Course Syllabus

Jump to Today

 

Pregnancy, Birth and Infancy in Denmark 

 DIS Logo

 

Semester & Location:

Spring 2020 - DIS Copenhagen
Type & Credits:

Elective Course - 3 credits
Major Disciplines:

Biology, Pre-Medicine/Health Science, Public Health
Prerequisite

One year of biology at university level
Faculty Member:

Mette Sejer Sørensen
Program Director:

Susana Dietrich
Time & Place:

Tuesdays and Fridays, 11:40 – 13:00, V10-D14

 

 

Faculty

mette.jpg Mette Sejer Sørensen
Bachelor Degree in Midwifery (Metropolitan University College, Faculty of Midwifery, 2009). Bachelor project in Medical Anthropology (University of Aarhus, 2001), currently pursuing Master’s degree in Anthropology and Psychology. Former midwife and project coordinator at Holbæk Hospital (Copenhagen University Hospital), currently research assistant at SUH (Zealand University Hospital) and board member Dansk Jordemoderfagligt Selskab (Danish Society of Midwifery). With DIS since 2010.

Course Description  

How and why do we handle pregnancy, birth, and infancy the way we do?

This course explores how the Danish healthcare system takes care of mother and child from conception, through pregnancy, and into early childhood. Emphasis will be put on three major areas:

·         the medical aspects of a healthy pregnancy including birth and postnatal care

·         the services provided by the welfare system, and

·         the cultural values inherent in this system

The course will focus on the healthy, physiological pregnancy and birth.

Students will learn the basic anatomy and physiology of the mother and child during pregnancy, labor, and delivery.

As part of the course, we will discuss pregnancy, birth, and infancy as historical and cultural phenomena such as; the role of the midwife, different traditions in pain relief and place of birth, the influence of risk and technology, and the role of evidence based medicine.

Furthermore, we will explore and discuss the cultural and social biases within the natural sciences regarding childbirth practice.

By exploring concepts of natural and normal, knowledge, evidence, risk, and patient safety, students will be able to actively and critically debate pregnancy and birth in class and with health professionals.

 

Expected Learning Outcomes

After successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

  1. Give a basic explanation of how the Danish healthcare system is organized
  2. Explain how the Danish healthcare system takes care of the mother and child
  3. Explain in some detail a healthy pregnancy and birth
  4. Actively take part in discussions concerning pregnancy and birth

 

Evaluation and Grading

To be eligible for a passing grade in this class, you must complete all of the assigned work. 

The factors influencing the final grade and the proportional importance of each factor is shown below:

Component

Weight

Participation

 10 %

Assignment Comparative Birth Stories 

   5 %

Multiple Choice and Case Study Midterm Exam

 15 %

Thesis & Oral Presentation 

 20 %

Written Assignment

 25 %

Multiple Choice and Case Study Final Exam

 25 %


 

Participation covers the following areas: attendance, level of preparation, ability to answer questions asked in class, involvement in class and group discussions, and the level of individual research and contribution to discussions.

Arriving late to class not only disturbs the instructor and your fellow students, but also affects your own standing in the class. Arriving late multiple times will affect your participation grade, and therefore your final grade as well.

Tests (midterm and final)

There will be two tests throughout the semester. The midterm test will consist of a combination of multiple choice questions and a case study. The midterm test is done in class and lasts approximately 30 minutes. The final will be written in the same manner as the midterm test, but will be two hours in duration. The tests are done on Canvas. The tests are cumulative and based on all the course material: readings (textbooks, compendium, uploads, links, handouts), material covered in class, movies, and the field studies.

