The unit introduces students to professional issues, history and the philosophy in health sciences: health promotion, health service management and therapeutic recreation. Theories and key concepts of health promotion, health service management, social health and therapeutic recreation are introduced. Students will be introduced to an understanding of human development and the health science processes. Students will examine how human growth and development influences development of socio-economic, cultural, gender, environmental, health science issues. Students will begin an electronic portfolio to help them take more control over their education and assist students to make connections with their learning experiences while building critical and reflective skills. Therapeutic Recreation students will complete a 35 hour workplace learning placement. Health Promotion and Health Service Management students will complete a community project.

This unit gives a basic understanding of the human body and introduces the scientific and medical terminology used for anatomy, physiology and biochemistry. It deals with gross structure and microscopic structure of the human body. It also examines microbial organisms, their classification, how they differ from eukaryotic cells and how our body defends against them. Where appropriate, examples of functional diseases will be discussed.

Australian Society is currently facing critical challenges in the areas of mental health, nutrition and physical activity. This unit examines the interdependence between these areas, and how the personal and sociocultural health issues can be addressed in a pro-active, holistic and sensitive manner. Completion of a child protection awareness training program and senior first aid qualification is required and will be at student’s own expense, in own time.

This unit is being replaced by 400870 Population Health and Society in 2010. This unit introduces students to understandings about the nature of health through history and across cultures as well as to current conceptions regarding the various determinants of health and illness. Types of health issues encountered nationally and globally are considered, and used to provide an introduction to basic concepts of epidemiology.

Whereas health is commonly understood in terms of objective signs and symptoms (or their absence), wellbeing emphasizes subjective experience in the context of social and environmental factors that may support or impede a personal sense of wellbeing. This unit approaches wellbeing through a self-investigatory and reflective model that seeks to integrate systemic analysis of the individual, social, emotional, environmental and spiritual aspects of health and wellbeing in a personally meaningful way. Consideration of how issues of social justice and equity have differential impacts on both individuals and communities, and develop frameworks for taking personal and social action to enhance wellbeing.

This unit introduces some of the core concepts, models, theories and methods of inquiry in psychology as they apply to health. Assumptions of human behaviour are examined, showing how these assumptions form the four foundational models of psychology. Those models being psychobiological, learning, cognitive and social. The application of these models to issues of development, personality, motivation and clinical applications allows students to address health topics such as stress, resilience and coping, smoking, eating disorders, disability and health practices.

This unit is being replaced by 400863 Foundations of Research and Evidence based Practice in 2010. This unit lays down broad foundations of research as used in various disciplines of health sciences, including health and well-being, physical fitness, physical activity, and nutrition. The aim is to create an overall understanding of the significance of research in the students’ fields of endeavour. It is designed to introduce the student to foundational concepts and principles in quantitative and qualitative research methods and to explore the complementary role of research paradigms as they underpin the quest for knowledge in the health sciences. It will also address essential research themes such as epidemiology research, validity, reliability, and research ethics.

This unit is being replaced by 400867 Approaches to Health Promotion in 2010. Health promotion is a process that seeks to enable individuals, communities and populations to increase control over their health by addressing the determinants of health, resulting in improved health outcomes. Theoretical underpinnings of health promotion are explored, factors enhancing and limiting activity reviewed and the levels of health promoting actions demonstrated. Health promotion competencies including conducting a needs analysis, planning and evaluating an intervention are explored. Satisfactory completion of OH&S for student placements is a requirement.

The tools of economic appraisal and decision making permeate all aspect of modern life. Reliance on economic analysis is highly evident in contemporary health care systems. The funding and provision of health care/services is continuingly changing and subject to ever increasing demand for limited and finite resources. The unit explores, examines and reviews the impact these limitations have on selected health care systems. Students are encouraged to research and examine their own and other health care systems and investigate the differences in access, equity, and efficiency. Practical, contemporary and applied case studies/examples are continuously utilised and students are encouraged to channel the knowledge gained into key areas of interest at the macro and micro level.

This unit is being replaced by 101571 Applied Peace and Development Project in Spring 2012. The Humanitarian and Peace Studies Specialisation focuses upon the inequities of power, wealth and opportunity, and the results of conflicts both local and international. These inequities and conflicts result in marginalization and suffering of minority groups. This unit is the Capstone Unit in this major and considers the nature of inequalities as they manifest in both social and work environments. The focus is upon developing programs of redress for these inequalities and strategies for peaceful resolutions.

This unit is designed to assist students to make the transition from undergraduate student life to professional life. The student centred learning approach used in this unit enables students to focus their own learning styles and personal capabilities. Students will explore the strengths and weaknesses of their own learning styles and develop strategies to strengthen their personal learning and teaching capabilities for use as professionals. A structure for developing professional performance will be introduced that includes: management skills, interpersonal skills, problem solving skills, project and procedure skills, personal growth, development and socialisation and education roles. Students will participate in hands –on instructor led sessions, through the E-portfolio project to reflect on and connect academic experiences with their life to anticipated graduate capability

Using contemporary and historical sociologies we will explore notions of gender, the body, sex and the self in a variety of social and cultural spheres and at different stages of life. The unit moves beyond patriarchy to explore intersections of, for example, class, race/ethnicity and gender - locally and globally. This unit’s main focus is on the question: What is the nature of gender relations today and what changes are desirable and possible?

