Time Schedule:
Bettina Shell-Duncan
G H 590
Seattle Campus
Focuses on topics relevant to global health. Offered: AWSpS.
Class description
ADVANCED INTERDISCIPLINARY CASE STUDIES IN GLOBAL HEALTH GH 590F / ANTH 472
Why have major medical advances resulted in limited improvements in global health? Why are there massive gaps in population health around the world – between rich and poor within countries, and between wealthy and low-income nations? How are health intervention priorities determined? What is the role of globalization – the movement of information, people, goods and money around the word – in reducing or magnifying disparities in the burden of disease?
The challenges facing the field of global health are increasingly recognized to be rooted in a complex mix of biological and social determinants. Health, and the effective provision of health care services, depends on many factors outside, and beyond the control of, the clinical setting. These factors -- biological, social, economic, political, legal, historical and cultural – influence the translation of health research and policy to health outcomes. This course takes a systematic critical approach to understanding this process – one that appreciates both disciplinary perspectives, and the need for interdisciplinary collaboration – to give students the perspective and skills needed to address complex global health problems.
The 5 credit course is team taught by two instructors, and uses an in-depth case-based approach to learning. Each instructor is responsible for leading an intensive three week presentation of a current topic in global health. This year the cases will be: • Female Genital Cutting (led by Prof. Bettina Shell-Duncan) • HPV vaccine (led by Emily Brunson)
Common and comprehensive learning objectives structure the presentation of each case: understanding the biomedical basis of the health issue, evaluating the evidence for the empirical claims made, articulating the arguments for and against prioritizing this issue over others, recognizing the institutional capacity needed to providing the services, identifying conflicts and tradeoffs, and addressing the ethical issues.
Over the course of the quarter, the students will collaborate in teams to develop cases of their own, and present them during the last two weeks. At the end of the course, the student will know how to define the scope of a global health problem, identify the relevant contextual factors, critically research the evidence, and recognize the tradeoffs in the choices among alternatives.
This course is open to advanced undergraduates completing the Medical Anthropology and Global Health track in Anthropology. Undergraduates should enroll in ANTH 472.
It is also offered for graduate students from diverse fields of study with interest in integrating multidisciplinary perspectives to find solution to pressing global health concerns. Graduate students should register for this class under GH 509.
Contact Bettina Shell-Duncan for an entry code.
Student learning goals
describe the case studies covered analytically considering quantitative parameters such as populations affected, and resulting burden of disease in affected societies
describe the case studies covered analytically considering quantitative parameters such as populations affected, and resulting burden of disease in affected societies
integrate diverse disciplinary perspectives into cohesive information about the individual case studies
organize diverse disciplinary information resources for presentation in class discussion
organize diverse disciplinary information resources for presentation in class discussion
General method of instruction
Recommended preparation
Class assignments and grading
