Public Health is an interdisciplinary concentration through which students examine a variety of health issues, including population health and disease, health policy, cross-cultural and international aspects of health, the organizational and social structures through which health services are delivered and received, and the public health system. Courses in the concentration allow students to explore the ways in which the social, political, behavioral and biological sciences contribute to the understanding of patterns of population distributions of health and disease. The concentration also provides students with courses in basic research methods and statistics necessary for problem solving and critical thinking in the emerging emphasis on evidence-based health care and public health.
Requirements for Class of 2023 and Beyond
| 1. Core Courses (non-substitutable; 5 required for all students) | ||
| PHP 0310 | Health Care in the United States | 1 |
| PHP 0320 | Introduction to Public Health | 1 |
| PHP 0850 | Fundamentals of Epidemiology | 1 |
| PHP 1501 | Essentials of Data Analysis | 1 |
| PHP 1910 | Public Health Senior Seminar | 1 |
| 2. Environmental Health and Policy (select one of the following): | 1 | |
PHP 0720 | Public Health and the Environment | |
| World of Food: Personal to Global Perspectives on Nutrition, Agriculture and Policy | ||
| Current Topics in Environmental Health | ||
| 3. Health, Health Care Systems, and Policy (select one of the following): | 1 | |
PHP 0330 | Public Health Policy | |
| From Manufacturer to Patient: Why is the Cost of Prescription Drugs So Darn High? | ||
| Comparative Health Care Systems | ||
PHP 1480 | Introduction To Public Health Economics | |
| 4. Social and Behavioral Science for Prevention (select one of the following): | 1 | |
PHP 0400 | Intro to Health Disparities | |
PHP 0700 | Global Public Health Interventions | |
| World of Food: Personal to Global Perspectives on Nutrition, Agriculture and Policy | ||
| Alcohol Use and Misuse | ||
| Obesity in the 21st Century: Causes, Consequences and Countermeasures | ||
| Tobacco, Disease and the Industry: cigs, e-cigs and more | ||
PHP 1650 | Race, Racism, and Health | |
| Intersectionality and Health Inequities | ||
| Technology and Health Behavior Change | ||
| Social Determinants of Health | ||
| 5. Global Health Elective (select one of the following): | 1 | |
PHP 0700 | Global Public Health Interventions | |
PHP 0720 | Public Health and the Environment | |
| The Burden of Disease in Developing Countries | ||
| 6. Health Disparities Elective (select one of the following): | 1 | |
PHP 0400 | Intro to Health Disparities | |
PHP 1650 | Race, Racism, and Health | |
| Pathology to Power: Disability, Health and Community | ||
| Intersectionality and Health Inequities | ||
| Designing Education for Better Prisoner and Community Health | ||
| Social Determinants of Health | ||
| 7. Biology (select one of the following): | 1 | |
| The Foundation of Living Systems | ||
| Genetics | ||
| Introductory Microbiology | ||
| Principles of Immunology | ||
| Principles of Physiology | ||
| 8. Humanities/Fine Arts/Humanistic Social Sciences for Public Health (select one of the following): | 1 | |
| African American Health Activism from Emancipation to AIDS | ||
| Policy, Culture and Discourse that Shape Health and Access to Healthcare | ||
| Race, Sexuality, and Mental Disability History (HMAN 1973A) | ||
| The Anti-Trafficking Savior Complex: Saints, Sinners, and Modern-Day Slavery | ||
| Health and Healing in American History (STS 1110, GNSS 1960B) | ||
| The Psychology and Philosophy of Happiness (PHIL 0650) | ||
| Women’s Writing in the Arab World | ||
| Literature and Medicine | ||
| Introduction to Contemplative Studies | ||
| Writing Science | ||
ENGL 1140D | Writing Diversity | |
| Treaty Rights and Food Fights: Eating Local in Indian Country | ||
| Native American Environmental Health Movements | ||
| Reproductive Health: Science and Politics | ||
| Introduction to Gender and Sexuality Studies | ||
| Literary Imaginations of the Law: Human Rights and Literature | ||
| Spanish for Health Care Workers | ||
| Health, Illness and Medicine in Spanish and Spanish American Literature and Film | ||
| Foods and Drugs in History | ||
| From the Columbian Exchange to Climate Change: Modern Global Environmental History | ||
| History of Medicine I: Medical Traditions in the Old World Before 1700 | ||
| Tropical Delights: Imagining Brazil in History and Culture | ||
| Humanitarianism and Conflict in Africa | ||
| From Medieval Bedlam to Prozac Nation: Intimate Histories of Psychiatry and Self | ||
| Medicine and Public Health in Africa | ||
| U.S. Human Rights in a Global Age | ||
| Gender, Race, and Medicine in the Americas | ||
| International Perspectives on NGOs, Public Health, and Health Care Inequalities | ||
