International Public Health

3 Credits · Level: Graduate, Undergraduate

The efforts of societies to improve health and increase longevity have constituted a major on-going social revolution of the past 200 years. Our work this semester will be a wide-ranging survey of social, economic, demographic and public health perspectives on that movement. Lectures, readings, and class discussions will cover the social history of health in past times, belief systems about the causes of disease and illness, the evolution of major causes of disease over time, the ecology and etiology of major infectious and chronic diseases, social and economic factors affecting the incidence and severity of illnesses, the social and economic consequences of changes in mortality and health, and programs designed to affect health conditions. Issues relating both to currently industrialized countries and developing countries will be discussed.