Interdisciplinary Solutions to Global Health Issues

Catalog description

This unique course brings together the expertise of engineers and social scientists to address global health issues through a combination of classroom-based learning and experiential learning through team-based design projects and field-based community assessments. Students will experience the process of engineering design by participating in teams organized around solutions to real-world health problems in the developing world. Methods from social sciences will be practiced and brought to bear in the process, including assessment of global health needs, and evaluation of success of interventions. Students will study and discuss current key issues in global health, and ethics surrounding health care, disparity, methods of intervention, and develop skills in how to define and frame problems and communicate effectively across disciplines. The course is organized around ongoing projects that seek to design technical solutions to global health issues, with a focus on Uganda. The teams will also work and learn with students and faculty of Biomedical Engineering and Social Sciences at Makerere University of Kampala (MUK), Uganda. Examples of interactions with MUK will include discussion of common readings, peer-review, and joint planning, implementation, and review of fieldwork. This course is an approved SAGES Departmental Seminar. A student in the Case School of Engineering may use this course to meet an Engineering Core Breadth requirement, either in place of ENGL 398 and ENGR 398 , or as a Social Science course ( ANTH 303 cross-list). No student may count the course to satisfy both of these requirements. Offered as ANTH 303 and ENGR 397 . Counts as a CAS Global & Cultural Diversity course. Counts as a Disciplinary Communication course. Counts as a Moral & Ethical Reasoning course. Counts as a Understanding Global Perspectives course.