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Unit of study_
BETH5102: Philosophy of Health
2024 unit information
This unit of study introduces some philosophical questions and debates concerning health, medicine and the biomedical sciences. We will begin by exploring some basic concepts and distinctions such as health, disease, mental illness and disability. We will then explore topics that lie at the heart of a scientific approach to health and medicine, such as causation, experimentation, evidence and clinical reasoning. Towards the end of the course, students will be invited to reflect critically on the preceding sections by exploring the rationality claims of non-orthodox approaches to health and medicine, by inquiring closely into the meaning of medical terms, and by taking a broad view of notions like health, disease or risk. This unit will appeal to students who want to take a deep dive into ideas and commitments that make the health professions and the health sciences distinctive. It will encourage you to question deeply-held assumptions; it will help you feel confident to draw on philosophical scholarship, and it will equip you to evaluate reasons, evidence and arguments with the kind of rigor that philosophy demands.
Unit details and rules
Managing faculty or University school:
Public Health
| Code | BETH5102 |
|---|---|
| Academic unit | Public Health |
| Credit points | 6 |
|
Prerequisites:
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None |
|---|---|
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Corequisites:
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None |
| Prohibitions:
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None |
| Assumed knowledge:
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None |
At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:
- LO1. contribute constructively and critically to philosophical discussions about health and healthcare
- LO2. apply philosophical concepts and distinctions to issues and debates arising in your own field of practice
- LO3. fashion clear, logical and intellectually creative arguments supported by relevant research and scholarship
- LO4. follow current and 'evergreen' philosophical questions and debates relating to health and healthcare
- LO5. understand a selection of philosophical writings on health and healthcare.
Unit availability
This section lists the session, attendance modes and locations the unit is available in. There is a unit outline for each of the unit availabilities, which gives you information about the unit including assessment details and a schedule of weekly activities.
The outline is published 2 weeks before the first day of teaching. You can look at previous outlines for a guide to the details of a unit.
| Session | MoA ? | Location | Outline ? |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Semester 1 2024
|
Normal day | Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney | |
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Semester 1 2024
|
Online | Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney |
Modes of attendance (MoA)
This refers to the Mode of attendance (MoA) for the unit as it appears when you’re selecting your units in Sydney Student. Find more information about modes of attendance on our website.
