Unit information: Population Health and Development in 2016/17

Unit name	Population Health and Development
Unit code	ARCH30035
Credit points	20
Level of study	H/6
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.

Teaching Information

Weekly 2 hour lectures/ seminars/ presentations

Assessment Information

All assessment is summative

• Report, 3,500 words, 50%, ILOs 1-4

• 10 minute oral presentation, 25%, ILOs 1-4

• Class test 25%, ILOs 1,4

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.