Global Health Independent Study

The Center for Global Health and Social Responsibility offers an independent study course (GHSR 6755) for students to work individually with Center faculty on topics related to global health and ethics. An independent study with CGHSR can also be used in conjunction with a global travel experience.

CGHSR independent study can be on any topic of interest to the student and faculty mentor, including global health, determinants of health, ethics, comparative analysis of health systems, or similar subjects. CGHSR’s pre-existing global health ethics learning materials can be incorporated as part of the independent study. The student will develop their unique syllabus and learning plan in conjunction with their faculty mentor.

INDEPENDENT STUDY GLOBAL HEALTH EXPERIENCES

This independent study allows students to earn academic credit for research and scholarship abroad. In addition, it presents an opportunity to focus on a specific global health topic that may not be available in students' home department as well as a chance to work closely with faculty mentors.   

Gustavo Galárraga, a School of Public Health student, completed an independent study in Mysore, India, where he studied Indian health systems, palliative care and cancer treatment. 

Galárraga worked closely with local physicians and medical students while also visiting cultural landmarks throughout the Karnataka region. 

Gustavo Galárraga in India as part of his independent study project.

Independent Study Faculty Mentors 

Portrait of Shailey Prasad

Shailey Prasad, MD, MPH, is the executive director of the Center for Global Health and Social Responsibility and the Carlson Chair of Global Health. He also serves as Associate Vice President of Global & Rural Health; Vice Chair for Education in Family Medicine & Community Health; and Adjunct Professor at the School of Public Health.

Areas of expertise: Ethics, family medicine and primary care, research, global health partnerships

 

Esther Johnston

Esther Johnston, MD, MPH, is a faculty member with the University of Minnesota North Memorial Family Medicine Residency Program and serves as CGHSR director of the Global Engagement Network for Primary Health Care (GEN-PHC). She has a passion for addressing disparities in health care worker distribution and training.

Areas of expertise: Primary care education and training; global and community-led partnership development

 

Discover How to Apply 

Independent studies may be developed during fall, spring, or summer semester, for 1–3 credits. To enroll in an independent study with CGHSR, the student should first reach out to the CGHSR team to identify a topic and faculty mentor. The student will develop their unique syllabus and learning plan for the independent study. 

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Eligibility

Global health independent study is open to current and incoming University of Minnesota graduate students (master’s and doctorate) and professional students.

Credit & Requirements

Independent study is available as GHSR 6755. The course may be developed for 1, 2, or 3 credits, depending on the workload that the student wishes to undertake and the programmatic requirements for their home department.

The student must develop a syllabus on the current CGHSR syllabus template (in collaboration with the instructor who is supervising the student), which details the scope of the independent study, number of credits, grading, learning objectives, assessments, and evaluation of the student’s performance.

Optional Travel Experiences

An independent study with CGHSR can be used in conjunction with an independently arranged global travel experience through CGHSR’s Global Health Ethics in Practice Awards. This is not a requirement. If students are interested in combining an Ethics in Practice Award and the Independent Study, please indicate this when reaching out to your faculty mentor.

Global Health Ethics

Independent study students have the opportunity to integrate already-developed materials on Global Health Ethics into their IS syllabus: 

  • Canvas course: Complete the Ethics of Global Health Travel & Practice course
    • 2 hours coursework (reading and written reflections) + 6 hours additional reading
  • The Foreign Gaze: read the book The Foreign Gaze by Seye Abimbola and write a 2-5 page reading review/analysis.
  • Ethics case studies: develop a 2-5 page case study and reflection guide on an ethical challenge or experience you have managed in your own global health work. This will be integrated into future Global Health Ethics learning materials.
  • Professional poster: develop a professional poster and 5-minute presentation on your IS topic, integrating ethical challenges and how you overcame them.
  • Ethical frameworks: in a 2-5 page paper, analyze the ethical frameworks utilized in global health, and the ways in which these frameworks function within your IS topic.

Creation & Enrollment Process

If a student is interested in creating an independent study, please first reach out to [email protected] to express your interest. Please include your proposed topic and desired faculty mentor.

The student should also consult with their home department academic advisor to check credit transfer for their degree program.

The CGHSR education team will work with the student to develop the independent study syllabus and contract.

Develop Syllabus

The student must develop a syllabus on the current CGHSR syllabus template (in collaboration with the instructor who is supervising the student), which details the:

  1. Scope of the IS
  2. Number of credits (Per UMN policy, 1 credit is equal to 45 hours of work over the course of the term attending class, completing online activities, reading, studying, completing assignments, etc. Therefore 2 credits = 90 hours; 3 credits = 135 hours of work during the term).
  3. Grading: A/F or S/N (also known as pass/fail). Generally, S/N is preferred. The faculty advisor can require a student to register for either grading option.
  4. Learning objectives (using Bloom’s taxonomy or Fink’s taxonomy style objectives, or similar; for resources, check out the UMN Center for Educational Innovation)
  5. Specific ways in which learning objectives will be met. This can include reading, viewing videos, site visits, research, activities, etc.
  6. Specific ways in which learning objectives will be assessed. This can include reflection journals, quizzes, essays, a final paper, development of teaching/learning material, etc.
  7. The number of times the student will meet with the instructor
  8. How the student’s performance during the IS will be evaluated
  9. An estimate of how much time each activity will take, to document compliance with # 2.

 

Independent Study Contract

An independent study course requires a contract between the instructor and the student which identifies the student’s responsibilities and the name of the instructor who will submit the student’s grade.

  1. The student is responsible for filling out and signing the contract.
  2. The student should discuss the independent study with and obtain approval from the IS faculty supervisor, the CGHSR education manager, and their graduate program advisor.
  3. Once the student has received all approvals, the student should email the contract and syllabus to the faculty supervisor, their graduate program advisor, and [email protected] for formal documentation of approval of the IS.

 

Once the CGHSR education team has received the syllabus and contract, they will provide the student with a permission number to register for GHSR 6755. The student will register as an A/F or S/N grade.