PUBPOL 3350

Political Determinants of Health

Course Description

Course information provided by the 2026-2027 Catalog.

Health is shaped not only by medical care, individual behavior, and social conditions, but also by political decisions about who is recognized, whose voices are heard, and which health conditions are deemed worthy of public attention, political action, and funding. This course examines how power, political institutions, public policy, and collective action produce, sustain, and challenge health inequities. Students will explore how political decisions are embedded in laws, policies, administrative systems, and social conditions, and how these decisions affect health access, quality, and outcomes. Through case-based analyses in the United States and other countries, students will move beyond describing health disparities to identify the political actors, interests, ideologies, institutions, and power relationships that produce them. The course will prepare students to evaluate opportunities for policy reform, collective action, advocacy, and other strategies for advancing health equity and justice. (HCP-EL)

Prerequisites PUBPOL 2050 or PUBPOL 2350 or PUBPOL 3180 or PUBPOL 3280 or PUBPOL 3780.

Enrollment Information Enrollment limited to: undergraduate students.

Distribution Requirements (CA-HE, D-HE, SBA-HE)

Last 4 Terms Offered (None)

Learning Outcomes

• Distinguish political determinants of health from social, structural, and behavioral determinants of health.
• Analyze how power operates through political institutions, laws, policies, public narratives, and administrative systems to shape health outcomes.
• Apply theories and frameworks related to power, inequality, political economy, governance, and justice to contemporary health cases.
• Identify the political actors, interests, ideologies, and power relationships that influence how health problems are defined, prioritized, and addressed.
• Evaluate strategies for policy reform, advocacy, collective action, and institutional change that seek to advance health equity and justice.

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