Global Public Health - online track

IPH7121 Health Inequalities and the State of Global Health

Semester 1; Year 1

This module introduces students to the social, economic and political determinants of health and health inequalities, both between and within countries.  The module is interdisciplinary in its approach, relying on contributions from public health, anthropology, international relations, human rights, economics, and sociology.  It provides students with the wide variety of tools required for a critical and applied understanding of global health issues. 

10 weeks of self-paced online learning activities, with optional live seminars.

Assessment: Patchwork test; 1500-word essay

IPH7124 Understanding Epidemiology

Semester 1; Year 1

Epidemiology is the study and analysis of the distribution and determinants of health and disease conditions within populations; and is the basic science of public health. This module provides an introduction in the design, analysis, interpretation, and appraisal of epidemiological studies and introduces statistical methods applied to public health. The focus will be on practical application, providing students with the skills necessary to critically interpret methods, results and appraise the evidence.

10 weeks of self-paced online learning activities, with optional live seminars

Assessment: Poster presentation; 1500-word critical appraisal

IPH7122 Health Systems, Policy and Practice

Semester 2; Year 1

This module provides students with a comprehensive introduction to health systems in different geographical contexts. Starting with an overview of the different components of health systems and service coverage, it considers how best to finance and organise health systems to achieve universal health, the effective delivery of comprehensive primary health care, and the different components and functions of health systems. The module covers critical contemporary health system issues in countries across the Global South and North. It introduces students to key concepts that help understand the health systems and their components, locating them within socioeconomic, political and historical contexts.  

10 weeks of self-paced online learning activities, with optional live seminars

Assessment: Group presentation; 1500-word essay

IPH7123 Research Methods, Power and Ethics

Semester 2; Year 1

This module will develop students’ understanding of the different forms of research that are used to produce evidence in global public health. It will introduce students to the philosophy of science and to different paradigms of research and help them to reflect on how we generate data, how this data is used to generate evidence, to what purposes and how that evidence can be used, and for whose benefit. We will explore different research methods in order to reflect on how different methods and types of evidence are required to answer different types of research questions, and use this reflection to start to develop plans for student dissertation projects. Throughout we will reflect on how research and evidence is influenced by power dynamics, and the importance of considering ethics and intersectionality in research design and conduct.

10 weeks of self-paced online learning activities, with optional live seminars

Assessment: Patchwork test; 1500-word research proposal

IPH7127 Gender, Sexuality and Health

Semester 1; Year 2

The need for greater critical engagement with sex, gender, and sexuality in health research and practice has been widely acknowledged.  Some call for outdated binaries and dichotomies to be contested and broken down, for greater attention to inequalities shaped by gender differences, and for health services and practices to be more sensitive to gender and sexuality.  Through dialogue, debate and critical thinking we will explore gender, sexuality, and health from foundational concepts and theories through to current issues in public health policy and practice. Calling on social science, humanities and health science concepts, scholarship and evidence we will aim to develop a nuanced understanding of how gender and sexuality interact with society and medicine to produce particular social realities, health issues and inequalities. 

10 weeks of self-paced online learning activities, with optional live seminars

Assessment: Reflective portfolio; 2000-word critical analysis

IPH7128 Crises and Global Health

Semester 1; Year 2

With the intensifying impacts of climate change, newly emerging pathogens, and continual political unrest and conflict, crises have seemingly become the new norm. The impacts of these crises on health are multilayered, complex, and exacerbating existing inequalities. This module engages with these crises and their impacts in a critical, interdisciplinary, intersectional, and applied lens. We begin by reflecting on the notion of crisis and move to applying theories or frameworks to specific case studies in local and global contexts. By exploring strategies for mitigating and adapting to contemporary crises, students will be empowered to reflect, analyse, and act on their learning in a personal and professional capacity.

10 weeks of self-paced online learning activities, with optional live seminars

Assessment: Presentation; 2000-word essay

IPH7125 Global Health Policy and Governance

Semester 2; Year 2

The module will begin by recounting the history of global health, distinguishing it from international health, and drawing students’ attention to its colonial and imperial origins. It will then explore how global health policy is made (e.g. the International Health Regulations, pandemic preparedness, FCTC), and explain the importance of economics, politics and power in policy formation. It will introduce different actors (e.g. States, non-State actors, the WHO, civil society organisations), and reflect critically on their contribution to global health governance. Finally, the module will encourage students to consider how the global health system can be changed to better address major global challenges. 

10 weeks of self-paced online learning activities, with optional live seminars

Assessment: Critical reflection; 1500-word blog-post

IPH7126 Planetary Health

Semester 2; Year 2

This module introduces students to various analytical perspectives on environmental change on a local, regional and global basis and how this is related to human health and to planetary health applying an ecological global health framework and a human rights to health approach. 

10 weeks of self-paced online learning activities, with optional live seminars

Assessment: Multi-part video presentation