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Unit of study_

CISS6004: Health and Security

2020 unit information

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.

Unit details and rules

Managing faculty or University school:

Arts and Social Sciences

Study level Postgraduate
Academic unit Government and International Relations
Credit points 6
Prerequisites:
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None
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. Develop an advanced knowledge, understanding and appreciation of how various global health issues intersect with national and international security concerns
  • LO2. Develop a sound knowledge base and a demonstrated ability to think critically about the key actors, institutions and challenges in global public health
  • LO3. Demonstrate an ability to construct and then describe complex public policy problems in a clear and concise manner for potentially diverse audiences
  • LO4. Demonstrate an ability to gather, consolidate and analyse evidence, and then apply this knowledge to develop possible policy solutions
  • LO5. Demonstrate an ability to gather and analyse evidence to organise and construct a coherent and persuasive written argument
  • LO6. Demonstrate an ability to think critically to assess complex public policy problems relating to health and security

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.

There are no availabilities for this year.
Session MoA ?  Location Outline ? 
Semester 2 2020
Normal day Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

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Modes of attendance (MoA)

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