Emphasis on Faith and The Health of the Public
This emphasis is designed primarily for students whose interests lie at the intersection of communal and social dimensions of health, including concerns for health disparities, health policy, the affect of social determinants on population health trends and the public effect of religious institutions.
Students choosing this emphasis will explore the role of public leadership in aligning strengths of public, private and religious social structures and larger systems. This emphasis links a broad understanding of health to social justice. Students with international as well as U.S. interests may be interested in pursing this emphasis.
The practice experience will provide students the opportunity participate in and reflect critically on field sites and organizations in which faith oriented population strategies, designed to create the conditions for health, are being practiced. Students will be responsible for demonstrating their capacity to critically reflect on these practices from religious, policy and health perspectives.
Requirements for this emphasis include the following:
- Required course: CC 650/GH 519 Faith and Health: Transforming Communities (3 hrs), or SR 698/EPI 590R/SOC 585 Religion and Public Health (3 hrs)
- FH 500 Integrative Seminar (1 hr)
- Nine hours of electives
Electives may include (list not comprehensive):
1. Courses on the communal and public dimensions of faith and health.
- CC 602: The Church and Public Policy
- SR 632 The Black Church as a Social Institution
- CC 502 The Church and Community Leadership
- SR 601 Sociology of Religion
- BSHE 504 Social Behavior in Public Health
- BSHE 565 Violence as a Public Health Problem
2. Courses on theological and ethical dimensions of faith and health of the public.
- PC 607 Pastoral Disunions of Biomedical Decisions
- ES 609 Theology of Social Ministry
- ST 660 Black Religion and Culture
- ES 620 Black Theology and Ethics
- GH 507 Health as Social Justice
- GH 536/SR 536 Religion and Health in Context: HIV
- BSHE 578 Ethics in Public Health
3. Courses on large-scale and international dimensions of faith and health.
- GH 557 (2) International Health: Anthropological Perspectives
- GH 563 (2) AIDS: Public Health Implications
- GH 541 (2-3) Technology of Fertility Control
- GH 591S (2-3) Gender, Health, and Population Change
- GH 508 (2) Seminar in Health and Human Rights or 590 R Interdisciplinary Perspective on Human Rights
Additional options for electives can be selected from Candler's list of the Religion, Health, and Science concentration, http://www.candler.emory.edu/ADMISSIONS/mdiv.cfm.