University of Sydney Handbooks - 2020 Archive

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Health Communication

Semester 2, 2020 unit of study availability

Some Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences units of study originally intended to run in Semester 2, 2020 are no longer available.

A full and up-to-date list of units of study available in Semester 2, 2020 from the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, can be found on this webpage.
 

Health Communication

Master of Health Communication

Students complete 72 credit points, including:
(a) a minimum of 24 credit points of core units of study; and
(b) a maximum of 42 credit points from elective units of study
(i) with the permission of the Degree Coordinator a maximum of 12 credit points can be taken as elective units from units of study outside those listed in the table, including:
(ii) a maximum of 6 credit points from units of study offered by other faculties.

Graduate Diploma in Health Communication

Students complete 48 credit points, including:
(a) a minimum of 24 credit points of core units of study; and
(b) a maximum of 24 credit points from elective units of study
(i) with the permission of the Degree Coordinator a maximum of 6 credit points can be taken as elective units from units of study outside those listed in the table

Graduate Certificate in Health Communication

Students complete 24 credit points, including:
(a) a minimum of 12 credit points of core units of study; and
(b) a maximum of 12 credit points from elective units of study.

Core

MECO6909 Crisis Communication

Credit points: 6 Session: Semester 1 Classes: 1x2hr seminar/week Assessment: 2x1000wd short-answer essay (30%), 1x3000wd research report (50%), 1x500wd group project presentation (10%), 1x500wd weekly comments (10%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
The unit will examine how organisations use public relations (PR) to deal with crisis situations. Throughout the unit we will use case studies to explore frameworks, risk prioritisation, issues management, planning, response and evaluation strategies for diverse organisations and topics from environmental and corporate to health and social.
MECO6919 Health Communication

Credit points: 6 Session: Semester 1 Classes: 1x2hr seminar/week Assessment: 1x1000wd commentary and critique (20%), 1x500wd discussion leadership (15%), 1x1500wd research project on health issue (25%), 1x3000wd research paper (40%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
This unit introduces key concepts in health communication. Students will explore micro- and macro-level theories of health (behaviour) communication that inform the design and implementation of health communication campaigns, planned and unplanned effects of communication campaigns, and the evaluation of such campaigns. It aims to give students a critical and practical understanding of theory and research concerning the role of communication in health promotion efforts.
MECO6927 Organisational Communication

Credit points: 6 Session: Semester 2 Classes: 1x2hr seminar/week Assessment: 2x1250wd in-class essay (40%), 1x3000wd group research project (50%), 1x500wd discussion facilitation (10%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
This unit of study introduces key concepts in organisational communication. Students will explore various structures of organisations and how those structures affect the flow of communication within workplaces. Upon the completion of the unit, students will develop their understanding of key concepts in organisational communication and apply them to analyse communication problems in organisations. Students will also be able to offer well-grounded criticism on selected organisational issues.
MECO6934 Social Issues Marketing

Credit points: 6 Session: Semester 2 Classes: 1x2hr seminar/week Assessment: 1x1500wd Essay (30%), 1x1500wd Weekly Comments (20%), 1x500wd Team Presentation (10%), 1x2500wd Team Project Report (40%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
Social Marketing integrates marketing concepts with other approaches to influence behaviours that benefit individuals and communities. Examples include smoking cessation, HIV prevention and recycling. Key elements include research, theory, competition and segmentation. This unit builds students' knowledge of how social marketing can be used to facilitate behaviour change and improve social outcomes, including health, environment, economic and education programs. It will include how to design, manage and communicate social and behaviour change programs in Australia and internationally.

Capstone

MECO6904 Dissertation Part 1

Credit points: 6 Session: Semester 1,Semester 2 Classes: 6x0.5hr supervisor consultations/semester Prerequisites: 24 credit points from Digital Communication & Cultures or Media Practice or Health Communication or Strategic Public Relations or Publishing degree tables Corequisites: MECO6939 Prohibitions: MECO6928 or MECO6935 Assessment: A completed research proposal and, where necessary, an ethics application, together with research and writing contributing to a dissertation of 12000 words, for completion in MECO6905. Mode of delivery: Supervision
Note: Department permission required for enrolment
This unit requires students to commence the conduct of their own research projects under the supervision of a member of staff and write a dissertation of 12000 words (completed in the second semester of enrolment in MECO6905). In some cases these projects will give students the opportunity to extend lines of enquiry suggested by units of study already completed for the degree. In other cases, students may have an interest in an area not covered by the coursework programs offered during their candidature that can be developed as a supervised project.
MECO6905 Dissertation Part 2

Credit points: 6 Session: Semester 1,Semester 2 Classes: 6x0.5hr supervisor consultations/semester Prerequisites: 48 credit points, including MECO6904 from Digital Communication & Cultures or Media Practice or Health Communication or Strategic Public Relations or Publishing degree tables Prohibitions: MECO6928 or MECO6935 Assessment: Completion of writing for a dissertation of 12000 words (100%) Mode of delivery: Supervision
Note: Department permission required for enrolment
This unit requires completion of a dissertation of 12000 words, begun in the previous semester. Together with MECO6904, the unit allows students to conduct their own research projects under the supervision of a member of staff.
MECO6928 Media and Communication Internship

Credit points: 6 Session: Intensive December,Intensive June,Semester 1,Semester 2 Classes: 20 day internship placement Prerequisites: 48 credit points from Digital Communication & Cultures or Media Practice or Health Communication or Strategic Public Relations or Publishing degree tables Prohibitions: MECO6904 or MECO6905 or MECO6935 Assessment: 1x20day internship placement, 1x1500wd reflective journal (and folio) (40%), 1x1500wd industry research report (40%), 1x1500wd social media participation (20%) Practical field work: 20 day (140 hours) full-time internship in an approved organisation Mode of delivery: Professional practice
Note: Department permission required for enrolment
This capstone unit of study offers Master degree students in the Department of Media and Communications (MECO) 20 days (140 hours) work experience in roles relating to their degree. Internships require critical reflection on professional practice and foster skills, knowledge and experience that enhance employment prospects. Placements may include reporting, editing, producing, designing, researching, publishing, public and media relations, campaigns, and other tasks. Available to MECO Master students only, following the completion of at least two core units of study.
MECO6935 Professional Project

Credit points: 6 Session: Semester 1,Semester 2 Classes: 1x2hr seminar/wk Prerequisites: 48 credit points from Digital Communication & Cultures or Media Practice or Health Communication or Strategic Public Relations or Publishing degree tables Prohibitions: MECO6904 or MECO6905 or MECO6928 or MECO6939 Assessment: 1x1000wd project proposal (20%), 1x3000wd research essay (40%), seminar presentation (10%), 1x1000wd exegesis (20%), 1x1000wd in-class presentation (10%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
Note: Department permission required for enrolment
This capstone unit is designed for students' final semester of study, providing them with the opportunity to apply learning from their degree to the completion of a researched project relevant to their career goals. Working with the coordinator, students choose an academic essay, industry report, media campaign or journalism project. Learning is supported by training in literature reviewing and data collection, research methods, project planning and independent consultations.
MECO6932 Advanced Media Project

Credit points: 6 Session: Semester 1,Semester 2 Classes: 1x3hr seminar/week Prerequisites: 48 credit points including MECO6900 and (MECO6924 or MECO6925 or MECO6941) Prohibitions: MECO6928 or MECO6904 or MECO6905 or MECO6935 Assessment: 1x1000wd research brief (30%), 1x3000wd major project (50%), 1x500wd student peer reviewed activity (20%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
Note: Department permission required for enrolment
Note: Open to Masters' students only
This is a project-based capstone unit focusing on specific publication and project outcomes. It builds on knowledge, techniques, professionalism and skills acquired by students who have satisfactorily completed the prerequisite units, and further opportunity to enhance that knowledge, and practice those skills. Students will produce a substantial factual audio/video media project and experience many facets of production and problem solving encountered in delivering a major media project in a convergent production environment.

