Brick by brick: Building a house of health promotion on a foundation of political science theory

Abstract

Background: In over 100 years, the Department of Political Science at the University of British Columbia had never offered a course on health issues. In this study, we used a Scholarship of Teaching and Learning lens to analyse their first public health course, 'Global Politics and Health'. We inquired if one course could enable political science students to tackle health issues. The bold idea of the course was that global health promotion is politics writ large, as determinants of health are rooted in socioeconomic power. Course objectives encouraged student agency towards the large goal of ameliorating population health status. Methods: This study applied both qualitative and quantitative methods. Results: We found that one course can stimulate sustained curiosity in health for political science students. We confirmed that political science develops an excellent foundation for public health issues. Virtually, all our students had not analysed health issues prior to this course, but after twelve weeks, the vast majority had developed a sense of agency, tools to understand the roots of mental and physical health, and hope. Unexpectedly, we discovered that students' greatest learning integrated personal, interpersonal, and scholarly analyses of mental health issues. Conclusions: We recommend that political science departments offer courses that focus on health for all. Similarly, public health departments may benefit from including political science courses in their curriculum to assist graduates in navigating the highly politicized nature of public health.