Skip to main content

header-courses

Please note the following are tentative and may be changed or revised at any time without notice. Check with the UC San Diego Department offering the course for the most accurate information.

Students are encouraged to complete the lower and upper division core courses early in their program, as these courses will provide a foundation to enhance subsequent course work. Global Health majors should complete the upper division core courses, GLBH 181, GLBH 148 and if possible, MGT 173 prior to senior year.

All courses must be taken for a letter grade of C- or better for the major and minor. Not all courses are offered every year.

Upcoming Tentative Course Offerings

2022 - 2023 Annual Schedule 

Winter 2023 Spring 2023

Major (BA) 

Major (BS) 

Major (BA)

Major (BS)

Major (BA)

Major (BS)

Minor  Minor Minor

Upcoming Tentative Core Course Offerings
*courses are subject to change, please check back frequently
Fall 2022 Winter 2023 Spring 2023
Lower Div Global Health Core

GLBH 20 (Walkover)

GLBH 20 (Wu)

GLBH 20 (Wu)

Upper Division Core

GLBH/ANSC 148 (Wilson) 

MGT 173 (Hayes) 

GLBH 181 (Burgos) 

GLBH/ANSC 148 (Walkover)

MGT 173 (Staff)

GLBH 181 (Card) 

GLBH 160 (Mackey)

GLBH/ANSC 148 (Hannah)

MGT 173 (Staff)

GLBH 181 (Burgos)

Global Health electives

GLBH 100. Special Topics in Global Health:

  • "Asian Health & Healing" (Wu)
  • "Infectious Disease" (Villarino)

GLBH 103. Global Health Disparities and the Quest for Global Health Equity (Hannah)

GLBH/ANSC 105. Global Health & Inequality (Olivas-Hernandez)

GLBH 106. Water, Sanitation and Hygiene in Global Health (Kayser)

GLBH 111. HFIT (Burgos)

GLBH 113. Women's Health in Global Perspective (Wilson)

GLBH 100. Special Topics in Global Health

  • "Maternal & Child Health" (Staff)
  •  "A Preferential Option for the Poor": Paul Farmer and the Partners in Health Approach to Global Health (Hannah)

GLBH 102. Global Health Epidemiology (Burgos)

GLBH 104. Humanities, Ethics, and Professionalism: Engaging Moral Imaginaries for Exploring Health and the Human Condition (Wilson)

GLBH 108. Hispanic and Latinx Issues in Global Health (Olivas-Hernandez)

GLBH 111. HFIT (Burgos)

GLBH 141. Clinical Perspectives in Global Health (Sanghvi)

GLBH/ANSC 146. Global Health Perspective on HIV (Kang)

GLBH/ANSC 150. Culture and Mental Health (Sloane)

GLBH 150A. Horizons Honors Thesis Seminar I (Wu)

GLBH 171R. Global Mental Health (*online*) (Jenkins)

 

GLBH 100. Special Topics in Global Health

  • "Career Development in Global Health" (Bhavsar)
  • "Adolescent Health & Wellbeing: Cross-Cultural Perspectives on Coming of Age" (Sanchez - pending)
  • "Placing People First: Introduction to Global Health Humanities" (Wilson) 
  • "Global Health & Non-Communicable Diseases" (Villarino - pending)

GLBH/ANSC 101. Aging: Culture and Health in Late Life Human Development (Sloane)

GLBH 107. Refugee Health in Local and Global Contexts (Wilson) 

GLBH 109. Decolonizing Global Health (Olivas-Hernandez)

GLBH 111. HFIT (Burgos)

GLBH 112. Medicine, Global Health, and Bioethics (Hannah)

COMM/GLBH 114W. Global Health Communication (Walkover)

GLBH/ANSC 147. Global Health and the Environment (Stewart)

GLBH 150B. Horizons Honors Thesis Seminar II (Wu)

Grad Courses

GLBH 200. Global Health MA Core Seminar (Hannah)

GLBH 248. Intro to Global Health Research (Kaiser)

GLBH 260. Global Health Policy (Ojeda)

 

GLBH 214. Global Health & Program Management (Bhavsar) 

GLBH 249. Social Epidemiology (Santibanez) 

Electives:

GLBH 211. HFIT

GLBH 241. Clinical Perspectives in Global Health (Sanghvi) 

 

ANTH 260. Seminar in Medical and Psychological Anthropology (Jenkins)