Elective

ARIN6902 Internet Cultures and Governance

Credit points: 6 Session: Semester 1 Classes: 1x2hr seminar/week Assessment: 1x2000wd journalism piece (40%), 1x3000wd essay (50%), 1x1000wd tutorial exercise (10%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
The internet plays an increasingly important role in all aspects of social, cultural and economic life. This unit of study explores cultures and governance of the online world and investigates how politics manifest not only in public debates and policy, but also in the struggle to develop new information architectures and digital ecosystems.
ARIN6903 Digital Media and Society

Credit points: 6 Session: Semester 2 Classes: 1x2hr seminar/week Assessment: 1x2000wd short essay (30%), 1x1000wd research outline and presentation (20%), 1x3000wd research proposal (50%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
Digital media technologies are increasingly central to culture, society and everyday life. They mediate individual experience and reconfigure communities. They structure work, play and social interaction. This unit explores the role of digital media in visuality, feelings, identities, power relations, activist practices, mobilities and algorithmic cultures. Students are equipped with tools for researching digital sociality to design a research project using ethnographic and/or text-mining methods.
Textbooks
ARIN6903 Course Reader
ARIN6905 New Media Audiences

Credit points: 6 Session: Semester 1 Classes: 1x2hr seminar/week Assessment: 1x1500wd Seminar presentation (20%), 1x2500wd Essay (40%), 1x2000wd case study reviews (blog) (30%), Seminar participation (10%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
Media audiences are experiencing knowledge, art and entertainment in novel ways as cultural industries increasingly take up emerging technologies. New Media Audiences investigates the range of contemporary practices of production, distribution and consumption associated with digital tools. We examine the sites where audiences experience digital media: art galleries, cinemas, theatres, homes, mobile devices, public spaces, workplaces and online. We analyse how these spaces and interfaces structure audience experience, afford interaction and encourage participation.
BETH5203 Ethics and Public Health

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Dr Kate MacKay Session: Semester 2 Classes: 5 x 7 hour intensive workshops; or Online only. Prohibitions: BETH5206 Assessment: 5 x Online Quiz (50%); 1 x 2500 word essay (50%) Mode of delivery: Block mode, Online
Note: If an insufficient number of students opt to attend intensives on campus, the coordinator may choose to teach this unit of study in online mode only. Students will be contacted if this occurs.
This unit provides students with an overview of the ethical and political issues that underlie public health and public health research. The unit begins with some fundamentals: the nature of ethics, of public health (and how it might be different to clinical medicine) and of public health ethics. It introduces key concepts in public health ethics including liberty, utility, justice, solidarity and reciprocity, and introduces students to different ways of reasoning about the ethics of public health. A range of practical public health problems and issues will be considered, including ethical dimensions of communicable and non-communicable diseases in populations, and the ethical challenges of public health research. Throughout, the emphasis is on learning to make sound arguments about the ethical aspects of public health policy, practice and research. Most learning occurs in the context of five teaching intensives, which are highly interactive and focus on the development and application of reasoning skills.
Textbooks
Students are provided with a list of readings (in digital format).
BETH5206 Introduction to Public Health Ethics

This unit of study is not available in 2020

Credit points: 2 Teacher/Coordinator: TBC Session: Semester 2a Classes: 2x7hour intensives; or Distance Education (online) Prohibitions: BETH5203 Assessment: 2xOnline Quiz (40%); 1x1500wd essay (60%) Mode of delivery: Online, Block mode
Note: Department permission required for enrolment
Note: Students enrolled in the Graduate Diploma or Master of Public Health may choose to take BETH5203 (6CP) instead of BETH5206 (2CP). This unit is available to Master of Public Health (MPH) students only.
BETH5206 Ethics and Public Health introduces you to a range of ethical issues that arise within the practice of public health. It begins with an orientation to the field: we will discuss conceptualisations of public health, what ethics is, and how ethics relates to evidence. We will talk about the origins and development of public health ethics as a (relatively new) field, and how it is distinguished from other areas of ethics. Your learning will then be structured around three sets of important concepts. The first are concepts central to utilitarian reasoning: benefit, harm and cost. The second cluster of concepts relates to the proper relationship between the citizen and the state (including public health as an institution): they are freedom, liberty and paternalism. The third cluster includes fairness, justice and equity, concepts that are often used rhetorically in public health, but not always carried through into practice. We will focus on two main case studies to apply what you learn. Throughout this unit you will be encouraged to ask questions, and to compare and debate competing answers to those questions. What is public health? What does it mean to say that something is harmful? To what extent should we each be free to engage in practices that harm our health? What is the proper role of the state in attempting to change the health of populations? What is equity and why does it matter (and if it matters, why aren't we doing more about it)? This is a Core Unit for Graduate Diploma and Master in Public Health students. Most learning occurs in the context of two teaching intensives, which are highly interactive and focus on the development and application of reasoning skills.
Textbooks
Students are provided with a list of readings (in digital format). Most supplementary readings can be accessed through the library or online.
BETH5207 Creativity and Creative Arts in Health

This unit of study is not available in 2020

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Dr Claire Hooker Session: Semester 1 Classes: 2 x 2 days 9am-5pm block mode intensive Assessment: 2 x 500 word or equivalent online task (25%), 1 x 1000 word written assignment or equivalent (25%), 1 x 2500 word written assignment or equivalent (50%) Mode of delivery: Block mode
Creative practices are transforming health and healthcare. The arts and health sector is rapidly expanding globally, generating lasting impacts at the nexus between wellbeing, community, and individual physical health. Creative practices are shifting aging and residential care, mental health, and disability, from exclusion and stigmatisation, towards empowerment, agency, and connection. This unit gives students practical examples of how to incorporate the creative arts into public health and health care. You will be oriented to theories, justifications, and research evidence for varying uses of creative arts in health, and will be given access to a range of practical approaches, models and experiences. Areas covered include: the status and uses of art and music as therapy; narrative health; hospital art, design and architecture; creative practice in community health, and the role of art in public health, health research, and social marketing campaigns. Students will have unique access to guest lecturers who are world leaders in the fields of arts based research and knowledge translation; community transformation; art for social change; Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health; and arts and ethics in health. This course will appeal to students of public health; health communication; health policy; literary, visual and performing arts; social work; psychology; and related disciplines, who want to understand more about the indivisibility of culture, community, country and health.
Textbooks
Students are provided with a list of readings (in digital format). Supplementary readings and course materials, to which students are invited to contribute, can be accessed through the library or online.
BETH5209 Medicines Policy, Economics and Ethics

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Associate Professor Wendy Lipworth, Dr Narcyz Ghinea Session: Semester 2 Classes: Fully online. Assumed knowledge: A degree in science, medicine, pharmacy, nursing, allied health, philosophy/ethics, sociology/anthropology, history, law, communications, public policy, business, economics, commerce, organisation studies, or other relevant field, or by special permission. Assessment: Online work (15%) 1 x minor essay (35%) 1 x major essay (50%) Mode of delivery: Online
Medicines save lives but they can be costly and can have serious adverse effects. Value-laden decisions are continuously being made at individual, institutional, national and international levels regarding the medicines we need, want and can afford. In this unit of study, we will explore and critique global and national policies and processes related to medicines, examining how research and development agendas are set; how medicines are assessed and evaluated; and how new technologies are translated into practice. We will also explore broader trends such as globalisation, commercialisation and changing consumer expectations. By the end of the course, students will understand the forces shaping the development, regulation, funding and uptake of medicines both nationally and internationally, and the political, ethical, legal and economic issues that are at stake. This course is designed to appeal to a wide range of students from ethics, law, public health, health care, policy, communications, economics, business, politics, administration, and biomedical science.
Textbooks
Readings will be provided
CISS6004 Health and Security

Credit points: 6 Session: Semester 2 Classes: 1x1.5hr lecture/week, 1x1.5hr seminar/week Assessment: 1x1000wd Issue brief (35%), 1x3000wd Research essay (50%), 1x500wd Self-evaluation (15%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
This unit assesses the political and security significance of disease-related events and developments. Whether one contemplates historical experiences with smallpox, the contemporary challenges posed by diseases such as HIV/AIDS and SARS, or the risks arising from new scientific developments such as synthetic biology, it is clear that diseases exercise a powerful influence over civilised humankind. The unit concentrates on areas in which human health and security concerns intersect most closely, including: biological weapons; fast-moving disease outbreaks of natural origin; safety and security in microbiology laboratories; and the relationships between infectious disease patterns, public health capacity, state functioning and violent conflict. The overall aim of the unit is to provide students with a stronger understanding of the scientific and political nature of these problems, why and how they might threaten security, and the conceptual and empirical connections between them.
DVST6906 Culture, Gender, Health in Development

Credit points: 6 Session: Semester 2 Classes: 1x2hr seminar/week Assessment: 1x500wd Research essay proposal (10%), 1x3500wd Research essay (60%), 1x1000wd equivalent Class presentation (15%), 1x1000wd Online weekly reading notes (15%), Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
This unit of study provides an integrated and interpretive approach to understanding the culture and politics of health development in middle and low-income countries. The structures and processes that inform the politics and culture of health development are global, regional and local, and encompass and operate at different social and institutional levels in diverse settings. The articulation of these will be studied, along with the processes and transitions to local worlds that unfold in embedded cultural and social contexts.
EDPK5003 Developing a Research Project

Credit points: 6 Session: Semester 1,Semester 2 Classes: 4x4 hr Saturday workshops, plus online lectures and activities Assessment: online exercises (40%) and class presentation (20%) and research proposal (40%) Mode of delivery: Block mode
This unit is seen as the foundation unit in research methods and it provides an overview of the research process, with a focus on developing skills for critical evaluation of research reports and the design of research projects. Research strategies, sampling and design issues and various methods of data collection and analysis are examined. Students explore both quantitative and qualitative research approaches. The assessment in this unit is developed around students' own research interests and by the end of the unit students will have developed their own research proposal document.
GCST5910 Health, Pleasure and Consumption

