HLTH 351/3.0 - Health in Humanitarian Crises

Humanitarian crises are a major and growing contributor to ill health and vulnerability worldwide, and HLTH 351 is designed as an independent reading and research course for you to examine a topic of your personal interest! Examine the impact of natural or manmade disasters, disease outbreaks, or war and conflict on health outcomes of affected populations. Your research will be guided by your instructor but you will have the opportunity to develop your own project into a once-in-a-lifetime academic experience!

Humanitarian crises due to natural disasters, armed conflict, disease outbreaks and other threats are growing contributors to ill-health worldwide. The on-going effects of crises on health and health systems can destabilize and cripple years of social development progress. Problem based learning will act as the cornerstone to discover, examine and assess the contributors and risk factors of populations affected in complex environments and contexts due to humanitarian crises from a health perspective. Case studies, evolving current events, and experiential learning will be utilized throughout the term to anchor course content. 

HLTH 351 Health in Humanitarian Crisis is one of three HLTH courses offered at the BISC during the winter term as part of a discipline specialized cluster. This course along with HLTH 350 Topics in Global Health, and HLTH 397 Global Health: Challenges in Non Traditional Security, make up the specialized cluster. This cluster is open to all upper year students who meet the prerequisites.

Learning Outcomes

On completion of the course, successful students will be able to:

• demonstrate an understanding of principles, rights and duties for governing humanitarian aid in a crisis setting
• apply transferable knowledge and skills to health and humanitarian responses and the coordination between host governments, the UN, and humanitarian agencies
• analyze the risk factors to the physical, mental, and social health in refugee camps and host communities
• examine objectives, priorities, processes, and minimum standards in human health response during emergency and post-emergency phases of crises.

Experiential Learning Opportunities

Virtual ELOs in HLTH 351 will focus on student engagement outside of the traditional classroom, including an exploration of resarch methods and strategies that support your individual research topic. Applying classroom theory to practical experience provides students with transferable and critical thinking skills situating them for future study or professional careers.