Winter 2018 Class Schedule
Course | Title | Instructor | Day/Time | Type | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Core | |||||||
GBL_HLTH 301 | Introduction to International Public Health | Peter Locke | Core | ||||
GBL_HLTH 301 Introduction to International Public HealthThis course introduces students to pressing disease and health care problems worldwide and examines efforts currently underway to address them. Taking an interdisciplinary approach, the course identifies the main actors, institutions, practices and forms of knowledge production characteristic of what we call “global health” today, and explores the environmental, social, political and economic factors that shape patterns and experiences of illness and healthcare across societies. We will scrutinize the value systems that underpin specific paradigms in the policy and science of global health and place present-day developments in historical perspective. Key topics will include: policies and approaches to global health governance and interventions, health care funding, maternal and infant health, reproductive health, and chronic and infectious diseases. | |||||||
GBL_HLTH 302 | Global Bioethics | Sarah Rodriguez | Core | ||||
GBL_HLTH 302 Global BioethicsGlobal health is a popular field of work and study for Americans, with an increasing number of medical trainees and practitioners, as well as people without medical training, going abroad to volunteer in areas where there are few health care practitioners or resources. In addition, college undergraduates, as well as medical trainees and practitioners, are going abroad in increasing numbers to conduct research in areas with few health care resources. But all of these endeavors, though often entered into with the best of intentions, are beset with ethical questions, concerns, and dilemmas, and can have unintended consequences. In this course, students will assess these ethical challenges. In so doing, students will examine core ethical codes, guidelines, and principals – such as solidarity, social justice, and humility – so they will be able to ethically assess global health practices in a way that places an emphasis on the core goal of global health: reducing health inequities and disparities. | |||||||
GBL_HLTH 306 | Biomedicine and Culture | Noelle Sullivan | Core | ||||
GBL_HLTH 306 Biomedicine and CultureBiomedicine (aka "Western" or allopathic medicine) is often represented as neutral and `scientific', the opposite of culture. In contrast, this course begins with the premise that biomedicine is produced through social processes, and therefore has its own inherent culture(s). The aim of this course is to expose students to the social and cultural aspects of biomedicine within a variety of contexts and countries throughout the world. Focusing on the interrelations between technology, medicine, science, politics, power and place, topics covered will include: colonialism and biomedicine, learning biomedical cultures at medical school, technology and identity, biomedicine's tourisms (medical tourism, reproductive tourism, clinical tourism), organs trafficking and the commodification of the body, and others. | |||||||
GBL_HLTH 320 | Qualitative Research Methods in Global Health | Peter Locke | Core | ||||
GBL_HLTH 320 Qualitative Research Methods in Global Health | |||||||
GBL_HLTH 390 | History of Global Health | Sarah Rodriguez | Core | ||||
GBL_HLTH 390 History of Global HealthThe history of global health is a large subject, and in this course we will touch on many, but by no means all, of what can be considered as part of this history. In addition to covering an overview of the history of global health with the goal of helping students’ place current global health actions and concerns within a historical frame, this course will hopefully instill a sense of skepticism with regard to the progress of biomedicine and global health. It will also hopefully raise students’ awareness of history as a research discipline that can (and should) enrich their understanding of global health today. By the end of this course, students should be knowledgeable: of the historical evolution and development of health interventions, in particular where and why they were developed; of the practice of biomedicine and global health interventions in relation to ideas about race, sex, sexuality, gender, class, and location; and of the foundations of global health institutions and governance. Though there will be lectures, this course is primarily run as a seminar. | |||||||
GBL_HLTH 390 | Global Health from Policy to Practice | Noelle Sullivan | Core | ||||
GBL_HLTH 390 Global Health from Policy to PracticeThis seminar explores global health and development policy ethnographically, from the politics of policy-making to the impacts of policy on global health practice, and on local realities. Going beyond the intentions underlying policy, this course highlights the histories and material, political, and social realities of policy and its application. Drawing on case studies of policy makers, government officials, health care workers, and aid recipients, the course asks: how do politics inform which issues become prioritized or codified in global health and development policy, and which do not? How do policies impact global health governance, and to what effect? In what ways are policies adapted, adopted, innovatively engaged, or outright rejected by various global health actors, and what does this mean for the challenges that such policies aim to address? Ultimately, what is the relationship between global health policies and global health disparities? | |||||||
GBL_HLTH 390 | Ecology of Infant Feeding | Sera Young | Core | ||||
