| Unit name | Inequalities in Health, Poverty and Development |
|---|---|
| Unit code | SPOL31021 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | H/6 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12) |
| Unit director | Dr. Grieve |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you may not take alongside this one |
None |
| School/department | School for Policy Studies |
| Faculty | Faculty of Social Sciences and Law |
Why is this unit important?
According to the World Health Organisation the world's biggest killer and the greatest cause of ill health and suffering across the globe is listed almost at the end of the International Classification of Diseases. It is given code Z59.5 -- extreme poverty. The possibility of improving the health of the world’s population by ending poverty during the 21st Century has gained increasing public and political support. Drawing on development theories you will be examining the scientific and policy debates about how to eliminate global poverty and reduce wider global inequalities in health. It is an important unit that will help you develop insight into complex global challenges in global inequality, the implications of these and ideas for meeting these challenges.
How does this unit fit into your programme of study?
The unit is optional for ISPP and SP students. It is a Mandatory unit for intercalating students as part of their Global Health iBSc. As an interdisciplinary unit it draws on various disciplines covering topics of global health, poverty and inequality, gender, politics, global development, law and policy studies. The contents are intentional in design with International Social and Public Policy, Social policy and Global Health BSc intercalator programme students in mind. It fosters co-learning where students from different disciplinary backgrounds work together to engage with contemporary local and global determinants of health.
An overview of content
The unit considers inequality, poverty and development with particular focus on global health inequality. It considers theories, concepts and policy initiatives to analyse development processes, evidence and outcomes in relation to health. Drawing on various disciplines the content of the unit covers topics including health, poverty and inequality, gender, age, rights, power relations between different countries in context of aid and global development. It considers the dynamics of global cooperation and collaboration between high- and low-income countries, the role of UN organisations such as (WHO, UNDP) and financial institutions (World Bank and the IMF).
How will students, personally, be different as a result of the unit
The unit provides you with an overview of global health inequality and the key determinants of health (Social, Political and Commercial) and the role of global development community in meeting global challenges. This unit will enable you to better understand and articulate changes overtime through learning useful tools (STATcompiler and Gapminder).Beyond developing unit specific knowledge, this unit is packed with considerable transferable skills useful for future career in a range of areas including in, public and private sector, third sector, global policy sphere.
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
Teaching will consist of lectures, seminars, and independent learning activities. Independent activities will involve structured reading and self-directed exercise using a brief pre-session workbook (STATcompiler and Gapminder), post session worksheet and self/peer marking. The weekly seminar fosters co-learning through group activities, discussions and debates. Feedback will be provided for formative assessment, preparation for which will be supported through discussion during class session on essay outline relevant to the summative assessment.
Tasks which help you learn and prepare you for summative tasks (formative):
You will develop an essay outline for an informal feedback and quality essay writing discussion in class session.
Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative):
Essay (2500 words maximum, 100%)
This assessment covers all the intended learning outcomes.
When assessment does not go to plan
Subject to the university regulations for taught programmes, reassessment for those unable to take or pass a summative assessment may be offered an opportunity for reassessment. This will comprise a task of the same format as the original assessment.
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. SPOL31021).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the University Workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The assessment methods listed in this unit specification are designed to enable students to demonstrate the named learning outcomes (LOs). Where a disability prevents a student from undertaking a specific method of assessment, schools will make reasonable adjustments to support a student to demonstrate the LO by an alternative method or with additional resources.
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. For appropriate assessments, if you have self-certificated your absence, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (for assessments at the end of TB1 and TB2 this is usually in the next re-assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
