Overview
Understanding Public Health introduces you to ways of thinking and perspectives that form the foundations of public health. These include examining the received wisdom of public health from the last 200 years such as different models of health and theoretical frameworks, and critiquing the approaches used in the past. You will be introduced to the social-ecological model of health that forms the basis of community-based and community-led public health. As such, you will consider the different types of leadership required for various approaches to public health practice and consider your own positionality. You will explore the differences between evidence-based practice and practice-based evidence and how these types of evidence can apply to the various approaches in public health. Finally, you will be introduced to strengths-based and disease prevention approaches as they are applied in public health.
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 1 - 2024
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).
Recommended Student Time Commitment
Each 6-credit Postgraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 hours for the unit.
Class Timetable
Assessment Overview
Assessment Grading
This is a graded unit: your overall grade will be calculated from the marks or grades for each assessment task, based on the relative weightings shown in the table above. You must obtain an overall mark for the unit of at least 50%, or an overall grade of 'pass' in order to pass the unit. If any 'pass/fail' tasks are shown in the table above they must also be completed successfully ('pass' grade). You must also meet any minimum mark requirements specified for a particular assessment task, as detailed in the 'assessment task' section (note that in some instances, the minimum mark for a task may be greater than 50%). Consult the University's Grades and Results Policy for more details of interim results and final grades.
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
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure - Domestic Students
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure - International Students
- Student Refund and Credit Balance Policy and Procedure
- Student Feedback - Compliments and 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 Direct comments from students
Real life examples (both current and past) are of more interest than theoretical ones.
Mini case studies be developed to complement existing topics.
Feedback from Email feedback from students.
Guest lecture (recorded) provided by a colleague in Agriculture was very interesting and showed how Public Health was linked to other fields.
Include prerecorded guest lectures from Public Health as well as staff in other parts of the College as part of the material for the unit.
- Analyse the history of public health and its changing philosophical, theoretical and practice models over the last 200 years
- Critique the ethics associated with different scales and approaches to public health, particularly in relation to First Nations Peoples
- Discuss the impact of a social ecological model of health on public health practice
- Differentiate between transactional and collaborative leadership and the related implications for public health practice
- Reflect on own positionality regarding approach to health practice and relationships with others, especially those from different backgrounds
- Distinguish between practice-based and evidence-based approaches used in public health and relate each to different models of health and approaches to practice
- Justify taking a strengths-based or disease prevention approach to public health practice.
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | |
| 1 - Written Assessment - 40% | |||||||
| 2 - Group Work - 40% | |||||||
| 3 - Reflective Practice Assignment - 20% | |||||||
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | |
| 1 - Knowledge | |||||||
| 2 - Communication | |||||||
| 3 - Cognitive, technical and creative skills | |||||||
| 4 - Research | |||||||
| 5 - Self-management | |||||||
| 6 - Ethical and Professional Responsibility | |||||||
| 7 - Leadership | |||||||
| 8 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures | |||||||
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Graduate Attributes
| Assessment Tasks | Graduate Attributes | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | |
| 1 - Written Assessment - 40% | ||||||||
| 2 - Group Work - 40% | ||||||||
| 3 - Reflective Practice Assignment - 20% | ||||||||
Textbooks
There are no required textbooks.
IT Resources
- CQUniversity Student Email
- Internet
- Unit Website (Moodle)
All submissions for this unit must use the referencing style: Harvard (author-date)
For further information, see the Assessment Tasks.
r.fanany@cqu.edu.au
Module/Topic
What is Public Health?
