2024-2025 Academic Catalog

Nov 23, 2024

2024-2025 Academic Catalog

ID 208 - Health (in)equity: social determinants and policy solutions

Even in the most affluent countries and cities, those who have more access to resources and social capital, tend to live longer and healthier lives. Why? What makes a city a healthy place to live, work, play, and go to school? How does the health of a “place” affect the health of the individuals who live there? Who is responsible for the health of a city’s residents? What is the link between economics, policy, environment, and health? How do the social constructions of race, gender, and class, influence the quality of health one receives and their access to health care resources?

In this course, we define “social determinants” as the circumstances in which people are born, grow up, live, work and age, and the systems put in place to deal with illness. These circumstances are in turn shaped by a wider set of forces: economics, social policies, and politics.

Upon completion of the course, students will be able to explain the link between social, economic, political, and environmental factors that affect health; the use of indicators to assess determinants; the main theories and methods of assessing social determinants; and how diseases are patterned in specific (and predictable) ways in a city. Students will also explore case studies that demonstrate how sound economic and development policies lead to an overall improvement of the health of a population.

NOTE: This course will satisfy the requirements for the Graduate Health Certificate in Community and Global Health and the MHS in Community and Global Health

Prerequisites: ID 108 What is Public Health? ID 106 Healthy Cities ID 121 Culture, Health, and Development: What Makes Us Sick?

Anticipated Terms Offered: Fall