Public Health Studies I: Current Topics and Politics
This course is intended to provide students with a means of evaluating the health impact of political decisions and a broad knowledge base about the practice of Public Health today. Students will explore a range of current topics in public health - including COVID-19, HIV/AIDS, and the obesity epidemic. Students will also look at the impact of US politics on global public health, especially in developing nations. Furthermore, this course will explore key topics such as the WHO’s Millennium Development Goals, the disastrous circumstances that can arise when Public Health Policies fail, and the conflict between data and political will that drives so much of Public Health policy decision making. This course culminates in a project in which students must plan a Health Impact Assessment of a current or proposed federal or state policy.
Course Topics
Current topics in Public Health
Public health is an ever-changing field. Students will explore a range of topics most currently relevant to the study of public health. Currently, those topics will include COVID-19, Hepatitis, Malaria, HIV/AIDS, and the Obesity Epidemic. This course topic will be updated on a semester-by-semester basis, to reflect changes in the practice of public health.
Health Impact Assessment
A health impact assessment is defined as a combination of procedures, methods, and tools by which a policy, program, or project may be judged as to its potential effects on the health of a population, and the distribution of those effects within the population. Students will learn how to create health impact assessments, and explore a range of case studies related to this topic.
Global Public Health & Politics
The politics of the United States and other developed nations have a significant impact on public health in countries the world over. Students will explore a range of topics related to these issues including the following:
- Reproductive healthcare policies, and their impact on Low-Middle Income countries
- Inequity between the political north and south
- Conflicts between data indicators and political will
- Social determinants of health
- The role of health promotion in public health programs
- Failure of Public Health Measures: What happens when public health measures do not meet the needs of the populace they are designed to serve? Students will explore a variety of public health failures, ranging from the response to the Irish Potato Famine to Covid-19 screening in the United States.
400
Disclosure
This course is delivered online through an institution of the Lower Cost Models Consortium (LCMC) that is different than your degree-granting institution that awards the academic credit for the course.
