professionals. London: Sage Publications. |
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| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture | ||||||||||||
| METHOD OF ASSESSMENT |
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| LECTURER/S | Kay Polidano |
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2025/6. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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