HMF702 - Healthy and Sustainable Agricultural Communities
Unit details
| Year | 2025 unit information |
|---|---|
| Enrolment modes: | Trimester 2: Online |
| Credit point(s): | 1 |
| EFTSL value: | 0.125 |
| Unit Chair: | Trimester 2: Jacquie Cotton |
| Campus contact: | Jacquie Cotton, Director, National Centre for Farmer Health, Telephone: +61 3 5551 8585, email: j.cotton@deakin.edu.au |
| Prerequisite: | Nil |
| Corequisite: | Nil |
| Incompatible with: | Nil |
| Educator-facilitated (scheduled) learning activities - online unit enrolment: | Online independent and collaborative learning activities including 3 scheduled online seminars |
| Typical study commitment: | Students will on average spend 150 hours over the teaching period undertaking the teaching, learning and assessment activities for this unit. This will include educator guided online learning activities within the unit site. |
Note:Scholarships are available for this unit, please refer to the Farmer Health website | |
Content
This unit addresses social, cultural and environmental factors that result in high rates of lifestyle disease, unsafe work practices and raised levels of mental illness amongst agricultural workers, their families and communities. This unit aims to improve the understanding of the diverse and intergenerational factors leading to this health imbalance by highlighting the key determinants of agricultural health and medicine both in Australia and internationally. Important agricultural topics covered in this unit include provision of safe work environment, access to health and education services, health literacy, social isolation, biosecurity, rural networks, the physical, mental and social impact of climate variability and agricultural lifestyle disease. A better knowledge of these factors will improve the effectiveness of current health, education and community interventions and promote health as a cornerstone to the sustainability and productivity of rural and remote communities.
Learning Outcomes
| ULO | These are the Unit Learning Outcomes (ULOs) for this unit. At the completion of this unit, successful students can: | Alignment to Deakin Graduate Learning Outcomes (GLOs) |
|---|---|---|
| ULO1 | Recognise and describe the social determinants of health that contribute to poor physical and behavioural outcomes in the agricultural workforce nationally and globally. | GLO1: Discipline-specific knowledge and capabilities |
| ULO2 | Explain the environmental, economic and health service constraints experienced in farming communities and how these influence physical and mental health. | GLO1: Discipline-specific knowledge and capabilities |
| ULO3 | Discuss the role climate variability plays in the health, wellbeing and safety of rural and remote communities. | GLO2: Communication |
| ULO4 | Examine the underlying attributes of successful health policies, health promotion and community level interventions in agricultural settings. | GLO4: Critical thinking |
| ULO5 | Critically evaluate literature surrounding the role of lifestyle disease on rural morbidity and mortality. | GLO4: Critical thinking |
| ULO6 | Employ online communication technologies to investigate and address agricultural and rural health population problems. | GLO2: Communication |
Assessment
Trimester 2:| Assessment description | Student output | Grading and weighting (% total mark for unit) | Indicative due week |
|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment 1: Written assignment | 2500 to 3000 words | 40% |
|
| Assessment 2: Online test | 45 minutes | 20% |
|
| Assessment 3: Online exercises | Input to online discussions and case studies | Input to online discussions: 10% Case studies: 10% Total: 20% |
|
| Assessment 4: Short answer assignment | 1000 words | 20% |
|
The assessment due weeks provided may change. The Unit Chair will clarify the exact assessment requirements, including the due date, at the start of the teaching period.
Learning resource
The texts and reading list for HMF702 can be found via the University Library.
Note: Select the relevant trimester reading list. Please note that a future teaching period's reading list may not be available until a month prior to the start of that teaching period so you may wish to use the relevant trimester's prior year reading list as a guide only.
Unit Fee Information
Fees and charges vary depending on the type of fee place you hold, your course, your commencement year, the units you choose to study and their study discipline, and your study load.
Tuition fees increase at the beginning of each calendar year and all fees quoted are in Australian dollars ($AUD). Tuition fees do not include textbooks, computer equipment or software, other equipment or costs such as mandatory checks, travel and stationery.
For further information regarding tuition fees, other fees and charges, invoice due dates, withdrawal dates, payment methods visit our Current Students website.