Hlsc120 Essay

Words: 1818
Pages: 8

2/17/2016

HLSC12O: SOCIETY, CULTURE AND HEALTH
Lecture One: Introduction

Introductions
Teaching staff:
Please check your campus unit outline
Unit Outline:
Learning outcomes
Assessment
Content

Group introduction and activity

Assessment tasks

Assessment Task

Word length Weight
(or equiv)

Teamwork: Student Seminar

20‐25 mins 20%

Written Exam

2,000 words 40%

Reflective Writing Assignment

1,750 words 40%

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Topics for Today
• A sociological approach and the sociological imagination
• Biomedical model
• Globalisation and health

After this session you will be able to.....
 Explain basic features of a sociological approach to health and illness  Describe the key
…show more content…
“…enables us to grasp history
[and social structure] and biography and the relations between the two within society”
(1970:12).
(Willis & Elmer, 2011:3)
"Mills,C.W" by User:キヨンネ ‐ Own work. Licensed under CC BY‐SA 3.0 via
Wikimedia Commons ‐ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mills,C.W.JPG#/media/File:Mills,C.W.JPG 4

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The Sociological Imagination
Four aspects to sociological analysis:
1. Historical factors ‐ influence of past
2. Structural factors ‐ influence of social organisation
3. Cultural factors ‐ influence of culture
4. Critical factors ‐ asking why
(Evan Willis in Germov, 2014, p. 7‐8)

The Sociological Imagination
Historical

Structural

Sociological
Analysis

Cultural

Critical
14

Personal troubles/public issues
• Personal trouble:
– Workplace injuries/death affect very small percentage of workforce. • Public issue:
– 500 workers per year are killed while at work; large numbers of workers experience injury or disease as a result of work.

A focus on the broader context shaping people’s lives

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Personal trouble/public issue
Personal trouble:
Your child exhibits ‘behaviour problems’, is diagnosed with
ADHD and takes Ritalin.
Public issue:
One-two children in each class diagnosed with ADHD and takes Ritalin.

Questions for reflection
Think of a contemporary health problem
– How might it be described in ways that reflect a