Social Epidemiology Policy Paper

Abstract

This short paper assignment from an undergraduate medical sociology class evaluates student understanding of the social factors that shape patterns of health and illness by asking them to apply these concepts in a sociological analysis of a particular disease. Students prepare a short report for a lay audience that analyzes the disease and the social...

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Details

Subject Area(s):

Medical Sociology

Resource Type(s):

Assignment

Class Level(s):

College 300

Class Size(s):

Any

Usage Notes

I teach this course at a regional campus of a large public university. In my medical sociology class, which typically has 25-20 students, most students are juniors and seniors, with a small number of underclassmen. The students in the class are mostly sociology majors although the course also attracts a fair number of nursing, pre-medicine, and psychology...

Learning Goals and Assessments

Learning Goal(s):

1. Students will demonstrate understanding of how social factors shape patterns of health and illness and apply those concepts to a particular disease.
2. Students will develop and/or research social programs that can intervene in these diseases.
3. Students will display strong writing skills, including adapting their writing to a non-technical audience.

Goal Assessment(s):

1. In a 4-6 page paper, students are assessed on their understanding of how social factors shape patterns of health and illness by applying them to a particular disease and describing the social groups affected by it. (see attached rubric items 2 and 3)
2. In a 4-6 page paper, students are assessed on developing and/or researching social programs that can intervene in these diseases based on their description of a proposed social policy to alleviate the disease. (see attached rubric item 4)
3. In a 4-6 page paper, students are assessed on their writing skills based on their spelling and grammar and whether or not they effectively communicate the meaning of the terms they use to a nontechnical audience. (see attached rubric item 1)