Decolonizing Bodies in Public Health is an attempt to begin to reframe public health and global health narratives about developing nations and disadvantaged communities by looking at the roots of that disadvantage — looking at global health from the perspective of the colonized.

It will seek to examine long cultural histories of health, healing and medicine; talk about colonial gambits that have had longstanding impacts on the health and infrastructure of colonized populations; about colonial narratives in public health academia, and about how to open classroom conversations towards healing historical trauma that may be felt by the increasingly diverse body of students in public health.

The course is 2 units, and will take place Mondays 6-8 pm in 130 Dwinelle! Please fill out the form and we’ll get back to you with a CCN as space permits. We are trying to hold a class of 30 students, with a waitlist of 15.

INTEREST FORM FOR CCN: https://dpbhdecal.typeform.com/to/yssQkD

OUTLINE:

Week 1 (1/23): Histories of Health — the world of health and healing that existed prior to colonial activity

Week 2 (1/30): A Brief History of Colonial Activity — the Western story of the world, and how the story is told

Week 3 (2/6): Colonial Aftermath — a look at the immediate impacts of colonial activity on the health of colonized populations.

Week 4 (2/13): Bodies as Battlegrounds — how colonialism controlled, classified, and violated bodies as a mechanism of conquest

Week 5 (2/27): Reduced Resilience and Capacity — examples of colonizer-created infrastructural disadvantage with significant health impacts for formerly colonized societies

Week 6 (3/6): Neocolonial Structures in Public Health — how the power dynamics and imagery of colonialism are reproduced in public health service and academic work today

Week 7 (3/13): Rebuilding Public Health — the politics of disaster relief and critical aid

Week 8 (3/20): Public Health and the Savior Narrative — a birds’ eye view of the culture of public health (and a wary eye on the savior narrative)

Week 9 (3/27): NO CLASS (Spring Recess)

Week 10 (4/3): Public Health in Academia — how public health institutions can be blind to bias in research and employment

Week 11 (4/10): Inclusive Discourse and Spaces — naming and reframing microaggressions in global health conversations (and a peek at Decolonizing Pedagogy)

Week 12 (4/17): Historical Trauma — centuries of disadvantage and historical trauma get under the skin (and into DNA)

Week 13 (4/24): Students’ Choice Lecture

​Week 14 (5/1): Final presentations

The "Decolonizing Bodies in Public Health" DeCAL is now taking sign-ups for Spring 17! INTEREST FORM FOR CCN: https://dpbhdecal.typeform.com/to/yssQkD Fill out the interest form and we'll get back to you with a CCN you can enroll, as long as there's space! There are 30 spots in the course with a waitlist of 15.