Overview
On successful completion of this unit you will have an appreciation of social determinants on your own and others' health outcomes. You will understand how early childhood experiences, culture, ethnicity, gender, socioeconomic status and education play out to influence health at individual, community and societal levels. You will explore the impacts of racism, sexism, poverty and inequality on social gradients and the short and long term effects on health. You will also explore the social protective factors of community connectedness and identity and be introduced to key social innovation concepts. Finally, you will have the opportunity to refine your academic searching and writing skills through the literacy and information literacy resources provided in this unit.
Details
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites
There are no requisites for this unit.
Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework).
Offerings For Term 3 - 2026
Attendance Requirements
All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes - in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).
All University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
You may wish to view these policies:
- Grades and Results Policy
- Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework)
- Review of Grade Procedure
- Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure
- Academic Progression Policy and Procedure
- Student Refund and Credit Balance Policy and Procedure
- Complaints Policy and Procedure
- Information and Communications Technology Acceptable Use Policy and Procedure
This list is not an exhaustive list of all University policies. The full list of University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
Feedback, Recommendations and Responses
Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.
Feedback from Student unit evaluations, email feedback, in-class discussions, and unit coordinator reflection.
Students valued the supportive learning environment, clear communication, and practical links between foundational health concepts and health professional practice.
Continue to provide a supportive and inclusive learning environment while maintaining clear communication of assessment requirements and explicit links between foundational health concepts and professional practice across the diverse disciplines represented in the unit.
Feedback from Student unit evaluations and unit coordinator reflection.
Some students requested additional Australian-based examples and discipline-specific applications, particularly for paramedicine and the Australian healthcare system.
Further increase the use of Australian case studies, healthcare examples, and discipline-specific learning activities to strengthen students' perceptions of the relevance of unit content to their future professional practice.