Global Health-Related Undergraduate Courses 2005-2006

The list below represents courses gleaned from review of the 2005-2006 on-line ORC whose major content was seen as directly related to issues relevant to global health. Obviously, given the multiple intersections of this issue, there are likely other courses that offer valuable educational opportunities relevant to a consideration of global health. Suggestions for additions to this list should be sent to Lee Witters. The courses are listed in alphabetical order by department as they appear in the ORC.

 

AAAS
11. Introduction to African Studies
06S, 07W: 10A
Multidisciplinary in scope, the course will survey critical social change in African cultures and civilizations through a study of history, art, literature, religion, economy, and politics, paying particular attention to the cultural impacts colonial rule on contemporary societies and states. Dist: SOC; WCult: NW. Byfield.

Anthropology
6. Introduction to Biological Anthropology
05F, 06F: 11
The major themes of biological anthropology will be introduced; these include the evolution of the primates, the evolution of the human species, and the diversification and adaptation of modern human populations. Emphasis will be given to (1) the underlying evolutionary framework, and (2) the complex interaction between human biological and cultural existences and the environment. (BIOL) Dist: SCI. Korey.

14. Death and Dying
07S: 10A
Death is a universal human experience, yet attitudes and responses toward it develop out of interplay between an individual’s personality and her/his sociocultural background. The course uses anthropological, historical, and biographical works, novels and films, to explore the meaning of death in different cultures. Particular attention is paid to understanding ideas about the person, emotions, and the afterlife, and the analysis of mortuary rituals and the experience of the dying and the survivors. An anthropological perspective on the development of the modern American mode of dealing with death and dying is offered and mass death in the twentieth century is discussed. (CULT) Dist: SOC or INT. Kan.

17. The Anthropology of Health and Illness
06S, 07S: 12
This course will examine how people in various cultures define and make sense of illness and what they do about it. We will consider the metaphors and symbols attached to diseases and healing rituals, asking whether and how ritual really works. We will explore the role of ritual healing in modern society, as well as in pre-industrial societies. We will compare indigenous and Western forms of medical practice to discover universal aspects of the tasks of medical care. In recent years there has been an increasing demand for anthropologists to work with physicians in many areas of medicine, among them mental illness, drug abuse, and AIDS. This course will introduce students to anthropological methods and knowledge that contribute to efforts to solve some of the puzzles of disease and illness. (CULT) Dist: SOC or INT. Cullinane (06S), the staff (07S).

Biology
2. Human Biology
05F, 06F: 11
A course designed to help students (biologists and non-biologists) understand the biological basis of human health and disease. The course will emphasize the fundamental aspects of biochemistry, genetics, cell and molecular biology, physiology, anatomy, reproductive biology, and function of various organs as they relate to humans. Particular emphasis will be placed on specific topics in human health and disease and how these issues affect us all individually in our own health and collectively in our international society.
Open to all students without prerequisite. Dist: SCI. Witters.

9. The Biology and Politics of Starvation (Identical to Social Sciences 9)
06W: 2A
Despite the rapid advancements of science, and the best intentions of humanitarian agencies, chronic malnutrition, hunger and starvation continue to afflict more than one out of every six of the world’s people. We will examine the science and politics of malnutrition, hunger and starvation intertwining the biology of human nutrition and starvation with social, economic, environmental and political consequences of food deprivation. Student presentations will focus on the description of and lessons learned from important historical famines, the issues of world food supply and the societal responses to starvation and famine. The course will conclude with a Student World Food Congress, where we will examine and debate the reasons underlying the failure of nations to guarantee the access to food as a fundamental human right.
Open to all students without prerequisite. Dist: SOC or INT. Satisfies the Interdisciplinary requirement (Class of 2004 or earlier). Butterly, Shepherd, Witters.

College Courses
12. Water and the Environment
05F: 10A
The purpose of this course is to explore both the physical and human dimensions of water and water management and to demonstrate that the environmental aspects of water management are both physically based and socially constructed. Topics include urban water supply, dams and dam removal, habitat degradation, floods, droughts, groundwater mining, hazardous waste management, snowmaking, and climate change. For each topic, water supply problems are discussed both in terms of their physical and social characteristics and in terms of how their definitions may serve to selectively benefit individual stakeholders. Relevant case studies with problem sets and discussions are used to demonstrate the social and physical dialectic associated with mitigating the environmental consequences of water-related problems. Dist: TAS. Satisfies the Interdisciplinary Requirement (Class of 2004 and earlier). Magilligan, Renshaw.

