Four decades ago, the Institutes of Medicine defined public health as "what we as a society do collectively to assure the conditions in which people can be healthy." Some in U.S. public health understand the field to be historically rooted in a commitment to social equality, and in recent years have been leading a movement in epidemiology to examine the social, economic, and political inequities that create disparate health and disease patterns by gender, class, race, sexual identity, citizenship, etc., and in practice to pursue health equity. Yet these commitments do not exist without tension. This broad-ranging course examines the context and key debates shaping the knowledge, laws, ethics, and practice of public health in the U.S.

Units: 1

Max Enrollment: 20

Crosslisted Courses: PEAC 340

Prerequisites: Open to sophomores, juniors, and seniors with permission of the instructor. Not open to students who have taken PEAC 240/WGST 240.

Distribution Requirements: SBA - Social and Behavioral Analysis

Typical Periods Offered: Fall

Semesters Offered this Academic Year: Fall

Notes: This course is also available at the 200 level as PEAC 240/WGST 240.