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This course provides an interdisciplinary introduction to core topics in health studies including concepts of health, measuring health, determinants of health and health services organisation.
How do we prevent ill health? How do we create healthier environments? Introduction to Health Studies provides students with a conceptual and practical toolkit with which to examine health and health-related issues. This course is compulsory for all majors in Health Science, but anyone who wishes to learn about social and economic means of improving health and wellbeing in New Zealand and internationally will find it interesting.The course is taught by health practitioners from Christchurch and academics from across the university. The course coordinator is Dr Carolyn Mason, a bioethicist in Philosophy.The presenters differ each year, depending on currently relevant issues. Recent topics include:• The human as an ecosystem of beings• Public health in New Zealand• The impact of society, culture, and the environment on health• The value of health care services and health care ethics• Health psychology• Child and adolescent health• Understanding problematic substance use• The practical science of wellbeing• Politics, public policy and health
Students who complete the course will understand: health determinants including social, economic and political determinantshealth inequalities in Aotearoa New Zealand, and current measures to address them;the ways in which we can measure health; which strategies work best for promoting health, and why; the use and evaluation of health policies in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Carolyn Mason
Email carolyn.mason@canterbury.ac.nz
Naidoo, Jennie & Wills, Jane (Eds.). (2015); 'Health studies: An introduction' (3nd ed.); Palgrave Macmillan.Additional course readings will be available on Learn.(Image: "New Zealand Stamp 1933 - Health" by Steve Strummer, licensed under public domain.)
Library portalLearn Referencing for Health Sciences Using EndNote for referencing Writing guides for Health Sciences Course Outline
Domestic fee $883.00
International fee $4,000.00
* All fees are inclusive of NZ GST or any equivalent overseas tax, and do not include any programme level discount or additional course-related expenses.
For further information see Humanities .