This unit aims to enable learners to gain an understanding of the different sociological approaches that can be used when studying and how these approaches can be used to study health and social care.
The unit will encourage learners to be reflective, and will be valuable to those learners intending to work with people in a caring capacity. It will also be useful for learners who intend to progress to study at a higher level. The sociological approach is embedded in several other units in the programme and is extended in Unit 19: Applied Sociological Perspectives for Health and Social Care.
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Fee EU/Local Students €250 Exam fee: €20 /module
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Easy Pay Option: €150 deposit €55/ week for 2 weeks |
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| Duration: | 3 weeks |
Awarding Body |  |
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| Start Dates: | January/February | September/October | ||
| Entry Requirement: | Applicants must be a minimum of 18 years old |
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| University Progression Route | ||||
Learning Outcome
On completion of this unit a learner should:
1. Understand sociological perspectives
2. Understand sociological approaches to health and social care.
1. Understand sociological perspectives
Terminology: social structures, eg the family, education system, health care services; social diversity, eg
social class, gender, culture, ethnicity, age, locality; socialisation, eg norms, values, beliefs, roles, status
Principle sociological perspectives: functionalism, Marxism, feminism, interactionism, collectivism,
postmodernism, 'New Right'
2. Understand sociological approaches to health and social care
Application of sociological perspectives to health and social care: understanding different concepts of health
and ill health; understanding patterns and trends in health and illness among different social groupings
Understanding different concepts of health and ill health: concepts of health (negative, positive, holistic,
World Health Organization definition); models of health (biomedical, socio-medical); ill health (illness,
disability, disease); the sick role; the clinical iceberg
Understanding patterns and trends in health and illness among different social groupings: measurement of
health, eg morbidity rates, mortality rates, health events, disease incidence, disease prevalence, health
surveillance; difficulties in measuring health; patterns and trends according to, eg social class, gender,
ethnicity, age, locality; risk behaviour; sociological explanations (artefact, natural/social selection, cultural/
behavioural, materialist/structuralist)
Unit Assessment
Assessment takes the form of written assignments, observations, in-class tests, verbal assessment and projects
To gain the unit learners must achieve, as a minimum, the Pass grade; the Pass grade is in effect the gaining of the credit for the unit, and this contributes to the overall qualification grade. All units must be passes within the rules of combination to achieve the overall qualification.
The table below shows the number of points scored per credit at the unit level and grade
| Level | Points per credit | ||
| Pass | Merit | Distinction | |
| 5 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
| 6 | 9 | 10 | 11 |
Learners who achieve the correct number of points within the ranges shown in the 'qualification grade' tables below will achieve the qualification Pass, Merit, Distinction or Distinction* grades (or combinations of these grades appropriate to the qualification).
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