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POL36310

Academic Year 2026/2027

Global Health, Politics & Dev. (POL36310)

Subject:
Politics
College:
Social Sciences & Law
School:
Politics & Int Relations
Level:
3 (Degree)
Credits:
10
Module Coordinator:
Professor Karen Anderson
Trimester:
Autumn
Mode of Delivery:
On Campus
Internship Module:
No
How will I be graded?
Letter grades

Curricular information is subject to change.

This module examines global health as a central issue in contemporary politics and
development. It explores how health outcomes such as maternal mortality, life expectancy,
disease incidence, health access etc are shaped not only by medical systems, but by political
institutions, governance arrangements, economic structures, and global inequalities. Through
the study of health systems, international organisations, financing, power, and reform,
students will analyse how states, donors, private actors, and civil society influence global
health policy. Lectures will cover discourse around Universal Health Coverage, development
assistance for health, commercial determinants of health, global health financing, ethics and
human rights, decolonising global health, or the role of international organisations and private
actors in shaping health policy. The module situates health within the Sustainable
Development Goals and uses it as a lens to understand broader questions of governance,
inequality, and international cooperation.

About this Module

Learning Outcomes:

Upon successful completion of the module, the students should be able to:
- Understand global health systems, key actors and factors determining global health
and the health outcomes for countries
- Critically examine structural drivers of health inequities with an intersectional
perspective
- Learn about databases, indicators, and platforms to access global health data.
- Develop a critical debate about a key health gap from a regional or country
perspective.

The United Nations identified seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as core to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and UCD contributes in general to SDG 4 Quality Education. Further SDGs explored within this module if relevant are listed below. A scale of 1 - 5 indicates the extent to which the SDG is covered.


 

Student Effort Hours:
Student Effort Type Hours
Autonomous Student Learning

200
Lectures

24
Total

224

Approaches to Teaching and Learning:
Teaching and learning activities will require students to engage with current academic
research on health and to link institutions, markets, policies and politics with specific
empirical cases.
Through class discussions, in class-activities, videos, reflective writing and essay
writing students will examine how scholarship on global health and politics can
inform and deepen our understanding of issues concerning health inequities.
They will also be encouraged to apply their learning and critical engage with
changing landscape in global aid, world politics and its effect on health polices and
health delivery.
Participants are encouraged to engage with in-class discussions and reflect on ongoing
health debates.
Participants will also be expected to prepare thoroughly for each of the classes,
particularly engaging with core readings, and to allocate a substantial amount of time
to the completion of assessment work outside the classroom hours.

Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations

Not applicable to this module.


Module Requisites and Incompatibles
Not applicable to this module.
 

Assessment Strategy
Description Timing Component Scale Must Pass Component % of Final Grade In Module Component Repeat Offered
Reflective Assignment: Personal reflection 1000 words Week 2, Week 3, Week 4, Week 5, Week 6, Week 7, Week 8, Week 9, Week 10, Week 11 Graded No
20
 No
Exam (In-person): In-class MCQ Exam Week 12 Graded No
30
 No
Assignment(Including Essay): Final Essay (2000 words). Deadline: 4th Dec 2026 (Essay topic to be submitted before 26th Nov 2026) Week 12 Graded No
50
 No

As part of UCD's student support, under the Additional Consideration policy, extensions may be available for the following assessments in the module: Assignment (including essay/poster), Portfolio, Reflective Assignment, Report(s), and Individual Project.


Carry forward of passed components
No
 

Resit In Terminal Exam
Spring Yes - 2 Hour
Please see Student Jargon Buster for more information about remediation types and timing. 

Feedback Strategy/Strategies

• Feedback individually to students, on an activity or draft prior to summative assessment
• Feedback individually to students, post-assessment

How will my Feedback be Delivered?

Overall feedback will be provided individually to students after the assessments via email or Brightspace. Students who need detailed feedback can schedule time at designated office hours. Please follow the academic integrity standards and ethical considerations pointed out by the School’s policy.

Timetabling information is displayed only for guidance purposes, relates to the current Academic Year only and is subject to change.
Autumn Lecture Offering 1 Week(s) - 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12 Thurs 12:00 - 13:50
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