Race, Ethnicity And Culture In Health (REACH)

Course Description

The primary goal of this course is to understand mechanisms of racism and health and specifically, how racial health inequities are produced across deep–rooted macro level forces (e.g., social–institutional mechanisms), which shape the experiences of racialized minorities. This course will provide students with the opportunity in an inclusive space to critically think about how racial disparities are created through systemic racism. We will discuss societal advantages and disadvantages based on intersectional identities (e.g., race/ethnicity, immigration status, gender) and how these processes are reproduced through the interactions across multiple levels (e.g., individual, family, community, institutional).

We will examine key dimensions which impact the health of communities of color. This course will frame our understanding through key historical processes and theoretical frameworks (e.g., critical race theories, theory of fundamental causes), as well as consider methods, interventions, and future directions to address racial health disparities for public health researchers and practitioners. Key topics in our course include understanding the public health discourse on race and racism, and how these dynamics intersect with systems that may indirectly and directly impact health (e.g., criminal justice system/ policing, immigration detention, education). The focus of this course draws upon both US and Canadian contemporary contexts. This course requires students’ active participation, engagement, and discussion in grappling with the material.