Introduction to Public Health Sciences, 7.5 credits

Bachelor's degree or vocational training corresponding to 180 ECTS credits (120 credits in previous Swedish system) in public health sciences, health care, or another relevant medical or social science subject area

Upon completion of the course, students should be able to: - analytically discuss, in written form, basic scientific concepts, methodological perspectives, and extra-scientific factors that govern public health research, - understand the evaluation of global trends affecting health, including epidemics, injuries, chronic health problems, and mental illnesses, - critically compare different approaches to management of public health problems and to promoting health, and interpret opposing viewpoints in these fields, - formulate at least two potential research themes within the field of public health that might be pursued as a topic for a master thesis

1. Foundations of modern public health: An overview 2. Data on populations and mortality, inequality in health 3. The burden of disease and other summary measures of population health 4. Health care services and population health 5. Communicable diseases and public health 6. Non-communicable diseases and public health 7. The importance of environmental health in public health 8. Philosophy-of-science perspectives on public-health research

The course will be given on location as well as by distance learning over the internet. The on-location version of the course requires complete attendance in lectures and seminars. Students will be given independent assignments, to be reported in writing and discussed in class. One assignment is to interview a local public health official. The internet version of the course, which requires that the student has ongoing access to the internet, is based on text readings, report writing, and one interview with a local public health official. Each week students who study the distance version of the course will be asked to post one of their short reports to the class’s website, in order to share their findings with other students.

The on-location version of the course includes six written examinations and assignments. The examinations consist of multiple-choice and essay questions. Progress reports take place every Friday. Material covered during each week will be the source of Friday examination questions. Students have the option of submitting up to two reports based on material in obligatory reading, in order to make up missed work or to obtain additional points leading to a passing grade. The internet version of the course includes two written examinations, one midterm and one final exam. Both include multiple-choice and essay questions. In each examination students have the option of resubmitting multiple-choice items until they answer each item correctly. It will further be possible to submit up to two reports based on material in obligatory readings, in order to make up missed work or to qualify for a passing grade