Chapter
CDC (2020) Public health responses to COVID19 outbreaks on cruise ships -- Worldwide February to March 2020. MMWR Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 69 (12): 347-352
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Models of Health
Chapter
Baron-Epel, O & Ivancovsky, M (2015) A socio-ecological model for unintentional injuries in minorities: a case study of Arab Israeli children, International Journal of Injury Control and Safety Promotion, 22 (1): 48-56, DOI: 10.1080/17457300.2013.855794
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
The Historical Context
Chapter
Riedel, S (2005) Edward Jenner and the History of Smallpox and Vaccination, Baylor University Medical Center Proceedings, 18 (1): 21-25, DOI: 10.1080/08998280.2005.11928028
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Public Health Practice: Surveillance
Chapter
Johnson, I, Hansen, A. & Bi, P (2018) The challenges of implementing an integrated One Health surveillance system in Australia.Zoonoses and Public Health, 65(1): e229–e236. https://doi.org/10.1111/zph.12433
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Public Health Practice: Disease Control
Chapter
Grogan, P & Banks, E (2020) Far from ‘mission accomplished’: Time to re-energise tobacco control in Australia, Public Health Research and Practice, 30 (3): e3032016
Events and Submissions/Topic
Research Report Due: Week 5 Friday (5 Apr 2024) 11:59 pm AEST
Research Report Due: Week 5 Friday (5 Apr 2024) 11:59 pm AEST
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Public Health Practice: The Changing Nature of Human Health
Chapter
Moon, L et al (2019) Measuring health loss in Australia: The Australian Burden of Disease Study, Journal of Korean Medical Science, 26 (34 Suppl 1): e61
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Public Health Practice: People and the Living Environment
Chapter
Kondo, MC et al (2018) Urban green space and its impact on human health, International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 15:455. (This is a systemic review; please focus on the Discussion section (page 21 of 28))
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Public Health Practice: Protecting the Public Sphere
Chapter
Gostin, LO et al (2020) Responding to COVID19: How to Navigate a Public Health Emergency. Hastings Center Report, March-April 2020
Events and Submissions/Topic
Poster: Due: Week 8 Friday (3 May 2023) 11:59 pm AEST
Poster Due: Week 8 Friday (3 May 2024) 11:59 pm AEST
Module/Topic
Public Health in a Changing World: New Challenges to Populations Health
Chapter
Bloom, DE and Caderette, D (2019) Infectious disease threats in the twenty first century: Strengthening the global response, Frontiers in Immunology, 28 March. https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2019.00549
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Public Health in a Changing World: The Impacts of Technology
Chapter
Krause, NM, Freiling, I, Beets, B & Broussard, D (2020) Fact-checking as risk communication: the multi-layered risk of misinformation in times of COVID-19, Journal of Risk Research, DOI: 10.1080/13669877.2020.1756385
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Public Health in a Changing World: The Future of Public Health
Chapter
Mercer AJ (2018) Updating the epidemiological transition model. Epidemiology and Infection 146: 680–687. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0950268818000572
Events and Submissions/Topic
Reflective Essay Due: Week 11 Friday (24 May2023) 11:59 pm AEST
Reflective Essay Due: Week 11 Friday (24 May 2024) 11:59 pm AEST
Module/Topic
Discussion and Reflection
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
1 Written Assessment
The first assessment task is a written assignment of about 1000 words that you will complete on an individual basis. For this assignment, you will choose one of the topics from the list below and write about its significance in Public Health. The assignment will require some very focused research, so it is important to begin early and seek help from the Academic Learning Centre or advice from your lecturer or tutor if you need it.
The topics for this assignment are:
1. The recognition of Zika virus as a new disease;
2. The emergence of Hendra virus in Australia;
3. Chronic fatigue syndrome as a recognized condition;
4. The development of CRISPR technology and its implications for population health;
5. The use of telehealth in providing health care;
6. The ‘Health in All Policy’ approach to governance;
7. Unintended mental health impacts of lockdown as a form of disease control;
8. Legionnaires' disease and the built environment.
Each of these topics is a fairly new phenomenon. For your chosen topic, you will need to research the scholarly literature as well as information available from organizations like the AIHW (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare) to understand the background of your topic. However, you are not to write about the clinical aspects of the topic. Your assignment must address the following issues in separate sections: 1) Introduction -- outlines the issue and gives an indication of its Public Health significance; this section must include the population affected or at risk, if relevant; 2) Public Health Implications – describes how has your topic affected thinking and practice in the field of Public Health and what are some important issues that came to attention because of your topic; 3) Historical Context – discusses how your topic fits into the Public Health context that came before and the broader history of Public Health; 4) Future Context– discusses your personal view on the future of your topic and how you believe it will change or affect Public Health thinking and practice into the future. You MUST consider as part of your report the strength of evidence relating to the topic as well as the economic, social and political impications as relevant.
This assignment must be written in a formal, academic style (not first person) and must be fully referenced. Harvard referencing is preferred for this unit. You will need to have BOTH in text references and a complete, properly formatted reference list. If you need help with referencing, please consult the ALC as soon as possible.
This assignment is worth 40% of the marks for the unit, and you must achieve a mark of 50% on this assignment to pass the unit.
This assignment is due by 11:59pm on Friday of Week 5.
Week 5 Friday (5 Apr 2024) 11:59 pm AEST
The following assessment criteria appply:
1. The assessment contains the required sections and discussion;
2. The public health aspects of the topic are explicitly discussed;
3. Accurate referencing is provided with all material from sources fully cited;
4. A formal writing style conforming to academic convention is used;
5. There is evidence of the student's own thinking, analysis and opinion.
- Analyse the history of public health and its changing philosophical, theoretical and practice models over the last 200 years
- Discuss the impact of a social ecological model of health on public health practice
- Distinguish between practice-based and evidence-based approaches used in public health and relate each to different models of health and approaches to practice
- Knowledge
- Cognitive, technical and creative skills
- Research
2 Group Work
The second assessment task for this unit is a poster presentation. This is a group assignment. You will be assigned to a group by your lecturer.
The aim of your poster is to present your interpretation of the statement, “this is Public Health.” To address this, you and your group members will identify some object, scene, practice, etc that you feel reflects some principle of the practice of Public Health. This example must exist in your own environment and must be documented in photographs which will appear as part of your poster. For example, waste management is an important aspect of Public Health management, so you might choose to discuss this and represent it with a picture of a garbage can located on street corner outside the University. It is important to think broadly about all the aspects of daily life with a Public Health element and use your ingenuity to choose a topic that may not be recognized generally as part of Public Health.
