SFOK09109U The Human Body: Normal, Healthy and Pathological

Volume 2015/2016
Education

Full degree master

Content

Practically no matter which public health topic we are working with, we base our work on notions about bodies, health and pathology. Unfortunately, these notions are typically implicit and unacknowledged. The starting point for this course is therefore some very basic questions: What is a body? What influences a body? How do we determine what is healthy, normal and pathological? Does it make sense to talk about the body in the singular (as a generic entity), as if we might get to know a ‘standard body’ and apply this knowledge to all other bodies? On the background of such questions, we work to elucidate how we think about bodies, about health and about illness in various research projects, and we investigate how we determine whether bodies are ill or healthy.

At a practical level, the course delivers an introduction to the body as a social science object of study through presentation of classical texts and by placing these texts in a larger theoretical landscape so that we get an overview of various ways in which bodies, health and illness are conceptualized. Based on this, we look upon various public health, and a few biomedical, research traditions. As a group, we collaborate to elucidate their often tacit assumptions about their object of study. Leading researchers from various disciplines will present their research and discuss what in their view constitutes the perfect data for their purposes - and thereby what they think we need to know about the body.

Learning Outcome

eCourse content:

The course explores some very basic questions: What is a body? What influences a body? How do we determine what is healthy, normal and pathological? Does it make sense to talk about the body in the singular (as a generic entity), as if we might get to know a ‘standard body’ and apply this knowledge to all other bodies? On the background of such questions, we work to elucidate how we think about bodies, about health and about illness in various research projects, and we investigate how we determine whether bodies are ill or healthy.

Learning objectives:

After course completion the student is expected to be able to:

Knowledge:

  • Describe and account for selected examples of social science literature dealing with the body, health and illness

  • Describe how selected examples of medical and public health research account for health and illness

  • Outline and describe how the various research resources (registries, biobanks etc.) typically used in public health research are constructed and related

Skills:

  • Identify assumptions about the human body, health and illness in various medical and public health research traditions, project and interventions

  • Discuss and compare different understandings of the human body, health and illness.

  • Evaluate the implications of different understandings of body, health and illness for the design, methods and results of public health research and interventions and research resources

     

Competences:

  • Students must be able to assess different understandings of body, health and illness and evaluate how they influence design, methods and/or results of public health research and interventions

  • Students must be able to enter into public health projects where different understandings of body, health and illness potentially meet and establish collaborations across such differences

  • Students must be able to reflect on own assumptions about the human body, health and illness when planning or executing public health research or interventions

  • Students must be able to identify their own learning needs and organise their own learning in relation to analysis of research resources

     

 

A set of texts delivered in Absalon, a book (Beyond the Body Proper, Duke, 2007) and some self-identified and chosen texts

A combination of lectures and group discussions. A particular trait will be prepation of questions to guests
  • Category
  • Hours
  • Class Instruction
  • 30
  • Exam
  • 40
  • Preparation
  • 205
  • Total
  • 275
Credit
10 ECTS
Type of assessment
Written assignment
There will be formulated assigments from which you muc pick one topic
Aid
All aids allowed
Marking scale
7-point grading scale
Censorship form
External censorship
Exam period

See the exam plan http://sund.ku.dk/uddannelse/vejledning-information/eksamensplaner/folkesundhedsvidenskab/

Re-exam

See the exam plan http://sund.ku.dk/uddannelse/vejledning-information/eksamensplaner/folkesundhedsvidenskab/

Criteria for exam assesment

Knowledge:

  • Understand selected examples of social science literature dealing with the body, health and illness

  • Describe how selected examples of medical and public health research account for health and illness

Skills:

  • Identify assumptions about the human body, health and illness in a medical or public health research traditions, project or intervention

  • Discuss and compare different understandings of the human body, health and illness.

Competences:

  • Students must be able to reflect on how different understandings of body, health and illness influence design, methods and/or results of the public health research project or intervention they engage in their assigment

  • Students must be able to identify and use relevant literature for their own assigment