Electives:

GLBH 201. Special Topics

"Design thinking for global health and health systems strengthening" (Card)

GLBH 215. Community Health Workers (Walkover) 

 

FA22 GLBH 100 Special Topics:

GLBH 100. Special Topics - Asian Health & Healing (Wu)

This course introduces students to various topics related to health and healing in East Asian societies. In particular, we pay attention to the history and current trends of Asian medical cultures, especially under the influence of colonialism, history of imperialism, and the global development of biomedical science. Through an anthropological lens, this course encourages students to reframe from simply contrasting the Western biomedical model and “non-western alternative interventions.” Instead, we explore a series of phenomena by embedding them in immediate and global cultural settings, thus understanding regional-specific health and healing practices under a global health framework. Topics will include the evolution of hygiene and public health, epidemic diseases; drug control and addiction; mental illness and asylums; postcolonial nationalism and biosecurity; reproductive health and gender; illness experience and decision making, and the intersectionality of health, wellbeing, and human rights. Drawing case studies in East Asian societies, including but not limited to China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam, this course will ask students to consider: how do the idea and practices of medicine, health, and healing develop, evolve, and travel? Through in-depth case studies and exploration across different disciplines, students will learn to research and think critically concerning health-related topics; how to observe health-related phenomena in cross-cultural settings, and analyze arguments by embedding these phenomena in a transhistorical setting.


GLBH 100. Special Topics - Infectious Diseases (Villarino)

Public health focuses on communities and international health in countries, but global health transcends these limits.  We will use the study outbreaks (or epidemics) of infectious diseases to understand how the interests of one country are inevitably linked to the health of people in all other countries around the world.   In this course we will learn about the global burden of disease with an emphasis on understanding the critical intersection of policy, social expectations in determining how health systems function and adapt to address new challenges; and examine why some health systems are so fragile in the face of new disease challenges such as the Covid-19 pandemic. We will look at the role of globalization in introducing "western world" diseases to low- and middle-income countries, and we will learn about the science-based methods and tools used track the emergence of new disease threats, assess global disease burden, understand disease mitigation strategies. The course information will help the student understand how when a society invests in health, like education, this helps contribute to the well-being of people and economic development of countries, and promotes national and global stability. 

WI23 GLBH 100 Special Topics:

 "A Preferential Option for the Poor": Paul Farmer and the Partners in Health Approach to Global Health (Hannah)

This course examines the legacy of Dr. Paul Farmer and the unique approach to global health he pioneered with the organization he co-founded, Partners in Health. The traditional approach of global health focused on health care delivery in low resource settings, but was bound by economic and bureaucratic barriers that limited the scope and effectiveness of interventions. Through his early writing and research, Dr. Farmer used a strong moral focus on equity and social justice  and an anthropologically informed analysis of health to deliver life saving HIV medications around the world and strengthen national health systems in countries like Rwanda and Haiti. Through a mix of readings and case study reviews, this course will help students understand how theory, social science research, and medicine can be combined to directly help improve the health and well-being of the most vulnerable among us. 

 

SP23 GLBH 100 Special Topics:

"Adolescent Health & Wellbeing: Cross-Cultural Perspectives on Coming of Age" (Sanchez)

Current epidemiological research shows that approximately half of all mental health disorders emerge by age fourteen (World Health Organization, 2022). In this course, we will draw from interdisciplinary and multimedia sources to explore the various cross-cultural conditions that influence health and wellbeing during adolescence. Topics will include mental health, school environments, gender and sexual identity, political violence, and help-seeking and social support practices.

"Global Health & Non-Communicable Diseases" (Villarino)
Public health focuses on communities and international health in countries, but global health transcends these limits. Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are presently the greatest challenge to global health, even considering the COVID-19 Pandemic Impact. Conditions such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, obesity, cancer, lung diseases, and depression, along with risk factors such as smoking, diet and physical activity are critical to global healthcare, quality of life, and national productivity. We will examine how for a long time, NCDs have been dismissed as “rich-country” problems not worthy of global attention, but how now we know that NCDs are a larger problem in low-income countries than in high-income countries. One in three adults worldwide suffer from two or more chronic conditions (MCC) which are a challenge to treat because they can be a combination of an infectious disease and a NCD (e.g., TB and diabetes) which may require as many as 8 medications for each condition. The course information will help the student understand how when a society invests in the health of its citizens it essentially contributes to the overall well-being of people, the economic development of countries, and the promotion of national and global stability.

