Covid-19 highlighted just how critical 'health' is in local, national, regional and global security. This course assesses the political and security significance of not only infectious diseases and pandemics but a broader range of existential threats to health such as climate, water and food security. From the historical experiences with smallpox, plague and cholera, to contemporary challenges posed by other infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS and SARS or the Covid-19 pandemic, it is clear that pathogenic micro-organisms exercise a powerful influence over the security of people, societies and states. Yet infectious diseases are themselves increasingly influenced and moderated by climate change, agricultural intensification and the increasing fragile balance at the nexus of humans, animals, plants and their ecosystems –The One Health concept. The course draws on a broader operational definition of One Health and argues that health and security – both broadly defined – are interdependent and therefore require policy responses that are by definition multi-agency and whole of society. The course explores the relationships between not only infectious disease and the state response but how the state and its people consider and account for broader existential threats as constructs of health and security. The aim of the course is to provide students with a stronger understanding of the scientific and political nature of these threats to health and security, why and how they might threaten national and global security strategy design and implementation, and the conceptual and empirical connections between them. Course activities and assessment tasks are designed to encourage critical engagement with this key policy challenge of our age. To this end, the course includes a comparative exercise on how nations respond to these broad yet critical threats to health and security and the insights of policy practitioners will be integrated with academic teaching.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:
- Understand intersecting concepts of infectious disease, climate, water and food security related to health and the implications for an evolving national security context.
- Evaluate contemporary local, regional, and global challenges and policy options relating to the intersection of health and security.
- Critically analyse the responsiveness of security agencies, national security policy making and the interface of non-traditional security agencies to the security challenges posed by infectious diseases, climate change, water and food security.
Indicative Assessment
- Policy brief (800 words) (40) [LO 1,2,3]
- Critical essay question and consultation (0) [LO 1,2,3]
- Critical essay (2000 words) (60) [LO 1,2,3]
The ANU uses Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. While the use of Turnitin is not mandatory, the ANU highly recommends Turnitin is used by both teaching staff and students. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website.
Workload
The standard workload for a 3 unit course is 65 hours including class time and independent study.
Requisite and Incompatibility
Prescribed Texts
A list of readings will be provided in lieu of a prescribed text
Preliminary Reading
Ezekiel J. Emanuel et al, “Fair Allocation of Scarce Medical Resources in the Time of Covid-19”, New England Journal Of Medicine, March 25, 2020.
WHO, Surveillance strategies for COVID-19 human infection, World Health Organisation, 10th May 2020, https://www.who.int/publications-detail/surveillance-strategies-for-covid-19-human-infection
Berlinger et al, “Framework for Health Care Institutions Responding to Novel Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19: Guidelines for Institutional Ethics Services Responding to COVID-19”, Hastings Center Report, March 16, 2020.
Meredith Celene Schwartz (ed) The Ethics of Pandemics, (Broadview Press, 2020)
Simon Rushton and Jeremy Youde (eds) Routledge Handbook of Global Health Security (Oxon: Routledge, 2015).
Kamradt-Scott, Adam, and Colin McInnes. The securitisation of pandemic influenza: Framing, security and public policy. Global Public Health 7, S2 (2012): S95-S110.
Schuchat, Anne, Beth Bell and Stephen Redd. The Science behind Preparing and Responding to Pandemic Influenza: The Lessons and Limits of Science. Clinical Infectious Diseases 52, S1 (2011): S8-S12.
Stern, Alexandra, and Howard Markel. International Efforts to Control Infectious Diseases, 1851 to the Present. Journal of the American Medical Association 292, 12 (2004): 1474-1479.
Fees
Tuition fees are for the academic year indicated at the top of the page.
Commonwealth Support (CSP) Students
If you have been offered a Commonwealth supported place, your fees are set by the Australian Government for each course. At ANU 1 EFTSL is 48 units (normally 8 x 6-unit courses). More information about your student contribution amount for each course at Fees.
- Student Contribution Band:
- 14
- Unit value:
- 3 units
If you are a domestic graduate coursework student with a Domestic Tuition Fee (DTF) place or international student you will be required to pay course tuition fees (see below). Course tuition fees are indexed annually. Further information for domestic and international students about tuition and other fees can be found at Fees.
Where there is a unit range displayed for this course, not all unit options below may be available.
| Units | EFTSL |
|---|---|
| 3.00 | 0.06250 |
Offerings, Dates and Class Summary Links
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