Course Coordinator: Associate Professor John Moss
Phone: +61 8313 4620
Email: john.moss@adelaide.edu.au
Location: Level 7, 178 North Terrace

Student & Program Support Services Hub
Email: askhealthsc@adelaide.edu.au
Phone: +61 8313 0273

1	Describe the main elements of population perspective on health;
2	Describe the health of a population using commonly available information;
3	Discuss current trends in the nature of the health problems facing communities at various levels of social and economic development;
4	Explain what is meant by multi-factorial causation of disease;
5	Describe and explain basic prevention strategies;
6	Apply the social determinants of health to the analysis of a major health problem;
7	Discuss the causes and prevention of communicable disease;
8	Participate constructively in tutorials and practicals, providing useful feedback to other participants;
9	Write a clear and concise written report on a public health issue, demonstrating both imagination and sound judgement;
10	Demonstrate competence in presentational skills, including the use of appropriate audio-visual facilities, in delivering an oral report on a public health issue to the class.

No single general textbook covers the whole subject matter of this course. Much of the reading resources for this course will be sourced from peer-reviewed journals available electronically through the Barr Smith Library and from official and semi-official reports appearing on the World Wide Web. A set of photocopied readings will also be made available.

Readings have been recommended because the authors have something interesting to say; recommendation does not necessarily imply endorsement of the content by the teaching staff. As well as contemporary papers, these will include classic papers which have stood the test of time for teaching the basics.

A list of recommended readings will be provided on MyUni.

MyUni is the primary entry point to online learning at The University of Adelaide. You can connect to MyUni on or off campus from an internet connected computer using a Web browser. The URL is: www.myuni.adelaide.edu.au/ Login to this resource using your Username and Password.

Additional course-related material is available through MyUni. This includes the course timetable, tutorials, and more information on learning support services available for students.

Pdf files of the lecture presentations will be made available on MyUni usually on the day following the lecture. This timing gives the lecturer flexibility to respond to student questions and comment as the session proceeds.

Course announcements will be sent to your email address on MyUni.

As with any postgraduate course, you will be expected to achieve more than a mere understanding of the ideas and information presented to you. You will be expected to grapple with the challenges presented by these ideas; to learn how to ask better questions about public health issues; and to apply these concepts to problems in your own sphere of influence.

This course places a high priority on interaction between the participants and the academic staff, and amongst participants. It is understood that students may have different learning styles and may come from different cultural backgrounds.

There will be a lecture, a tutorial and a practical on each scheduled day. Where possible, tutorials and practicals will lag one scheduled day after the relevant lecture. There will be recommended reading prior to each tutorial and follow-up reading for each lecture. Since the purpose of any lecture will be to explain and to identify the important themes, not merely to provide information, questions are welcome. Tutorials will provide an opportunity to review your independent study, and to explore issues in greater depth and breadth. Practicals will provide an opportunity to apply the key course concepts and information.

In the tutorials, the relevant starred reading will be the main focus. Every student will be expected to demonstrate a detailed knowledge of the starred tutorial reading, and an awareness of the main issues covered by the other readings. All students are encouraged to participate actively. The tutor's role will be to ensure that all major points are covered and to clarify areas where there is uncertainty.
Students who are experiencing any form of difficulty in achieving the course objectives are cordially invited to discuss this with the course coordinator as early as possible. A key role of the academic staff is to provide guidance to students in achieving their learning goals.

The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.

To successfully complete their courses, students will need to allocate an appropriate time commitment to their study. In addition to the formal contact – the time required to attend each scheduled activity (viz, lectures, tutorials and practicals) - students will need to allocate their own non-contact time. Non-contact time will be required for a range of activities which may include, but are not limited to, assessment tasks, reading, researching, note-taking, revision, writing, consultation with staff, and informal discussion with other students.

While the relative proportion of contact and non-contact time may vary from course to course, as a guide, a full-time student would expect to spend, on average, a total of 48 hours per week on their studies during teaching periods. The workload for a full-time program is 24 units per year. In other words, you will probably need to allow a minimum of three independent study hours for every hour undertaken in formal class work contact.

Date	Lecture (first hour)	Tutorial (second hour)	Practical (third hour)
Tuesday 31 Jan	What is health?	Measuring population health (L)	Orientation
Thursday 2 Feb	How healthy are we?	Mortality: the tip of the ill-health iceberg	Critical Reasoning and  Scholarly Writing
Tuesday 7 Feb	Why public health?	Aboriginal mortality and morbidity	Time trends in mortality Course Dinner (optional)
Thursday 9 Feb	Public health and how we live	A population perspective on causation	Public health and the clinic
Tuesday 14 Feb	Prevention strategies	The land of Mythica	The land of Mythica (continued) Mid-Course Review
Thursday 16 Feb	Social inequalities in health	Public health and personal choice	Briefing on group presentations
Tuesday 21 Feb	Communicable disease and human ecology	Social determinants of health	Available for Preparation of Group Presentations
Thursday 23 Feb	Group Presentations	Group Presentations	Group Presentations Course Evaluation

No additional course-specific requirements.