"Career Development in Global Health" (Bhavsar)
This course aims to provide an educational toolkit for career and job readiness in the field of Global Health and other interdisciplinary settings and industries. The course is designed to give students foundational training on the process of career planning and development. Students will learn skills to identify their personal and professional leadership styles through self-evaluation, create an inquiry of career pathway exploration, and develop a toolkit for preliminary employment strategies including other professional pathways.

"Placing People First: Introduction to Global Health Humanities" (Wilson)  
The word “medicine” comes from Latin ars medicina, meaning “the art of healing.” This course explores global health issues through the lens of the humanities – a multidisciplinary area that explores the human and social dimensions of health and medicine. Students will explore key issues of health and illness as viewed from the perspective of the patient, the practitioner, and the public. We will apply diverse exploratory tools (close reading, contextualization, intervention) of the humanities disciplines (history, literature, personal narrative, philosophy, ethics, politics, visual arts, and ethnographic anthropology) to explore the themes of health and illness using a variety of texts (print, graphic, digital/film). Students will gain humanistic insights into global health issues such as the experiences of suffering, illness, disability, death, vulnerability, violence, injustice, caregiving, and healing that inform a more holistic understanding of health and wellness, yet remain in the margins. In our class we will go broader than an exclusive focus on individual encounters to include the interrogation of institutions, structures, and policies. This reading-intensive humanities course illuminates dimensions of human experience largely neglected in current global health scholarship. Indeed, this course insists on the centrality of putting people first: the medical humanities emerged in the 1960s out of concern that biotechnology was leading to the centrality of mechanistic medicine and molecular biology that leads to depersonalization and declined empathy among healthcare professionals for the patient. By extension, the global health humanities insist on a people-first approach that foregrounds people’s struggles for health and survival amidst a climate of ever-expanding biomedicalized interventions around the world. *This can count towards Medical Humanties for the GH Majors - please send a VAC message to have this reflected as such.

Course Pre-Authorization & Late Add Request

Students with lower division standing who would like to take an upper division course, please submit a course pre-authorization request here.

Tips for Searching the Schedule of Classes

When searching for classes in the schedule, look for your classes by "CODE".If you look at the first search page of the schedule, "By Code(s)" is the third tab under "find courses." Select this tab.In this section, you can then just type in the exact courses you are interested in searching for (ANSC 148, HILD 30, ANSC 101) and press search.

search

On the next page, scroll down and a long list of all the courses you’re searching for will appear in one search.

Previous Course Offerings

2022-23 Offerings:

2021-22 Offerings:

2020-21 Offerings:

2019-2020 Offerings:


2018-19 Offerings:

2017-18 Offerings:

2016-17 Offerings:

2015-16 Offerings:

 

*Regarding courses accepted by petition

If you are taking a course that is offered “by petition” it will not automatically show up on your degree audit.

You will need to do one of the following:

Submit Online Petition Request or

Send a message in the Virtual Advising Center asking for the following:

"Please accept _____________, a Global Health Pre-Approved Course, towards _______________ requirements for my Global Health ___________ (Major/Minor)."

Course Descriptions

Global Health Core Courses

GLBH 148. Global Health and Cultural Diversity (cross-listed with ANSC 148)

Introduction to global health from the perspective of medical anthropology on disease and illness, cultural conceptions of health, doctor-patient interaction, illness experience, medical science and technology, mental health, infectious disease, and health-care inequalities by ethnicity, gender, and socioeconomic status.

GLBH 181. Essentials of Global Health

This course will provide an overview of global health as a field of research and practice, with an emphasis on use of surveillance methods to understand health and determinants of health, evidence-based program development and evaluation of programs in the field, and engagement with governments and advocacy groups to elicit evidence-based policy change. Topics of focus will prioritize infectious diseases, maternal child health, substance use and gender-based violence, as case examples of global health research and programmatic approaches. By the end of this course students should have acquired an understanding of the global burden of major diseases and population health concerns, how to understand and intervene upon the determinants of disease and other health concerns, and how to develop and implement monitoring and outcome evaluations for use in low resource settings.

MGT 173. Project Management in Health Services

This course covers efficient techniques for managing health services projects including both the technical aspects of project management as well as the human capital management issues associated with blending administrative and technical staff with healthcare professionals. Topics include: scheduling methods, milestone setting, governmental regulations, resource allocation, interpersonal skills, and performing research and development projects - all with a health services focus.

