GPH 380GGlobal Social Movements

Catalog

"International Health Disparities and Health Justice: Unpacking the Global Social Determinants of Health" This course introduces students to social determinants of health and intersectional approaches to reducing health inequities and improving individual and population health globally and locally. Students will critically explore the social, political, economic, and historic conditions that shape the everyday lives and influence the health of people. This course introduces how the biological interfaces with the behavioral, social, economic and environmental factors that determine the health of populations. Major components to the course include: assessing health and socioeconomic status, understanding the structure and organization of health care systems trans-nationally, public policy, and several factors that affect health such as, gender, race, income, work, & social exclusion. Examining the social determinants of health is essential because health inequalities cannot be explained by lifestyle choices alone. Demographic factors such as education, employment, income levels, ethnicity, citizenship status, ability, sexuality and gender will be examined in light of their contribution to issues such as racism and sexism that can lead to health inequalities among groups. This course orients students to viewing health in relation to social factors and social justice and the relationships between social phenomena (e.g., socioeconomic status, social class, gender, immigration, race/ethnicity) and the health of human populations.