BETH5203: Semester 2, 2025

Units BETH5203 Semester 2 2025 [Online]

Unit outline_

BETH5203: Public Health Ethics

Semester 2, 2025 [Online] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

Overview

This unit provides students with an overview of the ethical and political issues that underlie public health policy and practice. The unit begins with some fundamentals about the nature of public health. We then explore key concepts in public health ethics including equity, liberty, utility, justice, and solidarity, and consider different ways of reasoning about the ethics of public health. A range of current public health problems and issues are presented and discussed, including ‘lifestyle’ diseases, screening, public mental health, health communication, and pandemics. Throughout, the emphasis is on learning to make sound arguments about the ethical aspects of public health policy, practice and research. Students will be encouraged to ask questions, and to compare and debate competing answers to those questions. What is public health? 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 why aren’t we doing more about it)? Most learning occurs in the context of five teaching interactive intensives and the assigned course readings, which focus on the development and application of reasoning skills.

Unit details and rules

Academic unit	Public Health
Credit points	6
Prerequisites ?	None
Corequisites ?	None
Prohibitions ?	BETH5206
Assumed knowledge ?	None
Available to study abroad and exchange students	Yes

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Supriya Subramani, supriya.subramani@sydney.edu.au

Assessment

The census date for this unit availability is 1 September 2025

Details
Criteria

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length	Use of AI
Written work	Reflection Post Reflection post based on documentary.	10%	Week 02 Due date: 12 Aug 2025 at 23:00	300 words	AI allowed
Outcomes assessed:
Debate	Debate Post Debate on discussion board based on given topic.	20%	Week 05 Due date: 03 Sep 2025 at 23:00	600 words	AI allowed
Outcomes assessed:
Case studies	Case Commentary Case commentary based on in-class case study discussion.	35%	Week 06 Due date: 11 Sep 2025 at 23:00	800 words	AI allowed
Outcomes assessed:
Written work	Revise and Resubmit Case Commentary Revise and Resubmit Case Commentary	35%	Week 10 Due date: 16 Oct 2025 at 23:00	1500 words	AI allowed
Outcomes assessed:
Oral test ?	Interactive Oral Test Oral test	0%	Week 12 Due date: 22 Oct 2025 at 19:00 Closing date: 23 Oct 2025	15 minutes (oral)	AI prohibited
Outcomes assessed:
= hurdle task ?

Assessment summary

Detailed information for each assessment can be found on Canvas.

Assessment criteria

The University awards common result grades, set out in the Coursework Policy 2014 (Schedule 1).

As a general guide, a high distinction indicates work of an exceptional standard, a distinction a very high standard, a credit a good standard, and a pass an acceptable standard.

Result name	Mark range	Description
High distinction	85 - 100
Distinction	75 - 84
Credit	65 - 74
Pass	50 - 64
Fail	0 - 49	When you don’t meet the learning outcomes of the unit to a satisfactory standard.

For more information see guide to grades.

Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI)

You can use generative AI tools for open assessments. Restrictions on AI use apply to secure, supervised assessments used to confirm if students have met specific learning outcomes.

Refer to the assessment table above to see if AI is allowed, for assessments in this unit and check Canvas for full instructions on assessment tasks and AI use.

If you use AI, you must always acknowledge it. Misusing AI may lead to a breach of the Academic Integrity Policy.

Visit the Current Students website for more information on AI in assessments, including details on how to acknowledge its use.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

Academic integrity

The University expects students to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.

Our website provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. This includes advice on how to avoid common breaches of academic integrity. Ensure that you have completed the Academic Honesty Education Module (AHEM) which is mandatory for all commencing coursework students

Penalties for serious breaches can significantly impact your studies and your career after graduation. It is important that you speak with your unit coordinator if you need help with completing assessments.

Visit the Current Students website for more information on AI in assessments, including details on how to acknowledge its use.

Learning support

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

Support for students

The Support for Students Policy reflects the University’s commitment to supporting students in their academic journey and making the University safe for students. It is important that you read and understand this policy so that you are familiar with the range of support services available to you and understand how to engage with them.

The University uses email as its primary source of communication with students who need support under the Support for Students Policy. Make sure you check your University email regularly and respond to any communications received from the University.

Learning resources and detailed information about weekly assessment and learning activities can be accessed via Canvas. It is essential that you visit your unit of study Canvas site to ensure you are up to date with all of your tasks.

If you are having difficulties completing your studies, or are feeling unsure about your progress, we are here to help. You can access the support services offered by the University at any time:

Support and Services (including health and wellbeing services, financial support and learning support)
Course planning and administration
Meet with an Academic Adviser

Weekly schedule

WK	Topic	Learning activity
Week 01	Intensive 1 Understanding Public Health: A Social and Normative Inquiry	Block teaching (4 hr)
Week 03	Intensive 2 The Role of Responsibility in Public Health	Block teaching (4 hr)
Week 05	Intensive 3 Understanding Structural Injustice	Block teaching (4 hr)
Week 07	Intensive 4 Confronting Health Inequity	Block teaching (4 hr)
Week 09	Intensive 5 Centering Justice	Block teaching (4 hr)

Attendance and class requirements

Intensives:

Students have the opportunity to attend five intensives, online or in person. All of the material covered in class is assessed. Students who attend asynchronously will have access to recordings of all lectures.