Lower Division Courses

All Majors and Minors must complete:

HILD 30. History of Public Health: Explores the history of public health, from the plague hospitals of Renaissance Italy to the current and future prospects for global health initiatives, emphasizing the complex biological, cultural, and social dimensions of health, sickness, and medicine across time and space. 

OR

GLBH 20. Introduction to Global Health: Provides a foundational interdisciplinary understanding of complex global health issues and introduces major concepts and principles in global health. The course surveys the range of problems contributing to the global burden of disease and disability including infectious disease, mental illness, refugee and immigrant health, natural disasters, climate change, and food insecurity.


For Majors Only:

Choose One:

SOCI 30. Science, Technology, and Society: A series of case studies of the relations between society and modern science, technology, and medicine. Global warming, reproductive medicine, AIDS, and other topical cases prompt students to view science-society interactions as problematic and complex. 

SOCI 40. Sociology of Health-Care Issues: Designed as a broad introduction to medicine as a social institution and its relationship to other institutions as well as its relation to society. It will make use of both micro and macro sociological work in this area and introduce students to sociological perspectives of contemporary health-care issues. 

SOCI 70. General Sociology for Premedical Students: This introductory course is specifically designed for premedical students and will provide them with a broad introduction to sociological concepts and research, particularly as applied to medicine.

PHIL 26. Science, Society, and Values: An exploration of the interaction between scientific theory and practice on the one hand, and society and values on the other. Topics can include the relationship between science and religion, global climate change, DNA, medicine, and ethics. 

 

Statistics Course (Choose one):

PSYCH 60. Introduction to Statistics: This course provides an introduction to both descriptive and inferential statistics, core tools in the process of scientific discovery and the interpretation of research. Recommended to complete during a student's 2nd year. 

POLI 30. Political Inquiry: Introduction to the logic of inference in social science and to quantitative analysis in political science and public policy including research design, data collection, data description and computer graphics, and the logic of statistical inference (including linear regression). Poli Sci 30 is Lecture only, and Poli Sci 30D is Lecture plus Discussion section. These courses are equivalents of each other in regards to major requirements, and students may not receive credit for both 30 and 30D. 

MATH 11/11L. Calculus-Based Introductory Probability and Statistic + Lab: Events and probabilities, conditional probability, Bayes’ formula. Discrete random variables: mean, variance; binomial, Poisson distributions. Continuous random variables: densities, mean, variance; normal, uniform, exponential distributions, central limit theorem. Sample statistics, confidence intervals, hypothesis testing, regression. Applications. Intended for biology and social science majors. Prerequisites: AP Calculus BC score of 3, 4, or 5, or Math 10B or Math 20B, and concurrent enrollment in Math 11L.

COGS 14B. Introduction to Statistical Analysis: Introduction to descriptive and inferential statistics. Tables, graphs, measures of central tendency and variability. Distributions, Z-scores, correlation, regression. Probability, sampling, logic of inferential statistics, hypothesis testing, decision theory. T-test, one and two-way Anova, nonparametric tests (Chi-square). Prerequisites: COGS 14A.

Policy Analysis Courses (Majors only)

Choose one:

GLBH 160. Global Health Policy: Students will learn fundamental principles and concepts of global health policy, law, and governance. The course will focus on identifying critical global health policy challenges and solving them using a multidisciplinary approach that takes into account the perspectives of various stakeholders. 

POLI 160AA. Introduction to Policy Analysis: (Same as USP 101) This course will explore the process by which the preferences of individuals are converted into public policy. Also included will be an examination of the complexity of policy problems, methods for designing better policies, and a review of tools used by analysts and policy makers. (Prerequisites: Poli Sci 10 or 11)

POLI 170A. Introductory Statistics for Political Science and Public Policy: Introduction to the use of statistics in both political science and public policy concentrating on regression based approaches. Students undertake a series of small quantitative analyses and one project. Prerequisites: upper-division standing.

USP 147. Case Studies in Health Care Programs/Poor and Underserved Populations: The purpose of this course is to identify the special health needs of low income and underserved populations and to review their status of care, factors influencing the incidence of disease and health problems, and political and legislative measures related to access and the provision of care. Selected current programs and policies that address the health care needs of selected underserved populations such as working poor, inner city populations, recent immigrants, and persons with severe disabling mental illnesses will be studied. Offered in alternate years. Prerequisite: upper-division standing or consent of instructor.

