Are we meant to be advocates and/or activists in global health? Why or Why not?

Paper Topic: Are we meant to be advocates and/or activists in global health? Why or Why not?

Additional Instructions:

The final paper should be written in the form of a ‘statement,’ so more like a perspective, editorial, or opinion piece. Students may use first person, if they prefer; however, there is no requirement on what tense the document should reflect. Although this assignment is written in a commentary-type style, students need to reference and cite examples from the course and evidence/data to support their opinion. The goal is not to describe how you feel about advocacy but to formulate a statement focused in a professional manner that could explain your professional/interprofessional role and responsibilities towards becoming an ethical global health practitioner and researcher.

What’s the difference between a perspective or an opinion article?

Opinions (or editorials): discuss an issue of immediate importance to the research/practice (i.e., global health community) that convey the author’s viewpoint. These pieces are meant to provide constructive criticism with personal observations (from the course discussions) but evidence should be available to support the opinions and critique of the author. These are typically shorter than other forms of writing and are very focused to the most immediate issue. Recommend about 5 references. There are usually no figures or tables.

Perspectives: discuss one or a cluster of recently published papers or current research topic of high interest in which the author’s perspective sheds light on key findings in research. May include 1-2 figures or tables in the body text. Recommend about 10-20 references.

Additional Resources: A young researcher’s guide to perspective, commentary, and opinion articlesLinks to an external site. – blog type article that might help clarify the difference. Keep in mind that many of the articles we have read in this course has been in the tone or style of a commentary, editorial, opinion or perspective.

Requirements: 1200-1500