Credit points: 6 Session: Semester 2 Classes: 1x1hr lecture/week, 1x1hr tutorial/week Assessment: 1x4000wd essay (60%), 1x2000wd case study (30%), participation exercises (10%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
Pleasure is often thought to make everyday life worthwhile, but it is also commonly positioned as the antithesis of health. In this unit we explore how key strands of cultural studies have approached this paradox with reference to specific examples: Drug use, sex, consumption, leisure activities are possibilities. By considering how authorities have attempted to govern these practices, and with what effects, students will develop new associations between conceptual innovation, cultural intervention and policy impacts.
GLOH5112 Global Communicable Disease Control

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Dr Justin Beardsley Session: Semester 2 Classes: face to face students: 13x1.5hr lecture and 11x1.5hr tutorial, 1x4hr workshop and 1x8hr presentation online students: 13x1.5hr online lecture and 11 weeks of tutorial discussion, 4hr online workshop content and 8hr online presentation content Assessment: 1x3000 word written essay (50%) tutorial facilitation and participation (20%) -face-to-face students will each facilitate a 1.5hr tutorial session -online students will each facilitate a 1-week online discussion board 1 x student group presentation (25%) -face-to-face student groups will give a 30-min oral presentation (accompanied by a PowerPoint) -online student groups will upload a 30-min PowerPoint presentation peer evaluation of student presentation (5%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day, Online
This unit gives candidates essential knowledge of prevention and control of communicable diseases in low- and middle-income countries using country-specific examples. After successfully completing this unit of study, candidates will understand the key issues in communicable diseases and their control in developing countries, as well as gain the knowledge and insight on how prevention and control mechanisms and programs are developed for these diseases in resource-poor settings. The unit covers disease emergence, respiratory tract infections (including TB), vector-borne infections, food- and water-borne infections, neurological infections, neglected tropical diseases, bloodborne and sexually transmitted infections (including HIV) and drug-resistant infections.
Textbooks
Readings are available on the unit's eLearning site
GLOH5115 Women's and Children's Health

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Associate Professor Camille Raynes-Greenow Session: Semester 1 Classes: 1x1.5-2hr lecture per week for 12 weeks, 1x1hr tutorial per week for 10 weeks Prohibitions: MIPH5115 Assessment: 1x2500 word assignment (40%), 1x 8 pages group written report (30%), peer-evaluation of group work contribution (10%), assessable tutorial discussion and facilitation (20%). Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day, Online
This unit gives an introduction to the health status of women and children in low and middle income countries and highlights the interconnectedness of women's and children's health, and why it is important to understand women and children's health. It presents some of the major causes of mortality and morbidity and interventions and approaches to improving outcomes from a public health perspective. We discuss case studies, and how public health can address these problems. Each week an expert describes a different topic and discusses their field experiences
Textbooks
Readings are available on the unit's eLearning site
GLOH5124 Humanitarian Crises and Refugee Health

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Ms Bronwen Blake, Dr Megan Cox Session: Intensive October Classes: 60 hours of online lectures and interactive tasks in between 2 workshops of 2 days each. Attendance at all 4 days of the workshops is mandatory. The coursework and assessment will include a tabletop simulation exercise. Prohibitions: MIPH5124 Assessment: Online activity (20%), simulation task (30%), individual reflection writing task (10%), individual essay (40%) Mode of delivery: Block mode, Online
This unit gives students an overview of global health aspects of forced migration and humanitarian emergencies. This includes considering problems faced by government and non-government organisations in humanitarian emergency relief efforts as well as the increasing pressures of forced migration resulting from these. Topics covered in the unit include international and human rights law, the role of donor agencies, refugee health, nutritional emergencies, site planning for refugee camps, water and sanitation, sexual violence, protection of vulnerable groups, and communicable disease surveillance and control.
Textbooks
Readings are available on the unit's eLearning site
HPOL5000 Health Policy and Health Economics

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Dr Anne Marie Thow, A/Prof Alison Pearce Session: Semester 1 Classes: Online students: week by week online activities including online lectures and/or videos, introductory tutorial, 6 interactive tutorials with online content via discussion boards, readings (total: approx 10 hours per week) Block Mode students: 2 x 1 day workshops, introductory tutorial, 6 interactive tutorials (either face-to-face or online) with online lectures and/or videos, readings (total: approx 10 hours per week) Prohibitions: PUBH5032 Assessment: assessable tutorials (30%); multiple choice online exam: 2 hr, open book (30%); 6 short reports (400-500 words each) on health policy and health economic evaluation, submitted online (40%) Mode of delivery: Block mode, Online
This unit aims to develop a critical and comparative understanding of the history, theory and practice of health policy as well as provide students with an understanding of the main concepts and analytical methods of health economics and political economy. It gives an overview of the political choices and frameworks that shape decision making in health. By the end of this unit students will be able to: Define the boundaries and key features of health policy; Identify policy instruments and how they function; Understand the main frameworks used for analysing health policy, and different approaches and perspectives regarding setting priorities in health policy; Apply methods and principles of health economics e.g. resource scarcity, opportunity cost, efficiency and equity to practical real-life examples; Critically analyse the role of economic evidence in informing policy decisions in health decision-making in Australia.
Textbooks
Recommended: Buse, K, Mays, N and Walt, G. Making Health Policy (2nd Ed). Open University Press, 2012. Copies of the text are available in the University of Sydney library. Readings are available on the unit's eLearning site
HPOL5003 Analysing Health Policy

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Dr Samantha Rowbotham Session: Semester 2 Classes: Block Mode: 2 x 2 day workshops plus online activities. Online mode: pre-recorded lectures and week-by-week online discussion and activities. Assessment: 1 x 2000 word assignment (35%), participation grade (5 x short online or face-to-face learning activities) (15%), 1 x 3000 word policy analysis project proposal (50%) Mode of delivery: Block mode, Online
This unit aims to develop skills for undertaking policy research and analysis, and is underpinned by principles from systems thinking and complexity approaches. A mult-idisciplinary approach familiarises students with fundamental frameworks and methodologies that can be applied to research and analysis of health policy by drawing on multiple disciplines including public health, social and political sciences, behavioural sciences, public policy and history. By the end of the unit students will be able to: Define policy and formulate research questions that can be used to analyse policy and policy processes; Understand and apply systems thinking approaches to policy analysis and research; Understand and explain the different methodological approaches and research paradigms that can be applied in policy analysis and research; Apply a critical analysis to a case study of policy success or failure; Identify appropriate study designs, research methodologies, data collection methods and analysis frameworks for specific policy research questions; Design a systems thinking-informed analysis of a current policy issue.
Textbooks
Required and recommended readings and reference lists will be available through eLearning.
HPOL5007 Global Health Policy

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Dr Carmen Huckel Schneider, Dr Anne Marie Thow Session: Semester 2 Classes: Block mode 2 x 2 day workshops plus 4 online tutorials. Online mode: pre-recorded lectures plus 4 online tutorials and week-by-week online activities and discussion. Assessment: 1 x 2000 word essay (35%), Tutorial discussion papers or online discussion (15%), 1 x 3000 word essay (50%) Mode of delivery: Block mode, Online
The aim of this unit is to equip students with the knowledge and skills to identify and articulate political and policy processes at the global level, become familiar with institutions and actors involved in global health policy, and utilize strategies for influencing policy making at the global level. We analyse the influence and power of institutions and actors in the development and implementation of global health policy, and investigate the governance of global health policy responses. Teaching makes extensive use of current case studies from recognised experts in the field. By the end of this unit students will be able to: Explain the effects of globalization on health of populations; Demonstrate how events and trends in health and non-health areas affect global health policy; Identify and classify the different types of actors/institutions that influence health policy; Undertake a policy stakeholder analysis with reference to power, influence and interests; Develop strategies to influence global health policy development and implementation; Define global health governance and its role in structuring and regulating global health policy.
Textbooks
Buse K, Mays N, Walt G (2012). Making health policy. Second edition. Open University Press: London.
LAWS6052 Govt Regulation, Health Policy and Ethics

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Prof Cameron Stewart Session: Intensive October Classes: Sep 24, 25 & Oct 15, 16 (9-5) Assessment: class presentation (20%) and 7000wd essay (80%) Mode of delivery: Block mode
Note: MHL students may select this unit as one of the three core units required in addition to LAWS6252. Academic Profile https://sydney.edu.au/law/about/people/list.php. The unit is also available on a Continuing Professional Development basis https://sydney.edu.au/law/study-law/continuing-professional-development.html
This unit examines government regulation of health care and professional practice. With regard to each area of government decision-making, issues are analysed by reference to the interplay between social goals, human rights, legal rights and ethical considerations. Topics covered include the constitutional and statutory sources of government power with respect to health care: regulatory models and reform of public health legislation; therapeutic goods administration; health insurance; pharmaceutical benefits and the pharmacy industry; human tissue legislation; discipline of health professionals with a focus on the National Law; health care complaints tribunals; a right to health care; ethical theories in law and medicine; the ethics of human experimentation; and ethics committees.
LAWS6839 Critical Issues in Public Health Law

