Syllabus

Graduate Programs in Public Health

GPH 740 Global Health — Spring B 2018

Credits - 3

Description

This course introduces you to critical issues in global health emphasizing a multidisciplinary approach to understanding global health problems. The concepts and issues of global health will be considered as well as emerging issues and future concerns. Selected critical global topics in such areas as maternal and child health, food security, environmental health, chronic disease, and infectious disease will be covered. 

Course Format

This course is facilitated through Blackboard, UNE’s online learning management system. The course will be delivered in 8 weekly online modules, with each module beginning on Wednesday at 12:01 am and ending the following Wednesday at 11:59 pm, except for the last week (Week 8), which will begin on Wednesday and end on Sunday. Students will watch online lectures produced by the lead instructor, engage in readings and other media provided by the lead instructor and field experts. Each section of this course will be facilitated by an instructor with significant professional and academic expertise in the area of study. Individual meetings with the course instructor will be the student’s responsibility to schedule.

Materials

  • Merson MH, Black RE, Mills AJ. Global Health: Diseases, Programs, Systems, and Policies. Burlington, MA: Jones and Bartlett Learning; 2012. ISBN:9780763785598

*See Blackboard for additional week specific readings and media.

Learning Objectives and Outcomes

This course meets the following CEPH competencies:

 

7. Assess population needs, assets and capacities that affect communities’ health

8. Apply awareness of cultural values and practices to the design or implementation of public health policies or programs

9. Design a population-based policy, program, project or intervention

6. Discuss the means by which structural bias, social inequities and racism undermine health and create challenges to achieving health equity at organizational, community and societal levels

13. Propose strategies to identify stakeholders and build coalitions and partnerships for influencing public health outcomes

Assignments

 

Discussions

Your original contribution to a discussion must be submitted by Sunday at 11:59 PM EST of the week it is assigned. A response to a colleague must be completed by Wednesday at 11:59 PM EST of the week it is assigned. If the initial post and response are not submitted within the discussion week you will be given a zero.

  • Weeks 1, 2, 5, 6, 8 (4 points each)
  • Week 3 (3 points)
 23

 

Assignments

  • Week 3 Assignment (3 points)
  • Weeks 5, 6 (6 points each)
  • Week 7 Diarrheal Disease Module (9 points)
  • Week 7 Final Policy Brief (20 points)
  • Week 8 Antimicrobial Resistance Module (9 points)
 53

 

Quizzes

  • Weeks 1, 2, 3, 4 (6 points each)
 24

 

TOTAL

 

 100

Grade Scale

Grade Points Grade Point Average (GPA)
A 94 – 100% 4.00
A- 90 – 93% 3.75
B+ 87 – 89% 3.50
B 84 – 86% 3.00
B- 80 – 83% 2.75
C+ 77 – 79% 2.50
C 74 – 76% 2.00
C- 70 – 73% 1.75
D 64 – 69% 1.00
F 00 – 63% 0.00

Schedule

Course Weeks

Each week opens on Wednesday at 12:01 AM Eastern Time. Each week closes on Wednesday at 11:59 pm ET, with the exception of Week 8, which ends on Sunday.

Week 1: Feb 28 – Mar 7
Week 2: Mar 7 – Mar 14
Week 3: Mar 14 – Mar 21
Week 4: Mar 21 – Mar 28
Week 5: Mar 28 – Apr 4
Week 6: Apr 4 – Apr 11
Week 7: Apr 11 – Apr 18
Week 8: Apr 18 – Apr 22

Weekly Schedule

*See Blackboard for required and suggested weekly readings.

________________________________________________________________

Week 1: Introduction to Global Health

Weekly Outcomes

  • Explore some of the major global health issues facing the world today and how the SDGs address these.
  • Explain the key international actors in global health, the kinds of roles that they play and why global cooperation is needed.
  • Assess how global governance has changed since the Ebola outbreak and challenges that still remain in addressing global health emergencies.
  • Examine the social determinants of health which relate to a key global health issue in the world today, such as  maternal mortality.

Lecture

  • Week 1 Lecture: What is Global Health?

Assignments

  • Week 1 Discussion: Original Contribution and Response Post 
  • Quiz 1

________________________________________________________________

Week 2: The Burden of Disease

Weekly Outcomes

  • Explore the disease burden for some of the health conditions addressed by the SDGs.
  • Explain different ways to measure disease, such as DALYs.
  • Analyze the leading risk factors for deaths and DALYs in the world.
  • Analyze  the leading causes of disease burden in the world.

Lecture

  • Week 2 Lecture: Burden of Disease

Assignments

  • Week 2 Discussion: Original Contribution and Response Post 
  • Quiz 2

________________________________________________________________

Week 3: Infectious Disease

Weekly Outcomes

  • Assess some of the main infectious agents and vectors responsible for the world’s leading infectious diseases.
  • Assess ways to prevent and control infectious diseases.
  • Analyze how social determinants, such as poverty, can lead to the spread of infectious disease.