Preparedness:

Students are expected to arrive in class having done the assigned readings for the session, thought about them, and prepared to discuss them throughout the lecture or seminar. In order to make the most out of our sessions, there will not be any time for reading or reviewing assigned readings during class time. Students will be responsible for engaging with the material during class sessions, by asking questions, responding to questions posed by the lecturer and their peers, and interpreting and critiquing the ideas presented in readings and lecture. In order to succeed in written course-work components, students must be prepared to read the assigned materials carefully and critically.

Devices:

Students are encouraged to limit the use of laptops and tablets during workshops, unless to refer to course readings provided electronically. This course engages with critical thinking, reading, and discussion; it is crucial in this class that students engage and participate in the lectures and seminars, and avoid distractions online. Please silence mobile phones and keep them in your bags.

Exclusionary Speech:

Exclusionary speech and behaviour hurt our ability to maintain an open, safe, and productive class environment, in which all are able to participate and learn. Exclusionary speech can happen unintentionally, by using unreflective language that privileges dominant perspectives over others. Comments that assume that everyone in the classroom has had the same life experiences and holds the same attitudes or preferences excludes members of the group who identify differently from the perspective assumed by the speaker, and may damage their feelings of inclusion and their ability to speak from their perspective. We all have an interest in maintaining openness and inclusivity in our discussions, first because it enables the learning of everyone in the classroom, and second because it contributes to the maintenance of rich and interesting conversations and debates. We may sometimes fall short of our goals of inclusivity and openness, but students are expected to be conscientious about avoiding exclusionary speech in discussions and debates.

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Required readings

All readings are available via the unit of study Canvas site. They are listed on module pages, and on the Reading List.

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

Outcomes
Graduate qualities

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

LO1. demonstrate an understanding of a wide range of relevant concepts in public health ethics
LO2. form considered arguments about the ethical dimensions of public health
LO3. apply ethical concepts to analyse cases in public health policy and/or practice.

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1	Depth of disciplinary expertise Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.
GQ2	Critical thinking and problem solving Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.
GQ3	Oral and written communication Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.
GQ4	Information and digital literacy Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.
GQ5	Inventiveness Generating novel ideas and solutions.
GQ6	Cultural competence Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.
GQ7	Interdisciplinary effectiveness Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.
GQ8	Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.
GQ9	Influence Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes	Graduate qualities
Learning outcomes

Responding to student feedback

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

Wanted to share that in Semester 2, 2024, this unit received a rating of 4.67 out of 5, which was really encouraging. What meant even more to me were the student comments, many shared that they found the space safe, inclusive, and supportive of critical conversations and reflective learning. Based on feedback and student comments, I’ve kept a few things that seem to be working well: we’re continuing with separate in-person and online workshops, and I’ve made sure there’s still plenty of space for critical conversations, especially through case studies and broader discussions about the politics of health. A few students also mentioned that they felt more comfortable sharing openly when sessions weren’t recorded. So, to support honest reflection and open dialogue, I’ve decided not to record the sessions, this is part of creating a critical space where we can all engage more freely. Another area that needed improvement was the opportunity for one-on-one feedback. So, this semester, I’ve introduced an oral assessment that allows for more direct and personalised feedback. There’s also a built-in revise-and-resubmit opportunity, so you can engage with the feedback meaningfully and continue developing your work. Looking forward to learning with you all! Some of the students comments from 2024 Sem 2: I loved Supriya's teaching style!!!! I found the content really engaging , especially the different types of content we were able to engage with and draw from. Supriya absolutely spoiled our class with providing lectures, podcasts, seminars to discuss our learnings with really useful formative assesment style tasks such as mock debates and case studies, and a diverse amount of papers and literature, documentaries and more. I LOVED how interactive Supriya's classes were, how she ran the structure of content, how safe and engaging the workshops were. I feel blessed to have studied under Supriya and I truly feel as if my critical thinking and analysis skills have skyrocketed. Supriya's dedication and additional support outside of workshops over email/canvas and meetings has been truly invaluable. This has probably been the best taught unit I've ever had. · Great range of papers for each intensive, and I really like the format of intensive being a well structured range of individual and group discussions Supriya was always supportive, warm, and open to all kinds of ideas which fostered a very supportive learning environment where I felt safe sharing ideas. Supriya's teaching style is engaging, stimulating, and inspiring! I learnt so much about how to bring in and discuss ideas from other disciplines such as critical race theory into the context of public health - something I wasn't sure was "allowed" or possible before! The podcasts, documentaries, and interviews that Supriya included were fantastic. I learnt a lot. It was nice to have different ways to learn and incorporate the knowledge, other than just stacks of reading. Having in-person workshops with no hybrid option was SO GOOD!!! I felt the most engaged in this unit because I didn't have the presence of a zoom screen looming over me, watching my every move. Supriya was great at stimulating discussion and sharing her own insights, thoughts, and reflections. She brought together our learning and challenged us to make connections and ask difficult questions. The readings were great, though sometimes there were too many of them towards the end of term! I really appreciated the diversity of authors and perspectives that went outside of the usual US-centric ethics content. Supriya was readily available to answer questions and went above and beyond to meet our requests. · It seems the teacher is sensitive to modern approaches to pedagogy in higher education. I would encourage her to continue in this and find out what works best for her and her subject.

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.

Current students

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI)

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Support for students

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links