Thesis, Oral presentation & Written assignment

The thesis and the written assignment are to be written in groups of four or five. The instructor of the course will provide guidance on formulating a thesis and research question, consisting of general and group level instructions during class and a written guideline. Your topic and research question must be approved by the instructor. The thesis and the research question will be presented in class prior to the submission of the written assignment. In addition, students will have to upload a written thesis before the oral presentation. Each group will have 8 minutes for the presentation. The grade given will be individual and includes the process of formulating the research question, writing the thesis, and the oral presentation. Each group member will evaluate the teamwork of formulating the research question, writing the thesis, preparing the presentation, and writing the assignment. The assignment is 10 pages. More details will come later.

 

 Field studies (more details will be provided later)

  • Field study 1, Visit to Copenhagen University Hospital Hvidovre, Capital Region 
  • Field study 2, Visit to Midwifery Consultation, Labor and Maternity Wards, Region Zealand

 

Policies

 Laptop use and classroom etiquette

Use of laptop computers in class is allowed for the purpose of note taking only. Usage not related to note taking can prove distracting and is therefore unacceptable to the instructors, to other students, and to the objectives of the course. If you are using your laptop for reasons not related to class, it will affect your class participation grade significantly. Occasionally, depending on the topic being taught or the assignment task or exercise to fulfill, you will be required to close your laptops; therefore, you should always bring paper and a pen to class. 

Cell phones and other electronic devices should be turned off and stored away. Texting etc. during class will have a negative impact on your participation grade as well. Students should also refrain from any other activity/behavior that may be disturbing to other students who are making the effort to be attentive. Please respect yourself and other students by not chatting with one another during class.

Preparing for class: Please make sure to read all the material assigned. Lectures will not necessarily cover the entire content of the scheduled readings, but both lectures and class discussions will be based upon a thorough knowledge of these. Lectures will often refer to previous lectures and readings. You therefore have an obligation to your fellow classmates and yourself to come prepared to class. If you have questions or need clarification about a lecture or reading do not hesitate to speak up. This is very important. 

Academic Regulations  

Please make sure to read the Academic Regulations on the DIS website. There you will find regulations on:

 DIS - Study Abroad in Scandinavia - www.DISabroad.org

 

 

DIS Contacts

Kathrine Whitman, Program Assistant,  kwh@dis.dk
Louise Bagger Iversen , Assistant Program Director, lbi@dis.dk 
Susana Dietrich, Science & Health Program Director
Science & Health Office: Vestergade 7-37

Required Readings

Textbooks and compendium to be picked up at Book Pick-Up

  • Fraser, Diane M. & Cooper, Margaret A. (eds.). 2009: “Myles. Textbook for Midwives”, 15th edition, Churchill Livingstone/Elsevier
  • Moberg, Kerstin Uvnas. (2011). “The Oxytocin Factor: Tapping the Hormone of Calm, Love and Healing,” Pinter & Martin Ltd

Reading List

1. Davis-Floyd, Robbie. 1994: “Culture and Birth: The Technocratic Imperative”. International Journal of Childbirth Education 9(2)

2. Davis-Floyd, Robbie. 1994: “The Rituals of American Hospital Birth” in Conformity and Conflict: Readings in Cultural Anthropology. Harper Collins. 

3. Henley-Einion, Alyson, 2003: “The medicalisation of childbirth” in Caroline Squire (ed.): “The Social Context of Birth”, Radcliffe Medical Press 

4. Hodnett, Ellen D. 2002: “Pain and women’s satisfaction with the experience of childbirth: A systematic review”. American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Volume 186, Issue 5 December, pp. 160-72 

5. Jordan, Brigitte. 1997: “Authoritative Knowledge and Its Construction” in Robbie E. Davis-Floyd & Caroline F. Sargent (eds.): Childbirth and authoritative knowledge: cross-cultural perspectives”. University of California Press, Berkeley and Los Angeles, California, Chapter One, pp. 55-79 

6. Leap, Nicky & Anderson, Tricia. 2008: “The role of pain in normal birth and the empowerment of women” in Soo Downe (ed.): “Normal Childbirth. Evidence and Debate”, 2nd edition, Elsevier Limited .