Lecture

  • Week 3 Lecture: Infectious Disease

Assignments

  • Week 3 Discussion: Original Contribution and Response Post 
  • Quiz 3 
  • Week 3 Assignment: Policy Brief Sections #3 & #4

________________________________________________________________

Week 4: Noncommunicable Disease and Risks

Weekly Outcomes

  • Assess the growing burden of non-communicable diseases and their key behavioral risk factors.
  • Analyze some of the cultural, socio-economic, behavioral, and environmental factors responsible for these conditions.
  • Analyze the key SDGs which address non-communicable diseases.

Lecture

  • Week 4 Lecture: Noncommunicable Disease and Risks

Assignments

  • Quiz 4

________________________________________________________________

Week 5: Nutrition and Food Security

Weekly Outcomes

  • Assess the nutrition transition and some of the major factors changing dietary patterns in low and middle income countries.
  • Analyze  some ways in which food security is threatened in the world today.

Lecture

  • Week 5 Lecture: Nutrition and Food Security

Assignments

  • Week 5 Discussion: Original Contribution and Response Post 
  • Week 5 Assignment: Policy Brief Sections #5

________________________________________________________________

Week 6: Environmental Health and Climate Change

Weekly Outcomes

  • Assess the health impact of climate change.
  • Assess the impact of unclean water and lack of sanitation on global health.

Lecture

  • Week 6 Lecture: Environmental Health and Climate Change

Assignments

  • Week 6 Discussion: Original Contribution and Response Post 
  • Week 6 Assignment: Impacts on Policy Brief Health Problem

________________________________________________________________

Week 7: Children’s Health in Low and Middle Income Countries

Weekly Outcomes

  • Assess some of the socio-cultural reasons and health disparities which adversely impact children’s health in low and middle income countries.
  • Assess some of the major ways to promote the health of vulnerable children affected by the Syrian conflict.

Lecture

  • Week 7 Lecture: Children’s Health

Assignments

  • Week 7 Assignment: Final Policy Brief
  • Week 7 Assignment: Diarrheal Disease Module

________________________________________________________________

Week 8: Key Challenge in Global Health: Antimicrobial Resistance

Weekly Outcomes

  • Assess how AMR affects diseases of major public health importance
  • Analyze the impact of AMR on individuals, health systems, and society
  • Explore recent international efforts to contain AMR

Lecture

  • Week 8 Lecture: Key Challenge in Global Health: Antimicrobial Resistance

Assignments

  • Week 8 Discussion: Original Contribution 
  • Week 8 Assignment: Antimicrobial Resistance

Student Resources

Online Student Support

Your Student Support Specialist is a resource for you. Please don't hesitate to contact them for assistance, including, but not limited to course planning, current problems or issues in a course, technology concerns, or personal emergencies.

Questions? Visit the Student Support Public Health page

UNE Libraries:

UNE Student Academic Success Center

UNE's Student Academic Success Center (SASC) offers a range of free online services to support your academic achievement. Writing support, ESOL support, study strategy and learning style consultations, as well as downloadable resources, are available to all matriculating students. The SASC also offers tutoring for GPH 712 Epidemiology, GPH 716 Biostatistics, GPH 717 Applied Epidemiology, GPH 718 Biostatistics II, and GPH 719 Research Methods. To make an appointment for any of these services, go to une.tutortrac.com. For more information and to view and download writing and studying resources, please visit:

Information Technology Services (ITS)

  • ITS Contact: Toll Free Help Desk 24 hours/7 days per week at 1-877-518-4673

Accommodations

Any student who would like to request, or ask any questions regarding, academic adjustments or accommodations must contact the Student Access Center at (207) 221-4438 or pcstudentaccess@une.edu. Student Access Center staff will evaluate the student's documentation and determine eligibility of accommodation(s) through the Student Access Center registration procedure.

Policies

AMA Writing Style Statement

The American Medical Association Manual (AMA) of Style, 11th edition is the required writing format for this course. Additional support for academic writing and AMA format is provided throughout the coursework as well as at the UNE Portal for Online Students.

Online resources: AMA Style Guide

Turnitin Originality Check and Plagiarism Detection Tool

The College of Professional Studies uses Turnitin to help deter plagiarism and to foster the proper attribution of sources. Turnitin provides comparative reports for submitted assignments that reflect similarities in other written works. This can include, but is not limited to, previously submitted assignments, internet articles, research journals, and academic databases.

Make sure to cite your sources appropriately as well as use your own words in synthesizing information from published literature. Webinars and workshops, included early in your coursework, will help guide best practices in APA citation and academic writing.

You can learn more about Turnitin in the Turnitin Student quick start guide.

Technology Requirements

Please review the technical requirements for UNE Online Graduate Programs: Technical Requirements

Course Evaluation Policy

Course surveys are one of the most important tools that University of New England uses for evaluating the quality of your education, and for providing meaningful feedback to instructors on their teaching. In order to assure that the feedback is both comprehensive and precise, we need to receive it from each student for each course. Evaluation access is distributed via UNE email at the beginning of the last week of the course.

