SWN005 Health, Wellbeing and the Human Condition

Unit Outline: Semester 1 2026, Kelvin Grove, Internal

Overview

In this unit an intersectional lens is applied to the health of communities not just individuals. This also means understanding health and wellbeing in its many dimensions (social, psychological, cultural, structural and spiritual), as well as their historical and political context. For example, it means understanding how the burden of disease and social determinants of health are related to oppressed populations; how colonisation and neoliberalism affect health and wellbeing. Questions will be asked about the opportunity for all to live a 'good life'. Mental health is treated as a subset of health and wellbeing.

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit you will be able to:

1. Critically analyse inequality and the social determinants of health, mental health and wellbeing, with regard to key strategies responsive to those determinants, including digital responses
2. Use relevant methodologies, including digital technologies to analyse and critically review the roles and responsibilities of government, non-government, families and other diverse stakeholders that respond to the health, mental health and wellbeing of individuals, families, communities and more broadly society.
3. Apply knowledge and skills when advocating for the complex health, mental health and wellbeing needs of culturally diverse clients, inclusive of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
4. Apply and professionally communicate a critical social work approach to health, mental health and wellbeing paying attention to digital access, equity and literacy for socially disadvantaged communities.

Content

Learning Approaches

The unit is underpinned by critical social work pedagogies, adult learning principles and dialogic tutorial practices inclusive of opportunities to advance their application of knowledge and skills. There is a mix of online lectures and face to face, on-campus tutorials focusing on the health and wellbeing of diverse populations--in their social and historical contexts. 

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives: Indigenous health perspectives from Australia but also internationally are considered in many weeks of the unit's classes, foregrounded in week 1 with Decolonising Health. Examples of Indigenous-led health programs are emphasised, as we explore how ongoing forms of colonisation and white and non-Indigenous privilege continue to negatively impact the lives of our first nations communities. 

Career development and employability: Fields and modes of social work practice are explained and you will explore your motivations for social work and early preferences for fields and modes of practice. Emphasis is placed on social work’s use of self: we are our tools. We critically inspect notions such as resilience and adaptability, taking account of our social work values of social justice, empathy and client self-determination.

Diverse cultural perspectives: Cultural perspectives are defined broadly beyond ethnicity. An intersectional perspective is used that considers injustice on the basis of race/ethnicity, age, sexuality, gender, class and geographical location. Diverse cultural perspectives related to health are woven through the unit, for example, queer health campaigns, women's health services, and how work in alliance with others to understand their definitions of and goals for 'the good life'. 

Industry relevant technologies: This unit is part of the Digital Capabilities Project, and digitally fluent social work practice in health assists future graduates to provide current and future e-services. Online collaborations and assessments are options, with the health advocacy assignment dedicated to 'real world' online communication across public and professional audiences. 

Sustainability: In Week 1 Decolonising Health focuses on Indigenous health perspectives but also related topics of climate change, global warming, water politics, physical and social contexts for health and wellbeing, and community rights (especially remote Indigenous communities). Discussions regarding environmental, human social and economic sustainability make reference to the UN's Global Sustainability Development Goals. Future oriented sustainability practices, including paperless and petrol-less e-communication are emphasised alongside worker sustainability in the context of work intensification and other neoliberal processes.  

Feedback on Learning and Assessment

You will receive feedback through:

• Teaching staff and other students during case study and health systems learning exercises undertaken during class; and
• Teaching staff feedback on marking criteria sheets provided for the two summative assessments.

Formative activities such as in-class tasks, self-reflection exercises, and critical discussions will support the development of your understanding of key concepts and scaffold your learning in preparation for summative assessment. Summative feedback is given via written comments on marking rubrics/criteria sheets. This feedback will help you progress towards the successful completion of both assessment pieces. 

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Assessment

Overview

There are two assessments in this unit:

1. AASW Report - This will draw on your understanding of health system and health oriented critical social work practice to identify and analyse health issue in practice and pose an approach for change.
2. Psychosocial assessment and role play - This will develop your skills to translate health assessments and cases study into interventions for supporting people’s health and well-being. It will also support the development of your understanding of the way individual experiences are structurally contextualised within the wider health system. You can discuss the ways Indigenous knowledges, cultural safety or other structural influences can inform practice for change (individual agency and health systems).