7. Lozoff, Betsy, Jordan, Brigitte & Malone, Stephen. 1988:”Childbirth in Cross-Cultural Perspective” in Rob Palkovitz and Marvin Sussman (eds.): Marriage and Family Review 12:3/4

8. Newman, Lareen & Hancock, Heather. 2009: “How natural can major surgery really be? A critique of “the natural caesarean”technique”. Birth, 36(2) June, pp. 168-170 

9. Oakley, Ann. 1990: “What is a midwife?” in Susanne Houd & Ann Oakley: “Helpers in Childbirth. Midwifery Today”. Hemisphere Publishing Corporation. Chap.1.

10. Reason, James. 2000: “Human error: models and management”. BMJ Volume 320, 18 October, pp. 768-770 

11. Smith, J., Plaat, F. & Fisk, N. 2008: “The natural caesarean: A women-centered technique”. BJOG, 115(8), pp. 1037-1042.

12. Sørensen, Lisbeth & Hall, Elisabeth O. C. 2004: ”Resources among New Mothers – early discharged multiparous women”. Vård I Norden 1/2004. Publ. No. 71 Vol. 24 No. 1.

13. Sousa, Aron C. & Alice D. Dreger. "Medicine and Society: The Difference between Science and Technology in Birth” American Medical Association Journal of Ethics September 2013, Volume 15, Number 9: 786-790. 

14. Wackerhausen, Steen. 1999: “What is natural? Deciding what to do and not to do in medicine and health care”. British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Vol. 106, pp. 1109-1112.

15. Zuiderent-Jerak T, Forland F, Macbeth F. 2012: “Guidelines should reflect all knowledge, not just clinical trials". BMJ 2012;345:e6702 

Canvas:

  1. A de Jonge et al. 2009. “Perinatal mortality and morbidity in a nationwide cohort of 529 688 low-risk planned home and hospital births”
  2. Antenatal, delivery and postnatal care at Rigshospitalet
  3. Banta and Thacker: “Historical Controversy in Health Technology Assessment: The Case of Electronic Fetal
  4. Berg, Marc and Timmermans, Stefan: “Introduction - The Politics of Standardization” in Timmermans, Stefan & Berg, Marc: The Gold Standard – The Challenge of Evidence-Based Medicine and Standardization in Health Care
  5. Department of Obstetrics, Rigshospitalet, the National University Hospital, Copenhagen. 2009. Home again with a newborn.
  6. Edquist, Malin et. al. 2016. "Perineal injuries and birth positions among 2992 women with a low risk pregnancy who opted for a homebirth.”
  7. Greenhalgh, Trisha and Howick, Jeremy. Evidence based medicine: a movement in crisis? BMJ 2014;348; Published
  8. Simonsen, Sara (2014): Abstract. In: Time of expecting in overtime. An anthropological investigation into the significance of categorization among women who have passed the due date, Master Thesis 
  9. Skolbekken, John-Arne (2008): Unlimited Medicalization? Risk and the pathologization of normality. In Health, Risk and Vulnerability (eds. Petersen and Wilkinson), Routledge, New York. Pp. 16-30
  10. Sørensen, M. S., Lindgren, P. & Jonasson, M. 2010: “Woman-carried records and their impact on midwifery care at antenatal visits” in Book of Abstracts. The 18th Congress of the Nordic Federation of Midwives, p. 83 .
  11. Sørensen, Mette S. 2010: ““It’s not something that you talk about” An investigation into midwives’ views on risks and patient safety events” in Book of Abstracts. The 18th Congress of the Nordic Federation of Midwives, p. 101
  12. The Danish National Board of Health & Danish Committee for Health Education. 2009. Safety for Babies and Toddlers: http://sundhedsstyrelsen.dk/~/media/5F365A1FFE9D4002A01FB6B5E2C0AC78.ashx
  13. The Danish National Board of Health & the Danish Committee for Health Education. 2010. Healthy habits before, during and after pregnancy 

 

Course Summary:

Date Details Due