Spring 2014
RUTGERS, THE STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW JERSEY
Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
New Brunswick, NJ 08903
Spring 2014
Class meets: Mondays: 9:50 – 12:30
Class meets Room 112 Civic Square
Phone: 201-424-0485
Instructor: Ann Graham
Office hours: Mondays after class
Email: aegraham@rci.rutgers.edu
Women and Health
Course #34:832:516; 10:832:415
Goals and Learning Objectives: The goal of the course is to develop students'
knowledge of current issues in women and health, the global context of health
problems women encounter and the obstacles to health care, and how women and
their movements have strived to overcome these obstacles. Students will learn
about the important and fundamental issues of women and health including
universal access to sexual and reproductive health care (including family planning),
reproductive rights, and the reduction of maternal mortality as well as specific
issues of violence against women (including sexual, trafficking, war and conflict),
HIV/AIDS, demographic imbalances, childhood, adolescent and elderly
discrimination, and workplace health issues. By following a single country, each
student will gather in-depth knowledge of these specific issues of women and
health.
Format: Everyone is required to read all of the assigned articles and chapters, and
each week a group of 2-3 students will present an analysis of the readings and pose
leading questions that probe the meaning of the articles for class discussion.
Students are asked to collaborate so that the week’s topic is presented in a coherent
manner.
Requirements: The syllabus lists the assigned readings. One book, From Outrage to
Courage: Women Taking Action for Health and Justice, by Anne Firth Murray, is
required and available in the bookstore and all other readings for the course are
available on the Sakai site, organized by week. Students are expected to complete all
readings for each class, attend all classes on time, and participate actively in each
class.
This seminar is interactive. Students will be working with country data and will
present their findings in class. Each student will choose a country to follow
throughout the semester. A list will be circulated the first day of class.
All students are required to write three short (5-8 pages) papers reviewing the
assigned readings; the first is due February 24, the second is due March 24, and the
third is due April 21. All work is due on the deadline. Graduate students are exempt
from the third short paper but are required to write a research paper; it is due on .
The subject of the research paper is to be cleared with me in advance; an abstract of
the research paper and an indicative bibliography are due on March 3.
All students are expected to attend classes on time and stay for the double class
period; attendance is taken at the beginning of class. Please note that you lose 2
points for each absence not supported by a doctor’s or dean’s note (religious
holidays excepted). All absences should be reported on the self-reporting absence
log https://sims.rutgers.edu/ssra/. Late arrivals are sometimes unavoidable but they
are disruptive; latecomers will lose ½ point off the final grade for each late arrival.
Grading: Graduate students’ grades are based on two papers (20% each), the
research paper (30%), and presentations, class participation, and attendance (30%).
Undergraduate students’ grades are based on the three papers (first 15%, second
25%, third 30%), and presentations, class participation, and attendance (30%).
Final grades: 90-100% = A; 85-89% = B+; 80-84% = B; 70-74% = C; 75-79% = C+;
65-69% = D; < 65 = F.
ACADEMIC MISCONDUCT: A BLOUSTEIN SCHOOL PERSPECTIVE
Academic misconduct includes cheating, plagiarism, failure to cite sources,
fabrication and falsification, stealing ideas, and deliberate slanting of research
designs to achieve a pre-conceived result. Penalties for misconduct can range from
failing an assignment/exam to dismissal from the university. When in doubt about
you may consult me or for further information you can go to:
http://academicintegrity.rutgers.edu/students.shtml. Academic misconduct almost
always happens for two reasons. One is ignorance of academic rules and practices,
generally concerning the rules of content attribution, especially as it relates to
Internet content. Unfortunately, ignorance is no excuse. Pressure is the second
common reason for academic misconduct; if you feel overwhelmed, there are
resources available. Ask for help. The Bloustein School plays an important role in
the planning and public policy agenda and so our work, our faculty and staff, and
our students must be above reproach.
Cell phone and laptop policy: Turn off your phone and put it away before class starts.
No cell phone, texting, Facebook, email use is permitted in class. Use of laptops is
allowed for note-taking only. Please abide by this policy.
Outline
Week 1:
Week 2:
Week 3:
Week 4:
Week 5:
Week 6:
Week 7:
Week 8:
Week 9:
Week 10:
Week 11:
Week 12:
Week 13:
Week 14:
Introduction: Why Women’s Health?
