MF9185 – Critical perspectives on health and disease

Course content

Most researchers in the medical and health sciences focus on health and disease, either directly or indirectly. But what do these basic concepts mean and what do they entail? Arguing that there is hardly a single answer to these questions, this course explores a variety of theories and perspectives on health, disease, sickness, and suffering. Specifically, the course will critically examine the various ways in which human health and disease is understood and engaged with in medicine and health sciences. By applying perspectives from philosophy, history, sociology, and anthropology the course aims to make you able to view medical and health research in a broader perspective, to see your research questions in new light, and to add to your abilities to interpret and understand data.

The course will investigate concepts, theories, and models of health and disease. In particular it will scrutinize various perspectives, knowledge systems, classification systems, and metaphors. The course will also investigate health management and governance, and analyze the relationship between power, interests, and gender in health and disease.

Learning outcome

Knowledge:

This course will give you knowledge about

• various conceptions, definitions and explanations of health and disease
• historical perspectives on health and disease
• power and knowledge related to health and disease
• issues of equity and justice related to health and disease
• critical perspectives on health governance
• gendered perspectives on health and disease
• minority perspectives on health and disease
• critical perspectives on diagnoses and diagnostic systems
• critical perspectives on evidence and clinical guidelines related to health and disease
• anthropological and sociological perspectives on the body, health, and sickness

Skills:

This course will give you skills to

• identify and apply a range of perspectives in reflection on basic concepts in health care and the life sciences (such as health and disease)
• consider own and others’ research questions and research undertakings in the light of critical theories
• draw on critical perspectives when analyzing and interpreting data

General competence:

This course will give you knowledge and skills that are helpful in

• exercising theoretical reflexivity
• reflecting on your own research and placing it in a wider landscape of science
• maintaining a critical attitude to established conceptions and paradigms in the life sciences and in health care

Admission to the course

PhD candidates admitted to a PhD programme at UiO sign up for classes and exam to this course in StudentWeb.

Applicants who are not admitted to a PhD programme at UiO must apply for a right to study before they can sign up for classes and exam to this course. See information here: How to apply for a right to study and admission to elective PhD courses in medicine and health sciences.

Applicants will upon registration receive an immediate reply in StudentWeb as to whether a seat at this course is granted or not.

Overlapping courses

• 5 credits overlap with MEDFL5185 – Critical perspectives on health and disease.

Teaching

The course will use a combination of lectures, group work, video, and reflection notes in order to engage the participants in active reflection over basic concepts in health-related research. It will actively use participants own research projects as examples.

Continuous reflection: Each day you are asked to reflect on the relevance of the topics for your own research. You will make reflection notes which can become valuable entries for your exam (essay).

Reading list: Each participant should put together an individual reading list of 350 pages where at least 200 pages stems from the core reading list of the course. The reading list has to be submitted by the end of the course week.

You have to participate in at least 80 % of the teaching to be allowed to take the exam. Attendance will be registered.

Examination

Home exam:

Write an essay where you apply the content of the course for a specific topic (e.g., from your own research). The essay should present, discuss, and summarize a specific issue, and the content must be the scope and stated learning outcome of the course.

The topic of the essay must be approved of during the course week.

Language of examination

The examination text is given in English. You may submit your response in Norwegian, Swedish, Danish or English.

Grading scale

Grades are awarded on a pass/fail scale. Read more about the grading system.

More about examinations at UiO

• Use of sources and citations
• Special exam arrangements due to individual needs
• Withdrawal from an exam
• Illness at exams / postponed exams
• Explanation of grades and appeals
• Resitting an exam
• Cheating/attempted cheating

You will find further guides and resources at the web page on examinations at UiO.