This unit of study is not available in 2020

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Prof Roger Magnusson Session: Intensive May Classes: Intro Class: Mar 11 (6-8) then Mar 21, 22 and Apr 29, 30 (9-5) Assessment: Option 1: short response question or short presentation (20%) and 6000wd essay (80%), Option 2: short response question or short presentation (20%), 3000-3500wd essay (40%) and take-home exam question (40%) or Option 3: short response question or short presentation (20%) and 2 x 3000-3500wd essays (40% each) Mode of delivery: Block mode
Note: MHL students may select this unit as one of the three core units required in addition to LAWS6252 or LAWS6881. Academic Profile https://sydney.edu.au/law/about/our-people.html. The unit is also available on a Continuing Professional Development basis https://sydney.edu.au/law/cpd/
This unit provides an introduction to public health law. It begins by asking the question 'What is public health law?' It explores the historical concerns and conceptual focus of public health law, and how they have evolved over time. Next, the unit reviews a series of case studies that illustrate the sources of public health law, including the impact of international law on access to essential medicines in low-income countries, and the impact of constitutional rights on governments' capacity to protect public health. The case studies illustrate the wide variety of legal issues that arise in public health, as well as debates about the appropriate limits for law in protecting health in a liberal democracy, and the irreducibly political nature of public health law. The unit then considers three foundational topics in public health law. These are: Australia's legal framework for responding to public health emergencies (with a focus on pandemic influenza, and other contagious diseases with pandemic potential); law's role in regulating sexual health and transmission of STIs; and tobacco and nicotine control. Key topics include: The definition and role of public health law; Case studies illustrating the sources of public health law; The legal framework for managing pandemic influenza and other acute public health threats; An introduction to tobacco control law; and law's role in promoting sexual health Throughout the unit, students will be trained to identify legal issues and to critically evaluate the impact of law on efforts to protect the public's health, with due regard to civil liberties and other competing public and private interests. A flexible assessment regime will allow students to focus on issues of interest within the unit.
LAWS6848 Law, Business and Healthy Lifestyles

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Prof Roger Magnusson Session: Intensive April Classes: Intro Class: Mar 2 (6-8) then Mar 12, 13 & Apr 20, 21 (9-5) Assessment: Option 1: one short response question (20%) and 6000wd essay (80%) or Option 2: one short response question (20%), 3000-3500wd essay (40%) and one take-home exam question (40%) or Option 3: one short response question (20%) and two 3000-3500wd essays (80%) Mode of delivery: Block mode
Note: For 2020 only, this unit will be a substitute for the MHL core units, LAWS6058 Information Rights in Health Care or LAWS6839 Critical Issues in Public Health Law. Academic Profile https://sydney.edu.au/law/about/people/list.php. The unit is also available on a Continuing Professional Development basis https://sydney.edu.au/law/study-law/continuing-professional-development.html
This unit is about legal and regulatory responses to tobacco use, obesity, poor diet, harmful use of alcohol and sedentary lifestyle - the leading causes of preventable disease in Australia, in high-income countries generally, and increasingly, in developing economies. Cancer, heart disease, stroke, diabetes and tobacco-related diseases (known as 'non-communicable diseases' or NCDs) are society's greatest killers. But what can law do - and what should law be doing - to prevent them? Unlike other health threats, NCDs and their risk factors are partly caused by consumer choices that are lived out every day across the country. The challenge of encouraging healthier lifestyles cannot be separated, then, from the regulation of the businesses that all too often have a vested interest in unhealthy lifestyles. Law's relationship with smoking, alcohol and food is complex and contested. Nevertheless, governments around the world are experimenting with a wide range of legal strategies to encourage healthier lifestyles. This unit will focus on developments in Australia and the United States, placing legal developments in these countries in an international context. During the course, we will confront some important over-arching questions. What are the global determinants of NCDs, and to what extent are global solutions needed? What do global solutions look like? To what extent should law intervene to influence the behaviour of populations-as distinct from treating lifestyle-related risk factors as the personal responsibility of each individual? Does a regulatory approach to the prevention of NCDs imply coercion? Does it signal the emergence of the 'nanny state'? Does progress depend on motivating people to consciously improve their habits and lifestyles? Is it possible to regulate business without micro-managing or dictating commercial decisions and 'legislating the recipe for tomato ketchup?' Throughout the unit, students will be encouraged to explore the tension between personal responsibility and freedom, and the broader public interest in a healthy population and a productive economy. Key topics include: Frameworks for thinking about law, and environments that support healthier lifestyles; Global health governance and the prevention of non-communicable diseases; Tobacco control: where to from here? Personal responsibility for health, and law's role; Regulating alcohol; Obesity prevention; and Law's role in improving diet and nutrition, and encouraging active living.
LNGS7002 Language, Society and Power

Credit points: 6 Session: Semester 1 Classes: 1x1hr seminar/week, 1x1hr tutorial/week Assessment: 1x4000wd Research project (80%), 1x1000wd Online discussion (10%), 1x1000wd Quiz (10%), Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
Language is a symbolic currency: mastery of the standard language can buy institutional power, mastery of urban teenage slang can buy street cred. This course introduces students to key issues in sociolinguistics and language sociology such as the political economy of language, language variation and change, and critical discourse analysis. Members of the class will undertake empirical research.
LNGS7006 Cross-Cultural Communication

Credit points: 6 Session: Semester 2 Classes: 1x2hr seminar/week Assessment: 1x1000wd Linguistic Relativity (20%), 1x2000wd Mid-semester exam (30%), 1x3000wd Final paper (50%), Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
In today's globalised and multicultural societies, cross-cultural communication is common enough. Even so, it continues to be a challenge, both for people who engage in cross-cultural communication on a daily basis, and for researchers trying to describe and understand it. In this unit of study we will consider a variety of discourse-analytic approaches to studying cross-cultural communication, including conversation analysis, speech act theory, interactional sociolinguistics, the ethnography of communication, and critical discourse analysis. In our analyses of actual samples of cross-cultural communication we will pay particular attention to the social positioning of participants in an interaction, and the ways how social relationships (particularly of power and intimacy) between participants are reflected in their linguistic practices. The unit will end with exploring applied perspectives, particularly on cross-cultural communication in educational, courtroom and workplace interactions.
LNGS7504 Medical Discourse

This unit of study is not available in 2020

Credit points: 6 Session: Semester 1 Classes: 1x1hr lecture/week, 1x1hr tutorial/week Assessment: 1x1000wd research article review (20%), 1x2000wd group research case study (40%), 1x3000wd individual project (40%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
This unit explores the way language, body language and images interact in communication in medical discourse - including consideration of doctor, nurse and patient interaction, mental health and speech disorders, print and web-based health advice and the regulatory procedures governing medical services.
MECO6900 News Writing

Credit points: 6 Session: Semester 1,Semester 2 Classes: 1x2hr introductory lecture/semester, 1x2hr seminar/week Assessment: 1x3000wd news reporting portfolio (40%), 1x3000wd news story reporting package (50%), participation (10%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
This core unit hones writing skills as a foundation for all forms of media production. Students are introduced to the elements of journalistic style, the processes of news, and the skills of interviewing and research. While the unit focuses on news and writing, it will be useful for any field that deals with the media, such as PR and communication management.
MECO6901 Media Relations

Credit points: 6 Session: Semester 2 Classes: 1x2hr seminar/week Assessment: 1x2000wd communication plan (30%), 1x2000wd media relations tactics (30%), 1x500wd client pitch (15%), 1x1500wd final essay (25%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
Media Relations provides students with practical experience in seeking media coverage for a specific issue on behalf of a non-profit organisation. It requires students to research, design, present, implement and evaluate a communication plan, and to develop key tactical elements including media releases for distribution across multi-media platforms.
MECO6908 Strategy Selection in Corporate PR

Credit points: 6 Session: Semester 1 Classes: 1x2hr seminar/week Assessment: 1x2000wd communications plan (30%), 1x PR tactics presentation (group) (2000wd equivalent per student) (30%), 1x2000wd essay (30%), tutorial participation (10%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
This core unit of study analyses corporate communication strategy selection in organisations to determine effectiveness. Students examine the strategic intent of a national or international corporation by studying its corporate communication tactics, specifically its annual reports and other marketing collateral. The unit will equip students to determine the effectiveness of the organisation's communication with stakeholders and strategic publics including customers, employees, environmental groups, governments and shareholders.
MECO6915 Writing Features: Narrative Journalism

