OAMI 2200 - Health, Migration, and Human Rights

This course dives into the critical intersection of health and migration, exploring the unique challenges faced by displaced populations globally. You'll learn to address the complex needs of refugees, asylum seekers, and migrants, from acute crises to long-term challenges, by developing the tools to work across different humanitarian sectors. By understanding determinants of health, you will leave this class prepared to design effective interventions and advocate for policy change that will make a significant impact on the lives of vulnerable people.

Learning Outcomes:

• Knowledge of policy framework, key actors, and protocols shaping responses to forced displacement and to address mixed migration settings
• Awareness of the key health issues facing forcibly displaced and migrant populations, and how to design humanitarian responses to meet these needs accordingly- particularly for marginalized people
• Insights and contacts into the daily work and skills required of NGO workers involved in health, migration, and humanitarian aid today
• Firsthand experience supporting organizations assisting migrants on the move and for durable solutions

Professional Skills:

• Certification in a technical humanitarian sector (education, gender-based violence, monitoring and evaluation, child protection, et cetera.
• Core skills to partake in a humanitarian response with displaced people: ethical decision-making, understanding of cluster coordination and humanitarian standards, needs assessments, advocacy and program proposal writing, and investigative skills for complex emergencies.
• Understanding and practice of localized, feminist, and decolonial approaches to humanitarian assistance and development work.

None.

The professor will be available after class to meet with students and provide help on class activities, deeper thematic exploration, and general support. Students will receive feedback on their assignments as well, particularly for activities that progress throughout the semester. Finally, there is a mid-semester evaluation – along with polls throughout the course for the professor to receive feedback and adjust the course accordingly.

• Completion of the e-learning module on a technical humanitarian area 15%
• Migration Narrative – research and presentation 10%
• Ethical Humanitarian Debate – blog post 10%
• Power & Protection Exercise – blog post 5%
• Needs Assessment Exercise – home assignment 10%
• Group Work 50%

• Attendance: 2 hours a week / 24 hours a semester
• Online learning activities (Humanitarian e-learning course): 5 hours a semester
• Reading and Preparation for Class: 3 hours a week / 36 hours a semester
• Research and Preparation for Group Work: 50 hours a semester
• Research and Writing for Individual Assessments: 8 hours a semester