Economics
74. Applied Economics in Developing Countries
06W, 07W: 11, 12
This course uses economic analysis to understand contemporary issues in low-income countries. We consider why extreme poverty and hunger, child mortality, low-levels of education, gender inequality, environmental degradation, high fertility, and child labor are pervasive in the developing world. We also examine the economic consequences of globalization and infectious diseases such as malaria and HIV/AIDS. For each topic, we seek to understand the factors and constraints influencing decision-making in developing countries. We use this understanding to discuss the role of markets, civil organizations, government policy, and international institutions.
Prerequisites: Economics 1 and 10 or equivalent. Dist: SOC or INT; WCult: NW. Edmonds.

Engineering Sciences
10. Biomedical Informatics
06W, 07W: 3A
Biomedical informatics is an emerging discipline that coalesces the health science knowledges including medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, nursing, radiology and biological sciences with computer science, mathematics, statistics, engineering, information technologies and management. The objective of this course is to provide the theoretical foundations and the current applications of biomedical informatics in health sciences, and health care delivery systems. The course contents include structures, algorithms and design of algorithms necessary to organize, store, retrieve and analyze data and develop computational solutions to produce new knowledge and understanding about, and representation of biomedical knowledge, management of health care/hospital systems, clinical decision making, research in biomedical and pharmaceutical systems, and design and development of interactive and distributive multimedia systems for education.
Prerequisites: Math 3 and permission of instructor. Dist: TAS. Satisfies the Interdisciplinary requirement. Akay.

Environmental Studies Program
2. Introduction to Environmental Science
05F, 06F: 12
To understand current environmental problems, we need to study the physical, biological, chemical and social processes that are often the basis of those problems. This course will give the skills necessary to ask intelligent questions about - and perhaps obtain answers to - some of the environmental problems our planet is facing today by examining scientific principles and the application of those principles to environmental issues. This course will survey a variety of topics including pollution, biodiversity, energy use, recycling, land degradation, and human population dynamics. It is designed to introduce environmental science and environmental issues, topics which are explored in greater depth in other Environmental Studies courses. Dist: SCI. Friedland.

28. Global Environmental Health
05F: 11
This course will focus upon the scientific and public health principles that govern environmental health outcomes at the individual to the global scale. Case studies will be used to illustrate the principles. Some of the issues that will be discussed include lead poisoning, mercury in the food web, the epidemic of tobacco use that is sweeping the the global movement of persistent organic pollutants, and natural contaminates in the human supply. These cases will increase in complexity with regards to causative agents and health outcomes. Lastly, trends of environmental diseases coupled with the prevention of these diseases will be emphasized
Prerequisites: Environmental Studies 2 or Biology 14 or permission of the instructor. Roebuck.

Geography
13. Population, Culture, and Environment
06S: 11
The growth and spatial distribution of human population is becoming one of the most important global security issues. This course argues that a geographic perspective on overpopulation, immigration, environment degradation, abortion, human rights, and cultural genocide is both illuminating and important. After covering fundamentals of fertility, morality, migration, and composition, the course details a series of national and international case studies. Where appropriate, attention is given to the public policy aspects of these population issues. Dist: SOC or INT. Fox.

15. Food and Power
06S, 06F: 2A
In a world glutted with food, why do millions still suffer chronic hunger? In an international community committed to free trade, why is food the most common source of trade wars and controversies? In a country where less than five percent of the population farms, why does the “farm lobby�? remain so politically powerful? In societies where food has never been faster or more processed, why are organic and “slow�? foods in such demand? These are among the questions this course will consider, drawing on the insights of both political economy and cultural analysis. Dist: SOC or INT; WCult: NW. Freidberg.

