ANTH40N15: Health and Inequality (Advanced)

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• To engage critical perspectives from social epidemiology and medical anthropology in understanding the drivers of health inequalities and inequities, between and within populations.
• To apply these perspectives to a range of health problems affecting contemporary human populations (including communicable and non-communicable diseases).

• Core theory and principles from social epidemiology and medical anthropology in relation to health and inequality. Content will vary year-to-year as new concepts and debates emerge, but may include: inequality and inequity, structural violence, theories of causation, metrics and measurements, political ecology of health, life course perspectives, and syndemics.
• Application of theory and principles to a range of contemporary health issues. These will vary from year to year, but may include: lifestyle (non-communicable) diseases, mental illness, pandemic threats, neglected tropical diseases, etc.

Subject-specific Knowledge:

• An advanced, critical understanding of the core theories and principles of social epidemiology and medical anthropology, in relation to understanding health inequalities and inequities.
• A sophisticated appreciation of the relationships between epidemiology, medical anthropology and clinical medicine.
• Understanding and operationalising the difference between health inequalities and health inequities, and between proximate and ultimate (or upstream/downstream) causes of health inequalities and inequities.
• An advanced, critical understanding of the social and political drivers of a range of contemporary health problems.

Subject-specific Skills:

• Critical application of core theories and principles of social epidemiology and medical anthropology to contemporary health problems.
• Ability to distinguish between different levels/types of drivers of health inequities, and understand their relevance to addressing sources of those inequities.
• Ability to apply epidemiological and anthropological insights to health problems in policy-relevant ways.

Key Skills:

• Application of abstract theory and principles to real-world health problems.
• Ability to read, critically evaluate and synthesise relevant literature from multiple academic disciplines (epidemiology, clinical medicine, and medical anthropology) and policy literature.
• Ability to interpret and critically evaluate quantitative and qualitative data and analyses relating to population health.
• Ability to write for academic and policy audiences.

• Summative assessment is by one 3000-word written assignment, which may take the form of a standard academic essay or a more policy-focused piece of writing.
• Formative assessment is a 500-word outline of the summative assignment.

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