| Sexuality, Human Rights and Health: Latin American Perspective and Brazilian Experiences | ||
HMAN 1973P | Neurodiversity | |
| Poetry for Healing Territories | ||
| Modern Science and Human Values | ||
| Philosophy of Social Science | ||
| Global Justice | ||
| Histories of Global Health from Lusophone Africa: Biomedical Actions in Angola, Mozambique, Guinea | ||
RELS 0250 | Bodily Practice and Religion | |
| Artists and Scientists as Partners | ||
| Artists and Scientists as Partners: Theory to Practice | ||
| Total Credits | 12 | |
Requirements for Classes of 2021 and 2022
| 1. Core Courses: (non-substitutable; 4 required for honors, 5 for non-honors) | ||
| PHP 0310 | Health Care in the United States | 1 |
This course is best taken as a freshman or sophomore. | ||
| PHP 0320 | Introduction to Public Health | 1 |
This course is a prerequisite to the Fundamentals of Epidemiology (PHP 0850) and is best taken as a freshman or sophomore. | ||
| PHP 0850 | Fundamentals of Epidemiology | 1 |
This course is best taken by end of junior year before PHP 1910, Senior Seminar. | ||
| PHP 1501 | Essentials of Data Analysis | 1 |
This course is best taken by end of junior year before PHP 1910, Senior Seminar. | ||
| PHP 1910 | Public Health Senior Seminar | 1 |
| 2. Environmental Health and Policy (Select one of the following): | 1 | |
| World of Food: Personal to Global Perspectives on Nutrition, Agriculture and Policy | ||
| Current Topics in Environmental Health | ||
| Climate Change and Human Health | ||
| Community Engagement with Health and the Environment | ||
| Environmental Health and Disease | ||
| Equity and the Environment: Movements, Scholarship, Solutions | ||
| Environmental Stewardship and Resilience in Urban Systems | ||
| 3. Health, Health Care Systems and Policy (Select one of the following): | 1 | |
| From Manufacturer to Patient: Why is the Cost of Prescription Drugs So Darn High? | ||
| The Burden of Disease in Developing Countries | ||
| Comparative Health Care Systems | ||
| Human Security and Humanitarian Response: Increasing Effectiveness and Accountability | ||
| Designing Education for Better Prisoner and Community Health | ||
| Health Economics | ||
| Health Policy Challenges | ||
| 4. Social and Behavioral Science for Prevention (Select one of the following): | 1 | |
| Doctors and Patients- Clinical Communication in Medicine | ||
| HIV/AIDS in Africa: A Multidisciplinary Approach to Support HIV/AIDS Care and Treatment Programs | ||
| Alcohol Use and Misuse | ||
| Obesity in the 21st Century: Causes, Consequences and Countermeasures | ||
| Tobacco, Disease and the Industry: cigs, e-cigs and more | ||
| Intersectionality and Health Inequities | ||
| Meditation, Mindfulness and Health | ||
PHP 1885 | Measuring Mindfulness | |
| The Craving Mind | ||
| Social Determinants of Health | ||
| Designing and Evaluating Public Health Interventions | ||
| Politics of Food | ||
| 5. Biology (Select one of the following) | 1 | |
| Note that AP Biology does not exempt students from this requirement. Most students will likely take BIOL 0200. Students who place out of BIOL 0200 with AP credit can choose one of the other four (4) courses. | ||
| The Foundation of Living Systems | ||
| Genetics | ||
| Introductory Microbiology | ||
| Principles of Immunology | ||
| Principles of Physiology | ||
| 6. Humanities/Fine Arts/Humanistic Social Sciences Course for Public Health (Select one of the following) | 1 | |
| African American Health Activism from Emancipation to AIDS | ||
| Policy, Culture and Discourse that Shape Health and Access to Healthcare | ||
| Race, Sexuality, and Mental Disability History | ||
| The Anti-Trafficking Savior Complex: Saints, Sinners, and Modern-Day Slavery | ||
| Health and Healing in American History | ||
| Introduction to Contemplative Studies | ||
| Writing Science | ||
| Treaty Rights and Food Fights: Eating Local in Indian Country | ||
| Native American Environmental Health Movements | ||
| Reproductive Health: Science and Politics | ||
| Introduction to Gender and Sexuality Studies | ||
| Literary Imaginations of the Law: Human Rights and Literature | ||
| Spanish for Health Care Workers | ||
| Health, Illness and Medicine in Spanish and Spanish American Literature and Film | ||
| Foods and Drugs in History | ||
| From the Columbian Exchange to Climate Change: Modern Global Environmental History | ||
| History of Medicine I: Medical Traditions in the Old World Before 1700 | ||
| Humanitarianism and Conflict in Africa | ||
| From Medieval Bedlam to Prozac Nation: Intimate Histories of Psychiatry and Self | ||
| Gender, Race, and Medicine in the Americas | ||
| Medicine and Public Health in Africa | ||
| U.S. Human Rights in a Global Age | ||
| International Perspectives on NGOs, Public Health, and Health Care Inequalities | ||
