Reference no: EM133684296 , Length: word count:1600

Population Health

Marginalisation in Australia

This assignment will provide students with an opportunity to understand the impact of marginalisation on vulnerable populations in Australia and to propose processes for ameliorating the effects of marginalisation on health and wellbeing.

You will write a 1600 (+/-10%) argumentative essay on one marginalised population in Australia.

One of the challenges facing health professionals is providing health and social support to vulnerable groups, including those who are marginalised due to their identity, association and/ lifestyle. Marginalisation is the social process of being made marginal (being separated from the rest of society, occupying the fringes, and of lower social standing). Marginalisation, which is often the outcome of stigmatisation and discrimination, has a negative impact on health because marginalised people have poor access to the social determinants of health.

Choose from one of the following marginalised groups to focus your essay

Before you Begin

Good academic research and writing conform with academic integrity standards. As a tertiary student, you should develop excellent research and writing skills as part of your degree. The use of artificial intelligence (Gen-AI) software, such as Chat GPT is discouraged as it does not reflect the integrity of your own academic research and writing skills. The content produced from Gen-AI software can be inaccurate and/or linked to unreliable sources. Any use of AI-generated material in your assessments will require a Declaration to be added at the end of the essay, detailing the content, how it was used, and the software from which it was generated. Read the information on academic misconduct in your Unit Outline and the Curtin webpage "Academic integrity" for further information

Essay Structure

Introduction

Briefly ‘set the scene' by providing some information about the group who are marginalised (e.g., the size of the population, where they are located or other demographic information)

Provide a thesis statement (i.e., your argument or a justification for your essay. For example: "People who are intersex are marginalised because ..." OR "A human rights approach to reducing the marginalisation of people are homeless will improve social and health outcomes because ... ".

Define key terms when you first introduce them in your essay.

Content - use the Sociological Imagination template to structure your essay

Identify historical, cultural and/or structural factors which are contributing to the marginalisation of the population and/or creating barriers to the social determinants of health. Note: these three factors do not have to be of equal weight or word count and should be relevant to being marginalised. For example:
Historical Factors - have societal attitudes changed in the way the marginalised population is accepted/viewed (e.g., are they more or less stigmatised now than in the past)?
Cultural Factors - what are the issues and factors contributing to stigma and/or discrimination of your allocated population in Australia? Are these linked to social norms or core social values? Are there different attitudes within the Australian population towards this group (e.g., religious groups, minority groups)?

Structural Factors - what are the barriers to accessing social institutions and resources such as transport, education, employment and health? If relevant, briefly describe services or programs that are targeting the population to reduce inequity and/or marginalisation.
Evidence
Provide specific and relevant evidence to support the points you make (e.g., statistics, quotes, numbers, dates). You must place your citation directly after each sentence where you have taken information, ideas or data from another source.
Discussion and Analysis
Your discussion should explain how the main factors identified in the content section are impacting the health and social wellbeing of the marginalised population. For example, you might analyse the impact of key social determinants of health on the population.
Using a human rights approach, provide recommendations to reduce the marginalisation of the population and improve health and wellbeing. Make sure your recommendations are relevant to the diversity and culture of the marginalised population.

Conclusion

Your conclusion should briefly explain how the thesis statement is justified. For example:
Restate the most relevant issue contributing to marginalisation and why this must be addressed.
Restate how the human rights approach outlined in the discussion section will reduce marginalisation.
Finish with a view to the future - what does the future look like for this population?

Referencing - APA (7th ed.)
Students should provide at least 10 references. The majority of these must be current and credible academic sources such as refereed academic journal articles or government reports. Websites and reports from non-Government organisations or private companies that provide support to the marginalised group, can be included, but they should not be the only source of information.

Reference List
Use APA 7th ed. guide (accessed via Curtin Library's homepage and from the Unit Reading List).
Start list on a separate page with heading "References" (centred and in bold type) on the first line.
References in alphabetical order by author surname or organisation.
Where an item has no author, it is cited and listed by its title.
Apply a hanging indent (1.27cm) to the second and subsequent lines of each reference.
Double-spacing is used for the entire list (no additional spaces between references).

In-text References
Use APA 7th ed. guide (accessed via Curtin Library's homepage).
Always provide an in-text reference for direct quotes, numbers and statistics, with page number.
Provide in-text references to all information and ideas paraphrased and taken from other writers.
A reference is not required for your thesis statement and your own analysis - (e.g., fewer in-text references are provided in the Introduction, analysis and Conclusion).