3 CREDITS
PROFESSOR DOUG ELVERS
Human rights are inextricably linked to the achievement of public health policy goals. This course provides an introduction to the relationship between health policy and human rights. As a survey course, it ranges broadly over theoretical approaches and concrete issues relating to the realization of human rights in the context of domestic and international public health policies. For public policy, public health, and law students seeking to gain an understanding of human rights, this course will complement other rights-based courses at UNC, giving students a foundation for future studies at the intersection of human rights and public health. The focus of this course will be on rights-based approaches to health, applying a human rights perspective to selected public health policies, programs, and interventions. Specifically, this course will teach students how to apply a formalistic human rights framework to a wide range of critical issues in public health, exploring the role of human rights as both a safeguard against harm and a catalyst for health promotion. Upon completion, students will have acquired an understanding of the social, economic, cultural, legal, and political processes by which human rights inform public health objectives.