Credit points: 6 Session: Semester 2 Classes: 1x3hr seminar/week Assessment: 1x1000wd pitching assignment (20%), 1x1000wd draft first feature (20%), 1x1000wd final first feature (20%), 1x1500wd second feature (40%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
This unit teaches the basic principles and skills of narrative journalism, or features, suited to print and online publications. Genres include profile, essay, travel, memoir, investigative journalism, cultural commentary and behind-the-news stories as well as multimedia features. Skills in pitching story ideas to editors, conducting interviews, understanding readerships, conducting research, quoting speech and writing dialogue, understanding structure and developing style will be covered in workshop-based classes, providing opportunities to critique work, practice writing skills, make revisions and become familiar with editing processes prior to submission of assignments.
MECO6926 International Media Practice

Credit points: 6 Session: Semester 1,Semester 2 Classes: 1x2hr seminar/week Assessment: 10x120wd reflection on reading (20%), 1x2400wd investigation of media systems (40%), 1x2400wd research essay (40%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
International media practices teaches students to map, compare and debate the power of digital media systems around the world. Within this framework, it explores concepts of hybridity and practical examples of intercultural media practice. Students will access diverse online media and examine future professional employment options.
MECO6936 Social Media Communication

Credit points: 6 Session: Semester 1a,Semester 2a Classes: 26hrs seminar in Intensive mode (equivalent to 1x2hr seminar/week) Assessment: 1x2000wd equiv Social Media Design Brief (25%), 1x2500wd Social Media Project (45%), 1x1500wd Online Article and Comments (30%) Mode of delivery: Block mode
This unit introduces the fundamentals of strategic social media use for professional and organisational communication, media practice and cultural production. It aims to equip students with the knowledge and skills to become competent, ethical social media communicators and to critically analyse social media forms, services and cultures. Students will explore online, mobile and locative platforms for interacting with audiences, publics and online communities, including professional networks.
MECO6939 Research Methods

Credit points: 6 Session: Semester 1 Classes: 1x2hr seminar/week Assessment: 1x3000wd research design (40%), 1x1500wd methodology review (25%), 1x1500wd dissertation critical review (25%), 2x presentations (10%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
This unit will develop students' knowledge of key research methods used in media, communications and digital cultures research. Students will be introduced to a range of research techniques and methods, including quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods, and will have the opportunity to reflect critically on these methods through practitioner presentations and directed discussion. The assessment tasks will help students develop their skills to design and undertake a supervised research dissertation and enhance their abilities as researchers and practitioners.
MECO6940 Theoretical Traditions and Innovations

Credit points: 6 Session: Semester 1 Classes: 1x2hr seminar/week Assessment: 1x1500wd class paper (25%), 1x1000wd wikipedia theory entry (20%), 1x3500wd critical essay (55%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
This unit gives students an advanced understanding of the foundational traditions in communications, media, and digital cultures. It relates these traditions to contemporary innovations, rethinking ideas to grasp current and future media and communications forms, practices, structures, and meanings. The unit features detailed reading and analysis of key ideas, texts, thinkers, and contexts.
MECO6941 Podcasting

Credit points: 6 Session: Semester 2 Classes: 1x3hr seminar/week Assessment: 1x 250wd equiv oral pitch (5%), 1x250wd written pitch (5%), 1x 3250wd equiv two-part podcast (70%), 1x750wd reflective journal (20%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
Podcasting is a relatively new genre of audio production, distribution and consumption with its own aesthetics and values. In this unit students will learn to produce documentary-style audio stories, learning practical skills necessary for working in radio and producing podcasts for various media industries.
MECO6942 Managing Social Media Communities

Credit points: 6 Session: Intensive January,Intensive July Classes: Intensive mode: 5x4hrs lecture + 5x3hrs online tutorial in week 1, and 1x2 lecture + 1x2 hr tutorial in week 6; Semester mode: 1x1hr lecture/week, 1x2hr tutorial/week Assessment: 1x1800wd + social metrics Engagement evaluation (45%), 1x10 mins Community Feedback Presentation (10%), 1x1500wd Stakeholder engagement project (25%), 1x1200wd Community diagnostic report (20%) Mode of delivery: Block mode
Most businesses and institutions are now building online communities, from social media channels and help forums to marketplaces and research groups, in order to strategically engage their workers, audiences, consumers or publics. Community management is a critical aspect of communications, market intelligence, marketing and innovation. This unit investigates how those communities, and their offline counterparts, are scoped, fostered, facilitated, and governed to provide mutual benefit for host organisations and members. The unit will develop theoretical knowledge of community dynamics, deployment, ethics and governance approaches, and practical skills in data collection and social analytics; moderation, facilitation, and conflict management; automation and machine learning tools for managing human interaction. Students will assist in managing communities and create strategic plans for their development.
MIPH5135 Health Systems in Developing Countries

This unit of study is not available in 2020

Credit points: 4 Teacher/Coordinator: Associate Professor Joel Negin Session: Semester 2 Classes: 1x 2hr lecture per week for 10 weeks; plus 2x 0.5 day workshops; also offered fully online Assessment: 1x1500 word research paper (40%), 1x2000 word solution proposal (50%), and participation (10%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day, Online
Health systems are complex and multi-faceted. Successful health systems require attention to political economy, governance, institutions, and local context. This unit will cover health systems in developing countries to equip students with a conceptual understanding and a set of tools to address major public health challenges from a health systems perspective. With a focus on evidence-based decision making, the unit will provide an understanding of health systems including specific topics such as health workforce, financing, service delivery, information systems and policy, and how these impact health interventions and health status in less developed countries. A multi-sectoral, integrated model will be used to understand the varied aspects of development challenges related to health systems. A case study approach will then provide students with concrete examples of health systems challenges and will strengthen students' ability to view health problems in a holistic, multi-faceted manner. The unit will provide students with the tools needed to make a practical difference in health systems in less developed countries with emphasis on implementation of health projects and bringing interventions to scale.
Textbooks
Readings are available on the unit's eLearning site.
NURS5099 Promoting Health and Care in the Community

Credit points: 6 Session: Semester 2 Classes: four intensive, on-campus study days Assessment: Student assessment (100%) conducted throughout the semester, as advised within the relevant unit of study outline Mode of delivery: Block mode
This unit of study will focus on community needs assessment, community participation, health promotion, health literacy and the ways in which these inform and underpin promoting health and care in the community. Students will examine evidence-based health promotion strategies, develop community-based health assessment skills, and enhance their communication skills to work with people at home, including motivational and counselling skills and develop knowledge and skills in cultural competence person centred care.
PUBH5010 Epidemiology Methods and Uses

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Professor Tim Driscoll, Dr Erin Mathieu Session: Semester 1 Classes: 1x 1hr lecture and 1x 2hr tutorial per week for 13 weeks - face to face or their equivalent online Prohibitions: BSTA5011 or CEPI5100 Assessment: 1x 6 page assignment (25%), 10 weekly quizzes (5% in total) and 1x 2.5hr supervised open-book exam (70%). For distance students, it may be possible to complete the exam externally with the approval of the course coordinator. Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day, Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) evening, Online
This unit provides students with core skills in epidemiology, particularly the ability to critically appraise public health and clinical epidemiological research literature regarding public health and clinical issues. This unit covers: study types; measures of frequency and association; measurement bias; confounding/effect modification; randomized trials; systematic reviews; screening and test evaluation; infectious disease outbreaks; measuring public health impact and use and interpretation of population health data. In addition to formal classes or their on-line equivalent, it is expected that students spend an additional 2-3 hours at least each week preparing for their tutorials.
Textbooks
Webb, PW. Bain, CJ. and Page, A. Essential Epidemiology: An Introduction for Students and Health Professionals Third Edition: Cambridge University Press 2017.
PUBH5018 Introductory Biostatistics

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Dr Timothy Schlub, Dr Erin Cvejic Session: Semester 1 Classes: 2 x 2hr lectures, 10 x 1hr lectures, 11 x 2hr tutorials, 2 x 1hr and 8 x 0.5hr statistical computing self directed learning tasks over 12 weeks - lectures and tutorials may be completed online Assessment: Weekly quizzes (10%), 1x4 page assignment (20%), 1x1hr online test (20%) and 1x1.5hr open-book exam (50%). For distance students it may be possible to complete the exam externally with the approval of the course coordinator. Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day, Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) evening, Online
This unit introduces students to statistical methods relevant in medicine and health. Students will learn how to appropriately summarise and visualise data, carry out a statistical analysis, interpret p-values and confidence intervals, and present statistical findings in a scientific publication. Students will also learn how to determine the appropriate sample size when planning a research study. Students will learn how to conduct analyses using calculators and statistical software.
Specific analysis methods of this unit include: hypothesis tests for one-sample, two paired samples and two independent samples for continuous and binary data; distribution-free methods for two paired samples, two independent samples; correlation and simple linear regression; power and sample size estimation for simple studies; and introduction to multivariable regression models;.
Students who wish to continue with their statistical learning after this unit are encouraged to take PUBH5217 Biostatistics: Statistical Modelling.
Textbooks
Course notes will be made available.
PUBH5026 Mass Media Campaigns and Social Marketing

