HMF702 - Healthy and Sustainable Agricultural Communities

Unit details

Year:

2024 unit information

Enrolment modes:Trimester 2: Online
Credit point(s):1
EFTSL value:0.125
Unit Chair:Trimester 2: Jacquie Cotton
Campus contact:

Jacquie Cotton, Director, National Centre for Farmer Health, Telephone: +61 3 5551 8585, email: j.cotton@deakin.edu.au 

Prerequisite:

Nil

Corequisite:Nil
Incompatible with: Nil
Typical study commitment:

Students will on average spend 150 hours over the teaching period undertaking the teaching, learning and assessment activities for this unit.

This will include educator guided online learning activities within the unit site.

Educator-facilitated (scheduled) learning activities - online unit enrolment:

Online independent and collaborative learning activities including 3 scheduled online seminars

Note:

Scholarships are available for this unit, please refer to the Farmer Health website

Content

This unit addresses social, cultural and environmental factors that result in high rates of lifestyle disease, unsafe work practices and raised levels of mental illness amongst agricultural workers, their families and communities. This unit aims to improve the understanding of the diverse and intergenerational factors leading to this health imbalance by highlighting the key determinants of agricultural health and medicine both in Australia and internationally. Important agricultural topics covered in this unit include provision of safe work environment, access to health and education services, health literacy, social isolation, biosecurity, rural networks, the physical, mental and social impact of climate variability and agricultural lifestyle disease. A better knowledge of these factors will improve the effectiveness of current health, education and community interventions and promote health as a cornerstone to the sustainability and productivity of rural and remote communities.

ULO These are the Learning Outcomes (ULO) for this unit. At the completion of this unit, successful students can: Deakin Graduate Learning Outcomes
ULO1

Recognise and describe the social determinants of health that contribute to poor physical and behavioural outcomes in the agricultural workforce nationally and globally.

GLO1: Discipline-specific knowledge and capabilities
GLO3: Digital literacy
GLO8: Global citizenship

ULO2

Explain the environmental, economic and health service constraints experienced in farming communities and how these influence physical and mental health.

GLO1: Discipline-specific knowledge and capabilities
GLO6: Self-management

ULO3

Discuss the role climate variability plays in the health, wellbeing and safety of rural and remote communities.

GLO2: Communication
GLO4: Critical thinking

ULO4

Examine the underlying attributes of successful health policies, health promotion and community level interventions in agricultural settings.

GLO4: Critical thinking
GLO5: Problem solving

ULO5

Critically evaluate literature surrounding the role of lifestyle disease on rural morbidity and mortality.

GLO4: Critical thinking
GLO5: Problem solving
GLO6: Self-management

ULO6

Employ online communication technologies to investigate and address agricultural and rural health population problems.

GLO2: Communication
GLO3: Digital literacy
GLO5: Problem solving
GLO7: Teamwork

Assessment

Trimester 2:
Assessment description Student output Grading and weighting
(% total mark for unit)
Indicative due week
Assessment 1: Written assignment 2500 to 3000 words 40%
  • Week 8
Assessment 2: Online test 45 minutes 20%
  • Week 6
Assessment 3: Online exercises Input to online discussions and case studies Input to online discussions: 10%
Case studies: 10%
Total: 20%
  • Ongoing
Assessment 4: Short answer assignment 1000 words 20%
  • Week 11

The assessment due weeks provided may change. The Unit Chair will clarify the exact assessment requirements, including the due date, at the start of the teaching period.

Learning Resource

The texts and reading list for the unit can be found on the University Library via the link below: HMF702 Note: Select the relevant trimester reading list. Please note that a future teaching period's reading list may not be available until a month prior to the start of that teaching period so you may wish to use the relevant trimester's prior year reading list as a guide only.

Unit Fee Information

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