Health Promotion & Policy 632 - Social Justice & Public Health

Social justice is an integral part of public health but what exactly is social justice and how can the public health professional bring this concept into daily practice? This course is about the intersection of public health and social justice. We will concentrate on the meaning of social justice and how it is applicable to the public health professional. The course is roughly divided into three sections. First we will look at the philosophical underpinnings of social justice using classical and contemporary theorists. Second, we will see how social injustice affects various populations. Public health is concerned with populations, but different population groups may be affected differently and we look at the elderly, minorities, the poor, and other groups through a social justice perspective. We will also address topic-based areas such as nutrition, violence, and infectious diseases. Third, we will investigate a theory of social justice as a foundation for public health practice. Critical reading, philosophical analysis and group discussion is emphasized.