Planning Document Critique and Evaluation
Question:
The first assessment for this module will require each student to submit a 3000-word essay that critically analyses a public health issue where inequalities exist (e.g. smoking behaviour, obesity, etc). Marking criteria:
1 – Identification of a public health issues where inequalities prevail and critical discussion of the rationale and significance of your choice (approx 1000 words)
2 – Critical analysis of the research evidence and relevant policies to demonstrate a detailed understanding of the central issues surrounding this particular inequality
3 – Application of relevant inequality theories to explain and justify your understanding of the problem
Submission date 17th November, pass mark 50%, word limit 3000 and weighting 50%
Answer Plan:
A few of you have asked me for a potential structure for your assignment, so I thought I’d put this outline together. Please note this is not prescriptive – you do not have to do the assignment this way – but you might find the outline useful for ensuring that you cover all of the marking criteria:
The first part of the essay looks at ‘what the issue is; why it is a public health issue (it’s cost – to society, health services, individuals, rates of morbidity/mortality etc); it’s distribution (focusing on the key inequalities); and in this part I would include a definition of public health and also a definition for ‘health inequalities’
In the second part of the assignment you look at ‘why these inequalities exist’…e.g. why are there socio-economic, or ethnic, or gender inequalities related to your topic area – what is the evidence from the literature
In the next part you can look at which ‘theory of health inequality’ is best supported by the evidence that you have presented for why these inequalities exist, and also what the government is trying to do to reduce these inequalities.
Your conclusion should cover whether or not you think the government policies will be effective – i.e. do they address the reasons why these inequalities exist.
I hope this helps, but please feel free to e-mail me, or visit me in my office hours if you’d like further clarification.
best wishes, Margaret
This course is called Land Use Planning of Urban Planning & Study Department.