BISP Special Focus Program Overview
The BISP Special Focus in Health and Society is for visiting students who are interested in fields such as public health, health management and economics, health education, social work, psychology, sports medicine and other fields in which individual and collective matters of health have an impact. It may also be useful for students who intend to practice medicine, however, courses in the biological sciences are limited to those that have a focus on behavioral and societal issues.
The BISP Special Focus in Health and Society consists of multidisciplinary fields and courses focused on the connections between social, cultural, and behavioral factors and human health, illness and health care and the resulting impact on individuals and populations. Students will acquire a good foundation in social inequalities and health disparities that exist throughout the world and that affect various aspects of health.
Learning Goals
By pursuing this BISP BISP Special Focus topic, you will gain:
- UC Berkeley academic credit in a focused set of courses tailored to your interests in health and society.
- Faculty guidance on a culminating certificate project in which you will synthesize learnings and insight gained through your coursework and research at UC Berkeley.
- Research and analytical skills through approaching health issues from multiple perspectives.
- Communication and presentation skills through your participation in the BISP BISP Special Focus program and coursework.
Sample Courses
- Sociology of Health and Medicine
- History of Science, Technology and Medicine in Modern East Asia
- Food and the Environment
- Quantitative Aspects of Global Environmental Problems
- Seminar on Social, Political, and Ethical Issues in Health and Medicine
- Developmental Psychopathology
For a more comprehensive list of pre-approved courses for the BISP Special Focus in Health and Society see the longer list here.