Time Schedule:
Elizabeth A. Madison
B HLTH 497
Bothell Campus
Class description
We live in a dynamic global economy dependent upon the labors of workers who come here from outside our borders. The health of these workers affects the health in our communities, and the more we know about migrant populations, what makes them resilient as well as what makes them ill, the better we can meet their health care needs. This course examines the experience of Latino/a migrant families, especially those from Mexico, and presents a multidimensional view of their strengths as well as vulnerabilities.
Student learning goals
Discuss the challenges of providing health care in underrepresented populations
Describe the health and economic realities of migration upon migrant populations
Identify characteristics in the interface of American and Latino/a cultures that affect health, both negatively and positively
Discuss aspects of history and Latino/a influence in US culture
Identify personal experiences that influence our understanding of Latino/a perspectives
General method of instruction
The class is scheduled to meet 4 hours per week, on Tuesdays, 1:15 - 5:35. We will meet for a total of 5 in-class sessions, and the remaining sessions will be on-line reading assignments and discussion. We will work to create an inclusive learning environment in which all concerns and comments can be talked about. We will use a combination of film, online sites and scholarly articles pertaining to our subject. In class we will talk about various assigned readings and how these relate to our own experiences.
Recommended preparation
Please become familiar with the concept of emancipatory education. Bevis (1989) tells us that education, to be any good to the student, must be emancipating. Emancipating or liberating education frees the intellect to range among the many ideas, problems, and issues that characterize life. It enables one to master the skills to investigate intellectually engaging phenomena, imbuing the spirit with: • The clarity to see things seen every day but never really seen and to hear things heard every day but never really heard before. • The energy to pursue an idea wherever it leads. • The vision to see beyond preconceptions and cultural conditioning and so enable departure from traditional bias. • A love of reflection and contemplation. • A trust of sensitivity and intuition. • An enthusiasm for insights and meanings that requires detecting the assumptions that underlie assumptions. • A fondness for strategizing. • A commitment to search for that elusive thing called truth. • A flexibility in generating and using options. • To infuse the whole with the moral ideal of compassion and caring.
Class assignments and grading
We will write, read and talk weekly. Projects will emanate from students' own goals.
To be discussed in class.