USP 171. Sustainable Development: Sustainable development is a concept invoked by an increasingly wide range of scholars, activists, and organizations dedicated to promoting environmentally sound approaches to economic development. This course critically examines the diverse, often contradictory, interests in sustainability. It provides a transdisciplinary overview of emergent theories and practices. Prerequisites: upper-division standing.

SOCI 152/USP 133. Social Inequality and Public Policy: (Same as USP 133.) Primary focus on understanding and analyzing poverty and public policy. Analysis of how current debates and public policy initiatives mesh with alternative social scientific explorations of poverty. Prerequisites: upper-division standing. Will not receive credit for SOCI 152 and SOCC 152.

ECON 130. Public Policy: (pre-reqs: ECON 1A-B. or ECON 2. or ECON 100A) Course uses basic microeconomic tools to discuss a wide variety of public issues, including the war on drugs, global warming, natural resources, health care and safety regulation. Appropriate for majors who have not completed Econ 100A-B-C and students from other departments. Prerequisites: Econ 2 or 100A.

HISC 180. Science and Public Policy: This course will explore the evolution of the institutions, ideologies, procedures, standards, and expertise that modern democratic societies have used in applying science to generate and legitimate public policy.

ENVR 110. Environmental Law: Explores environmental policy in the United States and the ways in which it is reflected in law. The social and political issues addressed include environmental justice and environmental racism, as well as the role of government in implementing environmental law. Prerequisites:upper-division standing or consent of instructor.

Global Health Horizons Honors Thesis Seminar (GLBH 150A & B)

thesis
During Spring quarter of a student's junior year, Global Health majors may apply to be a part of the two-quarter Horizons Honors Thesis Seminar, open only to Global Health majors in the BA and BS. This seminar will provide an opportunity to expand, deepen, and share the insights of your Global Health Field Experience or a topic of interest in the field of global health, with members of your cohort.
  • Winter Quarter: GLBH 150A. Global Health Capstone Seminar I will consist of intensive reading and discussion in fields related to each student’s primary interest and building on your field experience. 
  • Spring Quarter: GLBH 150B. Global Health Capstone Seminar II will be a workshop with critical input from all participants focused on preparing a senior thesis that will provide an important credential for students in the next stage of their careers and as they prepare applications for graduate academic or professional training.

Students will develop a research poster based on their senior thesis, which will be presented at the Horizons of Global Health Conference during spring quarter. See part participant abstracts here. See Senior Thesis Resources here.

***Students must complete their Global Health Field Experience Requirement prior to enrollment. 

GLBH 195. Instructional Apprenticeship in Global Health

This course gives students experience in teaching global health courses for academic credit (P/NP).

Students, under direction of instructor, lead discussion sections, attend lectures, review course readings, and meet regularly to prepare course materials and to evaluate examinations and papers. This course does not fulfill any Global Health major or minor requirements. Students may enroll up to two times.

Requirements:

  1. Junior or Senior standing.
  2. Minimum of a 3.0 GPA.
  3. Must have taken the course and received an "A" in the course you wish to apply for.
  4. Student most contact the instructor to see if the instructor is interested in having an instructional apprentice.
  5. If the instructor approves, you may apply online
  6. Once you apply please email ghpadvising@ucsd.edu to notify us of your application. 
  7. Final approval required by department and academic senate. Please submit your request early (prior to the quarter you plan to enroll).

Special Studies Courses

More details on enrolling can be found here.

GLBH 197. Global Health Academic Internship Program (4): Offers Global Health students the opportunity to intern and gain credit for their Global Health Field Experience requirement. Students will intern and work with a faculty advisor to elaborate on the intellectual analysis and critique of the field experience.

GLBH 198. Directed Group Study (4): Directed group study for students to delve deeper into Global Health topics or elaborate the intellectual analysis and critique of their field experience for students enrolled in the Global Health major/minor. May be taken for credit two times. Prerequisites: departmental approval required. 

GLBH 199. Independent Study (4): Independent study opportunity for students to work with Global Health Affiliated Faculty on relevant research or to elaborate the intellectual analysis and critique of their Global Health Field Experience for students enrolled in the Global Health major/minor. May be taken for credit two times. Prerequisites: departmental approval required.

Elective Course Descriptions