TEACHING
Georgetown University
The Politics of Global Health & Development (global health) This course looks at the political dynamics shaping the health and development arena, the composition and modalities of development assistance for health and the resource flows and financial instruments used. It analyzes and critically assesses the global governance structure for health and examines the different roles that multilateral, bilateral, private sector, foundation and civil society actors play in shaping the global health agenda. The course positions this discussion in the context of the current thinking about aid effectiveness with a view to the post 2015 agenda.
Public Health Law & Policy in Global Perspective (law) SYLLABUS As public health law embodies both thorny ethical issues and empirical questions about the power of the state to affect health, examining the intersection of law and social science will reveal substantive issues in key health policy issues as well as the conditions under which law and legal advocacy affects wellbeing. This course will focus on four core issues: quarantine and criminal penalties, access to affordable medicines and intellectual property, the international and constitutional right to health, and how political institutions and race intersect and condition the effect of law on population health. By looking at these issues in both the United States and abroad, particularly in low- and middle-income countries, students will gain a comparative perspective about how law works in practice. Utilizing HIV and tuberculosis as core case studies, students will explore how law and policy tools can have a significant impact on population health. Today, state actors continue to use law to address public health issues—with examples of both great successes and significant failures.
AIDS Law & Ethics (law) SYLLABUS This course examines the social, legal, political, and ethical controversies surrounding the HIV/AIDS pandemic in contemporary society. It covers both domestic and international law and policy. The course is divided into several parts. Part I covers the role of social movements and mobilization in the response to HIV/AIDS. Part II, AIDS in the Courtroom, covers the major court cases related to HIV/AIDS in the United States and in key countries around the world like South Africa, India and Brazil that provide important comparative perspectives to understand the power of law. These cases demonstrate the social impact of AIDS– the effect of litigation on social institutions, constitutional law, and interpersonal relationships. Part III, Rights and Dignity, examines the role of international human rights, privacy, and discrimination. Part IV, Policy, Politics, and Ethics, covers a wide range of the most contentious debates of the HIV/AIDS pandemic, including testing, named reporting, civil and criminal confinement, sex work, drug law and policy, LGBT rights, and gender. The final Part, Governance and Financing, examines the absence of political leadership, the international trade system which militates against access to affordable treatment in low- and middle-income countries, the systems of financing for HIV in the U.S. and around the world, and the ethics of international collaborative research.
Policy Analysis for Global Health (global health) This course introduces students to the fundamental skills of policy analysis and policy advocacy along with the political complexities involved in identifying, addressing and resolving policy problems in global health. Starting from the understanding of policymaking as a process involving actors, ideas, interests, and power we will use the tools of political science and policy studies to unpack how policy is made in global health contexts. We will explore the role of governments at multiple levels, international organizations like the WHO, civil society and social movements, international financing agencies, and others to seek a broader understanding of policymaking. Case studies in global health will analyze the various stages of the policy process to explore the aims of public policy, how problems get framed and alternative solutions are crafted. By the end of the course participants will have increased their analytical capacity to evaluate evidence, identify policy options, assess political prospects, and build coalitions toward health-enhancing policies in global health.
Haverford College, Political Science & Health Studies
Health Politics, Policy & Law in the Global South SYLLABUS This course examines contemporary health problems facing countries of the “global South” from a political perspective—exploring how actors ranging from policy makers to courts to social movements impact public health. Focusing on cases in Africa, with comparative examples from Asia, the Caribbean and Latin America, we will examine the political economy of HIV/AIDS, reproductive & maternal health, chronic diseases, and medical research. The course also explores the role of national and international law and policy on health—looking at how human rights and economic regimes impact people’s access to doctors, medicine, and other health necessities. Readings from political and social scientists will be interspersed with medical texts and national/international legal opinions to shed light on how national health policies illustrate broader themes of power, political contestation, and social boundary-making. We will ask why some countries have overcome huge barriers to dramatically improve the health of their populations while similar countries have failed to do so. In a globalizing political context, the course will touch on how global power and norms shape the health options across the global South.