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Teaching

Course	Session topic	Learning Outcomes
MBBS 5 Year	Sociological perspectives in health & illness	To gain a broad understanding of the sociological perspective in the study of health and illness. To consider the ways in which an understanding of the social dimension of health, illness and disease can contribute to both health policy development and clinical practice
	Social inequalities in health	Describe the major patterns of health inequality in Britain today Define the following concepts: social class, gender and ethnicity Outline the major sociological and epidemiological explanations for continuing social inequalities in health outcome.
	Social support and social integration	To be able to define the concept of social support in the context of the illness experience. To be able to demonstrate an understanding of the relationship that exists between a breakdown in social integration and social stress.
	The social experience of chronic illness and disability	To demonstrate an understanding of the prevalence of chronic illness within Britain today. To be able to describe the social factors influencing the experience of living with a chronic illness To be able to discuss the ways in which the social meanings associated with the experience of living with a chronic illness emerge over time
	Lay health beliefs	Examine the social, material and cultural origins of lay health beliefs. Describe the ways in which lay health beliefs may diverge from the clinical understandings of health professionals
	The sociology of mental illness and health	To be able to describe the ‘life events’ and the social causation model of mental health To be able to assess the continuing efficacy of labelling theory in relation to living with a mental illness. To examine the social construction of mental illness perspective : Defining normal behaviour To be able to contextualise these social models in relation to the diagnosis and treatment of schizophrenia
	The doctor-patient relationship	To be able to describe the characteristic features of the doctor-client interaction identified within sociological research. To be able to define the concept of clinical autonomy
	Theorising risky health behaviour	To be able to describe the characteristic features of the doctor-client interaction identified within sociological research. To be able to define the concept of clinical autonomy
	The social organisation of death and dying	Describe the historical and social changes that have occurred in the meanings associated with death and dying. Describe and discuss the social and organisational processes that are associated with the construct known as the ‘medicalisation of death’. Describe and discuss the notion of dying as a ‘status passage’.
MBBS 4 year GEP	Changing Patterns of Family & Kinship	Describe the changing social patterns of family and kinship in Britain. Discuss the social & cultural context in which couples (or individuals) make decisions about having a family
	Labelling and Stigma	Outline the components of the sociological concept of labelling and stigma in relation to the parental experience of having a child with learning disabilities
	The sociology of teenage sexuality	Describe the changes in sexual attitudes and behaviour of young people in Britain today. Discuss the social, economic, and cultural reasons for the increase in the rate of teenage pregnancy in Britain over the past decade
	Social aspects of Ageing	Introduce the bio-psycho-social model of ageing Discuss the importance of the social context of old age Explore ageism and its consequences for the delivery of health for the elderly
	Race' & Ethnicity	Critically assess social and theoretical assumptions underpinning the concepts of ‘race’, ethnicity and culture. Explore the theory and practice of ethnic monitoring within the NHS.
	Work, Stress & illness	Describe the relationship between work-related stress and health outcomes Outline the Job strain/ DCS epidemiological model
	Theorising Risky health Behaviour	A critical understanding of the notion of health behaviour in the context of health promotion strategies
	Lay health beliefs	Help seeking/illness behaviour / Lay health beliefs.
	Social patterns of Alcohol -use	Describe the social pattern of alcohol use/misuse Outline the costs to the NHS of alcohol misuse Consider the tensions that exist in relation to the Department of Health’s alcohol prevention strategy Discuss the practical issues surrounding an alcohol misuse screening programme
	Informal carers	Discuss the community care framework in which informal caring is practised. Examine the politics of caring: as function of family or state responsibility. Identify the needs of carers & how met.
	The Regulation of Health Risk : State governance and individual responsibility	The role of the state in enforcing personal safety (outside of the workplace H&S legislation) Case study - The compulsory wearing of cycle helmets
	Social aspects of chronic illness revisited	Discuss the contribution of sociological research to furthering an understanding of the social experience of living with a chronic illness
	Social issues associated with the care of children in hospital	Describe the social and emotional consequences of repeated hospitalisation for children living with a chronic illness Gain an understanding of the service provision issues that have been associated with the care of children from ethnic minorities in hospital
	Socio-cultural contextualisation of death and dying	Describe the historical and social changes that have occurred in the meanings associated with death. Exploring the social issues surrounding the so-called ‘medicalisation of death and dying’ in modern health care systems.
