Admission requirements
Required course(s):
None.
Description
This course is designed to help you think critically about what affects the well-being of mothers and children. We will cover several key themes in the field of maternal and child health (MCH):
Who We Study: We will look at the health of all women, infants, children, adolescents, and their families, including fathers and children with special health care needs, around the world.
Life Course Perspective: Drawing on a growing body of literature, we will explore how experiences over a lifetime affect health outcomes for mothers and children.
Family-Centered Approach: We will emphasize a family-centered approach, which promotes the health and well-being of children and their families through respectful partnerships between families and professionals.
Interdisciplinary Insights: We will engage with a range of disciplines to tackle complex health and welfare issues. This interdisciplinary collaboration will help us gain new and potentially unexpected insights into maternal and child health.
Prevention Focus: We will primarily focus on preventing health issues before they start, but we will also discuss the different levels of prevention and their trade-offs.
Addressing Disparities: A major part of this course will focus on health disparities among groups defined by race/ethnicity, age, gender, socioeconomic status, nationality, and geographic location.
By the end of this course, you will have a deeper understanding of the factors that influence maternal and child health and be better equipped to think critically about these important issues.
Course Objectives
Skills:
Students will be able to analyze existing public health programs that addresses maternal and child health and develop their own Theory of Change (ToC) for an MCH program or project (Group assignment 15%).
Students will be able to write focused arguments relating to course content (Two short essays, 17,5% each).
Knowledge:
Students will be able to recognize determinants of health and illness including biological, behavioral, socioeconomic, demographic, cultural and health care systems influences to maternal and child health outcomes (final exam 40%).
Students will read and critically interpret the readings based on the context of the major course themes mentioned in the course description.
Timetable
Timetables for courses offered at Leiden University College in 2024-2025 will be published on this page of the e-Prospectus.
Mode of instruction
This course will take the form of a seminar, with two 2-hour sessions per week. Each class will center on a discussion of the assigned readings. The first hour of each session will focus on presentations and discussions, and the second part will center around experiential learning exercises and/or group work. The instructor may also provide reading questions in advance of class, along with suggestions and strategies for digesting the assigned material. Where applicable, video, internet, or other media will be used for learning purposes. Guest lectures may be provided by experts in the field.
Assessment Method
Engagement (Participation), 10%
Group Work/Presentation, 15%
Two short essays, 17,5% each
Final Exam, 40%
Reading list
TBA
Registration
Courses offered at Leiden University College (LUC) are usually only open to LUC students and LUC exchange students. Leiden University students who participate in one of the university’s Honours tracks or programmes may register for one LUC course, if availability permits. Registration is coordinated by the Education Coordinator, course.administration@luc.leidenuniv.nl.
Contact
Jeroen Lorist, j.lorist@rutgers.nl
Remarks
Readings will be communicated well before the course begins.