MPH5255 - Health and human rights - 2019

This unit examines the interrelationship between public health and human rights. It begins be providing a overview of the development, content and application of human rights. Human rights aspects of contemporary local and international health concerns are then considered.

Upon successful completion of this unit, students should be able to:

1. Familiarity with the theoretical foundations of human rights.
2. Discuss the development international human rights instruments, their status, mechanisms for their enforcement and their corresponding practical limitations.
3. Explain the interrelationship between human rights and health through exploration of current human rights dilemmas.
4. Investigate the different mechanisms by which human rights can shape public health programming and practice generally and their respective limitations.
5. Identify the human rights issues of particular situations including complex humanitarian emergencies, armed conflict and particular group issues.
6. Critically apply different human rights approaches to health and understand their strengths and weaknesses.
7. Apply human rights knowledge to a diversity of public health issues including family violence, asylum seekers and indigenous health.

• Team presentation (5 minutes per student, plus question time) (10%)
• Critical reflection (1800 words) (30%)
• Research essay (3600 words) (60%) (Hurdle)

6 hours of teacher-directed readings per week, and 6 hours of self-directed study per week. Students must attend 4 on-campus Block Days.

See also Unit timetable information

Weekly reading as required and contribution to online discussion forum.

Public health

http://www.med.monash.edu.au/epidemiology/pgrad