Healthcare and Cultural Inequalities & Health

Wednesday, February 18th

11:15 a.m. – “Sick Around the World” (Film, 60 min.)

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http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/sickaroundtheworld/

Reform in U.S. Healthcare is an urgent economic and policy issue. Can the U.S. learn anything from the rest of the world about how to run the health care system? Five capitalist systems and how they “do” it. How does the United States with over $1 trillion dollars spent on medical care each year compare with other industrialized countries? (United Kingdom, Japan, Germany, Taiwan, Switzerland).

12:45 p.m. – “Unnatural Causes” (Film, 55 min.)

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http://www.unnaturalcauses.org/

Fascinating reports on Health of Americans across the social spectrum: “Chronic stress, like other conditions that threaten or promote health, is distributed unevenly through society along class and racial lines.” See why Health is more than health care, individual behaviors and “genes”.  How does social inequality relate to health outcomes? Important research about “low birth weights” in African American women, declining health of new immigrants, diabetes and obesity in Indigenous populations, health risks in inner city neighborhoods, and more.

Global Education and Growing Up in the U.S.

Wednesday, February 18th

11:15 a.m. – “2 Million Minutes” (Film, 54 min.)

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Reflecting on the student generation of the U.S. and their global “peers”, this film follow the daily routines
of 2 students in each of three global superpowers – China, India and the United States. See how students spend the 2 million minutes from the completion of 8th grade to High School graduation. Who will be well prepared for living in a future of greater global “inter-connectivity”?  See how U.S. education compares with the others.

URL: http://www.2mminutes.com/about.asp

12:45 p.m. – “Consuming Kids” (Film, 67 min.)

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Excellent analysis and critique for all who would understand today’s society.  Dare to ask critical questions about  how marketing to kids has constructed a world with expectations, motivations, values and a way of living as “consumers”.

“Children today are plagued by a variety of ills, from violence to hyper-sexualization to obesity to rampant materialism…Watching this movie will open the eyes of everyone who cares about children to the disturbing new realities of our consumer culture.” Tim Kasser -The High Price of Materialism & “the best possible parent education product” – Mary Pipher – Author of Reviving Ophelia

A lively discussion led by Professor Donna Rhea will follow.

URL: http://www.mediaed.org/cgi-bin/commerce.cgi?preadd=action&key=134

Spring 2009 Schedule Announced

The schedule for Spring 2009 is out. Check here for details.