LEARNING OBJECTIVES
- Understand your responsibility to continually acquire and share global health perspectives and information as a contributing member of your learning community
- Identify and articulate the unique perspectives and experiences that you want to share within your community, and prepare to listen and learn from the perspectives and experiences of others
- Describe and access a variety of global health information sources that can inform global health work and study
- Consider literature and the arts as ways to inform and better understand health and well-being
- Create a personalized plan to use information sources, the arts, networks, and engagement to stay informed about global health
You are probably studying global health because you are interested in engaging with people from around the world, and you want, in some way, to be a partner for global change. You might be aware that, while 3.2 billion people had access to the Internet in 2015 (International Telecommunications Union, 2016, June), approximately 2.1 billion people, in spite of progress in recent decades, lack access to a safe water supply at home, and 4.4 billion lack safely managed sanitation (United Nations Childrenâs Fund, 2016). Further, 795 million people, nearly one in nine, are undernourished (Food and Agriculture Organization, 2015). You might be concerned about disease outbreaks such as the Ebola or Zika viruses, or you might find excitement in the possibility of polio eradication, which is within reach if political will and technical know-how can come together to address it. Perhaps you are interested in combating maternal and infant mortality, which will require strategies that combine health care with nutritional support and overall poverty reduction. You might be motivated by issues related to the environment and health, with an interest in sustaining human life and caring for the earth at the same time. You likely already know that these matters form the action agenda for your generation, and that addressing these problems is a complex enterprise. These challenges can be overwhelming, the barriers are formidable, and yet you want to engage, because advancing global health and well-being is important to you. You want to learn, and you think you have something to offer.
You may be a student who has traveled extensively, or you may be preparing for your first journey. Many of you will be studying places that are completely new to you, hoping to understand and embrace cultural differences while you find a way to make an impact. Some of you are exploring countries or regions that are somehow part of your own heritage, hoping that your special knowledge and connection will be an asset, as you bridge distance and generations to live a global life. Others may be preparing to engage with health challenges and disparities in your own country and community, bringing a new global lens to a familiar place. Still others are interested in working âeverywhere,â on issues that transcend national boundaries, such as infectious disease pandemics, the impact of climate change, and global resource scarcity. You aspire to work in the professions of health, education, engineering, agriculture, and governance. You are students of the biological sciences, the humanities and social sciences, the arts, and many other fields that can contribute to improved global health.
You and your classmates are motivated by many things, such as curiosity, a sense of justice, your faith, a spirit of adventure, a feeling of compassion and care for people, an interest in economic development, or a desire to foster peace or to promote the sustainability of our planet. You are part of a generation of students that has more access to information than any previous generation, and you are more interconnected than ever with other young people from a wide variety of backgrounds.
The geographic, disciplinary, and human terrain to be covered is vast, and the global health field is dynamic, with new challenges and perspectives and innovations emerging constantly. What does a student like you expect to learn in a global health class? What should you expect from your teachers? And what should they expect from you?
The study of global health can embrace the rich and diverse information available through a pedagogy of joint learning. Course leaders offer core content and structure to the inquiry, drawing on their own expertise as well as guest lectures from the campus and the community. Students contribute information and perspectives from their life experiences. In this way, the global health class is a rich learning experience for faculty members and students alike. Your study will be informed by many voices, many disciplines, and intergenerational perspectives.
This chapter provides guidance toward gaining global perspectives from within your classroom community, and outlines how you can use a broad range of information sources from health and social sciences research, the popular media, literature, music, and art to develop a global worldview. To explore these matters further, consider the following chapters in part 3: Brian Simpsonâs So You Want to Save the World? First, Youâve Got to Know It (chapter 21) and Louise Pennerâs reflection, The Importance of Narrative to Global Health Research and Practice (chapter 37). Self-directed reading during your global health course will help you identify your specific interests, talents, and passions. It will also allow you to be a deliberative and well-informed citizen advocate for improved healthâboth locally and globally, now and in the future.
