SIW4100 International Health Policy Course description

The course gives a comprehensive introduction to global health problems, health studies, and international and national strategies to meet these problems.

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A student who has completed his or her qualification has the following learning outcomes defined in terms of knowledge, skills and general competence:

Knowledge

The student has

• knowledge of global health problems: differences in life expectancy between countries and regions, infant and child mortality, patterns of mortality, the concepts of YLL and DALY, the health transition
• knowledge of how anthropology defines culture, cultural variations in views on normality, aging, childhood, psychiatric illness
• knowledge of important measurements in epidemiology and empirical methods in the study of illness and disease in populations
• knowledge of social differences in health; the concept of health gradient, the discussions about equity in Health
• knowledge about health care systems, main types of financing and organizing health care, the role played by international organizations such as WHO in influencing health policies

Skills

The student can

• describe the current global health situation and main challenges to health and health care
• observe critically the relationship between culture and illness
• evaluate research methods and strategies in investigations of population health
• apply relevant theories and arguments in debates on health inequalities and social justice
• evaluate national health care systems and their main dimensions
• evaluate the role of organisations in international health policies

The course is organised into a series of six four-hour long lectures and seminars. Students are expected to play an active role in lectures and seminars. Students will also be required to present papers, and discuss course themes during lectures and seminars.

Students must submit a coursework requirement of eight pages (+/- 10%), written preferably in groups of two. Students who wish to write individually (around 4-5 pages) must ask the course lecturer for permission. The topic of the work requirement will reflect main areas of the course curriculum and lectures. Students whose papers are not approved after the first submission will be given the chance to resubmit. 15.

Papers that are not approved after two submissions will disqualify students from sitting the final examination.

The student's learning outcome will be assessed on the basis of an individual six-hour written school examination.

Students who have failed a regular examination are entitled to sit a new examination.

Students may use a spelling dictionary, as well as a bilingual dictionary during this school exam.

Students are awarded grades on a descending scale from A to E for pass and F for fail.

The written examination is assessed by an internal and an external examiner. The external examiner grades a random sample consisting of approx. 20 per cent of the written exams. The grades given for this sample provide a basis for the internal examiner's assessment. The external examiner will also grade papers where there is doubt about giving a grade of pass.