Course Title: Introduction to Public Health
Part A: Course Overview
Course Title: Introduction to Public Health
Credit Points: 12.00
Important Information:
Please note that this course may have compulsory in-person attendance requirements for some teaching activities.
To participate in any RMIT course in-person activities or assessment, you will need to comply with RMIT vaccination requirements which are applicable during the duration of the course. This RMIT requirement includes being vaccinated against COVID-19 or holding a valid medical exemption.
Please read this RMIT Enrolment Procedure as it has important information regarding COVID vaccination and your study at RMIT: https://policies.rmit.edu.au/document/view.php?id=209.
Please read the Student website for additional requirements of in-person attendance: https://www.rmit.edu.au/covid/coming-to-campus
Please check your Canvas course shell closer to when the course starts to see if this course requires mandatory in-person attendance. The delivery method of the course might have to change quickly in response to changes in the local state/national directive regarding in-person course attendance.
Terms
Course Code |
Campus |
Career |
School |
Learning Mode |
Teaching Period(s) |
PUBH1394 |
City Campus |
Undergraduate |
155T Vocational Health and Sciences |
Face-to-Face |
Sem 1 2015, Sem 1 2016 |
PUBH1394 |
City Campus |
Undergraduate |
174T School of VE Engineering, Health & Science |
Face-to-Face |
Sem 1 2017, Sem 1 2018, Sem 2 2018, Sem 2 2019, Sem 2 2020 |
PUBH1394 |
City Campus |
Undergraduate |
535T Social Care and Health |
Face-to-Face |
Sem 2 2023 |
Course Coordinator: Jade Cusworth
Course Coordinator Phone: +61 3 9925 0000
Course Coordinator Email: jade.cusworth@rmit.edu.au
Course Coordinator Location: 051.08.02
Pre-requisite Courses and Assumed Knowledge and Capabilities
None
Course Description
This course builds on your understanding of a holistic, preventive approach to health that appreciates the underlying determinants.
This course introduces you to public health principles and practices. It includes fundamental concepts of public health such as the historical context of old versus new public health, healthy public policy, health protection, surveillance and monitoring of communicable and non-communicable diseases, managing domains for public health action, partnerships with key stakeholders and settings. Public health issues and interventions will be considered ia global and local context.
Objectives/Learning Outcomes/Capability Development
This course contributes to the following Program Learning Outcomes for the Associate Degree in Health Sciences:
1. Access up to date discipline information/knowledge and ensure that decisions and actions are informed by a critical assessment of information
2. Analyse and interpret information to determine appropriate solutions to predictable and unpredictable situations
6. Apply ethical practices and be committed to the ethical and professional standards in health
On completion of this course you should be able to:
1. Define and describe the history, role, concept of public health and its relationship with disease, its actions, settings and intervention types at a local and global level.
2. Develop basic knowledge on the New Public Health and Healthy Public Policy and how it works in policy making as an ecological framework.
3. Develop and manage action plans to determine solutions to reduce the incidence of communicable and non-communicable disease, and its social and economic impacts on a population.
4. Analyse and provide critical perspectives on case studies and examples of public health interventions, and match how they relate to key frameworks.
5. Identify key stakeholders and suggest ways of engaging them in partnerships for public health projects.
Overview of Learning Activities
In this course you will learn through the following activities:
• Lectures &/or workshops (face-to-face &/or online): to cover theoretical concepts for each topic in the course.
• Tutorial activities (individually and in teams): to discuss, debate, critique and consolidate your ideas and extend your understanding around key concepts for each topic. Case study discussion.
• Online discussion and activities: to support and collaborate with other students in your course and debate and discuss ideas.
• Self-directed study time (eg readings or activities around theory): to enhance and strengthen your knowledge and understanding of theoretical concepts.
• Work collaboratively in teams to develop a professional piece of work.
• Guest speakers may also be incorporated to provide practical connections to a ‘real life’ setting.
Overview of Learning Resources
You will be expected to utilise a range of credible, recent and appropriate library, electronic, text and other resources to engage in professional reading of relevant literature.
A range of texts will be recommended (available from Library) and online materials will be provided.
You may also be referred to other resources available in the RMIT Library, such as videos and the subject learning guide at:
http://rmit.libguides.com/sb.php?subject_id=67926
Overview of Assessment
Assessment tasks
Early Assessment Task (Assessment Task 1.): Public Health is Everywhere Message
Weighting 25%
This assessment task supports CLOs 1 and 2
Assessment Task 2: Public Health Issue of Concern Report
Weighting 35%
This assessment task supports CLOs 1, 4 and 5
Assessment 3: Public Health Awareness Campaign Planning
Weighting 40%
This assessment supports CLOs 3 and 5