Education
COURSES
How do you come up with an idea for a useful research project in a low-resource setting? How do you develop a research question, prepare a concept note, and get your project funded? How do you manage complex cultural situations, unexpected problems, and personnel in the field? How do you create a sampling strategy, select a study design, and ensure ethical conduct with human subjects? This course takes students through the process of health research in under-resourced countries from the development of the initial research question and literature review to securing support and providing detailed planning for field work. Students develop a concept note to support a funding proposal addressing a research question of their choosing, while receiving weekly feedback. This course is aimed at graduate students interested in global health research, although students of all disciplines interested in practical methods for research are welcome. Undergraduates who have completed 85 units or more may enroll with instructor consent. Sign up for 1 unit credit to audit class sessions or 3 units to both participate in classes and develop a concept note.
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This course undertakes a critical assessment of how different academic disciplines frame global health problems and recommend pathways toward improvements. It focuses on evaluating examples of different theories of change in specific global health interventions and analyzing both their successes and failures. Open to graduate students studying in any discipline whose research work or interest engages global health. Upper-class undergraduates who have completed at least one of the prerequisite courses and who are willing to commit to the preparatory time required by a graduate level seminar class are welcome. Prerequisites: ECON118, CEE 265D, HUMBIO 129S or HUMBIO 124C.
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Is human extinction inevitable? Is it necessarily bad for the planet? What might we do to avert human extinction? Although 99.9% of all species that have ever inhabited Earth are now extinct, the subject nonetheless poses deeply disturbing implications for us humans, the only species that can anticipate its own demise. This course will explore several plausible scenarios by which human extinction could occur within the next 100 years. We’ll study the psychological, social, and epistemological barriers that frequently derail efforts to avert these catastrophes. We will also explore approaches to assessing these risks, strategies that could reduce them, and better ways to think and act as we move inevitably toward our uncertain future. Students will engage with these issues via academic reading, apocalyptic fiction, group discussion, writing, and role-playing. We will consider the role of human agency in the evolution of these risks, their prevention, and our responsibilities as 21st-century citizens.
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CIGH Research Methods Retreat
A two-day seminar for residents, fellows and medical students interested in developing research skills applicable to global health. Usually held in Fall Quarter.
2022: Tuesday, November 8 and Thursday, November 10.