Unit information: Population Health and Development in 2020/21

Unit name	Population Health and Development
Unit code	ARCHM0079
Credit points	20
Level of study	M/7
Teaching block(s)	Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12)
Unit director	Professor. Gibson
Open unit status	Not open
Pre-requisites	None
Co-requisites	None
School/department	Department of Anthropology and Archaeology
Faculty	Faculty of Arts

Description including Unit Aims

This seminar-based course brings together the most current issues in health, population and society. A unique feature of the course is that it combines both social and biological anthropological approaches to the study of health and well-being across the world. The course is substantive in content, and examines both the causes and consequences of global and individual variation in population, fertility, mortality, health and migration.

Employing a biosocial approach the unit addresses the following questions:

• How can we explain variation in global trends in population and health?
• What are the emerging population and health issues for the 21st Century?
• Where do the greatest inequalities in population and health lie?
• What are the major social, economic and policy implications?
• How can a biosocial anthropological perspective inform policy?

Aims

• To identify both the underlying causes, and the long-term consequences, of emerging population and health issues across the world.
• To develop critical skills in the interpretation of qualitative and quantitative health and demographic data.
• To provide a basic grounding for future applied anthropological research informed by biological and social scientific approaches

Intended Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, students will be able to:

1) Explain (with case studies) and critically evaluate different perspectives in debates in population and health.

2) Identify, extract, and use qualitative and quantitative data from a range of academic and development sources.

3) Write and orally present a report that integrates social, biological and demographic data.

4) Discuss how an integrated bio-social anthropology can help policy-makers identify the main priorities for quality of life improvements across the globe.

5) Assess and challenge the theoretical frameworks applied to population health, and engage in current debates in national, and global contexts.

6) Respond to questions or problems by presenting an independent judgement in an appropriate style and at a high level of complexity.

Teaching Information

Weekly lectures and discussion groups including two afternoons of oral presentations, supported by self-directed activities

Assessment Information

All assessment is summative

One essay/situational report, independently devised and researched, of ca. 4000 words (60% ILOs 1-6).

One 20 minute presentation on an independently-researched topic, distinct from that of the essay (40% ILOs 1-6).

Reading and References

UNICEF (Annual) The State of the World's Children http://www.unicef.org/sowc/

World Bank (Annual) World development report www.worldbank.org

Demographic and Health Survey website http://www.dhsprogram.com/

Population Reference Bureau website and factsheets http://www.prb.org/

Sachs, J.D. (2015) The Age of Sustainable Development. New York: Columbia Press

Hahn, R.A. and Inhorn, M.C. (2008) Anthropology and Public Health: Bridging Differences in Culture and Society. Oxford: OUP.

Mosse D. (2013) The anthropology of international development. Annu Rev Anthropol, 42: 227-246.