Wikipedia:United States Education Program/Courses/Medical Missionaries to Community Partners(Kent Bream)/Course description

Course description
Global health is an increasingly popular goal for many modern leaders. Yet critics highlight language of a new imperialism through aid programs. We will examine the evolution over time and place of people and programs to improve health of “underserved” populations. Traditionally categorized as public health programs and efforts to achieve a just society, we will examine the benefits and risks of past programs and conceptualize future partnerships on both a local and global stage. Students should expect to question broadly held beliefs about common good and service. Ultimately we will examine the past and present concept of partnership and the notion of community health with shared ownership, control, and goals between outside expert and inside community member. Students will be expected to develop a historical narrative regarding a medical missionary or concept in missionary medicine. At the end of the course, students should have an introductory view of fields that contribute to the conceptualization of health (history, anthropology, global politics, and biomedicine). As a culminating project, students will develop and post (or significantly modify) a wikipedia article on a medical misisonary or topic in missionary medicine, global health, public health, or community medicine.

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