220.633.79
Building Women's and Girls' Agency and Resilience Through Psycho-social Interventions

Location
Internet
Term
Summer Institute
Department
International Health
Credit(s)
2
Academic Year
2025 - 2026
Instruction Method
Synchronous Online
Start Date
Monday, July 7, 2025
End Date
Thursday, July 10, 2025
Class Time(s)
M, Tu, W, Th, 8:00am - 12:00pm
Auditors Allowed
Yes, with instructor consent
Available to Undergraduate
No
Grading Restriction
Letter Grade or Pass/Fail
Course Instructor(s)
Anita Shankar
Contact Name
Anita Shankar
Frequency Schedule
One Year Only
Next Offered
Only offered in 2025
Description
Public health programming often overlooks the role of humans’ inner capacity to deal with the increasingly complex environment and challenges. A key component of this inner capacity is one’s personal agency – learn more about how this concept can be operationalized and utilized to catalyze health and development. There is a growing movement in public health research and programming to move towards human flourishing – learn about how personal agency interventions can catalyze progress towards the sustainable development goals. Join us in an in-depth exploration of personal agency and its pivotal role in women’s empowerment.
Provides a foundation for understanding global psychosocial interventions aimed at enhancing resilience and personal agency in vulnerable populations, with a focus on women and girls. Explores recent and expanding evidence from economics, psychology, and public health, demonstrating how psychosocial interventions can improve health, support equitable social norms, and strengthen livelihoods in resource-poor settings. Discovers and engages with these tools firsthand through hands-on learning experiences.
Learning Objectives
Upon successfully completing this course, students will be able to:
  1. Describe the scientific basis for building resilience and personal agency.
  2. Contrast psychosocial interventions with mental health focused programming.
  3. Evaluate the current status of a global movement for human flourishing and identify gaps requiring further research.
  4. Design a psychosocial intervention to enhance overall well-being in a disproportionately impacted population of women/girls.
Methods of Assessment
This course is evaluated as follows:
  • 30% Discussion
  • 40% Written Assignment(s)
  • 30% Presentation(s)
Enrollment Restriction
This is a graduate level course. Students must have a Bachelor’s degree or equivalent.
Instructor Consent
No consent required