PSYCHIAT 1001 - Person, Culture and Medicine I
North Terrace Campus - Semester 2 - 2014
Person, Culture and Medicine I is an interdisciplinary course that combines theoretical perspectives from psychology, physical anthropology and cultural anthropology, and applies themto the complex human processes of eating, intimate relationships, pain and death and dying. The course requires attendance at three-hour seminar/tutorial blocks. Please be aware that it is not a course about Psychiatry, but is a course about food, sex, pain and death and how these human processes can be considered from different disciplinary orientations. The course will be of interest to people interested in a clinical career as a medical practitioner or a psychologist (or other health care professional), but will also have potential relevance to those interested in cross-cultural issues, philosophical questions about behaviour and interdisciplinary approaches to questions related to behaviour.
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General Course Information
Course Details
Course Code PSYCHIAT 1001 Course Person, Culture and Medicine I Coordinating Unit Psychology Term Semester 2 Level Undergraduate Location/s North Terrace Campus Units 3 Contact Up to 3 hours per week Incompatible PSYCHIAT 1000A/IB Restrictions Available to MBBS, B Health Sci, B Psych (Hons), B Psych Sci & B Soc Sci students only Assessment Two essays, a reflective portfolio, and tutorial attendance, formative feedback provided to students for summative tasks Course Staff
Course Coordinator: Professor Anna Chur-Hansen
The course co-ordinator is Professor Anna Chur-Hansen. She is the Head of the School of Psychology. Her office is Level 4, Hughes Building. Her telephone number is 8313 5738.Her email is anna.churhansen@adelaide.edu.au
A number of people will be involved in the delivery of the material, reflecting the interdisciplinary nature of the course.
Professor Anna Chur-Hansen – Health Psychology
Amaya Gilson – Cultural Anthropology
Miriam Henke – Health Psychology
Professor Maciej Henneberg – Biological Anthropology
A/Professor Les Koopowitz – Psychiatry
Sonia Masciantonio – Cultural Anthropology
Course Timetable
The full timetable of all activities for this course can be accessed from Course Planner.
Classes are scheduled for Mondays, 9am to 12pm
From 9am to 10am is consultation with Professor Chur-Hansen, for those who would like individual assistance – for example, formative feedback on essay drafts.
The group activities are from 10am to 11am-12 midday.
The Introductory lecture will be at 9,10am.
Date Class Content 28.7.14 Introductory lecture 4.8.14 Anna Chur-Hansen 11.8.14 Maciej Henneberg 18.8.14 Amaya Gilson 25.8.14 Anna Chur-Hansen 1.9.14 Sonia Masciantonio 8.9.14 Anna Chur-Hansen 15.9.14 Miriam Henke 13.10.14 Les Koopowitz 20.10.14 Maciej Henneberg 27.10.14 Anna Chur-Hansen -
Learning Outcomes
Course Learning Outcomes
The primary aim of this course is to foster an appreciation that complex human behaviours pertinent to Medicine and the wider Health Professions are best understood through the integration of cross-disciplinary knowledge and methodologies from psychology, cultural/social anthropology and the biological sciences. Furthermore, the course aims:
1. To provide a broad understanding of psychology, cultural anthropology and biological sciences (physical/biological anthropology).
2. To appreciate that anthropology and psychology can be complementary disciplines, and see that they often intersect.
3. To develop an understanding of contemporary views of culture and its role in mediating human behaviour.
4. To engender an appreciation of the evolutionary origins and cultural determinants of major human experiences.
5. To encourage an understanding of the complexity of, and variation in, human responses to major life events.
6. To apply these principles in developing an understanding of contemporary human social formations through written exercises and discussion.
7. Further aims of the course are to provide an interdisciplinary learning environment that includes students from medicine, psychology, and the health sciences, with an emphasis on reflective learning, open discussion that generates critical thought, and which fosters a sense of enjoyment in learning.University Graduate Attributes
This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop the Graduate Attribute(s) specified below:
University Graduate Attribute Course Learning Outcome(s) Knowledge and understanding of the content and techniques of a chosen discipline at advanced levels that are internationally recognised. 1-7 The ability to locate, analyse, evaluate and synthesise information from a wide variety of sources in a planned and timely manner. 6 An ability to apply effective, creative and innovative solutions, both independently and cooperatively, to current and future problems. 1-7 Skills of a high order in interpersonal understanding, teamwork and communication. 6 A commitment to continuous learning and the capacity to maintain intellectual curiosity throughout life. 1-7 An awareness of ethical, social and cultural issues within a global context and their importance in the exercise of professional skills and responsibilities. 1-7 -
Learning Resources
Required Resources
There are no set texts or set readings for PCM. For sessions there may be readings that will be provided, or short tests required of students prior to coming to the sessions (Flipped Classroom). However, the course places an emphasis on the ability to search for relevant materials oneself, according to the focus the student wishes to take in relation to the written assignments. That is, this course involves self-directed learning.Recommended Resources
Students must be familiar with the Barr Smith Library and must be able to use the electronic databases to search for literature. Students should contact Maureen Bell, the BSL librarian for this course, if they need assistance in learning how to search for references. Her email is maureen.bell@adelaide.edu.au and she can be found in the BSL.Online Learning
MyUni will be used for this course. Some sessions will be recorded and uploaded onto MyUni, but not all, as some guests will be discussing clinical case material. Students are advised to ensure that they attend these sessions. Some sessions will be “flipped”, meaning that materials will be posted on MyUni before the session and students will be expected to prepare before coming. For these “flipped” sessions the face-to-face contact may be interactive (not a lecture). On-line lectures for some sessions will be posted with an expectation the student has viewed these before coming to the session. -
Learning & Teaching Activities
Learning & Teaching Modes
PCM requires student-directed learning. That is, the student must take responsibility in shaping the focus of written work, and in formulating arguments within that work. Topics are deliberately broad, so that a student can choose a focus that is of the most relevance and interest to them. Thus, students who prefer didactic teaching and a regurgitation of facts will possibly find this course unsuitable. Students who do not enjoy writing essays and who prefer an exam should not take this course.
