Minor in Global Health

Why are some people in some countries so much healthier than others? This course will explore the factors that explain the unequal distribution of health and disease in the world. The course will begin with an introduction to the language of global health: the burden of disease, epidemiology, cost effectiveness, and health systems. It will then analyze the rationale for and modes of intervention to improve global health by exploring a number of high profile topics, including the HIV/AIDS epidemic, access to pharmaceuticals, human resources for health, and maternal and child health. The course will incorporate knowledge and views from multiple academic disciplines (public health, economics, politics, management, sociology) and does not require any background knowledge.

This course provides students with a broad and comprehensive overview of theoretical concepts, empirical research, and public health practice in community health. Course topics focus on (1) the role of the lived environment and community actions in health outcomes and (2) evidence-based interventions and methods to improve public health. The role of policy in shaping health outcomes is emphasized and students have an opportunity to consider advocacy issues. Prerequisite: Students must be a declared Health Science major. You must take HS 200 prior to taking this class.
Prerequisite: Take HS-200

This course will introduce the concept of cultural perceptions about health and disease in diverse communities worldwide, and how to develop cultural awareness and humility in healthcare contexts. We will explore how culture may impact health beliefs, health status, and access to health services. We will also consider the ideas of health and social justice and health as a human right in developing, middle income, and developed nations. Relevant sociocultural theories will also be addressed.

Course for non-business majors. Applies basic economic principles to analyze social issues. Topics include prices and the allocation of resources, the role of incentives, free trade, economic growth, market failure, the distribution of wealth and income, healthcare, crime, and education.

This course introduces the application of economic theory to the production of health and healthcare services. Students will investigate the demand for medical care and the roles of moral hazard and adverse selection in the health insurance market. They will analyze the differences in pricing and utilization across healthcare systems (HMO, PPO, POS), markets for physicians, hospital and pharmaceutical services, as well as the role of the government in the regulation and administration of healthcare. Students will also learn the decision-making tools used in the economic evaluation of healthcare interventions.
Prerequisite: Take MA-131 or higher, or EX-230

Focuses on the role of international organizations in coordinating relations between countries with specific reference to the United Nations. Impact of other international organizations on international relations including WTO, IMF, and EU is also examined. Course includes a trip to the United Nations.

Traces the development of international law and reviews principles and cases in major topical areas.

Major socioeconomic developments in twenty-first-century capitalism (e.g., consumer culture, global labor market, media empires) are studied. The persistence of inequality and poverty, fragmentation of family and community, unhealthy constructions of selfimage, and other social problems are explained in terms of these developments.