This assessment provides an opportunity to critically examine some key sociological concepts and theories and discuss their application to public health problems and the wider health care context within which public health sits. You should focus on the chosen question rather than writing everything you know about the topic. A good essay will assess the arguments for and against and sum up with a logical conclusion from the evidence presented.

You will be assessed on your knowledge and understanding of key concepts in sociology. You will not get any marks for displaying detailed knowledge of the epidemiology of particular health problems, or of aetiology or physiology, so be careful not to waste too many words on the background to your topic or on explanations from other disciplines (such as epidemiology or psychology).

The readings and references in the lectures and activities are starting points for your reading, but additional reading may be needed to gain distinction level marks. To find good contemporary studies on your topic, there are a number of journals which publish research in the sociology of health and medical sociology. They include: Sociology of Health & Illness; Social Science & Medicine; Health, Risk & Society; Critical Public Health; Qualitative Health Research; Health Sociology Review; Health: an interdisciplinary journal for the social study of health, illness and medicine; Social Theory & Health.

To gain higher level marks, you will need to demonstrate a critical engagement with the reading. This means being aware of areas of consensus and disagreement in the literature and assessing the weight of evidence.

Your statements should be supported. Avoid simply expressing your own opinion, drawing on your own experience or common-sense general knowledge, or using generic or sweeping phrases which cannot be evidenced such as ‘In the past, people used to do X….’ or ‘Nowadays, people do X’
With regard to tables and figures, please be judicious in your use of these and ensure they are fully labelled and accompanied by a commentary & analysis about what the table/figure is illustrating rather than being assumed to be self- evident. Ensure that it is fully integrated into the text that precedes them. This allows the reader to understand why you have included the table/figure and helps the reader know what to focus on when looking at the table/figure.