This unit of study is not available in 2020

Credit points: 2 Teacher/Coordinator: A/Professor Philayrath Phongsavan, Professor Adrian Bauman (coordinators), Adjunct Professor Tom Carroll Session: Intensive August Classes: Face-to-face/ on-campus 2-day residential workshop (lectures, on-line discussions, and student participation and student presentations) Prerequisites: PUBH5033 Assumed knowledge: Training in research methods epidemiology is advised but not essential. Assessment: 1x 1500 word assignment (60%); on-line participation/discussion (40%) Mode of delivery: Block mode
This unit focuses on mass-reach public health campaigns used to promote health and prevent disease. Building on introductory Masters of Public Health units of study in health promotion/disease prevention [or equivalent], this unit describes the rationale for mass-media led campaigns, social marketing interventions, and how they fit into a comprehensive approach to population health promotion and chronic disease prevention. The major themes covered are the principles of mass-reach communications in public health; designing campaigns [formative evaluation]; developing public health campaigns as part of comprehensive health promotion; understanding the messages, branding and marketing of campaigns; process and impact evaluation of campaigns; the differences between campaigns and social marketing initiatives; and the role of ancillary and supportive health promotion strategies, including media placement and advocacy. In addition, the role of, and evaluating social media campaigns will be included. The unit will equip students with skills to plan, design, implement and evaluate public health campaigns.
Textbooks
Course readings will be provided before the workshop. These are required readings, and there is some individual student preparation required for presentation at the first workshop and after the workshop to prepare for the on-line two weeks discussions.
PUBH5027 Public Health Program Evaluation Methods

This unit of study is not available in 2020

Credit points: 2 Teacher/Coordinator: Dr Justin Richards, Dr Anne Grunseit Session: Semester 2 Classes: 2 day residential workshop in semester 2 Assessment: In-class participation (20%) and one 1500 word assignments at the end of the unit (80%) Mode of delivery: Block mode
This unit of study is taught over two days of residential workshop and is an introduction to public health program evaluation principles. It builds on core MPH methods subjects, but extends learning objectives to develop skills in practical and applied public health and health promotion program planning, evaluation and research methods. Both qualitative and quantitative methods will be used in program evaluation discussions, but the major focus will be on measuring the implementation of programs, and assessing public health program impact. There is an emphasis on evaluating 'real world' programs that address chronic disease prevention and health promotion, but other broad public health content areas will also be used as examples. The unit comprises four areas of discussion, including the [i] principles of evaluation; [ii] research designs and methodological issues for community and applied public health settings; [iii] methods for measuring program impact and outcomes; [iv] the principles of research translation and dissemination; and [v] evaluation values and disciplines. Attendance at the two days of residential teaching is compulsory for participants.
Textbooks
Recommended: Bauman A, Nutbeam D. Evaluation in a Nutshell. McGraw Hill Sydney (2nd Edition, 2013)
PUBH5032 Making Decisions in Public Health

This unit of study is not available in 2020

Credit points: 2 Teacher/Coordinator: Dr Carmen Huckel Schneider, A/Prof Alison Hayes Session: Semester 2 Classes: 2-day workshop; fully online version available Assessment: Multiple choice assessment (50%); Written assignment of 1000 words (50%) Mode of delivery: Online
Note: Department permission required for enrolment
This unit introduces students to the methods by which evidence is translated, used and abused when governments make decisions affecting public health. Students will become familiar with the main tools used by health economists and policy analysts. The unit will emphasize the role of different forms of evidence and values for priority-setting and policy-making. Unit technical content is unified by common themes and case studies. Students will apply methods and principles of health economics e.g. resource scarcity, opportunity cost, efficiency and equity to practical real-life examples (including specific indigenous health issues) to critically consider the role of economic evidence in health decision-making in Australia.
Students will then use policy analysis methods to critically examine the Australian health care system and decision-making in public health. The unit will pay particular attention to questions of power and equity, including the position of indigenous peoples. Finally, it will look at how evidence is framed and used in decision-making. Teaching will make use of contemporary case studies so students learn how technical analytical tools are used in practical examples of policy development, decision-making and public debate. The unit gives public health students an essential basic knowledge of both disciplines (health economics and health policy) and lays the groundwork for more advanced studies.
PUBH5033 Disease Prevention and Health Promotion

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: A/Professor Philayrath Phongsavan, Dr James Kite Session: Semester 1 Classes: 3 half-day workshops, 9 face-to-face tutorials or online discussion; fully online version available Assessment: 1x1500 word assignment (30%); 1 presentation (15%); 1 x 2500 word assignment (45%); tutorial participation (10%) Mode of delivery: Block mode, Online
This core unit of study introduces students to evidence-based health promotion as a fundamental approach to promoting and improving health and wellbeing, preventing disease and reducing health inequalities in populations. The unit is divided into three modules: (i) the building blocks of disease prevention and health promotion, (ii) using evidence to develop disease prevention and health promotion interventions, and (iii) evaluating disease prevention and health promotion programs to inform policy and practice. This unit will give students an understanding of disease prevention and health promotion and their relationship to public health, introduce design, implementation, and evaluation of disease prevention and health promotion interventions, and develop and refine students' research, critical appraisal, and communication skills.
Textbooks
Course Readings Provided
PUBH5120 Aboriginal/Torres Strait Islander Health

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Ms Suzanne Plater, Dr Claire Hooker Session: Semester 2 Classes: Face-to-face students: 5 x 1 day workshops over 12 weeks, engagement assessable. Online students: 5 x online workshop lectures and activities (equivalent to workshops) over 12 weeks, engagement assessable. Prohibitions: PUBH5118 Assessment: 5 x workshop engagement (15%) plus 5 x online discussions (15%), plus 1 x 1000 word reflective essay (20%), plus 1 x 3500 word report (50%) Mode of delivery: Block mode, Online
This unit will significantly advance your philosophical, theoretical and practical understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories, cultures and societies within the context of public health. We will use case studies grounded in diverse urban, regional and remote communities and the life experiences of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to explore key constructs. These include transgenerational psychic trauma, racism, political structures and systems, cultural determinants, ethics, and global indigenous epistemologies. Together we will investigate the reasons why Australia has so far been unable to close the gap across almost all indicators of health and wellbeing, and explore innovative, ethical and effective solutions. Throughout this unit you will be encouraged to interact with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander academics, health professionals and community members, and your unit coordinator, tutors and fellow students, and feel confident to ask difficult questions and debate the responses. Our aim is to give you the practical and conceptual knowledge and skills necessary to work respectfully and effectively with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples from across the nation.
Textbooks
None, learning materials provided
PUBH5121 Environmental Health

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: A/Prof Geoffrey Morgan Session: Semester 2 Classes: Face-to-face students: 13x1hr lectures plus 6x2hr tutorials. Online students: 13x1hr lectures plus 6x2hr tutorials (conducted over 36 hours) Assessment: 1x3000wd essay (60%) and tutorial reports equivalent to 1x1500wd report (30%), plus 10 x quizzes (10%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day, Online
This course aims to describe the interrelation between our environment and human populations, local communities and individuals and the health risks of environmental hazards. The unit will explore the major categories of environmental health hazards including air quality, water quality, chemical hazards (eg soils and contaminated sites), physical hazards (eg noise and radiation), microbiological hazards (eg Legionnaires' disease) and food safety. Regional and global issues of sustainability, climate change and land use planning will also be covered. The disciplines of epidemiology, toxicology and ecology will be applied within a risk assessment framework. Students completing this unit will appreciate: the multi-disciplinary nature of environmental health; the application of a risk assessment framework to characterise health risks due to environmental hazards, determine risk management options, and inform risk communication strategies; the need to work closely with a broad range of stakeholders including commonwealth and state health, environment and planning agencies, local government, industry, researchers and the community.
Textbooks
Recommended: Environmental Health: From Global to Local, 3rd Edition. Frumkin H. Wiley, 2016. Environmental Health (Fourth Edition). Moeller DW. Harvard University Press, 2011.
PUBH5126 Genetics and Public Health

This unit of study is not available in 2020

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Anne Cust Session: Intensive October Classes: 1 x 3 day workshop. there is also substantial pre-reading before the course (distributed to students 3-4 weeks before the course starts) and an online component with pre-recorded lectures (usually about 4 x 50-min lectures). Prerequisites: Epidemiology Methods and Uses (PUBH5010) Assumed knowledge: Basic epidemiology. No previous knowledge of genetics is required. Assessment: 3 x online quiz of 30 multiple-choice questions in total (15%), small-group assignment of 1, 500 words (25%), in-class group debate (10%), individual assignment of 2000 words (8 questions x 250 words/question, each requiring a targeted answer) (45%), peer-assessed teamwork (5%) Mode of delivery: Block mode
This unit caters for practitioners, policy and decision-makers, students and researchers in public health, public policy, journalism, law, epidemiology, medicine, science, industry, ethics, philosophy, communication and advocacy. It gives a basic introduction to genetics and genetic epidemiology and covers issues like genetic determinants of disease, genetic testing and screening, psychosocial, legal and ethical aspects of genetics and genetic testing, genetic education and genetics and public policy.
PUBH5145 Alcohol, drug use and health