PCM has a strong focus on formative feedback. This means that Professor Chur-Hansen actively encourages students to bring pieces of work, including drafts, to her for feedback and direction before submission for summative assessment (i.e. the marking which results in a grade).
PCM is interdisciplinary and the class includes students from different areas and also comprises materials delivered from lecturers from different disciplines. Wherever possible in small groups students will be encouraged to work with students from a different degree programme than their own.
PCM encourages students to think, debate and challenge taken-for-granted ideas about health care in relation to behaviour. Students who do not enjoy class participation and who do not like to play with ideas and express them with others, may not find this course suitable.
PCM treats students as adult learners and active participants in the course. Therefore, they are expected to take responsibility for their work and for what happens in discussions. Students’ views will be heard and where preferences for change are expressed, these will be considered and discussed by the group. The assessment cannot change, but other details around the course can be accommodated and will be where possible. Where things cannot be changed, a respectful explanation will be given.
PCM requires reflective learning. That is, students are required to think about how they are developing and how their ideas are changing – or not – as they hear, think, read, write and learn about behaviour in relation to health care. They are required to then articulate an aspect of this reflection, in a written piece.Workload
The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.
The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.
The face-to-face contact with the group is between one and three hours per week. However, students are expected to spend about at least another four hours per week on researching for their written tasks that comprise the assessment. In the past, some students have reported spending more than this amount of time on research and reading and writing. However, four hours would be the minimum time required.
Please note that this is not a “light” course. Some students in the past have expected that because there is no exam that the course will be “easy”. This is not the case. Students who spend time on their researching and reading, and who present regularly for formative feedback, generally find the course to be challenging but enjoyable. Because of the provision of formative feedback, most students who do the work do well in their summative tasks. The vast majority of students gain a pass or higher in PCM – the small minority who fail usually do so because they do not submit written work or do not attend sessions.Learning Activities Summary
Please see timetable above.Specific Course Requirements
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Assessment
The University's policy on Assessment for Coursework Programs is based on the following four principles:
- Assessment must encourage and reinforce learning.
- Assessment must enable robust and fair judgements about student performance.
- Assessment practices must be fair and equitable to students and give them the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.
- Assessment must maintain academic standards.
Assessment Summary
Whilst no grades are given for attendance, students are encouraged to attend classes. As noted above, the lecturers may or may not record or post their sessions on MyUni, as they prefer, and as some sessions are clinical in nature, these will likely not be recorded. Discussions in class, which are valuable for learning and for assessment tasks, will be missed if the student is not present. Please understand that guest lecturers are often busy professionals who have freely given their time to teach, taking them away from patient care, and thus attendance is a sign of respect; and also, we cannot have interdisciplinary discussion and learning if students are not there to participate.
There are three summative assessment tasks. The first, submitted on September 19th, is a 1,000 word paper. It is worth 40%. It addresses Course Objectives 1-7. The second is an essay of 2,000 words, also summative, and it must be submitted on October 31st. It is worth 50% of the assessment weighting, and also addresses all of the Course Objectives. The third task is a 500 word Reflection on what has been learned over the PCM course. It is worth 10% and is to be submitted on October 31st. This task addresses Learning Objective 7.
Formative feedback will be provided for all tasks prior to submission for the summative grade, if the student asks for this feedback. Please note that seeking formative feedback is the student’s responsibility. Formative feedback will be offered during the hours allocated for PCM that are not spent on group work.Assessment Related Requirements
Students must achieve a minimum of 50% (pass) for each of the summative tasks. Because formative feedback is provided throughout the course, this should not present a problem. In the case that a student fails the first task, a resubmission can be negotiated. However, no resubmission is possible for the second task (the essay), or the reflection.Assessment Detail
The 1,000 word paper requires the student to address the following:
“Human behaviour is essentially the same across groups and populations.” Choose an aspect of food and eating OR sex and relationships OR pain OR death and dying, and discuss this statement, drawing on the disciplines of psychology, cultural anthropology and biological anthropology.
There is no restriction on the number or type of references used, but a minimum of 10 references must be cited.
