Medical teaching has traditionally relied heavily upon a biological model of illness, whereas this course places the promotion of health and the prevention and management of disease in a social context, with emphasis upon Chinese communities. The course aims to develop a critical approach to medical care and to give students the ability to assess competing explanations of sickness and well-being. It demonstrates how clinical and social aspects of the medical task are closely interrelated and how they influence patient care and clinical and medical outcomes. It also equips students with conceptual tools that can be applied in a variety of clinical and health service contexts.