| Sexuality, Human Rights and Health: Latin American Perspective and Brazilian Experiences | ||
| Modern Science and Human Values | ||
| Philosophy of Social Science | ||
| Global Justice | ||
| Histories of Global Health from Lusophone Africa: Biomedical Actions in Angola, Mozambique, Guinea | ||
| Artists and Scientists as Partners | ||
| 7. General Electives (Class of 2021: Select two) | 2 | |
General electives may be selected from: A. All PHP and BIOL course offerings; B. the approved content area electives (#2, #3, #4, and #5) listed above; or C. the approved general electives listed below. No more than one (1) BIOL course can count as a general elective. | ||
| HIV/AIDS in Africa: A Multidisciplinary Approach to Support HIV/AIDS Care and Treatment Programs | ||
| Pathology to Power: Disability, Health and Community | ||
| Policy, Culture and Discourse that Shape Health and Access to Healthcare | ||
| Health and Healing in American History | ||
| Food in American Society and Culture | ||
| Anthropology and Global Social Problems: Environment, Development, and Governance | ||
| Culture and Health | ||
| AIDS in Global Perspective | ||
| Bioethics and Culture | ||
| Anthropology of Addictions and Recovery | ||
| International Health: Anthropological Perspectives | ||
| Principles of Nutrition (Human Biology/Physiology course) | ||
| Nutrition for Fitness and Physical Activity | ||
| Conservation Medicine | ||
| The Biology of AIDS | ||
| Botanical Roots of Modern Medicine | ||
| The Foundation of Living Systems (Human Biology/Physiology course) | ||
| Genetics (Human Biology/Physiology course) | ||
| Principles of Immunology (Human Biology/Physiology course) | ||
| Principles of Physiology (Human Biology/Physiology course) | ||
| Diet and Chronic Disease | ||
| Controversies in Medicine (Human Biology/Physiology course) | ||
| Social Contexts of Disease | ||
| Social Psychology | ||
| Abnormal Psychology | ||
| Nudge: How to Use Social Psychology to Create Social Change | ||
| Development and the International Economy | ||
| Introduction to Human Development and Education | ||
| Humans, Nature, and the Environment: Addressing Environmental Change in the 21st Century | ||
| Environmental Science in a Changing World | ||
| Introduction to Environmental GIS | ||
| Native American Environmental Health Movements | ||
| Reproductive Health: Science and Politics | ||
| International Perspectives on NGOs, Public Health, and Health Care Inequalities | ||
| The Brain: An Introduction to Neuroscience (Human Biology/Physiology course) | ||
| Psychoactive Drugs and Society | ||
| Nonprofit Organizations | ||
| Engaged Research Engaged Publics | ||
| Social Entrepreneurship | ||
| Politics of Food | ||
| Sex, Gender, and Society | ||
| Environment and Society | ||
| HIV/AIDS: Politics, Culture and Society | ||
| Unequal From Birth: Child Health From a Social Perspective | ||
| Inequalities and Health | ||
| Perceptions of Mental Illness | ||
| Macro-Organizational Theory: Organizations in Social Context | ||
| Aging and the Quality of Life | ||
| Human Needs and Social Services | ||
| Sociology of Medicine | ||
| Aging and Social Policy | ||
| Social Perspectives on HIV/AIDS | ||
| Military Health: The Quest for Healthy Violence | ||
| Science and Social Controversy | ||
| Science and Technology Policy in the Global South | ||
| Meditation and the Brain: Applications in Basic and Clinical Science | ||
| Total Credits | 12 | |
Honors:
Honors Track, Classes of 2021 & 2022
An Honors track is available for students who qualify. For Classes of 2021 & 2022, Honors track students do not enroll in PHP 1910, Senior Seminar during the Fall semester of their senior year, but rather are required to enroll in PHP 1980 for both semesters of their senior year to conduct research and write the honors thesis. Thus, for Classes of 2021 & 2022, thirteen courses are required for completion of the concentration requirements for an honors track student.
Honors Track, Classes of 2023 & Beyond
For Classes of 2023 & beyond, Honors track students enroll in PHP 1910, Senior Seminar during Fall semester of their senior year as well as PHP 1980, Honors Thesis Prep during both semesters of their senior year to conduct research and write the honors thesis. Thus, for Classes of 2023 & beyond, fourteen courses are required for completion of the concentration requirements for an honors track student.
Please visit https://www.brown.edu/academics/public-health/undergraduate/curriculum for details or email Elizabeth Mellen for more information.
Study Abroad/Study Away: Up to four courses taken elsewhere (study abroad or other transfer) may be applied to non-core courses (up to two per semester abroad). Meet with your concentration adviser to discuss and provide a syllabus for each course to be considered for transfer to your concentration plan.