Critical Reflections on Global Health: Summer School

About this course

Module code: IS446

The health and wellbeing of people differs widely across the globe. Do you want to know why such differences exist and what you could do to reduce such disparities and contribute to make this world a better place to live in?

In this summer school, we will explore the social, political, economic and cultural elements that explain global health disparities. We will introduce you to the concepts of globalisation and global health, illustrate the global burden of disease, and by doing so, we will deepen your understanding of the inequities and inequalities between and within countries and why we think they exist. Then, we will focus on the main global health stakeholders and ´global health´ governance. We will explore diverse science paradigms that have dominated the way we analyse and comprehend the process of being healthy and ill, as well as how we approach global health issues. We will touch on concepts such as determinants of health vs determination of health (a Latin-American theoretical construct), decolonialism and equitable discourses in global health. We will demonstrate using current global health case studies in the field and highlight the research skills and evidence needed to inform policy and practice. The course will be delivered by global health experts at BSMS and our collaborators from Universidad del Rosario, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Bogotá, Colombia led by Maria Cristina Quevedo-Gomez.

Topics may include:

1. Introduction to global health
2. Global burden of disease
3. Unequal world: colonialism, power, justice and ethics in global health
4. Stakeholders in global health (global health governance)
5. Doing global health research: equitable partnerships, collaboration and community participation - Practical examples from UK, Latin America and Sub-Saharan Africa
6. Culture, cultural competence and global health
7. Global health in action- learning through film (film from the field)
8. Latin-American scholars’ contribution to global health theory and action-research  

Learning outcomes:

• Demonstrate excellent understanding of current global health problems and their contributing factors
• Demonstrate ability to critic terminologies and concepts used in global health e.g., equity, public health versus global health, developing versus developed countries, international health vs global health, interventions vs collective social action, social determinants approach vs social determination approach etc.
• Understand the role of social, cultural, political, economic and other elements as determinants of health
• Critically evaluate the diverse scientific and social paradigms that inform how we approach global health issues and employ a critical lens is assessing the role of decolonial discourses, power and equitable partnerships in global health
• Demonstrate understanding of global health research process including participatory action-research and the challenges of doing research in global contexts

Teaching method: Seminars, Workshops and Lectures
Assessment: Observation 1 40%, Observation 2 40%, Reflective statement 20%
Contact hours: 40 hours
Credits: 15 Sussex Credits
Level: 5

For more information on the course, email the module leader a.gatuguta@bsms.ac.uk.

Register for this course here >