Simon Fraser University
Engaging the World

Course Outlines

Fall 2022 - HSCI 486 D100

Senior Seminar in Global Health (3)

Class Number: 2174

Delivery Method: In Person

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    Sep 7 – Dec 6, 2022: Mon, 2:30–5:20 p.m.
    Burnaby

  • Exam Times + Location:

    Dec 19, 2022
    Mon, 7:00–10:00 p.m.
    Burnaby

  • Prerequisites:

    90 units, including at least 15 upper division HSCI units with a minimum grade of C-. Other prerequisites may vary according to topic.

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

Treatment of current global health issues. Students will examine several topics from theoretical, methodological and policy perspectives.

COURSE DETAILS:

Instructor: Dr. Susan Erikson
Email: slerikson@sfu.ca. Please use this email. (I don't check the Canvas email regularly). Include HSCI 486 2022 in email subject line.

Fall 2022
Mondays, 2:30-5:20pm.
In-person, Blusson Hall 11401.
PowerPoints will be posted after class.
Classes will not be recorded.
No phones, tablets, or computers.

Course Description: This global health seminar does two things: 1) It gets you to think about global health technologies and 2) it gives you the chance to practice making persuasive arguments. Don’t worry, you won’t need to code or write algorithms. Technology, for medical anthropologists like me, is simply whatever humans use to get a task done. We’ll be studying some past health technology use, but we’ll mostly focus on the present and future implications of health technologies. We’ll be asking questions about what health technologies mean to people. In this seminar, you’ll read about and discuss technologies like prenatal ultrasound, infectious disease apps, artificial intelligence, and some of the ways country governments use smartphones for public health surveillance. We’ll use the readings as springboards to discuss and debate the way health technologies work; what makes ‘good’ or ‘bad’ tech; and how tech can ‘race’, ‘gender’, and, sometimes, elevate or erase people. To do well in the seminar, you’ll need to read, to have an open mind to thinking and talking about the promise and perils of health technologies, and to work on your own individual ability to be persuasive. My hope is that by the end of the course you will walk away with your own ideas about what the appropriate role of technology is in well-being and healthcare and possess a new confidence about sharing your ideas with others.

SEE ALSO NOTES SECTION BELOW ON WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE COURSE.


COURSE-LEVEL EDUCATIONAL GOALS:

By course end, students should be able to:
1. Identify global health technologies basics.
2. Think critically about the opportunities, limitations, and patient applications of global health technologies.
3. Demonstrate logical thinking in preparatory, oral, and written work, specifically demonstrating an ability to use persuasive speech and communication.

Grading

  • Exam 1 - October 24, 2022 25%
  • Exam 2 - December 5, 2022 25%
  • Your GH Tech - Identify - September 26, 2022 5%
  • Your GH Tech - Explain - October 3, 2022 5%
  • Your GH Tech - Both Sides - November 7, 2022 10%
  • Your GH Tech - Persuade Us - November 21, 2022 15%
  • Participation 15%

NOTES:

Here's what else you need to know about HSCI 486:

  • The seminar is designed for students who are open to 1) thinking about global health tech and 2) how to communicate persuasively.
  • The classes: They’re 3 hours long. I lecture some, but because it's a seminar, the emphasis is on your active participation. There are activities and discussions in every class.
  • There is a lot of talking with other people in HSCI 486, lots of back and forth between students, and with the teacher. The class is designed for students to freely share ideas and hear a diversity of opinions. So if you don’t like to talk and aren’t willing to try, my seminar course is probably not for you and you might want to take your FHS senior seminar with a different prof. In our seminar, you're not expected to own the perfect idea. Rather, the seminar is designed to use conversation and discussion to sharpen our own understandings, explorations, and opinions of global health technologies. The seminar is also about building your confidence to speak in groups and be persuasive, so that you move beyond being a 'course tourist'. We explore ideas about what things mean without students having to be perfect or say the perfect thing. We just try to work through ideas about humans and health technology through conversation and debate.
  • There is a component of professional development in HSCI 486. We'll explore: What is persuasive speech? What communication approaches make you more or less compelling? What is your own best communication style? 
  • The readings: There’s no way to do well in this class without reading the assignments. But they are well-written and chosen to be both educational and thought-provoking.
  • The classroom: Setup is tables, not rows of lecture seats.
  • The exams: It’s hard to cheat in this course. There are two exams, in person, invigilated. Each exam is newly made up (doesn’t use previous year exam questions).
  • The exams are all short essay (5 questions) that you write out by hand.
  • The exams are based on the readings and the in-class experiences. Pretty much everything we do in class is examinable.
  • Early in the term, you'll need to select Your Global Health Technology, which you'll explore throughout the term.
  • No phones, computers, or tablets in class.
  • It’s really hard to do well in this course if you don’t show up to class or don’t do the readings.
  • If COVID-19 numbers are still significant, I’ll be masked and I’ll encourage you to mask also.
  • Canvas for this course will be opened September 11, 2022.
  • I love studying and conversing about health tech! 
  • I want you to succeed in this course!

 

 

REQUIREMENTS:

Prerequisite: HSCI 130
Recommended but not mandatory: HSCI 308

Materials

REQUIRED READING:

Readings will posted on Canvas.

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

SFU’s Academic Integrity website http://www.sfu.ca/students/academicintegrity.html is filled with information on what is meant by academic dishonesty, where you can find resources to help with your studies and the consequences of cheating. Check out the site for more information and videos that help explain the issues in plain English.

Each student is responsible for his or her conduct as it affects the university community. Academic dishonesty, in whatever form, is ultimately destructive of the values of the university. Furthermore, it is unfair and discouraging to the majority of students who pursue their studies honestly. Scholarly integrity is required of all members of the university. http://www.sfu.ca/policies/gazette/student/s10-01.html