MPH5223 Social and cultural determinants of health
Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences
MPH5223 Social and cultural determinants of health is a level 5, 6-credit-point, postgraduate unit from the Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, offered in 2026 in Semester 2 at Alfred Hospital. It has no prerequisites.
- Credit points
- 6
- Offered in 2026
- Semester 2
- Alfred Hospital
- Assessment
- No exam
- 3 tasks
This is the 2026 handbook entry. See the 2027 entry.
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Requisites
Before MPH5223
No prerequisites or corequisites besides the enrolment rules below.
After MPH5223
No unit lists MPH5223 as a prerequisite in the 2026 handbook.
Enrolment rules
Must be enrolled in a post-graduate course.
Overview
This unit explores health, and health outcomes, influenced by culture and society, at individual and population levels. It provides skills to enhance understanding of the perspectives of First Nations Australians ways of knowing, being and doing. The unit also explores culturally and socially diverse communities, focusing on improving health and wellbeing, to enhance experiences and improve impacts of the health and social care systems. It draws on concepts derived from studies of society and culture to identify and discuss relationships between health and wellbeing, and the socio-economic and cultural realities in which people live. The consequences of socio-economic disadvantage, inequality and inequity, and discrimination, and how these can be addressed in health settings, are a key focus.
Offerings in 2026
| Teaching period | Campus | Mode |
|---|---|---|
| Second semester | Alfred Hospital | Flx blk |
Assessment
- Individual presentation (Maximum of 5 mins with no more than 4 slides)Presentation20%
- Guided reflection (1,100 words within 3 days of exercise)Exercise35%
- Individual assignment (Essay 2,400 words)WrittenThreshold hurdle45%
Assessment details may change. Please refer to the assessment information in Moodle closer to the start of the teaching period.
Learning outcomes
When you finish this unit, you should be able to:
- 1
Apply key principles of social and cultural thought to the lived experience, ways of knowing being and doing of First nations Australians.
- 2
Apply key principles of social and cultural thought to the lived experience of culturally diverse Australians.
- 3
Develop and apply the social imagination to examine the social and cultural production, construction and organisation of health and wellbeing, locally and globally.
- 4
Apply social, cultural and political ideas as analytical tools to critically examine cultural, social, political and economic factors influencing health and wellbeing.
- 5
Critically examine and evaluate familiar aspects of culture and society, including historical representation, in order to extend knowledge of the socio-economic and cultural structures, institutions and processes relevant to health at local and global levels.
- 6
Form an appreciation of how multiple levels of disadvantage based on cultural, socio-economic or ethnic background, gender, or sexual orientation can intersect, leading to further discrimination and subsequent worsened health outcomes.
- 7
Explore factors affecting health of First Nations Australians.
- 8
Explore factors affecting health of culturally and socially diverse individuals and populations in Australia.
Workload and teaching
- Lectures12 hours
- Workshops8 hours
This 6 credit point unit will be delivered over a 12 week semester. There will be six hours of own time tasks per week plus 6 hours of self-directed learning per week. This will include one block days plus online tasks.
Contacts
- Unit Coordinators
- Associate Professor Charles Livingstone
- Chief Examiners
- Associate Professor Charles Livingstone
Common questions
What are the prerequisites for MPH5223?
MPH5223 has no prerequisites, but enrolment rules apply.
When is MPH5223 offered?
In 2026, MPH5223 runs in Semester 2 at Alfred Hospital.
Does MPH5223 have an exam?
No. MPH5223 has 3 assessment tasks and no exam.