GIST 3250 - Transnational Migration and Health

Goals: Learn about impact of migration on health; work in small group to research a population and design a migrant friendly health initiative for them.

Content: This course examines the implications of population movements for well-being and health, as well as the global labor market in trained health care workers. According to the United Nations, during the decades of the 1970s through the early 2000s, the number of migrants crossing international borders grew steadily so that now at least one out of every 35 people on the planet is an international migrant. This increase in movement has occurred for a variety of reasons, including: natural disasters and environmental degradation; poverty and lack of access to basic services; conflict, war, political persecution, and discrimination; a quest for new opportunities such as education and work. On top of this, an unbalanced system pushes Global South communities to export their health professionals (creating staffing crises), while powerful Global North entities export health ideas and ideologies (along with trade and aid) thereby creating unconscious superiority around health practices that may not meet the needs of local communities.

We will begin by learning about migrant, refugee, and diasporic communities and the kinds of health issues they face; and we will learn about the global labor market in trained health care workers. Students will then work in small groups to research a specific population of transnational migrants (e.g., Somali people in the UK, Polish people in Argentina, or Shona [Zimbabwean] people in Australia), gathering information about challenges to health and well-being for that particular community. Ultimately students will design a “migrant friendly health initiative” for their chosen group, and at the end of the semester they will present their innovative program or system to the class.

Credits: 4