Ethnicity, Migration and health

This module will provide you with an introduction to the different concepts of ethnicity and the association between ethnicity and physical and mental health outcomes.

In the process, you will be exposed to debates on race, mechanisms that can explain ethnic differences in health, as well as the role health services play, the health experiences of migrants, and cultural aspects of the migrant and ethnic minority experience.

• By the end of this course students should be able to:
• Identify different approaches to understanding/theorising ethnicity and race
• Understand the social nature of ethnicity, its dynamic nature and its location in (unequal) social relations
• Summarise the evidence on ethnic inequalities in health around the world
• Reflect on data limitations of much research on ethnicity and health
• Theorise the main causal pathways that relate to ethnic inequalities in health and health services
• Combine this understanding of causal pathways with the wider social inequalities faced by ethnic minority groups

Module Code: IEHC0070

UCL Credits: 15

Module Organisers: Dr Milagros Ruiz (UCL Epidemiology & Public Health).  Please direct queries to the Course Administrators Emily Poole and Ms Elisa Pineda (EPH.HealthSociety@ucl.ac.uk

Who can study this course?

MSc/PG Dip Global Health and Development students subject to availability as this is not an IGH module.

Admission Requirements

MSc and PG Dip students: Open to all UCL MSc/PG Dip Global Health and Development, and to any UCL MSc/PG Dip students.

In addition to the above, all students must demonstrate a GOOD standard of English Proficiency.

Content

Topic

• Theorising/understanding ethnicity and race, its dynamic nature and location in unequal social relations
• Describing issues related to doing research exploring ethnicity and health in the West
• Describing patterns of ethnicity and health in the UK and elsewhere 
• Explanations for ethnic differences in health 
• The impact of ethnicity on mental and physical health 
• The role of health behaviours in the development of ethnic differences in health 
• The impact of racism and poverty on health 

Teaching and learning methods 

Lectures, tutorials, seminar presentations and practical sessions. Moodle will be used as an information portal for participants and source for reading materials.

Assessment

Oral Presentation 50% (15 minutes) Tuesday 28 May 2019

Essay 50% (2500 words) deadline 4pm Friday 7 June 2019

Selected Reading List

Bhopal, R. (2007) Ethnicity, Race, and Health in Multicultural Societies: Foundations for better epidemiology, public health, and health care, Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Nazroo, J. (1998) 'Genetic, cultural or socio-economic vulnerability? Explaining ethnic inequalities in health', Sociology of Health and Illness, vol. 20, 710-730. 

Nazroo, J. (2006) Health and Social Research in Multiethnic Societies, London: Routledge.

Karlsen S., Nazroo, J., Stephenson, R. (2002) 'Ethnicity, environment and health: putting ethnic inequalities in health in their place', Social Science & Medicine, vol. 55, 1647-1661. 

Priebe, S., et al. (2011) 'Good practice in health care for migrants: views and experiences of care professionals in 16 European countries', BMC Public Health, vol. 11, 187.