This course introduces students to philosophical, theoretical, and methodological aspects of the scholarly literature on health inequalities. The purpose of the course is a) to investigate how and why health inequalities are such a central phenomenon in population health, b) what we know about patterns and causes of health inequalities and how we know it, and c) how this work can help us think about what has been done (and, what could be done) to address inequality, locally and globally.

The course is delivered through two components: a lecture component that is nonetheless intended to be interactive and conversational and a seminar session, which is designed to "go deep" on key theoretical and methodological issues addressed in the literature. In the end, the hope is that the course will enable students to organize and root their ideas about health inequalities, and their critiques of ideas and actions on health inequalities, in the extensive body of scholarly knowledge on this work.