GBL_HLTH 390 Ecology of Infant FeedingThe first objective of this course is to introduce students to the many ways that babies are fed around the world, including breastfeeding, bottle feeding, and complementary (non-milk) foods. We will discuss the health and social consequences of each mode, and what the international recommendations, i.e. best practices are. The second objective is explore why there is such variety in infant feeding worldwide. These discussions will be guided by the socio-ecological framework, in which biological and psychosocial characteristics of the individual, household, community, and national policy are considered. Indeed, influences on infant feeding will be broadly considered; we will draw on literature in global health, ethnography, evolution, and public policy. We will also consider the representation of infant feeding in popular culture and visit a local breast milk bank. The third objective is to develop critical thinking and writing abilities, using a literature review, in-depth interviews, and other research techniques to reflect on the consequences of infant feeding have for society at large. | |||||||
Elective | |||||||
AFST 390 | Politics of International Aid | Martha Wilfahrt | Elective | ||||
AFST 390 Politics of International AidBillions of dollars have been given to developing countries over the past fifty years, yet critics argue that aid is ineffectual and, worse yet, harmful to recipients. In this course, we will examine the politics surrounding the delivery of international aid, exploring who decides the aid agenda, which countries receive what aid and, once delivered, how aid interacts with the political dynamics of recipient communities. The course begins with a brief history of ‘development' as a concept, tracing the international aid regime's evolution over the last century, before turning to current debates over international assistance, highlighting throughout how politics pervades even the most ‘technical' of aid interventions. The course blends traditional seminar-style discussions with the Harvard Business School case method. The case method asks students to collectively make a decision on a real-world case involving international aid. The case method highlights to students the strategic and ethical complexities of aid work, encouraging students to develop their ability to articulate clear, persuasive arguments and to engage in complex negotiations with their classmates. | |||||||
ANTHRO 386 | Methods in Human Biology Research | Aaron Miller | Elective | ||||
ANTHRO 386 Methods in Human Biology ResearchLaboratory-based introduction to international research in human biology and health; methods for assessing nutritional status, physical activity, growth, cardiovascular health, endocrine and immune function. Prerequisite: 213 or consent of instructor. | |||||||
ASIAN_AM 360 | Studies in Race, Gender, and Sexuality: Transgender Surgeries in Transnational Contexts | Jilana Enteen | Elective | ||||
ASIAN_AM 360 Studies in Race, Gender, and Sexuality: Transgender Surgeries in Transnational ContextsThis course is situated at the intersection of theoretical, cultural, medical, and commercial online discourses concerning the burgeoning GCS-related surgeries (Gender Confirmation Surgery) presented online and conducted in Bangkok, Thailand. Using "Trans," and Critical Race Theories, we will discuss the cross-cultural intersections, dialogues, refusals, and adaptions when thinking about medical travel to Thailand for gender/sex related surgeries. We will examine Thai cultural/historical conceptions of sex and gender, debates concerning bodies and diagnoses, and changes in presentations of sex/gender related surgeries offered online. Asian American Studies, medical discourses, and an archive of web images offering SRS surgeries to Thailand produced by Thais for western clientele will serve as axes for investigating this topic. | |||||||
BIOL_SCI 355 | Immunobiology | Eric Mosser | Elective | ||||
BIOL_SCI 355 ImmunobiologyThe immune system is the primary defense mechanism of vertebrates against invading pathogenic organisms. This cellular system has the remarkable ability to recognize as foreign any material which is not normally a constituent of an individual's own tissues. This includes not only bacteria, viruses, and tumor cells when they express modified or new proteins, but nearly all compounds from a chemist's shelf - natural and synthetic. The immune system confronts this vast universe of foreign materials, referred to as antigens, by synthesizing an equally vast array of proteins each of which can bind to one antigen, and by so doing eliminate it. How this array of antigen-receptors is generated, how the genes which encode these are organized, the strategies adopted by the immune system to specifically activate the cells which bear the receptors and fastidiously eliminate self recognition are addressed in this course. | |||||||
BMD_ENG 343 | Biomaterials and Medical Devices | Guillermo Antonlo Ameer | Elective | ||||
BMD_ENG 343 Biomaterials and Medical DevicesStructure-property relationships for biomaterials. Metal, ceramic, and polymeric implant materials and their implant applications. Interactions of materials with the body. Taught with MAT SCI 370; may not receive credit for both courses. Prerequisites: BIOL SCI 215; MAT SCI 201 or 301; senior standing. | |||||||
CFS 392 | Field Studies in Public Health | Lauren Keenan-Devlin | Elective | ||||