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Associate Professor Carolyn Day Session: Semester 1 Classes: Block mode only: 2 whole day workshops, plus approximately 10 hours of online lectures Prohibitions: PUBH5114 or PUBH5115 Assessment: 2 x 2000wd assignments (60%), assessable face-to-face discussions (20%), presentation (equivalent to 1000wd) (10%), plus 2x online quizzes of 10 multiple choice questions (10%) Mode of delivery: Block mode
This unit aims to assist students in developing an evidence-based understanding of the epidemiology of substance use and its impact on health, and the effectiveness of methods for prevention and management of related problems. Research methods in relation to substance use disorders, and the needs of special populations are also considered.
Textbooks
A list of compulsory and recommended readings will be available via the LMS.
PUBH5205 Decision Analysis

This unit of study is not available in 2020

Credit points: 2 Teacher/Coordinator: Dr Andrew Martin Session: Semester 2,Semester 2b Classes: Six 2-hour sessions (inclusive of computer practicals) or online Prerequisites: PUBH5018 and (PUBH5010 or CEPI5100) Assumed knowledge: PUBH5302 Health Economic Evaluation Assessment: 5 x practicals/exercises (10%), 1 X exam (30%), and 1 X assignment (60%) Practical field work: Three computer practicals (in class or online) Mode of delivery: Online, Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
This unit examines quantitative approaches to public health and clinical decision-making. Topics of study include: decision trees and health-related utility assessment; incorporating diagnostic information in decision making; sensitivity and threshold analysis; and application of decision analysis to economic evaluation.Lectures are accompanied by practical exercises and readings. Students gain practical skills using decision analysis software (TreeAge) via computer practicals. Lectures and practicals may be completed online (however on-line students must purchase their own TreeAge software student licence).
PUBH5416 Vaccines in Public Health

This unit of study is not available in 2020

Credit points: 2 Teacher/Coordinator: Dr Aditi Dey, Dr Frank Beard Session: Semester 2 Classes: Preparatory online lectures and 1x 2day workshop at the Children's Hospital Westmead Prerequisites: PUBH5010 or CEPI5100 or PUBH5018 Assessment: 2x short online quizzes (10%) plus 1x 1500 word assignment (90%) Mode of delivery: Block mode
Note: Students who have not done the core units of study in epidemiology (PUBH5010 or CEPI5100) or biostatistics (PUBH5018) but have previous demonstrable experience in these study areas will be required to request permission from the unit of study coordinator to enrol in this unit of study. Permission is required to ensure that students have a basic grounding in epidemiology and biostatistics. The coordinator emails the Postgraduate Student Administration Unit to advise whether or not the student has permission to enrol.
The aim of this unit is to provide students with an understanding of immunisation principles, the impact of vaccination on the epidemiology of vaccine preventable diseases (VPDs), how to assess the need for new vaccines and how to implement and monitor a new vaccination program. This unit covers the history and impact of vaccination; basic immunological principles of immunisation; surveillance of diseases, vaccination coverage, vaccine effectiveness and adverse events; vaccine scares; risk communication; immunisation in the developing country context; assessing disease burden and new vaccines. Learning activities include short online preparatory lectures and a workshop with interactive lectures and small group case studies.
PUBH5418 Tobacco Control in the 21st Century

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Dr Becky Freeman Session: Intensive August Classes: 1x3 day workshop of lectures and problem-focused discussions, followed by 4 weeks of problem-based online discussions Assessment: 2x 2000 word essays (60%), 1x 100 item online quiz (10%) and online discussion and participation (30%) Mode of delivery: Block mode, Distance education/intensive on campus
The unit consists of learning topics, each of which is supported by extensive Web based resources, and 4 moderated online discussion forums, each focusing on a problem related to tobacco use and control. Lecture topics include: history of tobacco use and control; the burden of illness from tobacco use; secondhand smoke: the research evidence; measuring tobacco use, uptake and cessation in communities; international trends in tobacco consumption; the tobacco industry; the WHO's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control and new forms of tobacco advertising and promotion. Problem focused discussion forums include: Harm reduction and tobacco control, regulation of tobacco, improving and implementing pack warnings; promoting smoking cessation, prevention of uptake (youth programs); denormalisation of the tobacco industry; controlling advertising; and controlling exposure to tobacco smoke, making news on tobacco and influencing political policy on tobacco.
Textbooks
(recommended only) Chapman S. Public Health Advocacy and Tobacco Control: Making Smoking History. Oxford: Blackwell, 2007.
PUBH5422 Health and Risk Communication

This unit of study is not available in 2020

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Dr Claire Hooker, Associate Professor Julie Leask, Professor Phyllis Butow Session: Semester 2 Classes: Block/intensive 2 blocks of 2 x 9-5 full days; please check with the coordinator for scheduling Assessment: Assignment 1: 1 x 2500 word (35%), Assignment 2: 1 x 2500 words or equivalent (35%), online activities (30%). Attendance at intensives is compulsory and 80% attendance is required to pass the unit of study. Mode of delivery: Block mode
In this unit, students learn how to communicate effectively with respect to health risks, both to individuals with health concerns, and with respect to risks to the public. The first half covers individual health risk communication in clinical settings, including: theories of health communication, patient centred care and shared decision making; evidence-based communication skills; research paradigms including interaction analysis; cross-cultural communication in health care; discussing prognosis; and informed consent. The second half explores risk communication for public health, including: how to effectively manage outbreak or other crisis situations; how to communicate about issues where the risk is low but ublic concern is high (such as with respect to the fluoridation of water); and how to best manage controversies. We teach theories of risk perception and communication with particular application to public health incident responses. We give practical guides to media messages, risk message framing, public engagement, traditional and social media, and the ethical aspects of public communication. The unit offers students the opportunity to learn from outstanding guest lecturers who work in these areas and interactive opportunities for students to try their skills in risk communication and decision making.
Textbooks
Students are provided with a list of readings (in digital format). Most supplementary readings can be accessed through the library or online.
PUBH5430 Public Health Advocacy

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Dr Becky Freeman, Dr Claire Hooker Session: Semester 1 Classes: 1x3 day interactive workshop plus assessed online learning activities. Assessment: 1x 600 word letter to editor or opinion piece or blog post with a publishable standard in writing (15%); 1 x2500 word essay (40%); 1x assessable contribution to day 3 of workshop discussion (10%); online activities totalling 2000 words or equivalent (35%). Attendance at the intensive is compulsory and 80% attendance is required to pass. Mode of delivery: Block mode
Have you ever wondered how to respond to people who hold antivaccination views, or to misinformation spreading online, or to create better institutional engagement with environmental policies? All of these situations are determined by how good our communication is. This unit aims to will familiarise students with the strategies of public health advocacy, with a focus on news reporting, online media, and political engagement. This unit covers the role of advocacy in advancing public health policy; framing public health issues; newsgathering, reporting and editing; strategies for media advocacy; political lobbying; and message dissemination; and there will be special emphasis on learning how online environments and social media tools are contributing to public health advocacy debates and campaigns. Students will learn the latest research revealing which factors most influence how people perceive and make judgments about health risks, at individual and institutional levels, and how to tailor communication to most effectively achieve your goals. Topics covered include responding to health risk events; antivaccination, anti immunisation, climate change and other 'post truth' social issues; how to best manage controversies; and what chronic disease prevention might learn from risk communication principles. . There will be an emphasis on how online environments and social media tools are contributing to public health advocacy debates and campaigns. Recent examples of how media have influenced health policy and programming will be presented. Students will have the opportunity to critique and analyse case studies from a variety of both successful and unsuccessful public health advocacy efforts. Students will examine, analyse, and prepare writing for both online and news media such as opinion pieces, media releases, blogs, and social media. The lectures will include guest speakers from non-government organisations, government and other experienced stakeholders from across the public health sector.
Textbooks
Recommended: Chapman S. (2007) Public Health Advocacy and Tobacco Control: Making Smoking History. Oxford: Blackwell.
PUBH5500 Advanced Qualitative Health Research

