PHDH901 Health, Function and Participation

Contents and structure

The PhD-programme in health, function, and participation provides a research education for those who want to contribute to creation of new knowledge for the health and social care sector, and for civil society and public and private sector. This course offers in-depth knowledge about the PhD program’s profile.

The PhD programme is embedded in a public health tradition where social sciences, welfare sciences and health sciences are complementary. This course offers cross-disciplinary perspectives on living conditions, social inequalities and inequities, and on the interconnectedness between persons and the environment. Public health research spans from cell to society, from everyday living in local communities, to regional and global challenges. Research topics embed inequalities and inequities in health and living conditions, studies of acute and critical illness and advanced treatments, to lifelong diseases or disabilities, and studies or structural, material and political conditions for social participation.

Through learning activities and assignments students will gain insight into the necessities and possibilities offered by cross-disciplinary approaches when new knowledge is needed about welfare and health, considering local, reginal, global challenges. Global demographic changes and burden of non-communicable diseases, migration, conflicts and climate changes, increases the pressure on our welfare model.

Learning Outcome

After fulfilling the requirements of the course students will have gained these learning outcomes:

Knowledge: The candidate...

• has advances knowledge about, and understanding of, different perspectives on health, function, and participation
• has advanced knowledge about how living conditions and health are interrelated, and how inequities can be countered
• has in-depth insight in how health, function, and participation are effected and changed thorough interactions and interconnectedness between humans, non-human living beings and the environment at large
• has knowledge about how state, civil society, groups and individuals can be influenced to promote public health and welfare
• has knowledge about cross-disciplinary research and conditions for interdisciplinary collaboration
• has in-depth knowledge in their own subject and discipline, and can relate this to overarching philosophy of science and research ethics of relevance to health and welfare sciences

Skills: The candidate...

• can critically appraise the existing body of knowledge and practices relevant for the scope of their study, and identify need for new knowledge
• can critically appraise the results of their own research in relation to the existing body of knowledge on the subject matter of the research
• can take independent initiatives and facilitate cross-disciplinary research and inter-professional collaboration

General competencies: The candidate...

• has competence to identify and analyse emergent and relevant ethical problems, and to follow ethical research guidelines
• has competency to apply cross-disciplinary perspectives in the analysis of challenges related to health, function, and participation
• can justify how their contribution to the existing body of knowledge can be applied practically or theoretically
• can disseminate results from research and development projects to national and international stakeholders, and through a diversity of channels and media.
• has competency to understand how global and local challenges effect everyday living and living conditions for individuals, groups and societies
• has knowledge about how welfare and health services effect the allocation of benefits and burdens, and can contribute to the sustainability of the health and welfare sector.

Entry requirements

• PhD candidate enrolled in a PhD programme at HVL or an external institution, or with a relevant PhD project in prepration
• HVL employees on track for qualifying to senior lecturer positions

Number of participants: The course requires a minimum of 5 and a maximum of 20 participants. The number of PhD students should preferably comprise at least 50% of the total number of participants.

Teaching methods

Course tuition takes normally place during the beginning of the fall term, and is comprised of approximatly 6 weeks, including preparation for the course, four-days retreat, writing, reviewing each other's papers, one-day seminar at Campus Bergen and exam.

The pedagogical platform for the course aims to promote student active learning, process-oriented writing, literature presentation, formative and summative assessments, group-based and individual feedback, and individual studying.The course content is adjusted to the students PhD-projects and needs. Topics of current interst and classical scientific problems will be made subject to discussion, by means of philosophy of science, methodology or ethical challenges. The students bring previous knowledge and experience to the course which can be shared and discussed and contribute to further development of knowledge.

The course language is English, if some of the participating students are not fluent in Norwegian. Assignments and exams can be written in either a Scandinavian language or English.The program expects the students to be fluent in academic English as well as their mother tongue.

The exam is an essay on a self chosen topic. The students hand in their first draft before the retreat. During the retreat, students review and give feedback on each other's papers and receive group based oral supervision from teachers/academic staff. Students also receive written individual feedback on their paper before the exam.

Students are required to be present at both the retreat and the one-day seminar. They are required to give and receive peer-review and to take an active part in discussions during seminars and teaching.

Compulsory learning activities

None

Assessment

Asessment

A scientific essay on a self chosen topic. Details on requirements will be provided at the start of the course.

Grading Pass / fail.

If failing, the original essay can be revised, or the student may chose a new topic.

A second exam date allows for an improved version of the essay to be handed in once.

Examination support material

All aids are allowed.

More about examination support material