BI0HDS2: Health Disease and Society

Module code: BI0HDS2

Module provider: School of Biological Sciences

Credits: 20

Level: F

When you’ll be taught: Semester 2

Module convenor: Dr Lea Dib, email: l.dib@reading.ac.uk

Module co-convenor: Dr Natasha Barrett, email: n.e.barrett@reading.ac.uk

Pre-requisite module(s):

Co-requisite module(s):

Pre-requisite or Co-requisite module(s):

Module(s) excluded:

Placement information: NA

Academic year: 2026/7

Available to visiting students: Yes

Talis reading list: No

Last updated: 22 April 2026

Overview

Module aims and purpose

The module explores how health and disease are understood, experienced and addressed within contemporary society. Students will examine key concepts including health promotion, prevention, diagnosis and treatment, and the ways in which biological, behavioural and social factors interact to shape health and wellbeing.

The module also introduces students to how health inequalities such as education, income, housing and social support influence health outcomes. Students will develop confidence in interpreting health information, using appropriate terminology, and understand differing perspectives on health and illness. Collaborative learning is embedded through a small group project focused on a current health challenge, supporting the development of academic, communication and teamwork skills required for undergraduate study.

The aims of this module are to:

1. Support students’ transition to university-level learning.
2. Develop foundational understanding of health, disease and wellbeing in a social context.
3. Introduce key ethical, social and structural issues affecting health and healthcare.
4. Build confidence in academic skills, collaboration and applied health analysis.

Module learning outcomes

By the end of the module, it is expected that the student will be able to:

1. Explain how biological, environmental, and lifestyle factors influence health and wellbeing.
2. Describe the key stages of disease prevention, diagnosis, and treatment, and interpret simple health data (e.g. charts, tables, statistics).
3. Analyse how inequality, ethics, and funding affect access to healthcare.
4. Apply teamwork, communication, and health and social care values to investigate and present a real-world health issue.

Module content

Health and Wellbeing: Revisiting definitions of health; physical, intellectual, emotional and social wellbeing; determinants of health.

Preventing Disease: Lifestyle choices, vaccination and public health campaigns.

Detecting Disease: Basic principles of diagnosis; screening and early detection; ethical issues in testing.

Treating Disease: Overview of treatment options; drug therapy, surgery, psychological support, rehabilitation.

Health Information and Evidence: Using NHS and WHO data to understand trends in illness and wellbeing; developing data literacy.

Funding and Decision-Making: How the NHS and global systems allocate resources; fairness, access, and value for money.

Inequality and Health: How education, income, housing and social support influence health outcomes.

Project Workshops: Students research a chosen health issue, exploring prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and funding through group work and presentations.

Structure

Teaching and learning methods

This module is designed to mirror the delivery methods of Part 1 modules in SBS.

Core material will be delivered by weekly lectures with material being supplemented by additional study to review lecture material and engage in directed background reading.

There will be a series of workshops for the group project to support methods to work effectively as a team and provide dedicated time to work on the project.

Study hours

At least 35 hours of scheduled teaching and learning activities will be delivered in person, with the remaining hours for scheduled and self-scheduled teaching and learning activities delivered either in person or online. You will receive further details about how these hours will be delivered before the start of the module.

Please note the independent study hours above are notional numbers of hours; each student will approach studying in different ways. We would advise you to reflect on your learning and the number of hours you are allocating to these tasks.

Semester 1 The hours in this column may include hours during the Christmas holiday period.

Semester 2 The hours in this column may include hours during the Easter holiday period.

Summer The hours in this column will take place during the summer holidays and may be at the start and/or end of the module.

Assessment

Requirements for a pass

Students need to achieve an overall module mark of 40% to pass this module.

Summative assessment

Penalties for late submission of summative assessment

The Support Centres will apply the following penalties for work submitted late:

Assessments with numerical marks

• where the piece of work is submitted after the original deadline (or a DAS-agreed extension as a reasonable adjustment indicated in your Individual Learning Plan): 10% of the total marks available for that piece of work will be deducted from the mark for each calendar day (or part thereof) following the deadline up to a total of three calendar days;
• where the piece of work is submitted up to three calendar days after the original deadline (or a DAS-agreed extension as a reasonable adjustment indicated in you Individual Learning Plan), the mark awarded due to the imposition of the penalty shall not fall below the threshold pass mark, namely 40% in the case of modules at Levels 4-6 (i.e. undergraduate modules for Parts 1-3) and 50% in the case of Level 7 modules offered as part of an Integrated Masters or taught postgraduate degree programme;
• where the piece of work is awarded a mark below the threshold pass mark prior to any penalty being imposed, and is submitted up to three calendar days after the original deadline (or a DAS-agreed extension as a reasonable adjustment indicated in your Individual Learning Plan), no penalty shall be imposed;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three calendar days after the original deadline (or a DAS-agreed extension as a reasonable adjustment indicated in your Individual Learning Plan): a mark of zero will be recorded.

Assessments marked Pass/Fail

• where the piece of work is submitted within three calendar days of the deadline (or a DAS-agreed extension as a reasonable adjustment indicated in your Individual Learning Plan): no penalty will be applied;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three calendar days after the original deadline (or a DAS-agreed extension as a reasonable adjustment indicated in your Individual Learning Plan): a grade of Fail will be awarded.

Where a piece of work is submitted late after a deadline which has been revised owing to an extension granted through the Assessment Adjustments policy and process (self-certified or otherwise), it will be subject to the maximum penalty (i.e., considered to be more than three calendar days late). This will also apply when such an extension is used in conjunction with a DAS-agreed extension as a reasonable adjustment.

The University policy statement on penalties for late submission can be found at: /cqsd/-/media/project/functions/cqsd/documents/qap/penaltiesforlatesubmission.pdf

You are strongly advised to ensure that coursework is submitted by the relevant deadline. You should note that it is advisable to submit work in an unfinished state rather than to fail to submit any work.

Formative assessment

Formative assessment is any task or activity which creates feedback (or feedforward) for you about your learning, but which does not contribute towards your overall module mark.

Reassessment

Additional costs