N/A

Assessment Task	Assessment Type	Weighting	Learning Outcome(s) being addressed
Assignment One Individual One-page Report	Summative	10%	1-7, 9
Assignment Two Individual One-page Report	Summative	10%	1-7, 9
Group Presentation Collaborative Task	Summative	20%	1-7, 10
Essay	Summative	50%	1-7, 9
Participation	Tutorials and Practicals	10%	8, 9

Attendance at all tutorials and practicals is required, and is a prerequisite for passing this course. The reason for any absence should be made known to the course co-ordinator, who may require remedial work.

PARTICIPATION
In tutorials and practicals it is expected that all students should participate actively in the discussion. Your mark for participation will be based on the extent to which you involve yourself in the discussions and activities in class and the quality of these contributions. This is more than mere attendance.

ONE-PAGE TUTORIAL PAPERS:
Your task is to provide a constructively critical review of the main argument
in the selected paper. You are expected to develop your own reasoned
argument in your own words within a single page.

For details see the course MyUni page.

ESSAY:
Each student shall submit a substantial essay (approximately 3,000 words) on a pertinent topic of their own choosing. Thus part of the task is to identify a relevant topic in public health where exploration will lead to significant learning. The essay must provide an in-depth analysis. Before proceeding, students are required to discuss their proposed topic and an outline with the course  co-ordinator.

For details see the course MyUni page.

GROUP PRESENTATION:
Participants are to work in groups of three and must share the work equitably. If you have difficulty in forming a group, inform the course co-ordinator as soon as possible.

An important and challenging part of the group's task is to select a suitable topic. The presentation should address the public  health issues related to the topic, and differentiate the students' own contributions from material available in the literature, in  lectures, and tutorials, and other sources. Please approach the course coordinator should any concerns arise that the work is not being shared equitably in your group. 

The group presentation should follow the format of a paper presented to a learned society.

For details see the course MyUni page.

Extensions
All extensions for assignments must be requested, at the latest, by the last working day before the due date of submission. Extensions will generally be granted only on medical or genuine compassionate grounds. Supporting documentation must be  provided at the time a student requests an extension. Without documentation, extensions will not be granted. Late requests for  extension will neither be accepted nor acknowledged.

Only the Course Co-ordinator(s) may grant extensions.

Supporting documentation will be required when requesting an extension. Examples of documents that are acceptable include: a  medical certificate that specifies dates of incapacity, a police report (in the case of lost computers, car & household theft etc.), a  letter from a Student Counsellor, Education and Welfare Officer (EWO) or Disability Liaison Officer that provides an assessment of  compassionate circumstances, or a letter from an independent external counsellor or appropriate professional able to verify the  student’s situation. The length of any extension granted will take into account the period and severity of any incapacity or impact  on the student. Extensions of more than 10 days will not be granted except in exceptional circumstances.

Late submission
Marks will be deducted when assignments for which no extension has been granted are handed in late.

All assignments, including those handed in late, will be assessed on their merits. In the case of late assignments where no  extension has been granted, 5 percentage points of the total marks possible per day will be deducted. If an assignment that is 2  days late is awarded 65% on its merits, the mark will then be reduced by 10% (5% per day for 2 days) to 55%. If that same  assignment is 4 days late, the mark will be reduced by 20% (5% per day for 4 days) to 45%, and so on.
 
The School of Public Health reserves the right to refuse to accept an assignment that is more than 7 days late.

Assignments submitted after the due date may not be graded in time to be returned on the listed return dates.

Students submitting examinable written work who request (and receive) an extension that takes them beyond the examination  period are advised that there is no guarantee that their grades will be processed in time to meet usual University deadlines.
 
Resubmission
If a student is dissatisfied with an assessment grade they should follow the Student Grievance Resolution Process  <https://www.adelaide.edu.au/student/grievance/process/>. Students who are not satisfied with a particular assessment result should raise their concerns with Course Co-ordinator(s) in the first instance. This must be done within 10 business days of the  date of notification of the result. Resubmission of any assignment is subject to the agreement of the Course Co-ordinator(s) and  will only be permitted for the most compelling of reasons.