40. Africa: Ecology and Development (Identical to African and African American Studies 45)
06S, 07S: 10A
This course is intended as an introduction to contemporary political, economic, social, and environmental issues in Sub-Saharan Africa. It will begin with a brief historical overview, focusing on the legacies of the colonial era. It will then look critically at a number of modern-day concerns, including agriculture and food security, environmental degradation, health and disease, urbanization, economic aid and restructuring, and the politics of ethnicity and democratization. While we will examine each subject by way of select case studies, emphasis throughout will be on the diversity and changing nature of the African continent. This course will also consider how Africa’s problems are portrayed and understood (and often misunderstood) by the rest of the world. Dist: SOC or INT; WCult: NW. Freidberg.

History
36. Health Care in American Society: History and Current Issues
06S: 12
This course is designed to provide students with a basic understanding of critical issues in health care through the study of the historical development of the United States health care system. The course illuminates the influence of historical forces and cultural factors on the delivery of health care and on the discourse about health care reform in American history. By studying the components and relationships within the American health care system, students are enabled to acquire an understanding of the relationship between American history and the health care system, and also enabled to obtain a working contextual knowledge of the current problems of the American health care system and their proposed solutions. Each topic is presented from an historical perspective. Through an historical investigation of health, disease, and medicine students should be able to understand and discuss the changing organization of health care delivery in American history, the changing methods of financing of health care, the distinctive role of technology in health care, primary ethical issues in health care, comparative features of health care systems of other cultures, the historical changes in public health precepts, images of health care in popular culture, and the process of health care reform in American history.
Open to all classes. Class of 2007 and earlier: Dist: PHR; WCult: NA. Class of 2008 and later: Dist: SOC; WCult: W. Koop.

Philosophy
25. Philosophy of Medicine
06S: 12 07S: 2
An examination of some philosophical issues in the field of medicine. Primary focus will be on the moral issues that arise in dealing with individual patients, e.g., paternalism, informed consent, euthanasia, and abortion. There will also be an attempt to clarify such important concepts as death, illness, and disease.
Open to sophomores, juniors, and seniors. Class of 2007 and earlier: Dist: PHR. Class of 2008 and later: Dist: TMV. Gert.

Psychology and Brain Sciences
54. Issues in Applied Psychology
05F: 10A 06W: 2A
Courses with this number consider several important sub-fields of applied psychology, such as environmental psychology and consumer behavior. Material is treated at an intermediate level. Selection of issues is left to the discretion of the instructor, but they will be selected with emphasis upon the extension of established psychological principles to problems of contemporary society. Dist: SOC.
In 05F at 10A and 06W at 2A (Section 2), Health Psychology. This course will explore the role of psychology and health. We will review both empirical/research and clinical psychology contributions to 1) chronic physical illness; and 2) health promotion. This course utilizes a multi-model and outside-of-the-classroom/DHMC learning opportunities. Through in-depth study of diabetes, cancer, cystic fibrosis, and chronic physical pain, we will explore the impact of illness on the individual and family, and the role of “treatment”? issues including adherence/self-management and the role of the doctor/patient relationship in successful outcomes.
Prerequisites: Psychology 1 or 6 permission of instructor. Detzer.

Sociology
28. Health Care and Health Care Policy
06W: 12
This course examines the health care system in the United States, focusing on the roles and operations of health care institutions and providers. The objective throughout the course is to develop a comprehensive and critical perspective on current fields and issues in medical sociology. The course consists of five sections, progressing from macro-level to micro-level analyses of the delivery of health care, and returning to the macro-level to discuss recent policy changes and debates in the health care system. Dist: SOC. Class of 2007 and earlier: WCult: NA. Class of 2008 and later: WCult: W. Anthony.

Social Science
9. The Biology and Politics of Starvation (Identical to Biology 9)
06W: 2A
Despite the rapid advancements of science, and the best intentions of humanitarian agencies, chronic malnutrition, hunger and starvation continue to afflict more than one out of every six of the world’s people. We will examine the science and politics of malnutrition, hunger and starvation intertwining the biology of human nutrition and starvation with social, economic, environmental and political consequences of food deprivation. Student presentations will focus on the description of and lessons learned from important historical famines, the issues of world food supply and the societal responses to starvation and famine. The course will conclude with a Student World Food Congress, where we will examine and debate the reasons underlying the failure of nations to guarantee the access to food as a fundamental human right.
Open to all students without prerequisite. Dist: SOC or INT. Satisfies the Interdisciplinary requirement (Class of 2004 or earlier). Butterly, Shepherd, Witters.