GDEV 3020 - Political Ecologies of Health

(SBA-AG)

Spring. 3 credits. Letter grades only.

J. Goldstein.

This course investigates the relationships between political economy, the environment, and health to understand how disease and the desire for health transform social and ecological systems and how these systems impact human health. Using contemporary case studies from the United States and the Global South, we will critically analyze how class, race, and gender affect specific populations’ health differently from others. We will move across scales from ecosystems and global development institutions to farms and cities to homes, offices, and bodies. We will also explore the roles capitalism, economic inequality, and environmental and social justice play in creating diverse health outcomes. Topics include infectious diseases; food, famine, and obesity; disasters and disease outbreaks; and environmental toxins including nuclear and chemical contamination.

Outcome 1: Apply sociological, geographical, and critical development concepts to contemporary health issues.

Outcome 2: Articulate how health and disease relate to political-economic development processes, governance institutions, environmental transformation, and social inequality.

Outcome 3: Critically analyze how class, race, and gender play a role in creating diverse health outcomes.

Outcome 4: Analyze causes of disease and health outcomes across multiple scales, from global and regional to local.

Outcome 5: Develop speaking, discussion facilitation, and writing skills in a qualitative social science through investigation of the linkages between development, environment, and health/disease.