Health Inequality Concern in France | Health Care Homework

Identify a health inequality concern in France and critically discuss the way sociology theory explains this inequality, and the way it points at concrete public health solutions for the health inequality concern.

*) Guidance
Health inequalities, the finding that health outcomes tend to be worse for those lower down any structure of social stratification, are discussed in relation to several sociology theories. These theories conceptualise the way the structure of society can pattern health outcomes, with reference to key social divisions including social class, gender, and ethnicity, and the structured and recurrent patterns of unequal distributions of goods, wealth, opportunities, rewards, and punishments.

*) Structure of the essay (5 parts):
1) Introduction, background, and problem definition, including contextual information about the social inequalities concern in the local setting and the impact it has on health inequalities (15%).
2) Theoretical overview: critically discuss the key sociological perspectives and theoretical models explaining health inequalities (20%).
3) Discussion: critically consider the way sociology theory explains the problem of health inequalities that you focus on in this essay (30%).
4) Public health remedies: based on sociology theory, propose suitable public health remedies (25%).
5) Conclusion (10%).

*) Further guidance:
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 is nested. When writing your essay, be mindful of the following key points:

*) Further guidance in detail:
1) This should not be general overview of sociology theory. Rather, you should develop your discussion in relation to the question presented in the brief and answer that question. A good essay will assess the arguments for and against sociological perspectives, and then answer the question, gradually and purposefully leading towards logical conclusion that derives from the academic literature and from the evidence you presented.
2) You are assessed in this essay on your knowledge and understanding of key concepts in the field of sociology, 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. Remember that not all academic texts that refer to ‘society’ or ‘social’ are from sociological perspective.
3) The readings and references in the lectures and activities that are part of this module are good starting point, but additional reading is needed to develop more complete and more concrete discussions and enhance the analytical depth of your argument. To find suitable contemporary studies on your topic, there are several journals which publish research in the sociology of health and medical sociology, such as 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; Health & Place; Body & Society; and Anthropology and Medicine.
4) 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’.
5) While sociology texts are often challenging to rephrase, avoid making frequent use of direct quotations. By rephrasing the text, you demonstrate your own understanding, and you maintain your own writing style.