Imperial College London
Introduction to Participatory Approaches in Public Health
Imperial College London

Introduction to Participatory Approaches in Public Health

Helen Ward

Instructor: Helen Ward

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Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.
4.5

(12 reviews)

Beginner level

Recommended experience

Flexible schedule
Approx. 18 hours
Learn at your own pace
Prepare for a degree
Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.
4.5

(12 reviews)

Beginner level

Recommended experience

Flexible schedule
Approx. 18 hours
Learn at your own pace
Prepare for a degree

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Assessments

1 assignment

Taught in English

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This course is part of the Participatory Approaches in Public Health Specialization
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There are 4 modules in this course

This week you will be introduced to participatory approaches to public health. What are they? Where do they come from? And why are they essential to solving contemporary public health challenges? Firstly, you will meet the team and get an idea of how this course is structured. We also want you to share your own experiences with other learners - in this way, you'll identify what you already know about participatory approaches, share useful insights and make connections with one another. In Lesson 1 you'll learn the key principles and characteristics of a participatory approach and learn about the history of participation in HIV social movements. In Lesson 2, you'll focus on the case study of Ebola, to explore how participatory approaches can be used in pandemics. Take note - we'll be returning to this discussion in Week 4 to see what lessons from Ebola can be applied to COVID-19.

What's included

6 videos8 readings3 discussion prompts3 plugins

This week will help you to understand the social and cultural context of public health. In Lesson 1, you will think about how to understand culture and society and their relationship with health, drawing upon readings from anthropology and sociology. You will then apply that thinking to the importance of culture for participatory public health. You will read and analyse studies in Malaysia and London, before hearing an interview with a researcher about how culture affects participation in health research Singapore. In Lesson 2, you will explore some of these concepts further through an in-depth case study of participatory projects with sex workers.

What's included

3 videos4 readings1 assignment1 discussion prompt1 plugin

Welcome to Week 3. In Lesson 1, you will reflect further on what it means to create knowledge in a participatory way. You will learn about different epistemological approaches to knowledge creation, before doing an exercise exploring your own positionality in the social field. In Lesson 2, you will study the case of Participatory Action Research (PAR), as a way of introducing you to the concepts of action and power. You will watch a video introducing you to PAR, before undertaking readings and activities to explore these in more depth. This will help you to think about the forms of action you could take to help improve the health and well-being of the communities you work with.

What's included

2 videos5 readings1 discussion prompt1 plugin

In Week 4, you will take a step back and place participation in context. In Lesson 1, you will be introduced to some ways of thinking about and evaluating participation, including some of the popular typologies of participation. You will start to consider if participatory approaches are always a good thing, and some of the dangers participation might pose. In Lesson 2, you will explore how participatory approaches could be used to tackle the COVID-19 global pandemic.

What's included

4 videos5 readings1 peer review2 discussion prompts

Instructor

Instructor ratings
4.7 (10 ratings)
Helen Ward
Imperial College London
9 Courses160,285 learners

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Recommended if you're interested in Public Health

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