Unit Outline

HGA138: Society Culture and Health explores the ways in which social and cultural factors and power relations shape the distribution of health and illness and experiences of health and illness in contemporary Australia. The unit will help you to develop critical thinking skills and provide an understanding of the role of social and cultural factors in health and illness related issues such as health inequality, wellness, alternative medicine, chronic illness and cosmetic surgery.

Intended Learning Outcomes

As per the Assessment and Results Policy 1.3, your results will reflect your achievement against specified learning outcomes.

On completion of this unit, you will be able to:


1	Identify and describe key characteristics of a sociological perspective on health and illness
2	Demonstrate knowledge of the social and cultural dimensions of health and illness as experienced by individuals and groups in Australian society;
3	Critically analyse contemporary health care issues
4	Communicate your knowledge of sociology of health and illness in written form.

Requisites


REQUISITE TYPE	REQUISITES
Anti-requisite (mutual excl)	HGA135 AND HGE138

Alterations as a result of student feedback

The unit has not been altered as a result of student feedback.

How will I be Assessed?

For more detailed assessment information please see MyLO.

Assessment schedule


ASSESSMENT TASK #	ASSESSMENT TASK NAME	DATE DUE	WEIGHT	LINKS TO INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES
Assessment Task 1:	Essay	Week 9	40 %	LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4
Assessment Task 2:	Take home exam	Week 11	40 %	LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4
Assessment Task 3:	Quiz	Refer to Assessment Description	20 %	LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4

Assessment details

Assessment Task 1: Essay

Task Description:

Address an essay question in a 1500 word essay. Information about essay questions and instructions on the essay are available to students in the Assessment Task Two folder in mylo.

Task Length:

1500 words

Due Date:

Week 9 (24/Nov/2025)

Weight:

40 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Answers the question: Engages with the set question thoughtfully and presents a clear answer to the question Presents an argument that is supported by the literature. Follows the instructions.	LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4
2	Understanding: Demonstrates understanding of the chosen topic and relevant sociological debates, theories and concepts. Evaluates the sociological perspectives discussed.	LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4
3	Structure and Expression: Conforms to a recognised essay structure, including a clear argument and logical progression through ideas. Clear and concise written expression using appropriate sociological language to identify and analyse the issues.	LO3, LO4
4	Sources: Uses a wide range of appropriate sources. including references to materials provided in this unit.	LO1, LO2, LO4
5	Referencing: Consistently uses Harvard referencing style as outlined in the Sociology referencing guide provided to students in this unit.	LO4

Assessment Task 2: Take home exam

Task Description:

The exam will consist of five questions. You will need to answer four of these questions by writing short essay answers of up to 500 words each. The exam questions will be based on the online discussion questions from the semester. Further information on the exam will be provided during the semester.

Task Length:

Once it is released you have 5 days to complete the exam.

Due Date:

Week 11 (12/Dec/2025)

Weight:

40 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Description and explanation of relevant sociological ideas, concepts and theories.	LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4
2	Application of relevant sociological sources, and the use of up to date and accurate information about the health issues discussed in the exam.	LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4
3	Demonstrates an understanding of the sociological approach to health and illness.	LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4
4	Demonstrates an ability to clearly express the arguments (free of spelling/grammatical errors) and clearly structure the arguments.	LO4

Assessment Task 3: Quiz

Task Description:

Complete two online quizzes. Each quiz is made up of 10 multiple-choice questions.
The task is designed to help you assess your own progress in the unit, and your understanding of key concepts and material covered in the relevant module. The quizzes are open-book – you can refer to any material during the test. Once you open the quiz you must complete it within 20 minutes. Quiz One will be released on the 21st of October and must be completed by the 25th of October. Quiz 2 will be released on the 11th of November and must be completed by the 15th of November.

You can access this assessment item on MyLO via the Quizzes link at the top of the MyLO screen.

Please see details in mylo for quiz dates.

Task Length:

10 multiple choice questions in 15 minutes. Once you have completed the test, you will not be able to change your answers or resubmit the test. The first quiz will be due in Week Four and the second quiz in Week Seven.

Due Date:

Refer to Assessment Description

Weight:

20 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Demonstrate understanding of key sociological concepts and terms relevant a sociological approach to health and illness.	LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4
2	Ability to correctly understand and apply information presented in the unit materials.	LO1, LO2, LO4

How your final result is determined

To pass this unit, you need to demonstrate your attainment of each of the Intended Learning Outcomes, achieve a final unit grade of 50% or greater, and pass any hurdle tasks.

Academic progress review

The results for this unit may be included in a review of your academic progress. For information about progress reviews and what they mean for all students, see Academic Progress Review in the Student Portal.

Submission of assignments

Where practicable, assignments should be submitted to an assignment submission folder in MYLO. You must submit assignments by the due date or receive a penalty (unless an extension of time has been approved by the Unit Coordinator). Students submitting any assignment in hard copy, or because of a practicum finalisation, must attach a student cover sheet and signed declaration for the submission to be accepted for marking.

Academic integrity

Academic integrity is about acting responsibly, honestly, ethically, and collegially when using, producing, and communicating information with other students and staff members.

In written work, you must correctly reference the work of others to maintain academic integrity. To find out the referencing style for this unit, see the assessment information in the MyLO site, or contact your teaching staff. For more detail about Academic Integrity, see Important Guidelines & Support.

Requests for extensions

If you are unable to submit an assessment task by the due date, you should apply for an extension.

A request for an extension should first be discussed with your Unit Coordinator or teaching support team where possible. A request for an extension must be submitted by the assessment due date, except where you can provide evidence it was not possible to do so. Typically, an application for an extension will be supported by documentary evidence: however, where it is not possible for you to provide evidence please contact your Unit Coordinator.

The Unit Coordinator must notify you of the outcome of an extension request within 3 working days of receiving the request.

Late penalties

Assignments submitted after the deadline will receive a late penalty of 5% of the original available mark for each calendar day (or part day) that the assignment is late. Late submissions will not be accepted more than 10 calendar days after the due date, or after assignments have been returned to other students on a scheduled date, whichever occurs first. Further information on Late Penalties can be found on the Assessments and Results Procedure.