Population Dynamics
Women’s Health, Economic Development and the Environment
Education, Empowerment, and Adolescent Health
Maternal and Reproductive Health and Family Planning
Sexually Transmitted Diseases in Women
Violence Against Women as a Public Health Issue
War, Conflict and Refugees
Fertility and Infertility in the Global Context
Food Security, Nutrition and Health
Laboring in a Globalized World
Aging in a Man’s World
Making a Difference and Choosing Priorities: Women’s Actions for
Change
Student Presentations
Week 1: Monday, January 27: Introduction: Why Women’s Health?
Introduction to Women’s Health and Human Rights
Foreword, Prologue and Chapter 1 of From Outrage to Courage
Moss, Nancy E., 2002. “Gender equity and socioeconomic inequality: a framework
for the patterning of women’s health, “ Social Science and Medicine 54: pp. 649-661,
2002.
Week 2: Monday, February 3: Population Dynamics
Why is population and the world’s missing women an issue for issues of
women’s health?
UNFPA. 2012. Population Matters for Sustainable Development, pp. 1-20.
Chapter 2: From Outrage to Courage
UNFPA, 2012. Sex Imbalances at birth: Current Trends and Policy Implications, pp.
13-76
Week 3: Monday, February 10: Women’s Health and the Environment
What is the impact of energy use, climate change, and choices (or lack
thereof) on women’s health? How does women’s empowerment affect the
health of their surroundings?
Wilkinson, P. et al. 2007. A global perspective on energy: health effects and
injustices. Lancet 2007: 370: 965-78.
Varkety. 2010. Empowerment of women and its association with the health of the
community. Journal of Women’s Health. Vol. 19: No. 1. pp. 71-76.
World Bank, 2011. Gender and Climate Change in Bangladesh
Week 4: Monday, February 17: Education, Empowerment, and Adolescent
Health
What are the principal health-related risks of adolescent girls? Why does
education matter?
Chapters 3 and 4: From Outrage to Courage (except for section on HIV/AIDS)
Lloyd, Cynthia. New Lessons: The Power of Educating Adolescent Girls. Population
Council, 2009. Chapters 3 and 4
UNFPA, 2012. Marrying Too Young: End Child Marriage read pp 8-58
Bearinger, Linda H. et al, 2007. Global Perspectives on the Sexual and Reproductive
Health of Adolescents, The Lancet: 369: March 2007
Case Study: Overlooked and at Risk: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Youth
in the Caribbean: Advocates for Youth, 2010.
Week 5: Monday, February 24: *Maternal and Reproductive Health and
Family Planning
Why do we need to talk about maternal mortality in the 21st century?
Gaining a deeper understanding of the interconnectedness of maternal health
and empowerment.
Chapter 5: From Outrage to Courage
Global Health Watch 3. 2011. Maternal Mortality: Need for a Broad Framework of
Intervention pp. 124-132
Gawande, Atul, 2013. “Slow Ideas”, The New Yorker, July 29, 2013.
Freedman, Lynn P, et al. 2007. Practical Lessons from Global Safe Motherhood
initiatives: time for a new focus on implementation. The Lancet, Vol. 370.
UNFPA, 2008. Making Reproductive Rights and Sexual and Reproductive Health a
Reality for All, read 6-35.
Bongaarts, John and Steven Sinding, 2011. “Population Policy in the Developing
World”, Science, Vol.333, July 29,2011. pp. 574-575.
*First Assignment Due
Week 6: Monday, March 3: Sexually Transmitted Diseases in Women
The danger of STDs to the health of women and children
Chapters 4 section on HIV/AIDS: From Outrage to Courage
UNAIDS. UNAIDS report on the global AIDS epidemic. Geneva: UNAIDS, 2013.
Low, N, 2006. “Global control of Sexually Transmitted Infections”, The Lancet, 2006:
368: 2001-16.
Dworkin, Shari L. and Kim Blankenship, 2009. “Microfinance and HIV/AIDS
Prevention: Assessing its Promise and Limitations”, AIDS Behav 13: 462-269. 2009.
Week 7: Monday, March 10: Violence Against Women as a Global Public
Health Issue
Women in a violent world: the most pervasive human rights violation
Chapter 6: From Outrage to Courage
Jewkes, Rachel et al. 2013. Prevalence of and factors associated with non-partner
rape perpetration: findings from the UN Multi-country Transectional study on Men
and Violence in Asia and the Pacific, The Lancet, Vol. 1 October 2013.