	Sociology of Homelessness	Define the term homelessness. Discuss the causes of homelessness in Britain today. Outline why the problem of homelessness is a public health issue.
	The regulation of Beta interferon treatment	Discuss the management of the introduction of beta interferon treatment for MS within the NHS
	Sociology of mental illness	Critically examine the contribution of sociological perspectives to the ways in which mental health and illness is conceptualised within modern societies. Demonstrate an understanding of the social factors associated with aetiology of mental illness in Britain today
	Sociology of the Body	The concept of the ‘embodied self’ : Why the body is central to self identity The concept of the ‘Body project’ : Examining the body in consumerist society Assessing Goffman’s work on ‘Body Idiom’
	The Politics of renal dialysis provision	To be able to explain in relation to renal dialysis provision within the NHS, the ways in which need is assessed and services planned.
	Social outcomes of rehabilitation	Outline the availability of rehabilitation services for patients with mild traumatic brain injury Describe some of the typical social and behavioural consequences of closed head injury (CBI) Discuss the evidence for the effectiveness of rehabilitation following mild CBI. Describe the key principles informing the process of rehabilitation for patients with mild/moderate traumatic head injury
	Social dependency	Discuss the ways in which old age has been socially constructed as a period marked by dependency. Describe the objectives of the NSF for older people. Discuss the relationship between the availability of social resources and dependency in old age.
	Inequality in Child Health	Describe the conclusions of over two decades of social research into the causes of social inequalities in health Describe some of the evidence for the persistence of inequalities in child health Discuss the components of material disadvantage which lead to inequalities in child health
	Social construction of gender	Be able to explain the difference between ‘biological sex’ and ‘gender’ Be able to describe some of the ways in which gender identities are socially constructed. Be able to describe the analytical limitations of the radical forms of both essentialism and social constructionism
	Health care provision for asylum seekers	Examine the social and political problems associated with the provision of health care for asylum seekers
MSc Health Sciences Sociology of health & illness module	Introduction to the sociology of health & illness	To gain a broad understanding of the sociological perspective in the context of the study of health and illness within society. To consider the ways in which an understanding of the social dimension of health, illness and disease can contribute to both health policy development and clinical practice.
	Health and changing societies	To be familiar with the idea that disease patterns vary from place to place and change over time, in response to variations in environment, lifestyle and medical intervention. To appreciate the importance of a population and societal perspective for a full understanding of the processes involved in the prevention and control of health and disease.
	Inequalities in health	To consider different theoretical explanations for differences in health status. To examine the associations between social class and mortality and morbidity, and to consider competing explanations for these associations. To consider the relationship between poverty, area deprivation and health.
	Medical knowledge and uncertainty	To consider the ways in which scientific knowledge is increasingly contested within late modern societies. To be able to examine the gap between the theory and practice of medicine
	The health professions	To consider the ways in which scientific knowledge is increasingly contested within late modern societies. To be able to examine the gap between the theory and practice of medicine
	Lay health beliefs	To consider the differences between professional and lay views of ‘damaging’ and ‘risky’ health behaviour. To appreciate the ways in which lay health beliefs are rooted in wider socio-cultural contexts. Evaluate the reasons for the emergence of the discourse of the ‘Expert patient’ within official health policy.
	The sociology of health care systems	Gain an understanding of the historical and material basis of the development of health care systems in modern societies. Contextualise contemporary developments in health care policy within sociological frameworks of analysis
MSc Health Sciences Elective module Critical perspectives in health and health care	Social theory and health	Introduction
	Feminism(s)	key epistemological assumptions underpinning feminist theory and feminist approaches to the study of health and health care
	Foucault:	Power, surveillance and governmentality
	Symbolic Interactionism :	labelling theory and negotiation
	Marxism	The political economy of health
	Phenomenology and Ethnomethodology:	The social construction of health and illness
	Habermas	Communicative Action
	Bourdieu :	Habitus and social practice
	Weber	Bureaucratic organisations and health care delivery
	Historical Sociology and Time	Time as a concept in social theory and its use in relation to specific examples relating to health and illness