Holism and Our Healthcare System: Personal Wellness, Healthy Communities and Healthy Organizations

Note: This 8-credit intensive weekend program will meet from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on selected Saturdays and Sundays. You must be present at the first class to be considered registered. Use of Moodle Web-based software is a required part of this program.

This year-long program is designed for students who would like to enhance their understanding of the social, cultural, and political factors that influence health and health care in the United States. We will focus on individual health and wellness, culture and health, health policy and management, and healthcare advocacy. The class will explore the definitions, determinants, and implications of health for both individuals and populations. How do individuals define health and wellbeing? How do culture, economics, and institutional racism affect the attainment of health? Why are some people healthier than others? What can we do about the systematic difference that results in health inequity in the United States? How do people who wish to eliminate barriers to equity remain healthy themselves?

The class will examine the context of individual health and wellbeing as well as social determinants of population health inequity in the United States. Health literacy and health activation will be examined as ways to link individual self-efficacy and autonomy to effective interaction with the health care system. The class will consider the potential for popular culture, including hip-hop, other spoken word art, visual art and music to provide tools for the development of health autonomy in oppressed communities. The importance of individual self-awareness and health preservation for those who would catalyze change will also be explored.