Is that Politics in My Health Care? Implementing Political Engagement in a Health Psychology Course to Increase Student Awareness

The purpose of this article is to discuss the results of implementing political engagement activities in the author's Health Psychology of Women and Ethnic Minorities course during the fall of 2008 at the University of San Diego (USD). USD is a Roman Catholic institution whose core values are linked with Catholic social teachings which include dignity of the human person, common good and community, options for the poor, rights and responsibilities and participation. To address these ideals, the author originally developed her course to offer majors in psychology an opportunity to learn about how gender, race and economic status relate to physical and mental well-being and illness. Furthermore, the role of community organizations in providing resources and programming on health care issues was emphasized during the semester through a variety of community service learning projects. There is a large body of evidence that points to the importance of community health programs and organizations on health particularly in the groups discussed in class. Community service projects are commonplace in the author's courses and opportunities to engage with diverse populations through these projects had always been an essential part of this course.