This unit of study is not available in 2020

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Dr Julie Mooney-Somers (Semester 1); Andrea Smith (Semester 2) Session: Semester 1,Semester 2 Classes: 2x3 full day workshop in March/April (semester 1); 2x3 full day workshops in August/September (semester 2) Prohibitions: QUAL5005 or QUAL5006 Assessment: interviewing activity with reflection (25%); 2000wd essay (25%); 2x group presentations (20%); multiple choice quizzes (20%); in-class participation (10%) Mode of delivery: Block mode
This unit of study provides a comprehensive introduction to qualitative inquiry in health. It is designed for beginners and people who want an advanced-level introduction. Over the course of the unit we will address: What is qualitative research? How is it different from quantitative research? What is its history? What research problems can it address? How do I design a qualitative study? What are the different (and best) ways to generate data? How do you analyse qualitative data? Is methodology different to method? What are ontology and epistemology? What is reflexivity (and aren't qualitative researchers biased)? What are the ethical issues? What is good quality qualitative research? Can I generalise qualitative findings? You will get practical experience and skills through carrying out an observation, participating in a focus group, conducting an interview, analysing data, arguing for qualitative research in health, and appraising the quality of published literature. In both workshops you will meet working qualitative researchers and hear about their projects. This advanced unit will show you a new way of thinking critically about research and researching, and give you the skills and confidence to begin evaluating and doing qualitative research for yourself.
PUBH5505 Qualitative Research in Health

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Dr Julie Mooney-Somers Session: Semester 2 Classes: block mode: 2x2 full day workshop + 1x1 full day workshop, online mode: 12xweekly online lectures + activities Prohibitions: PUBH5500 or QUAL5005 or QUAL5006 Assessment: 1xinterviewing activity(35%); 1x2000-word essay(35%); multiple choice quizzes(20%); 12xparticipation activities(10%) Mode of delivery: Block mode, Online
This unit of study introduces you to qualitative research in health, providing you with core concepts and skills. It is designed for beginners and people who want an advanced level introduction. Over the course of the unit we will address: What is qualitative research? How is it different from quantitative research? What is its history? What research problems can it address? How do I design a qualitative study? What are the different (and best) ways to generate data? How do you analyse qualitative data? Is methodology different to method? What are ontology and epistemology? What is reflexivity (and aren't qualitative researchers biased)? What are the ethical issues? What is good quality qualitative research? How can I use qualitative evidence in policy or practice? You will get practical experience and skills through carrying out an observation, participating in a focus group, conducting an interview, analysing data, arguing for qualitative research in health, and appraising the quality of published literature. You will hear from working qualitative researchers about how they use qualitative methods in their work. This unit will give you the skills and confidence to begin conducting and using qualitative research.
SCLG6902 Ethics of Social Research

This unit of study is not available in 2020

Credit points: 6 Session: Semester 1 Classes: 1x2hr seminar/week Prohibitions: SCLG3003 Assessment: 1x1000wd ethics application (20%), 1x500wd equiv oral task (10%), 1x1500wd reflective piece (30%), 1x3000wd research proposal (40%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
This unit introduces students to key issues, debates and ethical questions in human research, enabling them to acquire knowledge and develop skills for research degrees and funding applications. It examines values and principles of research ethics, and encourages students to reflect on these in relation to research with human subjects.
SCWK6910 Working with Communities

This unit of study is not available in 2020

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Dr Amanda Howard Session: Semester 2 Classes: 1x2hr seminar/week Assessment: 2x500wd on-line quiz (35%); 1x4000wd practice essay (45%); and participation (20%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) evening
Working with communities is a key policy and practice priority for government and non-government agencies in Australia. This unit will critically examine the current policy frameworks informing work with communities as well as current practice models of community development and community engagement. The unit seeks to explore the why and how of work with communities. It will draw on an emerging Australian body of research about working with communities based in the community of Glebe. This unit is suitable for practitioners seeking to work more effectively with communities.
SEXH5008 Sex and Society

Credit points: 2 Teacher/Coordinator: Associate Professor Iryna Zablotska-Manos, Dr Shailendra Sawleshwarkar, Session: Semester 2a Classes: Normal day: compulsory attendance at 2 hours of lectures per week, half semester; Online: 2 hours of online lectures per week, half semester; International students including Australia Awards Scholarship students must enrol in the face-to-face mode. Prohibitions: SEXH5414 Assessment: Written assignment (70%); online quiz (20%); online discussions (10%); Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day, Online
This unit will explore determinants of sexuality from a societal perspective, with particular reference to their potential impacts on public health. Social science theories of sexuality will be considered, and cross-cultural and historical accounts of sexual practices will be reviewed. Particular emphasis will be placed on the impact of diversity, culture, society, environment, life experiences, personal beliefs and health on sexual activity and potential public health impacts on sexual and reproductive health including HIV. Course content will include diversity, adolescent sexual development, sex education, sexual assault, gender, sexual orientation and sexual behaviour.
SEXH5410 Sexual Health Promotion

Credit points: 6 Teacher/Coordinator: Fiona Robards, Dr Shailendra Sawleshwarkar Session: Semester 1 Classes: Online: fully online; Block mode: online plus block intensive mode, 2-3 days, 9am-5pm Assessment: Discussion board participation (10%); Group work tasks (20%); 1 x 1500 Word assignment (30%); 1 x 2000 Word assignment (40%) Mode of delivery: Block mode, Online
This course will engage students in learning about evidence-based prevention and health promotion as a fundamental component of efforts to address sexual health. The unit is divided into three sections: (i) theories underlying health promotion in public health context; (ii) evidence-based planning of campaigns and programs; and (iii) health communications and designing messages. Theories covered will include those that address individual-level change and group and social level change. Students will learn how to conduct needs assessments, plan programs, and address priority areas in sexual health promotion.
On completion of the unit, students will be able to: (i) Understand the importance of planning and management in health promotion; (ii) Describe the main constructs of major health promotion models; (iii) Describe the applicability of health promotion theory to sexual health promotion; (iv) Conduct needs assessments, plan and address priority areas; (v) Discuss ways to apply the principles of health literacy when selecting or developing sexual health promotion materials; and (vi) Effectively use assessment tools in planning sexual health promotion evaluation activities.
Textbooks
Helen Keleher, Berni Murphy, and Colin MacDougall (2007). Understanding Health Promotion. South Melbourne, Vic. Oxford University Press. ISBN: 9780195552942.
Students are advised to consult the Degree Director before enrolling in the units below.
FASS7001 Academic English for Postgraduates

Credit points: 6 Session: Semester 1,Semester 2 Classes: 1x1hr lecture/week, 1x2hr seminar/week Assessment: 1x1500wd Essay (35%), 1x500wd Annotated Bibliography (15%), 1x2500wd Reflection Journal (25%), 1xSeminar Presentation (25%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
This elective is designed for International postgraduates who are new to study in an English language university. It supports the development of study, research, and critical thinking abilities, spoken English and academic language. Knowledge acquired in this unit will strengthen written and spoken English to help meet the standards necessary for successful completion of FASS Masters by coursework degrees. It is recommended that this elective be taken during the first semester.
FASS7002 Critical Thinking and Persuasive Writing

Credit points: 6 Session: Semester 1,Semester 2 Classes: Weeks 1-3: 2x1hr lecture/week, 2x2hr tutorial/week; Weeks 4-9:1x1hr lecture/week, 1x2hr tutorial/week Assessment: 1x500wd critical review (20%), 1x1500wd essay (35%), seminar presentation (20%),1x2500wd reflection journal (20%), tutorial participation (5%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
This elective supports development of skills in critical analysis, writing in different genres, research, presentation, and developing individual scholarly 'voice'. While valuable for all commencing postgraduates, it is of particular benefit to those returning to academia after an extended break, or for International students wishing to orient themselves to local standards of practice for academic communication. This unit is structured to have additional seminars and lectures early in the semester and fewer later in the semester so students have the opportunity to apply new skills to all their coursework. The unit is ideally taken in the first semester of study.
WRIT6000 Professional Writing

Credit points: 6 Session: Semester 2 Classes: 1x2hr seminar/week Assessment: 1x1000wd Analysis (20%), 1x2000wd Case Study (30%), 1x1000wd Project (20%), 1x2000wd Proposal (30%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
This unit introduces theories of professional writing with a specific focus on composing in the workplace. Students will develop abilities in analysing, writing, revising, and delivering workplace texts, both print and multimedia. By examining and discussing a range of actual workplace documents, from emails to websites, students will gain a broader understanding of the rhetorical principles and ethical responsibilities inherent in professional writing practice. They will improve their ability to negotiate the relationships, tensions, and politics that influence workplace writing contexts.
WRIT6001 Professional Editing

Credit points: 6 Session: Semester 1 Classes: 1x2hr seminar/week Assessment: 1x2000wd Individual Analysis (30%), 1x2000wd Group Analysis (30%), 1x1000wd Oral Presentation (20%), 1x1000wd Essay (20%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
This unit introduces practical techniques for editing workplace documents for increased clarity and effectiveness. Applying theories and principles of visual rhetoric, students will learn how to improve the readability and reception of workplace texts according to audience conventions and expectations. By analysing actual workplace documents, students will develop their critical reading abilities and gain a better understanding of how to edit texts for word economy, improved design and layout, and inclusive language. Editing print texts for digital or oral presentation will also be emphasised.