Welcome to the Globalisation and Health module. For the past several years, much of the content of this module has been offered as a taught course in the Masters in Public Health at the School of Public Health, University of Bergen (UiB), at the School of Public Health and Social Sciences, Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences (SPHSS, MUHAS), and as a short course at the School of Public Health, University of the Western Cape (SOPH, UWC). It has now been developed as a distance learning module for Masters level students in all three institutions.
The module provides important content for Public Health professionals in any context. It explores the complex relationships between health and health care and the social, cultural, economic and political causes of disparities in health and health care between and within countries, with a focus on how global factors contribute to or mitigate these. Actions that can be taken to address the adverse health effects of globalisation are discussed.
The processes of globalisation and the pathways through which they impact on health and health care are multiple, complex and dynamic. It is not possible to cover all of these processes and pathways in one module, and by necessity we have had to select a few key aspects for in-depth study. However, you are encouraged to apply what you are learning to your own context, and to extend your study to global factors beyond those covered in the module, which may be more appropriate or relevant to your work.
The module is designed for self-study or flexible learning, which enables you to work through the course materials at your own pace. This Module Guide contains content, as well as learning activities and tasks, including reading, reflection, observation, research, application and practice. There is a Module Reader and a DVD that accompanies this Guide. The DVD contains many interesting and relevant supplementary readings, interviews, documentaries and video clips. The nature of flexible learning is that it allows you to explore the material to whatever depth you prefer and to skip parts with which you are already familiar.
We hope that you enjoy the module and find it useful in your efforts to improve public health at the local, national and global levels.