Academic Writing

The aim of this final assignment is to provide an opportunity for you to reflect critically on how social sciences can inform a public health issue in which you have a particular interest or involvement. You may choose any topic, but you must explore it from a social science perspective. In choosing a topic, you should begin with a question. Here are some examples: please note these are examples, not set topics! • Why do some Australian parents still refuse to immunize their children? • Why is cancer screening effective in some communities and not others? • Why is privatization of health care popular with some governments and what are some implications for public health provision? • Why is community capacity building a popular aspect of Australian public health policy? • Should we expect the same mental health promotion campaigns to work in all settings? (Or, what are social determinants of mental health?) • Is ethnicity the same thing as race, and why would this matter in public health research and interventions? • How might public health policy and strategy take into account recent findings about climate change? You should write about a topic that interests you and which may be useful to you in your work or professional (and/or personal) development. You might for example select a question or problem that has arisen as you’ve participated in this subject. The essay should briefly frame the topic in terms of epidemiology or health promotion or policy or intervention. You should devote less than 500 words to this aspect. Then you should clearly state the major questions and, finally, drawing on social science literature, discuss possible approaches to addressing the problem. Remember, the idea is to provide some answers to the question you’ve raised.