Summer 2026 - SA 418 D100
Global Health: Humanitarian Encounters (A) (4)
Class Number: 2315
Delivery Method: In Person
Overview
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Course Times + Location:
May 11 – Aug 10, 2026: Fri, 1:30–5:20 p.m.
Burnaby
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Instructor:
Stacy Pigg
pigg@sfu.ca
Office Hours: Friday after class or by appointment
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Prerequisites:
72 units, which must include SA 101 or 150 or 201W.
Description
CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:
An investigation of the social, cultural, and political issues that contribute to problems of ill-health in resource-poor countries and the major efforts in international public health to address these problems. It explores the application of knowledge about social, and especially gender relations in international health, with particular attention to local perspectives and grassroots initiatives. Institutional frameworks intended to promote health development are examined in historical and contemporary perspective through case studies on topics such as: malaria, population control, maternal health, HIV/AIDS, and tuberculosis. Breadth-Social Sciences.
COURSE DETAILS:
Health is an object of humanitarian intervention in many parts of the world. Every year, millions of people around the world die – and many more suffer pain and grief – due to health conditions that are, from a technical point of view, preventable, manageable, or curable, yet remain intractable sources of suffering. This course takes an anthropological approach to global health solution-making. We will examine how culture and social relations are pictured in international health programs, as part of an analysis of notions of “health development” and the institutional logics that promote them That is, we pay special attention to encounters: the situations and social interfaces where the “culture” of public health enters into ordinary lives in the global south. In doing so, we also ask in what sense the domain of practice now known as “global health” is “global.” What kinds of knowledge do global health programs obscure, discount, or ignore? How does humanitarian solution-making in the name of health also structure relations of power? What forms of action and interaction are reproduced or altered in these contexts?
The first section of the course introduces historical perspective on colonial health, so-called “tropical medicine,” and the mid-twentieth field of “international health” and the movement, led from the global south, for primary health care. In the second part of the course, we read two book-length case studies to think about health interventions as a field of social interactions the effects of which go beyond the measurable impacts on physical health. In the last part of the course, students will consolidate what they’ve learned and carry out further research by working in small groups to produce a final project: a zine that communicates insights from this course to a wider audienceCOURSE-LEVEL EDUCATIONAL GOALS:
Students will have opportunities to develop multi-layered, dynamic understandings of health interventions carried out in the global south. You will practice using anthropology’s signature tools – attention to context, to point of view, to everyday life, and to world-building actions – as a means of assessing the effects of humanitarian intervention into health. The course is designed to foster sustained consideration of context-specific case-studies by giving you opportunities to read closely, link ideas and information across sources, summarize arguments, and communicate clearly about complex ideas verbally and in writing. As a 400-level course, it gives you an opportunity to combine coursework with guided independent research in a format to be shared outside the classroom.
Grading
- Final project (zine group project), (includes preparatory sub-assignments and individually completed components) 50%
- Short in-class and post-class writing assignments 20%
- Participation 30%
- Completion of weekly pre-class note-taking worksheets
- Active participation in class discussions
- Attendance: you must be present for a minimum of 9 class periods in order to pass the course
NOTES:
Grading: Where a final exam is scheduled and the student does not write the exam or withdraws from the course before the deadline date, an N grade will be assigned. Unless otherwise specified on the course syllabus, all graded assignments for this course must be completed for a final grade other than N to be assigned. An N is considered as an F for the purposes of scholastic standing.
Grading System: The undergraduate course grading system is A+, A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C-, D, F, N (N standing indicates student did not complete course requirements). Intervals for the assignment of final letter grades based on course percentage grades are as follows:
A+ (95-100) | A (90-94) | A- (85-89) | B+ (80-84) | B (75-79) | B- (70-74) | C+ (65-69) | C (60-64) | C- (55-59) | D (50-54) | F (0-49) | N*
*N standing to indicate the student did not complete course requirements
REQUIREMENTS:
You will need a smartphone scanner app to use in-class
You will read both books in full and you will need to be able to refer to the books in class. Hard copies will make it easier for you to complete relevant assignments, but both books are available as e-books through the SFU library or for purchase.
Materials
REQUIRED READING:
- Justice, Judith (1986). Policies, Plans, and People: Foreign aid and Health Development. University of California Press ISBN: 13-9780520067882
- Kenworthy, Nora (2017). Mistreated: The Political consequences of the Fight Against AIDS in Lesotho Vanderbilt University Press
Additional Required reading (articles) are available through electronic Course Reserves in the SFU library
REQUIRED READING NOTES:
Your personalized Course Material list, including digital and physical textbooks, are available through the SFU Bookstore website by simply entering your Computing ID at: shop.sfu.ca/course-materials/my-personalized-course-materials.
Registrar Notes:
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS
At SFU, you are expected to act honestly and responsibly in all your academic work. Cheating, plagiarism, or any other form of academic dishonesty harms your own learning, undermines the efforts of your classmates who pursue their studies honestly, and goes against the core values of the university.
To learn more about the academic disciplinary process and relevant academic supports, visit:
- SFU’s Academic Integrity Policy: S10-01 Policy
- SFU’s Academic Integrity website, which includes helpful videos and tips in plain language: Academic Integrity at SFU
RELIGIOUS ACCOMMODATION
Students with a faith background who may need accommodations during the term are encouraged to assess their needs as soon as possible and review the Multifaith religious accommodations website. The page outlines ways they begin working toward an accommodation and ensure solutions can be reached in a timely fashion.