Global Health
Description
The mission of the Global Health Minor is to educate Wabash students in global health from a liberal arts perspective. Students will be challenged to understand the burden of disease in society, examine the history of public health, acquire the basic tools to evaluate health in communities, consider health in the context of human rights, and assess the influence of culture on human health. The minor is an interdivisional program that brings together courses addressing the economic, social, biological, and ethical issues surrounding the health of communities, particularly those in low-resource regions. The minor is designed to engage students from across the College including those interested in medicine, policy, economics and other social sciences, humanities and culture.
Learning Goals & Objectives
1. Engage students in interdisciplinary, multi-divisional thinking through a focus on local, regional, and transnational global public health issues. Students will gain knowledge of complex global health problems and health care issues.
2. Describe the connections among historical, socioeconomic, cultural, political, and environmental determinants of health and their importance to global public health.
3. Examine the connections between human and environmental health, including considerations of water, sanitation, air quality, ecosystem health, and climate change.
4. Compare the burden of disease, disability, and death from communicable diseases, noncommunicable diseases, and injuries in countries with different income levels.
5. Compare the financing and delivery of health care in countries with different types of health systems and different income levels.
6. Evaluate the roles, responsibilities, and relationships of the agencies and organizations involved in financing and implementing global health interventions locally and internationally.
7. Develop a consciousness regarding global issues and the populations, communities, and governments in impoverished settings by thinking critically about ethical and moral questions in global health, and an awareness of power and privilege in inter-cultural contexts as they relate to health equity.
8. Improve problem-solving, analytical, and leadership skills, and appreciate the complexity of global health research through service-based projects alongside community partners.
Requirements for the Minor
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Core Courses | ||
| GHL-177 | Special Topics (Global Health) | 1 |
| GHL-201 | Sociology & Politics of Health | 1 |
| GHL-277 | Epidemiology | 1 |
| GHL-400 | Capstone in Global Health 1 | 0 |
| Electives 2 | 3 | |
| Three credits from: | ||
| Microbiology | ||
| Parasitology | ||
| Health Psychology | ||
| The Poor and Justice | ||
| Environmental Philosophy | ||
| Special Topics | ||
| Economic and Political Development | ||
| Disability and Politics | ||
| Health Economics | ||
| Topics in Ethics & Social Philosophy | ||
| Total Credits | 6 | |
| 1 | In the fall of their senior year, students will enroll in GHL400. At the beginning of the semester, students will meet with the instructor(s) of the course to agree on a capstone portfolio. This collection should be made up of presentations and projects generated by the student from his curricular and co-curricular global health experiences (e.g., blogs or newspaper articles authored; education materials or presentations created; research or health surveys to which the student contributed, etc.), a reflective paper integrating the content, and a mutually-agreed upon public presentation of the portfolio. Students should highlight concepts important in leading effectively, acting responsibly, and living humanely. Example components include advocacy and promotion of public health at all levels of society, critical and creative thinking and problem solving skills, cultural contexts affecting community health, ethical decision-making as related to self and society, and research methods. |
| 2 | Students may substitute the following courses as electives if they are approved by the Global Health Minor Committee; new courses not listed below can be considered upon request. Approval will be in consultation with instructors and based on expectations regarding the relevance to the Global Health Minor: CLA-213 Special Topics in Ancient History ECO-232 Public Policy ENG-302 Writing in the Community:Grants/NonProf HIS-330 Adv Topics: Modern Europe PHI-110 Philosophical Ethics REL-270 Theological Ethics REL-280 Topics in American Religion REL-297 Anthropology of Religion RHE-101 Public Speaking Successful completion of an Modern Languages course at the 202 level or above may also be used. |
Suggested Co-Curricular Experiences
A focus of Global Health at Wabash is to provide students experiential learning opportunities through partnerships with local non-profit organizations, health departments, and community clinics, as well as regional/international research and immersion experiences. Global Health Minors are strongly encouraged to participate in at least one extended co-curricular experience associated with the Wabash Global Health Initiative (GHI). Examples include the immersion trip to Peru, WISE community positions (multiple opportunities are available each semester), virtual internships with GHI-Peru (partners in Peru, S.A. leading ongoing public health interventions), and summer internships in the following: Community health, advocacy or policy, social entrepreneurship, health education, epidemiology, healthcare-related information technology, or medical research. Students will also have opportunities to participate in seminars, journal clubs, campus discussions and community programs relevant to public and global health.
As the Global Health minor is not housed in any one department, the committee for the Global Health minor is appointed by the Dean of the College. The committee will be made up of three (3) faculty members who teach from the minor's courses, along with the Program Coordinator of the Global Health Initiative (ex officio). This committee will act to (1) help determine if a new course counts towards the Global Health minor; (2) serve as the minor faculty representative on senior oral comprehensive exams, and (3) review declared minors’ progress at the end of each year.
Current committee members (2022-2023):
A. Bost, Biology
S. Gelbman, Political Science
B. Wickkiser, Classics
E. Wetzel, Biology, Chair