Governing health and illness in a global perspective

The course is included in the Masters of Global Health (MGH) and is given in term 2.

The course can be part of the following programme: 1) Master's Programme in Global Health (V2GLH)

Department of Economics

Department of Literature, History of Ideas, and Religion

Institute of Medicine

Department of Social Work

Bachelor's degree worth 180 credits in a social sciences/health sciences/economics/arts main area or equivalent and English B/English 6 at upper secondary level or the equivalent level of an internationally recognized test, for example TOEFL, IELTS.

The course builds social science and humanities perspectives to explore the multifaceted challenges associated with governing global health, from the global to the local. It is structured around three blocks.

Global health institutions and policy, critically explores global health policy making and introduces policy analysis methods.

Human rights in global health, explores the potential and challenges of translating human rights standards into global health policy and practice.

Religious literacy in global health, asks critical questions of global health policy and practice by exploring the intersections between belief, tradition, and the predominantly Western global health paradigm.

On successful completion of the course the student will be able to:

Knowledge and understanding

• identify and explain key concepts and problems concerning global governance for health, including the role of human rights;
• describe the roles and interests of the diverse global health actors and institutions and their relationships from global to local levels;
• describe challenges and trends in international cooperation for global health;

Competence and skills

• apply core human rights standards to a global health topic
• conduct a basic policy analysis and write a policy brief

Judgement and approach

• critically reflect upon how health inequalities and human rights affect global health priorities, resource allocation and interventions;
• critically reflect on the role of customs, beliefs and traditions in global health policy and practice
• critically reflect upon the ethical and human rights basis for action on global health

Interactive lectures will be complemented by practical workshops, seminars and independent work.

The examination will be conducted in the form of an assignment for each theme of the course, as well as a final course paper. Assignment 1 is an individual paper; Assignments 2 and 3 are group reports and presentations; Assignment 4 is an individual assignment. Participation in examined seminars is mandatory. Absence from mandatory sessions must be compensated by supplementary written assignments

If a student who has twice received a failing grade for the same examination component wishes to change examiner ahead of the next examination session, such a request should be made to the department in writing and should be approved by the department unless there are special reasons to the contrary (Chapter 6 Section 22 of the Higher Education Ordinance).

If a student has received a recommendation from the University of Gothenburg for study support for students with disabilities, the examiner may, where it is compatible with the learning outcomes of the course and provided that no unreasonable resources are required, decide to allow the student to sit an adjusted exam or alternative form of assessment.

In the event that a course has ceased or undergone major changes, students are to be guaranteed at least three examination sessions (including the ordinary examination session) over a period of at least one year, but no more than two years after the course has ceased/been changed. The same applies to internships and professional placements (VFU), although this is restricted to just one additional examination session

The grading scale comprises: Pass with Distinction (VG), Pass (G) and Fail (U). In order to obtain the grade Pass for the whole course, the student has to receive Pass on all assignments. In order to obtain Pass with Distinction for the whole course, the student has at least to receive Pass on all assignments in the course and a Pass with Distinction for the final individual assignment.

The course coordinator is responsible for systematically and regularly collecting the students' views of the course, and for making sure that the results of the evaluations in different forms are taken into consideration when developing the course. The results and possible changes to the course will be shared with the students who participated in the evaluation and the next class to take the course