This course seeks to reframe public health narratives about “developing” nations and disadvantaged communities by looking at the roots of that disadvantage, and by examining health from the perspective of the colonized. It explores how colonial ideals perpetuate structural violence on bodies and cultures and it challenges paradigmatic thinking about biomedicine and public health. It will analyze current issues in public health--such as healthcare disparities due to sexuality, gender, and race-- in an effort to demonstrate how public health and western/ colonial ideologies intersect and enact violence. The ultimate goal of this course is to decolonize the field; by looking at public health as both creating and being created by structures of power, this course aims to recapture current conversations surrounding global health and make the field better-serving for all.

There are 3 small papers (critical reading responses), a discussion facilitation, and a final presentation. Attendance is mandatory and a part of the final grade; however students will be able to miss up to two classes.