WHO, 2008. Eliminating Female genital mutilation: An interagency statement read
p11-21
Week 8*: Monday March 24: War, Conflict and Refugees
Disastrous effects of war on women and girls
Chapter 7: From Outrage to Courage
Samira, Sami et al, 2013. “Responding to the Syrian Crisis: the needs of women and
girls,” The Lancet, November 8, 2013
Hynes, H.P. 2004. “On the battlefield of women’s bodies: an overview of the harm of
war to women,” Women’s Studies International Forum 27 (5-6):431-445
*Abstract of graduate papers due today
Week 9*: Monday, March 31: Fertility and Infertility in the Global Context
The globalization of reproduction. Are new technologies empowering or
subjugating women?
Global Health Watch 3, 2011. “New Reproductive Technologies”, pp. 304-311.
Jayaraman, Vinod Mishra and Fred Arnold, 2009. “ The Relationship of Family Size
and Composition to Fertility Desires, Contraceptive Adoption and Method Choice in
South Asia”, ICF International: Volume 35, No. 1, March 2009.
Mascarenhas, Maya et al, 2012. “National, Regional and Global Trends in Infertility
Prevalence Since 1990: A Systematic Analysis of 277 Health Surveys,” World Health
Organization (WHO), 2012.
*Second paper due today
Week 10: Monday, April 7: Food Security, Nutrition and Health
The right to food is as essential as women’s right to health
Bellows AC, Lemke S, Jenderedjian A, Scherbaum V. "A rights-based analysis of
gender, nutrition, and structural exclusion: case studies from Georgia and South
Africa." Journal Violence Against Women. Forthcoming 2014.
De Schutter, Olivier, 2012. “Women’s rights and the right to food, “ Report to the
Human Rights Council, United Nations General Assembly, December 24, 2012.
Week 11: Monday, April 14: Laboring in a Globalized World
Working women: A lifetime of challenge
Chapter 8: From Outrage to Courage
Miller, Elizabeth et al, 2007. “Sexual Exploitation and Women’s Health: A Case
Report from a Community health Center,” Violence Against Women, 13: 486, 2007.
WHO, 2006. “ Gender equality, work and health: a review of the evidence”.
Read pp. 1-23.
WMA. Statement on Violence in the Health Sector by Patients and Those Close to
Them, World Medical Journal, November 1, 2012, Vol. 58, Issue 5/6 p 194-196.
Week 12: Monday, April 21: Aging in a Man’s World
Health consequences of aging after a lifetime of work. Is the health of elderly
women a priority?
Chapter 9: From Outrage to Courage
UNFPA. 2012. Ageing in the Twenty-First Century: a Celebration and a Challenge read
pp. 12-33.
Katsiki, Niki et al. 2011. “Stroke, Obesity and gender: A review of the literature”,
Maturitas 69, 2011. pp. 239-243.
“The Plight of nuns: hazards of nulliparity”, 2011. The Lancet Online
Tsu, V. 2005. “Preventing cervical cancer in low-resource settings: How far have we
come and what does the future hold?” International Journal of Gynecology and
Obsetrics, 89: S55-S59, 2005.
Malakoff, David, 2011. “Gray Ladies in the Spotlight”, Science, Vol. 333, July 2011.
Coughlin et al, 2009. “Breast Cancer as a Global Health Concern”, Cancer
Epidemiology, 33, pp. 315-318, 2011.
Week 13*: Monday, April 28: Making a Difference and Choosing Priorities:
Women’s Actions for Change
How do women affect change? Through their own organizations and their
influence of social policy
Chapter 10: From Outrage to Courage
Solar O, Irwin A. 2010. A conceptual framework for action on the social
determinants of health. Social Determinants of Health Discussion. Geneva:
WHO Paper 2 (Policy and Practice). Read Executive Summary pp 4-9
Molyneux, Maxine and Marilyn Thompson, 2011. “Cash Transfers, gender equity
and women’s empowerment in Peru, Bolivia, and Ecuador”, Gender and
Development, July 15,2011. (online)
*Third Assignment Due Today
Week 14: Monday, May 5: Student Presentations/Graduate Papers Due