The field of public health touches everyone and is by nature interdisciplinary, with important contributions made by epidemiologists, sociologists, physicians, economists, statisticians, scientists, and nutritionists, among many others. Through both coursework and the two-week field experience, students will explore the social-ecological model of public health. Participation in a local, collaborative, community-based project coupled with study in Minneapolis/St. Paul and Washington, D.C. allows a comparison of public health efforts at the local, state, and national level.
Through readings, discussions, guest speakers, research, site visits, work with community partners, and library exhibit development, students will:
- consider the cultural context of health and the social determinants of health.
- be introduced to the impact of policy on our nation’s health.
- reflect on their own interests and possible future paths.
The fall course will provide an introduction to the principles of public health and to community-based work and research. You will identify a public health-related project to work on in collaboration with a community partner during fall term that will be completed when we are back on campus winter term. In December we will visit with health professionals working in a range of organizations from local free clinics and small, non-profits to state and national government organizations including the Minnesota Department of Health, the National Institutes of Health, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. We will learn about public health policy at the Minnesota AIDS Project and the American Public Health Association as well as through meetings with an elected official. Winter term is a time for reflection, synthesis, completion of projects, and development of a public exhibit.
Courses included:
Fall Term 2018, IDSC 235: Perspectives in Public Health (3 credits)
This course will explore the many dimensions of public health within the United States and provide an introduction to community-based work and research. Public health is by nature interdisciplinary and the course will address local public health issues through the lenses of social, biological, and physical determinants of health. In addition to readings and discussions, the course will incorporate the expertise of visiting public health practitioners and include site visits to local public health agencies. Students will work collaboratively with a community partner on a public health-related civic engagement project selected during Fall term and continued during Winter Break. This is the first course of a two-course winter break program. S/CR/NC, NE, IDS
Winter Term 2019, IDSC 236: Public Health in Practice (6 credits — includes two week winter-break program)
This course is the second part of a two-term sequence beginning with Perspectives in Public Health. Over the winter break, students will spend two weeks exploring a variety of public health organizations both locally (Minneapolis/St. Paul) and nationally. During the winter term, students will complete their final public health-related civic engagement project in collaboration with a community partner, set their individual project back into the wider context of public health, and prepare to present their experience to a broader audience. ARP, IDS