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Epidemics of Injustice is an annual student-led* course that is open to all UIC students for credit and the public free of charge, which equips attendees with the tools to address systems of oppression that produce health inequities. Central to its mission of democratizing data and decentralizing higher education and expertise, this virtual course features nontraditional weekly guest speakers and course topics that are typically under-, mis-, or not-at-all-represented in standard university public health curriculum.
*Epidemics of Injustice is led by the Radical Public Health association at the UIC School of Public Health (SPH); sponsored by the UIC SPH division of Community Health Sciences; and mutually supported by the Community-Engaged Teaching & Learning (CEnTL) Initiative
History of Epidemics of Injustice
History of Epidemics of Injustice
The Epidemics of Injustice course was developed through a collaboration between members of the Radical Public Health (RPH) association, UIC School of Public Health (SPH) graduate students, and faculty who were brought together in 2018 by a sense of urgency to address ongoing threats to democracy, social justice, and the public’s health and in response to changes in MPH curricula competencies, results from a student survey distributed by SPH, and changes to the U.S. political climate. Reactionary politics and policies--and resulting unjust circumstances--have a long history and are resurgent today. This course focuses on the historical, social, cultural, and political factors related to the historical and contemporary health, and the historical and contemporary resistance and rebellion through public health, as seen through interdisciplinary and cross-movement work. Through the exploration of these legacies, we seek to learn how today, we can leverage our positionality and resources for social justice and health equity. Epidemics of Injustice provides a historical understanding of structural and socioeconomic determinants of health and point to both modern and historical examples of how we can leverage our work for advocacy. Through guest lectures and action labs, students co-learn from each other’s insights and lived experiences and can workshop tangible skills that help prepare them to engage in action and advocacy with others across disciplines and sectors.
YEAR
YEAR
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025
COURSE THEME
COURSE THEME
Understanding History to Fight for a Liberated Future
Structural Violence in Chicago
Resistance, Rebellion, and Revolution through Public Health
Co-Disruption for Collective Liberation in Public Health
Health Equity Praxis: Building Possible Worlds Together
Disenfranchisement, Fugitivity, and Charting a Path Towards Freedom
Grounding Frameworks of Epidemics of Injustice
Grounding Frameworks of Epidemics of Injustice
To learn more about why the Epidemics of Injustice class is open to the public, visit this article: https://publichealth.uic.edu/news-stories/decentralizing-knowledge-in-public-health-education-one-course-at-a-time/.
Public Health Critical Race Methodology
Example Topics Covered in Epidemics of Injustice
Example Topics Covered in Epidemics of Injustice
Overview of anti-racist health equity and public health history
Structural violence in education
LGBTQIA+ issues in Chicago’s Muslim community
Historic and current battles in environmental racism
Reproductive justice
Art as advocacy
Indigenous and art-based health
Coalition-building
Immigrant and refugee health
Capitalism and alternatives
Understanding and communicating effects of local policies
Gun violence and community organizing
Disability justice
Food justice
Abolitionist alternatives to policing
Universal Basic Income and economic equality
Fat liberation
Root cause analysis
Power-mapping and power analyses
Oral history and historical narratives
Palestine as a public health issue
Building a campaign on politicized topics
Participatory budgeting, the people’s budget
Public writing
Mutual aid and Chicago Community Jail Support
Consensus-building and maintaining equity
Radical Public Health (RPH)
Radical Public Health (RPH)
“I use the term radical in its original meaning -- getting down to and understanding the root cause. It means facing a system that does not lend itself to your needs and devising means by which you change that system.”
- Ella Baker, Civil Rights Activist, 1969
Radical Public Health (RPH), a primary collaborator on the Epidemics of Injustice course, is an association of students, alumni, faculty, staff, practitioners, and community members who seek to address the systemic, underlying causes of public health challenges and to consider more radical solutions. RPH hosts group discussions, guest lectures, film screenings, panel discussions, and teach-ins on relevant issues. RPH actively:
Creates a forum and supportive environment for radical perspectives at UIC, including within the School of Public Health (SPH) community
Enhances collaboration and builds solidarity with SPH faculty, other schools within UIC, community organizations, and movements that share RPH’s values
Maintains an egalitarian internal structure that reflects RPH’s values
Normalizes radical perspectives within learning, research, and practice in the public health community
EoI Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
EoI Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Who is eligible to take the Epidemics of Injustice course?
Everyone is eligible! You can take the course...
For class credit - if you are a student at UIC, in any degree program and at any student level
Not for credit/free of charge - if you are a student, staff, or faculty at any school; a long-distance learner; a community member; a worker; an advocate, etc.
How often does Epidemics of Injustice meet?
Class meets virtually every Monday of the spring semester, 6:00-8:00pm CST.
What is the course load like in Epidemics of Injustice?
Students can expect to spend 2-3 hours engaging with course material each week in addition to attending class. There are no exams, only four main assignments and one final project. Community members taking the course for free/not for credit can expect to spend an optional 1-2 hours engaging with pre-readings each week in addition to attending class.
I am interested in Epidemics of Injustice but I missed a class! How can I review what I missed?
We record most class sessions and upload them to Radical Public Health's YouTube page for accessible viewing.
If you have any questions about Epidemics of Injustice, please reach out to Radical Public Health at rph.uic@gmail.com.
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