The 2,000 word essay requires the student to address the following:
Consider the following statement. “The experience of illness – mental or physical – is mediated by time and place.” Discuss this statement in relation to writings from the disciplines of psychology, cultural anthropology and biological anthropology. Choose ONE illness to illustrate your argument.
There is no restriction on the number of references used, but a minimum of 20 references must be cited.
The 500 word Reflective piece requires students to consider what they have learned over the course. This task will be discussed during sessions. References for this task are optional. The question to address is:
Reflect on what you have learned in Person, Culture and Medicine. Choose one aspect of learning and discuss ways in which this learning has already been beneficial or may prove to be beneficial in the future.
Please note: This course uses the referencing format described in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA), which is available in the Barr Smith Library or see http://www.apastyle.org/Submission
All three assignments must be submitted via MyUni, via TURNITIN. There is no need for a coversheet when submitting the assignments, but please ensure that your student ID number is clearly visible on all work.
Assignments that are submitted late without an extension will be penalised 5% per day – this includes weekend days.
Assignments will be returned within three weeks of submission. A checklist for written feedback will be provided and students are welcome to meet with Professor Chur-Hansen to discuss work before and after submission.
As noted above, students must achieve a minimum of 50% (pass) for each of the summative tasks. Because formative feedback is provided throughout the course, this should not present a problem. In the case that a student fails the first task, a resubmission can be negotiated with Professor Chur-Hansen. Resubmission will be granted, and the due date can be discussed. However, no resubmission is possible for the second task (the essay), or the reflection.
Extensions
Extensions will be considered for medical, compassionate or other grounds as per University policy. Extension application forms can be found on MyUni. The form must be addressed to Professor Anna Chur-Hansen and submitted to the School of Psychology Office, Level 4 Hughes Building, before the formal submission date.Requests for extensions that do not use the appropriate form will not be considered. Please ensure that any necessary documentation e.g. medical certificates are submitted with the form.Course Grading
Grades for your performance in this course will be awarded in accordance with the following scheme:
M10 (Coursework Mark Scheme) Grade Mark Description FNS Fail No Submission F 1-49 Fail P 50-64 Pass C 65-74 Credit D 75-84 Distinction HD 85-100 High Distinction CN Continuing NFE No Formal Examination RP Result Pending Further details of the grades/results can be obtained from Examinations.
Grade Descriptors are available which provide a general guide to the standard of work that is expected at each grade level. More information at Assessment for Coursework Programs.
The Rob Barrett Memorial Prize
The student with the most outstanding summative results in PCM will be awarded this prize, which is given in honour of Professor Robert Barrett, a psychiatrist and medical anthropologist, who conceived PCM and was a teacher in it. This Prize is annotated in the student’s academic transcript.Final results for this course will be made available through Access Adelaide.
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Student Feedback
The University places a high priority on approaches to learning and teaching that enhance the student experience. Feedback is sought from students in a variety of ways including on-going engagement with staff, the use of online discussion boards and the use of Student Experience of Learning and Teaching (SELT) surveys as well as GOS surveys and Program reviews.
SELTs are an important source of information to inform individual teaching practice, decisions about teaching duties, and course and program curriculum design. They enable the University to assess how effectively its learning environments and teaching practices facilitate student engagement and learning outcomes. Under the current SELT Policy (http://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/101/) course SELTs are mandated and must be conducted at the conclusion of each term/semester/trimester for every course offering. Feedback on issues raised through course SELT surveys is made available to enrolled students through various resources (e.g. MyUni). In addition aggregated course SELT data is available.
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Student Support
- Academic Integrity for Students
- Academic Support with Maths
- Academic Support with writing and study skills
- Careers Services
- International Student Support
- Library Services for Students
- LinkedIn Learning
- Student Life Counselling Support - Personal counselling for issues affecting study
- Students with a Disability - Alternative academic arrangements
- YouX Student Care - Advocacy, confidential counselling, welfare support and advice
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Policies & Guidelines
This section contains links to relevant assessment-related policies and guidelines - all university policies.
- Academic Credit Arrangements Policy
- Academic Integrity Policy
- Academic Progress by Coursework Students Policy
- Assessment for Coursework Programs Policy
- Copyright Compliance Policy
- Coursework Academic Programs Policy
- Elder Conservatorium of Music Noise Management Plan
- Intellectual Property Policy
- IT Acceptable Use and Security Policy
- Modified Arrangements for Coursework Assessment Policy
- Reasonable Adjustments to Learning, Teaching & Assessment for Students with a Disability Policy
- Student Experience of Learning and Teaching Policy
- Student Grievance Resolution Process
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Fraud Awareness
Students are reminded that in order to maintain the academic integrity of all programs and courses, the university has a zero-tolerance approach to students offering money or significant value goods or services to any staff member who is involved in their teaching or assessment. Students offering lecturers or tutors or professional staff anything more than a small token of appreciation is totally unacceptable, in any circumstances. Staff members are obliged to report all such incidents to their supervisor/manager, who will refer them for action under the university's student’s disciplinary procedures.
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