Population and Health assignment
Each write-up should consist of no more than 2500 words, plus graphs, tables and short bibliography. Write-ups longer than this will be penalised. You may include appendices which do not count towards the word count. Appendices should include material that is related to your argument but not an integral part of it, such as figures or tables. It is not expected that you include appendices, but please do so if you feel it is necessary. The essay should stand-alone with or without reading the additional material.
Assignment Option 1:
Is there evidence of diverging epidemiological transitions in different areas of the world? Using the Global Burden of Disease and other sources of data as evidence (where possible), discuss similarities and differences in the health transition in different regions of the world as well as why these changes are occurring.
Tips:
- The aim of this essay is to provide an evidence based discussion of the epidemiological transition in different regions of the world. You can restrict your answer to certain regions if you wish, although you should fully justify your selection.
- Obviously this needs to be an examination of health over time, and the GBD should not be the sole evidence you quote as evidence.
- Some debate over the drivers of changes and divergences in the transition should be made.
- Starting points for reading are the references in the related lectures - this should lead to much wider reading.
Assignment Option 2:
Can health be measured at a population level or are estimates that are produced no more than guesswork and supposition? Illustrate your answer by using specific examples of health, such as violence against women, coronary heart disease or social wellbeing.
Tips:
- The examples of health that you choose should back up your argument and show a range of health outcomes.
- Think about the regional dimension of health measurement as well as for different types of health.
You must take particular care in using sources in essays. Remember that plagiarism includes not only verbatim copying but also direct paraphrasing of a source. Verbatim quotes from a source should always be in quotation marks, with the source indicated, and should be used only occasionally in an essay or other report. Detailed advice on appropriate referencing in essays and dissertations is given in the Division of Social Statistics "Guidelines on writing essays".
Students are encouraged to discuss and exchange ideas, since this is an important part of the educational process. However, it is NOT acceptable that you read and gain ideas for your coursework from another student's finished work. Copying includes using another student's computer program, output or graphics. If academic integrity is deemed to have been breached, there are a range of penalties that may be applied. If you are unsure about what is and is not permitted, ask - we will be happy to explain and discuss.