Late Policy

Students are responsible for submitting work by the date indicated in Brightspace.

Quizzes and Tests: Quizzes and tests must be completed by the due date. They will not be accepted after the due date.

Assignments: Unless otherwise specified, assignments will be accepted up to 3 days late; however, there is a 10% grade reduction (from the total points) for the late submission. After three days the assignment will not be accepted.

Discussion posts: If the initial post is submitted late, but still within the discussion board week, there will be a 10% grade reduction from the total discussion grade (e.g., a 3 point discussion will be reduced by 0.3 points). Any posts submitted after the end of the Discussion Board week will not be graded.

Please make every effort ahead of time to contact your instructor and your student support specialist if you are not able to meet an assignment deadline. Arrangements for extenuating circumstances may be considered by faculty.

Student Handbook Online - Policies and Procedures

The policies contained within this document apply to all students in the College of Graduate and Professional Studies. It is each student's responsibility to know the contents of this handbook.

Student Handbook

UNE Course Withdrawal

Please contact your student support specialist if you are considering dropping or withdrawing from a course. The last day to drop for 100% tuition refund is the 2nd day of the course. Financial Aid charges may still apply. Students using Financial Aid should contact the Financial Aid Office prior to withdrawing from a course.

Academic Integrity

The University of New England values academic integrity in all aspects of the educational experience. Academic dishonesty in any form undermines this standard and devalues the original contributions of others. It is the responsibility of all members of the University community to actively uphold the integrity of the academy; failure to act, for any reason, is not acceptable. For information about plagiarism and academic misconduct, please visit https://www.une.edu/studentlife/plagiarism.

Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to the following:

  1. Cheating, copying, or the offering or receiving of unauthorized assistance or information.
  2. Fabrication or falsification of data, results, or sources for papers or reports.
  3. Action which destroys or alters the work of another student.
  4. Multiple submissions of the same paper or report for assignments in more than one course without permission of each instructor.
  5. Plagiarism, the appropriation of records, research, materials, ideas, or the language of other persons or writers and the submission of them as one's own.

Charges of academic dishonesty will be reviewed by the Program Director. Penalties for students found responsible for violations may depend upon the seriousness and circumstances of the violation, the degree of premeditation involved, and/or the student’s previous record of violations.  Appeal of a decision may be made to the Dean whose decision will be final.  Student appeals will take place through the grievance process outlined in the student handbook.

Attendance Policy

Online students are required to submit a graded assignment/discussion prior to Sunday evening at 11:59 pm ET of the first week of the term. If a student does not submit a posting to the graded assignment/discussion prior to Sunday evening at 11:59 pm ET, the student will be automatically dropped from the course for non-participation. Review the full attendance policy.

Late Policy

Assignments: Late assignments will be accepted up to 3 days late; however, there is a 10% grade reduction (from the total points) for the late submission. After three days the assignment will not be accepted.

Discussion posts: If the initial post is submitted late, but still within the discussion board week, there will be a 10% grade reduction from the total discussion grade (e.g., a 3 point discussion will be reduced by 0.3 points). Any posts submitted after the end of the Discussion Board week will not be graded.

Please make every effort ahead of time to contact your instructor and your student support specialist if you are not able to meet an assignment deadline. Arrangements for extenuating circumstances may be considered by faculty.

Student Handbook Online - Policies and Procedures

The policies contained within this document apply to all students in the College of Graduate and Professional Studies. It is each student's responsibility to know the contents of this handbook.

UNE Online Student Handbook

UNE Course Withdrawal

Please contact your student support specialist if you are considering dropping or withdrawing from a course. The last day to drop for 100% tuition refund is the 2nd day of the course. Financial Aid charges may still apply. Students using Financial Aid should contact the Financial Aid Office prior to withdrawing from a course.

Academic Integrity

The University of New England values academic integrity in all aspects of the educational experience. Academic dishonesty in any form undermines this standard and devalues the original contributions of others. It is the responsibility of all members of the University community to actively uphold the integrity of the academy; failure to act, for any reason, is not acceptable. For information about plagiarism and academic misconduct, please visit UNE Plagiarism Policies.

Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to the following:

  1. Cheating, copying, or the offering or receiving of unauthorized assistance or information.
  2. Fabrication or falsification of data, results, or sources for papers or reports.
  3. Action which destroys or alters the work of another student.
  4. Multiple submissions of the same paper or report for assignments in more than one course without permission of each instructor.
  5. Plagiarism, the appropriation of records, research, materials, ideas, or the language of other persons or writers and the submission of them as one's own.

Charges of academic dishonesty will be reviewed by the Program Director. Penalties for students found responsible for violations may depend upon the seriousness and circumstances of the violation, the degree of premeditation involved, and/or the student’s previous record of violations.  Appeal of a decision may be made to the Dean whose decision will be final.  Student appeals will take place through the grievance process outlined in the student handbook.