The use of alcohol and other drugs is a highly controversial issue within the community. Most people use drugs of some kind yet particular drugs are demonised. This unit acquaints students with the complexity of studying alcohol and drug misuse from both an individual and a social perspective. Contemporary patterns of alcohol and drug use are initially placed within a structural, cultural and historical perspective and various conflicting approaches to the definition and consequent management of problematic drug use and drug dependence are studied. Distinctions among the various levels of problematic use are introduced and questions of basic pharmacology motivations for drug use and theories of dependence are examined.This subject aims to explore the discourses surrounding drugs as well as the reasons for drug use and forms of dependence. Students will also critically examine different kinds of policy and therapeutic practice within the drug field.

This unit is designed to expand student’s understanding of the relationship between society, family life and people’s experiences of health, leisure and fitness. The unit provides the opportunity for students to explore the role of the family as a social institution and examining its importance in the development of identity, the reproduction of social structure & culture and in the experience of health, illness & leisure. Central to this unit is the notion that the family occurs in and is impacted upon by a variety of social, cultural and historical contexts. The unit develops these themes from a sociological perspective and students are actively involved in exploring these issues.

Childhood is something we all experience yet few of us understand. This unit provides the opportunity for students to develop concepts, theories and issues from within the sociology of childhood and from the social sciences by examining a range of life course themes and experiences of childhood (including adolescence). Central to the unit is the notion that childhood is an individual experience that occurs in and is impacted upon by a variety of social, cultural and historical contexts, which are negotiated through the sense of self fostered in childhood. The subject critically explores a variety of topics of relevance to understanding childhood in the 21st century. This unit aims to explore the dominant discourses of childhood (eg developmental and socialisation theories) and their impact on the lives of children.

This unit is being replaced by 101571 Applied Peace and Development Project in Spring 2012. The Humanitarian and Peace Studies Specialisation focuses upon the inequities of power, wealth and opportunity, and the results of conflicts both local and international. These inequities and conflicts result in marginalization and suffering of minority groups. This unit is the Capstone Unit in this major and considers the nature of inequalities as they manifest in both social and work environments. The focus is upon developing programs of redress for these inequalities and strategies for peaceful resolutions.

This unit introduces students to the central concepts, theories and methodologies of sociology, and demonstrates the ways in which sociological thought contributes to a systematic and critical understanding of contemporary society. The unit draws upon case studies from Australia and other societies.

Personality theory is integrally linked to notions of health and illness. Not only can personality theory be applied in health settings, but also many of our ideas about personality are actually derived from working with people with various forms of illness. Through an exploration of some psychological approaches to the mind-body connection, the subject provides an overview of personality theories, with a specific focus on some contemporary issues.

This unit introduces students to theories and methods in the study of the mind, body and emotions in social science. It employs the study of multi-disciplinary work from psychology, sociology and philosophy as ways of understanding the links, relationship and interactions between the self and society in illness, disability and health. This unit has special relevance for health and community workers, assisting them to develop their understanding of the dynamics and politics of health, illness and care.

This unit aims to make the study of statistics meaningful to students by presenting them in the context of a social issue. It provides students with a critical understanding of the theory and practice of statistical research without complex mathematics. The lectures will examine theoretical, philosophical and social power issues related to the production and usage of statistics. The workshops will allow the students to develop a basic capacity to produce, use and manipulate statistical data.

The purpose of this unit is for students to develop an understanding of power as an interaction between historical, economic, structural and individual contingencies that impinge upon and affect decision-making processes. Within organizations and the broader social environment, the processes by which decisions are made can range on a spectrum from clear to vague and sometimes, seemingly, random or even non-existent. Recognition of the strategic contingencies within a situation and their interactions enables identification of the dynamics and processes of decision-making. Applying this knowledge to corporate and social situations will enable students to identify the political machinations that result in decisions that have lead to corporate successes and failures and social gains and losses.

This unit provides the opportunity for students to develop concepts, theories and issues from sociology, critical psychology, and the social sciences by examining a range of life course themes and the experiences of ageing and adult life. Central to the unit is the notion that the experiences of adult life are individual yet occur in and are impacted upon by a variety of social, cultural & historical contexts. The unit critically explores a variety of topics of relevance to understanding adulthood in the 21st century. This unit aims to explore the dominant discourses of ageing and their impact on adult lives.

Methods in critical qualitative research deals with research methodologies and skills in a way which challenges the idea that there is a divide between theory and practice, between debates conducted on the pages of academic journals and those which emerge in mainstream media or in the workplace. This unit creatively explores a number of different methods that social researchers use to conduct their research. Students will also have the opportunity to conduct a research project on a topic of their choice.