CFS 392 Field Studies in Public HealthField Studies in Public Health was developed for students interested in health-related fields, including public health, medicine, and health policy. In this course, students will learn the broad definition of Public Health and its history, and will explore the complexity of this field by examining current public health issues such as food safety, gun violence, and healthcare reform. The course will provide students an opportunity to consider how the theory and ideology of public health square up with the practice of this field at their internship sites. | |||||||
CIV_ENV 361-2 | Public and Environmental Health | Luisa Marcelino | Elective | ||||
CIV_ENV 361-2 Public and Environmental HealthCurrent problems in public and environmental health, such as the worldwide burden of major infectious diseases, emergence of new pathogens, and environmental reservoirs of infectious organisms. Prerequisite: 361-1 or consent of department | |||||||
ECON 307 | Economics of Medical Care | Matthew Notowidigdo | Elective | ||||
ECON 307 Economics of Medical CareHealth care constitutes some 15 percent of GDP in the U.S. Why has this GDP share tripled over the past half-century? Why is insurance so important in health care? What forms does insurance take in health care markets? Why has the technology of health care changed so dramatically, and what are the consequences? What forms of health care "should" and should not be provided, and why? How should "quality" be measured in health care, and why is its measurement important? How should health care be financed, and how does the choice of finance mechanism affect the economy? Has the cost of health care really risen dramatically? Why is the health care sector regulated so heavily -- e.g., pharmaceuticals, hospitals, and nursing homes--and what are the regulatory issues? Why is so little known about the safety and efficacy of herbal medications, and does that have anything to do with economic forces? Why do doctors no longer make house calls? Why are nonprofit organizations so important in health care? Is prevention really cheaper than cure? | |||||||
ENTREP 395 | Innovate for Impact | Elizabeth Lukehart | Elective | ||||
ENTREP 395 Innovate for Impact | |||||||
ENVR_POL 390 | Special Topics in Environmental Policy and Culture: International Environmental Politics | Kimberly Marion Suiseeya | Elective | ||||
ENVR_POL 390 Special Topics in Environmental Policy and Culture: International Environmental PoliticsEnvironmental problems that transcend national borders, such as deforestation, biodiversity loss, climate change, and ocean governance, are amongst the most intractable challenges facing our global community. Collective action problems are pervasive in negotiations and attempts to address, monitor, and enforce international environmental agreements are often weak. Yet, despite these constraints, international actors have designed and secured agreement in a variety of policy arenas, aiming to improve global environmental governance. The purpose of this course is to understand how, why, and when the international community is able to overcome collective action problems and effectively address global environmental challenges. We begin by first analyzing the structures, agents, and processes affecting international environmental politics. In the second part of the course, we will conduct an extended negotiation simulation to explore how politics plays out. By doing so, we will identify some knowledge gaps that impede our understanding about the role of international institutions and actors in affecting positive environmental change. Requirements include active participation, discussion papers, a position paper, and role playing. The class is designed at the advanced undergraduate student level. While there are no formal pre-requisites, students who have had no previous courses in public policy or political science should be prepared for a more challenging semester. As an advanced liberal arts seminar, the class is reading and writing intensive and developing critical thinking and writing skills is a fundamental objective. Finally, active participation in class discussions is essential and will be expected of all students. Students with concerns about these expectations should speak with me before enrolling. | |||||||
GNDR_ST 332 | Gender, Sexuality, and Health: Anthropology of Reproduction | Caroline Bledsoe | Elective | ||||
GNDR_ST 332 Gender, Sexuality, and Health: Anthropology of ReproductionThe goal of sociocultural anthropology, the largest subfield of anthropology and the core of the discipline, is to understand the dynamics of human variation in social action and cultural thought. A key question is how these variations are produced and reproduced, whether we speak of society (subsistence, ideas) or individuals (biology, psychology, social identity). Conversely, what happens when reproduction fails to occur, or does so under undesirable conditions? Because reproduction is so strongly associated with biology in our society, viewing it through a cultural lens poses significant challenges to some of our most basic tenets. Tensions arise in questions of agency vs. control, nature vs. culture, identity construction, authenticity, technology, surveillance, and power. Needless to say, the study of reproduction offers a window into the heart of anthropology itself. The course seeks (1) to expose students to just a few of the many sociocultural approaches to reproduction by ranging broadly across topics, time, and place; and (2) to identify and evaluate concepts and theories embedded in writings on the dynamics of reproduction. While the concept of "reproduction" can refer to societal reproduction, emphasis will be on the reproduction of children. To this end, possible topics may include fostering/adoption, AIDS orphans, fatherhood, technologies of fertility control, assisted reproduction, obstetrics, gender imbalances in Asia, debates over abortion, etc. | |||||||