Your topic must NOT be a Public Health issue (eg obesity, poor nutriton, pollution, etc). Instead, it msut be an innovation that exists to improve Public Health. Please refer to Moodle for more information..
Your poster will be similar to the type of posters often presented at academic conferences. There is a great deal of information available online about designing these presentations. Please refer to them for examples. You will need at least one photo that you take yourself as well as text describing the phenomenon chosen and how it exemplifies Public Health. You may NOT use images or text taken from the internet.
Your group will submit your poster online, accompanied by a written text that supplements the content of the poster and explains the representation of Public Health your have chosen and discusses the elements of your poster. You may use MS Word, MS Powerpoint or another common presentation format to present your poster. As you prepare this assessment, keep in mind that your poster should be able to stand alone however.
This assignment is worth 40% of the mark for the unit, and you must achieve a mark of 50% on this assignment to pass the unit.
Week 8 Friday (3 May 2024) 11:59 pm AEST
1. Poster contains the required photos and content and is accompanied by explanatory text;
2. Any material taken from other sources is fully cited;
3. Language is original, formal and academic in nature, and reflects contribution by all group members;
4. Content shows evidence of original thinking, analysis, and creativity on the part of the groups.
- Critique the ethics associated with different scales and approaches to public health, particularly in relation to First Nations Peoples
- Differentiate between transactional and collaborative leadership and the related implications for public health practice
- Justify taking a strengths-based or disease prevention approach to public health practice.
- Knowledge
- Communication
- Cognitive, technical and creative skills
- Ethical and Professional Responsibility
- Leadership
3 Reflective Practice Assignment
The third assessment task for this unit is a reflective practice assignment of about 2000 words that describes your growing understanding of Public Health as a discipline. This is an individual assignment. You are strongly encouraged to work on your reflection throughout the term and to make notes of ideas that occur to you or issues that interest you that you can include when you write your assignment.
Your reflection should focus on how your understanding of Public Health changed over the course of the term, and you should compare your knowledge, perceptions, and attitudes at the beginning of this unit with how you feel at the end. You should also reflect specifically on the following questions:
1. How does an understanding of the history of Public Health contribute to professional practice?
2. How important are the non-health factors that are part of public health practice?
3. What are some of the ethical issues associated with public health practice?
4. How will the things you have learned as part of this unit affect your own practice in the future?
This reflective assignment is an essay. A less formal writing style may be used, and references are not required. If you do use any source material, however, each item must be identified in an in text reference and also appear fully cited on a reference list.
This assignment is worth 20% of the mark for the unit, and you must achieve a mark of 50% on this assignment to pass the unit.
This assessment task is due by 11:59 pm on Friday of week 11. The reflections will be discussed in class in week 12.
Week 11 Friday (24 May 2024) 11:59 pm AEST
1. Assessment shows real reflection and consideration on professional practice in Public Health;
2. The assigned questions are considered and discussed;
3. Any sources used are fully cited;
4. All language is original and reflects the stduent's own work;
5. Personal learning has been documented.
- Reflect on own positionality regarding approach to health practice and relationships with others, especially those from different backgrounds
- Communication
- Self-management
- Ethical and Professional Responsibility
As a CQUniversity student you are expected to act honestly in all aspects of your academic work.
Any assessable work undertaken or submitted for review or assessment must be your own work. Assessable work is any type of work you do to meet the assessment requirements in the unit, including draft work submitted for review and feedback and final work to be assessed.
When you use the ideas, words or data of others in your assessment, you must thoroughly and clearly acknowledge the source of this information by using the correct referencing style for your unit. Using others’ work without proper acknowledgement may be considered a form of intellectual dishonesty.
Participating honestly, respectfully, responsibly, and fairly in your university study ensures the CQUniversity qualification you earn will be valued as a true indication of your individual academic achievement and will continue to receive the respect and recognition it deserves.
As a student, you are responsible for reading and following CQUniversity’s policies, including the Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure. This policy sets out CQUniversity’s expectations of you to act with integrity, examples of academic integrity breaches to avoid, the processes used to address alleged breaches of academic integrity, and potential penalties.
What is a breach of academic integrity?
A breach of academic integrity includes but is not limited to plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, cheating, contract cheating, and academic misconduct. The Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure defines what these terms mean and gives examples.
Why is academic integrity important?
A breach of academic integrity may result in one or more penalties, including suspension or even expulsion from the University. It can also have negative implications for student visas and future enrolment at CQUniversity or elsewhere. Students who engage in contract cheating also risk being blackmailed by contract cheating services.
Where can I get assistance?
For academic advice and guidance, the Academic Learning Centre (ALC) can support you in becoming confident in completing assessments with integrity and of high standard.
What can you do to act with integrity?
