Dr Ernestina Coast OLDM2.24

This course is available on the MSc in Development Management, MSc in Development Studies, MSc in Gender, MSc in Gender, Development and Globalisation, MSc in Gender, Policy and Inequalities, MSc in Health, Population and Society, MSc in Population and Development and MSc in Social Research Methods. This course is available as an outside option to students on other programmes where regulations permit.

This course is deals with the effectiveness and efficiency of reproductive health programmes, especially those that deliver services. The key issues addressed are the design of programmes, their effective implementation, and their evaluation, addressing questions such as:

What role can the mass media play in communicating reproductive health messages?

What are the key elements of a reproductive health programme?

What special sexual and reproductive needs do adolescents have?

Should violence against women be considered a reproductive health issue?

How appropriate is social marketing as a means of increasing contraceptive use in developing countries?

What are the main causes of maternal death in the less developed world?

The course covers a wide range of topics, including: the organisation of programmes; issues of strategic management; personnel training; logistics and commodity supply; the tools of management and evaluation, including management information systems; information, education and communication, including the role of the mass media; innovative approaches to reproductive health education, including an examination of the role of formal education and curriculum content; violence against women as a reproductive health issue; meeting the reproductive health needs of "special" groups, including adolescents and refugees; the use of social marketing; issues of quality in service delivery; techniques for evaluating programme effectiveness.

15 hours of lectures and 15 hours of seminars in the MT.

Students are expected to prepare a seminar presentation and an essay (circa 1,500 words) during the term.

The course is supported by a VLE containing electronic reading lists. There is no single key text. The following journals are of key importance: Studies in Family Planning, Population Reports, International Family Planning Perspectives, Population Council Working Papers, Health Transition Review, Social Science and Medicine.

Exam (50%, duration: 2 hours) in the main exam period.
Coursework (50%) in the LT.

Coursework assignment to be a maximum of 10 A4 pages.