Professor: egilman Course format: Seminar Number of respondents: 2 Total Enrollment: 8 Class Composition: Froshs: 1 Sophs: 3 Jrs: 2 Srs: 2 Concs: 0 Non-Concs: 2 Don't Know: 0

Instructor Average: 3.38 Course Average: 2.29

If you wonder where the rules that guide health policy come from, then consider taking “Conceptual Issues in Health Politics and Occupational/Environmental Health”. The goal of this course was to explore the evolution of health policy during the 20th century and to provide students with a better understanding of the forces that guide the creation of health policy. There are no backgrounds or pre-requisites for this course.

With only eight people in the class, students hoped to have an open forum to discuss their opinions. However, they were disappointed to find that Professor Egilman tended to interrupt and not fully explore opinions that differed from his own. Students were also disappointed that Professor Egilman rarely formally taught. Instead, two students wee assigned to present the material each week and were accompanied by guest lecturers. However, students did appreciate having their attention brought to little known issues, and commented that Professor Egilman was interesting to listen to because of his vast knowledge.

Students seemed to thoroughly enjoy the readings, especially those on corporate policy and the theory of science. Reviews also noted that the readings contained a good mix of theory and examples. Assignments consisted of weekly papers, two presentations and a final project or paper. The weekly papers were two page responses to the reading.

The number of hours students spent working for this class decreased throughout the semester, starting off at five and ending around two. Some students said they would have liked to spend more time on the course, whereas others said the workload matched their expectations. Students noted that the readings were interesting and they learned a great deal, but note that in such a small class it is important to get a feel for the other students before making a commitment.

View BC/0168 in the Brown Online Course Announcement.