Health Sciences: Global Public Health Practice

Designed for skill-building and to prepare students to work in the global public health field while negotiating cultural differences and responding to complex global public health situations that occur at the intersection of culture and disease. Prerequisite: Global Public Health minor.

Open to degree and PACE students

This skill-building class is designed to prepare students to work in the global public health field while negotiating cultural differences and responding to complex global public health situations that occur at the intersection of culture and disease. This course explores contemporary issues in global public health through an interdisciplinary perspective. We will examine the complex social, political, and environmental factors that impact global health through modules in Climate Change, Humanitarian Crises, Infectious Disease, Chronic Disease, and Global Mental Health. Through the lens of global health priority issues, ethical considerations, humanitarian crises, refugee camps, and much more, students will learn key global health practices and approaches to addressing large public health issues that impact global populations. After completion of this course, students should be able to: 1. To explore contemporary issues, problems, and controversies in global health through an interdisciplinary perspective 2. Describe current challenges with global public health interventions 3. Identify and describe ethical and cultural considerations of global public health practice 4. Describe the global public health and humanitarian framework 5. Analyze complex global health issues using a systems thinking perspective and articulate the complexities inherent in implementing health programs on a global scale 6. Prepare oral and written reports that communicate global public health data 7. Identify resources and tools for further exploration of global health issues by creating a program proposal addressing contemporary global health issues

This is a seminar-style class. Students are expected to have a baseline knowledge of global health/global public health. Students are expected to have an open mind - we will be discussing complex issues in global health, including ethical dilemmas. Students are expected to be highly engaged and come to class. Class participation is weighed heavily in grading.

Students will complete a number of in-class case studies, several small group projects, one mid-term paper, and a final project. There is no final exam.