Undergraduate Module Descriptor

POL2025: Health Policy in Comparative Perspective

This module descriptor refers to the 2020/1 academic year.

Module Aims

This module is intended to teach you to think about public policies in a more sophisticated way, by attending to the political, institutional, financial, social, and ethical constraints and pressures that affect public policymaking.  It will also give you specific information about health policies in multiple countries and in-depth understanding of one health care condition or practice in multiple countries. And you will improve your writing, research, critical thinking, and persuasion skills.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

This module's assessment will evaluate your achievement of the ILOs listed here – you will see reference to these ILO numbers in the details of the assessment for this module.
On successfully completing the programme you will be able to:
Module-Specific Skills1. Critically describe the rationale for a range of public health care policies across multiple nations and governments;
2. Explain, using appropriate examples, how political, social, economic, and historical factors shape public policies regarding health care;
Discipline-Specific Skills3. Critically assess the role of interest groups, public opinion, and the media in public policymaking;
4. Demonstrate critical thinking to analyse public policies;
5. Critically evaluate political science research according to its assumptions, methods, and conclusions;
Personal and Key Skills6. Demonstrate effective written communication skills using coherent, persuasive arguments and a high level of detail;
7. Demonstrate the ability to work independently, within a limited time frame, and without access to external sources, to complete a specified task.