HISTORY 352 | New Lectures in History - "Global History of Death and Dying" | Sean Hanretta | Elective | ||||
HISTORY 352 New Lectures in History - "Global History of Death and Dying"Does death have a history? This course explores the changing realities of, attitudes towards and ways of coping with death drawing on examples from Europe, Africa, the Caribbean, the Middle East, Latin America and the United States. We will look in particular at the role of death in shaping the modern world via the global slave trades, imperial conquest, pandemics, wars and genocides. In addition, we will explore the more complicated issue of the changing ways people have made sense of death, both in extraordinary circumstances as well as during calmer times. We will examine long continuities and transformations in rituals relating to death, intellectual and philosophical debates about the personal and social meanings of death, and the political and intimate consequences of particular ways and patterns of dying. | |||||||
IEMS 365 | Analytics for Social Good | Karen Renee Smilowitz | Elective | ||||
IEMS 365 Analytics for Social GoodThis new university-wide course in humanitarian and non-profit logistics will explore the challenges and opportunities of achieving social good in the age of analytics. Students will work on interdisciplinary teams on a series of case studies that range in topic from advanced technology for disaster response and preparedness to improved decision-making frameworks for community-based health care providers. To assist in the understanding of these complex settings, the course will include guest speakers from local and national organizations, including the Manager of Operations Analysis and Disaster Dispatch at the American Red Cross of Greater Chicago and the Medical Director of the Bank of America Chicago Marathon. | |||||||
PUB_HLTH 304 | Introduction to Epidemiology | Rowland Chnag | Elective | ||||
PUB_HLTH 304 Introduction to EpidemiologyIntroduction to epidemiology and its uses. Measures of disease occurrence, common sources and types of data, important study designs and sources of error in epidemiologic studies, and epidemiologic methods. | |||||||
PUB_HLTH 391 | Global Health Care Service Delivery | Ashi Doobay-Persaud | Elective | ||||
PUB_HLTH 391 Global Health Care Service DeliveryNo description available. | |||||||
SESP 303 | Designing for Social Change | Daniel Cohen | Elective | ||||
SESP 303 Designing for Social ChangeCharacteristics of successful programs in a variety of areas, including human development, education, social welfare, and health promotion. | |||||||
SOCIOL 336 | Climate Change, Policy, and Society | Susan Thistle | Elective | ||||
SOCIOL 336 Climate Change, Policy, and SocietyClimate change is the worst environmental problem facing the earth. Sea levels will rise, glaciers are vanishing, horrific storms will hit everywhere. After looking briefly at the impacts of climate change on natural and social environments both in the present and near future, we then consider how to best reduce climate change and how to adapt to its impacts. Issues of climate justice, divides between the global North and South, social movements, steps taken in different countries and internationally, and the role of market and regulations are addressed. Climate change is a disaster, the worst environmental problem facing the earth: sea levels will rise, glaciers are vanishing, horrific storms will hit everywhere. What can be done to reduce climate change and to adapt to its impacts? Climate justice, divides between the global North and South, social movements, climate deniers, and the role of the market and regulations are addressed. | |||||||
SOCIOL 355 | Medical Sociology | Carol Heimer | Elective | ||||
SOCIOL 355 Medical SociologyThis reading and discussion intensive course will focus on the sociology of medicine in the contemporary international context. How does biomedicine and health care work at the close of the 20th century? What is the nature of the doctor-patient relationship, and what roles do other players--advocacy groups, drug companies, governments, insurance companies--play in the processes of health care? How does biomedicine compare across countries? How do contemporary globalization processes influence the conduct of biomedicine and health care worldwide? The course will cover major concepts in medical sociology: the social shaping of disease, dynamics of the doctor/patient relationship, gender and race issues in medical care, structures of health care and medical institutions, regulation of biomedicine, patient activism, intellectual property issues, and the conduct of biomedical research--using US and international examples. Each broad theme will be explored through empirically rich case studies, from debates about stem cell research to the globalization of AIDS drugs, the birth of biotechnology to the discovery of the "gay gene". | |||||||
SOCIOL 376 | Mental Health and Society | Onur Ozgode | Elective | ||||
SOCIOL 376 Mental Health and SocietyThis course offers a social scientific perspective on the professions and bodies of knowledge that make up the field of mental health -- the "psychological sciences" -- and experiences of health and illness. We will draw on historical, anthropological and sociological studies to understand how the psychological sciences have developed, how they have treated mental illness, and what kinds of influence they exercise in our everyday lives. We will also touch upon questions of stigma, race and gender, and non-Western contexts of mental illness. |