Both assessments contribute to developing and honing your critical social work practice approach for work in the field

Unit Grading Scheme

7- point scale

Assessment Tasks

Assessment: AASW Report

You will perform the role of a social worker and individually prepare an evidence-based submission in the form of a report. This report will require you to identify relevant issues and approaches to health social work and respond to these issues. You will prepare the report on behalf of the AASW, and it will be submitted hypothetically to a Federal ministerial taskforce which has recently been established to address concerns experienced by social work health practitioners in the field. A list of health issues will be provided and will reflect topics discussed in lectures. The submission will draw upon relevant contemporary literature, include assessment of the efficacy of different approaches, and adopt a critical social work perspective.

This report provides a real-world learning experience, including undertaking a social work role, interactions with audience and advocacy through developing a health policy submission.

This assignment is eligible for the 48-hour late submission period and assignment extensions.

The ethical and responsible use of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tools is authorised in this assessment. See the relevant assessment details in Canvas for specific guidelines.

Assessment: Role play

This written psychosocial assessment component is eligible for the 48-hour late submission period and assignment extensions.

The use of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tools is prohibited during this assessment.

Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is a commitment to undertaking academic work and assessment in a manner that is ethical, fair, honest, respectful and accountable.

The Academic Integrity Policy sets out the range of conduct that can be a failure to maintain the standards of academic integrity. This includes, cheating in exams, plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion and contract cheating. It also includes providing fraudulent or altered documentation in support of an academic concession application, for example an assignment extension or a deferred exam.

You are encouraged to make use of QUT’s learning support services, resources and tools to assure the academic integrity of your assessment. This includes the use of text matching software that may be available to assist with self-assessing your academic integrity as part of the assessment submission process.

Breaching QUT’s Academic Integrity Policy or engaging in conduct that may defeat or compromise the purpose of assessment can lead to a finding of student misconduct (Code of Conduct – Student) and result in the imposition of penalties under the Management of Student Misconduct Policy, ranging from a grade reduction to exclusion from QUT.

Resources

Resource Materials

Prescribed text(s)

The QUT Learning Platform will host an extensive list of the prescribed and additional readings that are freely available to download through the QUT Library. 

Risk Assessment Statement

Discomfort might come from exploring a range of health contexts and conditions, which could unsettle or confront. Please note there will be discussion of colonisation in the context of health, particularly Indigenous Australian's health in Week 1 and the ensuing weeks will examine serious physical, mental, social and political health issues. Content warnings will be given, including but not limited to the following traumatic topics: domestic and family violence, sexual assault, suicide, war, refugee issues, including torture, homelessness and disasters. 

Course Learning Outcomes

SW81 Master of Social Work - Qualifying

1. Critically evaluate and apply critical social work theories, knowledge and skills that reflect the professional standards of the discipline and identify with the values and ethics that guide professional practice, including the recognition of diversity, human rights and promotion of social equality and justice.
   Relates to: AASW Report, Role play
2. Formulate strategies for engaging in critical thinking, decision making, critically reflective and culturally safe practice to create innovative and contextually responsive interventions that work towards emancipatory change.
   Relates to: AASW Report, Role play
3. Apply digital capabilities while accessing and evaluating relevant bodies of knowledge that guide collaborative, intra- and inter-professional practice with diverse populations (individual, groups, communities) to promote and advancing socially just outcomes.
   Relates to: AASW Report, Role play
4. Communicate respectfully and work effectively with diverse groups, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, LGBTINBQ+, refugee, disabled and older populations, their families, carers, interprofessional teams and community leaders, to ensure safe and coordinated support for their interests and rights.
   Relates to: Role play
5. Practise professional integrity, and effective written, oral and digital communication to analyse and convey complex information and build productive relationships across diverse stakeholders to promote ethical social work practice.
   Relates to: Role play