| CODE | SOC5016 | ||||||||||||
| TITLE | Health, Knowledge and Practice | ||||||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 05 - Postgraduate Modular Diploma or Degree Course | ||||||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 7 | ||||||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 5 | ||||||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Sociology | ||||||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | The study-unit explores the social processes that impact knowledge production, beliefs and practices in the context of health and illness. The course will begin with a close look at how lay knowledge on health is constructed, experienced, and enacted in our everyday lives. Focus will then shift to the clinical setting where the underpinnings, boundaries and application of medical knowledge will be explored. The importance of scientific evidence in clinical decision-making is examined alongside other forms of ‘knowing’ – rooted in intuition, values, interpretation, and narratives. The ethical dilemmas surrounding the application of clinical knowledge to real-life situations will be explored using key theories of bioethics. Study-unit Aims: This study-unit aims to: - interrogate societal constructions of health, illness and disease across time and space; - problematize the centrality of objectivity and certainty in the production of knowledge, reasoning and practice of biomedicine; - offer critique and alternatives to evidence-based medicine; - highlight the importance of lay knowledge and narratives in the clinical setting,and the outcomes of patient communication and public health efforts; - introduce the key bioethical theories and apply them to discussing case studies within contemporary medical situations. 1. Knowledge & Understanding By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - understand how health-related discourses are constructed by different actors; - describe the processes by which lay people understand and interpret health risks and how these shape behaviour; - critique the process of biomedical knowledge production and its application in healthcare settings; - understand the dominant models informing healthcare practice, identify their strengths and weaknesses, and consider alternative models; - demonstrate understanding of ethical decision-making in clinical practice; - apply key ethical theories to discussion of clinical case studies. 2. Skills By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - think critically about contemporary social issues during classroom discussions and written assignments, and use classical/contemporary theory to address them; - use online and library resources selectively and critically to augment study-unit material, navigate with confidence through online resources and understand how to distinguish between generic web sites and serious academic and professional tools; - contribute effectively and confidently during focused group discussions, using logical arguments and applying the relevant theories; - present a reasoned and well structured assignment on a set topic using recognized citation and referencing methods effectively and consistently; - deliver a presentation of a set topic, working as a member of a team and using IT tools effectively. All of these skills are transferable and will prove useful to students in a variety of fields. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: Main Texts: - BARRY, A.M. and YUILL, C. Understanding the Sociology of Health (3rd Edition) . SAGE publications. - BAILLE, H., McGEEHAN, J. THOMAS, G. 2012, Health Care Ethics, Pearson. - HUBLEY, J. and COPEMAN, J., 2013. Practical health promotion. Polity. Supplementary Readings: - STANLEY, K. W. 2014. An Introduction to the Philosophy of Science. Cambridge University Press. - MONTGOMERY K. 2005 How Doctors Think. Oxford University Press. - ASHCROFT, R.E., DAWSON, A., DRAPER, H. and MCMILLAN, J., 2007. Principles of health care ethics. John Wiley & Sons. - TONES, K. and GREEN, J., 2004. Health promotion: planning and strategies. UK: Sage. - KUHSE, H., SCHÜKLENK, U. and SINGER, P., 2015. Bioethics: an anthology. John Wiley & Sons. - MARCUM, J.A., 2008. An introductory philosophy of medicine: Humanizing modern medicine. Springer Science & Business Media. |
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| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture, Independent Study, Seminar and Tutorial | ||||||||||||
| METHOD OF ASSESSMENT |
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| LECTURER/S | Kay Polidano Raymond Zammit |
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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 2024/5. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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