IHP Health and Community: Globalization, Culture and Care

- Multi-Country

Locations Throughout the World

  Brazil

• Sao Paulo: 
Sao Paulo

  South Africa

Rural Areas

  Vietnam

• Hanoi: 
Hanoi
• All Other Areas in Vietnam: 
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

Term: Spring 
Dates: Jan. - May 2010

Description: The hallmark of IHP's Health and Community program is a unique comparative approach in which participants study a thematic topic in several different countries over one semester. Experiential activities such as site visits and case studies complement interdisciplinary team teaching led by in-country and traveling faculty. Students also step out of the classroom to interact with activists, public figures, government and organizational leaders, as well as citizens from all walks of life who are directly involved in the themes explored. Homestays give students the opportunity to get to know local families and to become immersed in the culture and traditions of each country, creating lasting connections and memorable insights.

IHP Health and Community:
What are the forces that create good public health in some communities, and ill health in others? Why have health disparities within and across countries widened, even as modern health care has discovered the causes of many illnesses and prevented many deaths? IHP's Health and Community program strengthens students' ability to understand, interpret and compare the biological, ecological, economic, political and socio-cultural factors that affect human health. Students broaden their global perspective and deepen their skills in critical and comparative thinking, while gaining practical knowledge about:

* The Health Impacts of Globalization
* Comparative Health Systems
* Governance and Policy-making
* Public health issues and innovative strategies to address them
* Field-based research methods and analysis.

In city neighborhoods and rural villages, students learn to listen to and understand multiple voices: people in local communities, governing bodies and non-governmental agencies. Future health care leaders come away with the confidence to ask important questions, analyze alternatives and set priorities for achieving sustainable and just solutions.

Key Questions to Explore on the Program:
* Is health a fundamental human right? If so, who is responsible for guaranteeing it?
* How can a deeper understanding of culture transform our view of health?
* What can be done about the health divide between rich and poor, urban and rural that exists in many countries?
* How do grassroots activism and top-down approaches conflict with or complement one another?

IHP encourages interested students speak with alumni to learn first hand about the value of the program. There is no better way to hear candidly about the quality of the program. Please contact IHP to obtain a full list of alumni contacts, sorted by program.

Highlights: Students will spend 2 weeks in Washington D.C., 5 weeks in South Africa, and 5 weeks in Vietnam, and 5 weeks in Brazil.

Students receive 16 credits upon completion of the program. The courses are as follows:
* Globalization and Health
* Health, Culture and Community
* Public Health: From Biology to Policy
* Community Health Research Methods

The vast majority of the time students will be in homestays which will provide another critical window of understanding to each of the communities.

Below is a brief country program overview:

USA: Washington, D.C.
The seat of government for one of the richest nations in the world and hub of international policymaking, Washington, D.C. is home to neighborhoods among the poorest in the USA. Hear from experts from the World Bank, USAID, and international NGO?s, even as you observe first-hand how health inequities affect those living within earshot of the halls of world political power. Challenge your own understanding of where local and global health activism meet, as you set out for the study of health and community in Africa, Asia, and South America.

South Africa/Mozambique: Bushbuckridge/Maputo
Situated at the crossroads between South Africa, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe, Bushbuckridge is a cluster of rural communities near the heart of southern Africa migration and trade. Students also study in Maputo, Mozambique, comparing how communities have been mobilizing to address local health needs while preserving their social networks and their close relationship to the land.

Vietnam: Hanoi
One of Southeast Asias most vibrant and rapidly developing nations, Vietnam has succeeded in dramatically reducing poverty. New socioeconomic challenges stem from widening inequalities and increasing environmental damage. Students explore the themes of urban development, family health, and the role of NGOs in Hanoi and rural settings.

Brazil: Sao Paulo
Nowhere in the world has the great 20th and 21st century public health challenge - HIV/AIDS has been as aggressively and progressively addressed as in Brazil. In Sao Paulo, students witness its success and probe how the Brazilian model - direct democracy in action can be applied elsewhere. Examine culture, politics, and health in the largest urban area in South America.

Cost in US$: USD 23,650

Experience Required: no

This Program is open to Worldwide Participants.

Participants Travel in Groups

Typically Participants Work in Groups of 30

Application Process Involves:

• In-Person Interview when Feasible
• Letters of Reference
• Phone Interview
• Transcript
• Written Application

Post-Program Services Include:

• Alumni Network
• Exit Debriefing Abroad
• Job and Internship Network

International Honors Program's Mission Statement: The International Honors Program is in its 50th year of providing an unequaled opportunity for college students to examine the most significant social, political and environmental issues confronting countries and cultures around the world. The hallmark of IHP's programs is a unique comparative approach in which participants study a thematic topic in several different countries over one semester or full academic year. This multinational perspective allows students to analyze and contrast today's global conditions, evaluate issues and challenges, and compare solutions. The IHP experience engenders new questions and ideas, and prompts students to consider their lifelong roles in the global community. Themes such as public health, the environment, globalization, urban planning, governance, social justice and human rights are studied within the framework of the program. Offered in affiliation with SIT, the accredited higher education program of World Learning, IHP offers a rigorous curriculum enhanced by a diversity of learning methods and settings. Experiential activities such as site visits and case studies complement interdisciplinary team teaching led by in-country and traveling faculty. Students also step out of the classroom to interact with activists, public figures, government and organizational leaders, as well as citizens from all walks of life who are directly involved in the themes explored. Homestays give students the opportunity to get to know local families and to become immersed in the culture and traditions of each country, creating lasting connections and memorable insights. IHP participants are as broadly diverse as the places they visit and the people they meet. Personal backgrounds and areas of study vary widely among students, who come from all academic levels at colleges and universities across the USA, Canada and beyond.

Year Founded: 1958