Global Occupational Health MEGOH01
5 credits Level F
General information
Global occupational Health is a course primary for PhD students whose research may be affected by (or may affect) the ongoing migrations of both working forces and production industries. The course is also open for researchers within other fields. It will be given in three consecutive modules: firstly, one week of full time studies, secondly, three weeks of home studies (40%), and thirdly, one week of full time studies. Researchers who have already obtained a doctoral degree can attend the course if place is available.
Course language
English
Purpose
The purpose of the course is to mediate knowledge, and initiate discussions, on occupational health from a global perspective. The course will provide knowledge needed for the students to participate in the multidisciplinary dialogue for solving current and future work environment problems related to how working life and health are affected by globalization.
Course aims
To pass the course the student must know how to:
· use concepts and terminology related to working organization, exposure assessment, internationally organized labor, policy making, human ecology, politic economy, and economic history.
· connect various factors presented within the subjects above with global working environment and health, and understand the responsible driving forces.
· participate in the multidisciplinary dialogue needed to solve societal problems related to global working environment, working conditions, and health.
· relate the knowledge obtained in this course to his/her own research, and critically review other people’s research within this field.
· in written and oral form describe and analyze a societal/work problem related to global working environment, working conditions, and health.
· evaluate and interpret risk assessments of societal/work problems related to global working environment, working conditions, and health.
· evaluate how his/her own research can affect these problems, and how these problems can affect the research.
Course contents
The course will cover work organization, exposure assessment, policy-making, human ecology, political economy, and economic history. Focus will be on the role of globalization, its causes and driving forces, with a special focus on the factors affecting work environment and health for workers in both developing and developed countries.
Presence is mandatory on the first week of the course. The first three days of this week consists of lectures, starting with the wide perspectives and approaching the specific questions in more depth. During day 4, a number of cases are presented, which the student groups will work on throughout the following three weeks. During these weeks the groups will do a literature survey related to their case, write a report and prepare an oral presentation.
During the last week of the course (when presence also is mandatory), students will peer-review each other’s reports and give oral presentations of their cases. Guest lecturers will provide deeper insight and information about front-line research and existing complex of problems. The last week will be finished off with a concluding lecture.
Assessment
A multidisciplinary group task dealing with a societal problem/work related situation in a global perspective. The task includes a written report, oral presentation and individually performed peer-review according to given instructions, on another group’s report. Individually written reflections in the beginning of the course (in which the student shall summarize an article and reflect on how knowledge of global working environment and health can affect his/her research) and at the end of the course (in which the student, with concepts and terminology studied during the course, shall analyze and reflect on how the course contents relates to, and can affect, his/her own research).
Grades
Pass or fail
Prerequisites
The student shall be admitted to doctoral studies on university level. Priority is given to PhD students within Metalund at the Faculty of Medicine or the Faculty of Engineering at Lund University, but the course is also open for PhD students at other faculties and universities.
Course literature
Scientific articles (around 15) and excerpts from book chapters. Information will be given at course start.