Unit Synopsis
On successful completion of this unit you will have an appreciation of social determinants on your own and others' health outcomes. You will understand how early childhood experiences, culture, ethnicity, gender, socioeconomic status and education play out to influence health at individual, community and societal levels. You will explore the impacts of racism, sexism, poverty and inequality on social gradients and the short and long term effects on health. You will also explore the social protective factors of community connectedness and identity and be introduced to key social innovation concepts. Finally, you will have the opportunity to refine your academic searching and writing skills through the literacy and information literacy resources provided in this unit.
Details
| Level | Undergraduate |
|---|---|
| Unit Level | 1 |
| Credit Points | 6 |
| Student Contribution Band | SCA Band 2 |
| Fraction of Full-Time Student Load | 0.125 |
| Pre-requisites or Co-requisites |
There are no pre-requisites for the unit.
Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework). |
| Class Timetable | View Unit Timetable |
| Residential School | No Residential School |
Unit Availabilities from Term 1 - 2026
Attendance Requirements
All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes - in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).
Recommended Student Time Commitment
Each 6-credit Undergraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 hours for the unit.
Assessment Tasks
| Assessment Task | Weighting |
|---|---|
| 1. Written Assessment | 20% |
| 2. Online Quiz(zes) | 30% |
| 3. Written Assessment | 50% |
This is a graded unit: your overall grade will be calculated from the marks or grades for each assessment task, based on the relative weightings shown in the table above. You must obtain an overall mark for the unit of at least 50%, or an overall grade of ‘pass’ in order to pass the unit. If any ‘pass/fail’ tasks are shown in the table above they must also be completed successfully (‘pass’ grade). You must also meet any minimum mark requirements specified for a particular assessment task, as detailed in the ‘assessment task’ section (note that in some instances, the minimum mark for a task may be greater than 50%).
Past Exams
All University policies are available on the Policy web site, however you may wish to directly view the following policies below.
This list is not an exhaustive list of all University policies. The full list of policies are available on the Policy web site .
Term 1 - 2025 : The overall satisfaction for students in the last offering of this course was 65.85% (`Agree` and `Strongly Agree` responses), based on a 11.99% response rate.
Feedback, Recommendations and Responses
Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.
Source: Unit coordinator reflection
Clinical health science students benefit from having the relevance of unit concepts (that relate to the social determinants of health) made to their clinical practice.
Continue to explain the relevance of foundational health concepts to clinical practice throughout the term, particularly for clinical health science students.
This approach was maintained throughout the term, with explicit links made between foundational health concepts and clinical practice, particularly in lectures and assessment preparation. Student feedback indicated strong engagement with the material and appreciation for its relevance to future careers.
Source: Unit coordinator reflection, student feedback via email
Assessment 1 involves self-reflection on questions students might find confronting and personally challenging to respond to.
Offer students an additional option for completing Assessment 1, where they can choose student sample responses to use to address the reflective questions.
The alternative option was again provided this term, allowing students to engage with sample responses if preferred. This flexibility was well received and supported student comfort and participation in the reflective task.
Source: Student feedback via unit evaluation and in-person comments.
Some students reported difficulty accessing the free online textbook chapters, despite the library confirming that access should not be affected by the large cohort size.
Review the accessibility and usability of the free online textbook chapters to ensure a smooth experience for all students. Consider reinstating the previously prescribed textbook to better support student engagement and ease of access.
In Progress
Source: Student feedback via unit evaluation, email, and in-person comments
Students consistently reported feeling supported and engaged, with positive feedback on the clarity of expectations and the relevance of content to their future careers.
Continue to prioritise clear communication of unit expectations and maintain a supportive, inclusive learning environment. Retain the current structure and teaching approach that links foundational health concepts to real-world practice, as this has been well received by students across disciplines.
In Progress
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
- Explain social determinants of health from an individual scale
- Explain social determinants of health across community and national/global scales
- Relate social determinants of health to community connectedness and identity
- Demonstrate appropriate referencing in academic writing
- Develop an appropriate argument in an academic essay
- Locate and evaluate relevant information using library tools and digital technologies, including responsible and ethical use of AI tools
- Explain how social determinants of health influence the health and well-being of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples
Not applicable.
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | |
| 1 - Written Assessment | • | • | • | ||||
| 2 - Online Quiz(zes) | • | • | • | • | |||
| 3 - Written Assessment | • | • | • | • | • | ||
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | |
| 1 - Communication | • | • | • | • | • | ||
| 2 - Problem Solving | • | • | • | ||||
| 3 - Critical Thinking | • | • | • | • | • | ||
| 4 - Information Literacy | • | • | • | • | • | ||
| 6 - Information Technology Competence | • | ||||||
| 7 - Cross Cultural Competence | • | • | • | • | |||
| 8 - Ethical practice | • | • | • | ||||
| 9 - Social Innovation | • | ||||||
| 10 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures | • | ||||||
| Assessment Tasks | Graduate Attributes | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 10 | |