!! Due to new responsibilities at her home university, Prof. Noguchi will not be able to spend the full semester at VIU.  This course will be delivered primarily online, with two weeks of in-person classes during October and November. 

Course description
This interdisciplinary course introduces the analytical framework of health economics and applies it to explore the role of arts and culture in promoting health and well-being. Students will examine how economic principles can be used to analyze healthcare systems, medical decision-making, and health policy, while learning how evidence-based approaches can be used to evaluate both conventional healthcare interventions and emerging arts-based initiatives. The course addresses key challenges in healthcare, including information asymmetry, moral hazard, adverse selection, and inequalities in access to care. Through real-world case studies, current policy debates, and interactive discussions, students will critically examine recent evidence on arts and health, assess healthcare policies from the perspectives of both economic efficiency and social equity, and explore innovative approaches to health promotion, healthy aging, and future healthcare policy in an international context.

Main Topics

1. Introduction to Health Economics and Health Systems
2. Demand for Health, Healthcare Markets, and Health Insurance
3. Economic Evaluation and Evidence-Based Healthcare
4. The Role of Arts in Health and Well-being
5. Evaluating Arts-Based Health Interventions
6. Health Policy, Healthy Aging, and Future Challenges

Teaching Methods
The course will be delivered primarily through synchronous online lectures via Zoom. One or two intensive face-to-face teaching periods of approximately one week to ten days will be held in Venice during the semester, focusing on interactive discussions, case studies, and policy debates. Students will complete individual assignments, group activities, and policy analyses throughout the course. This hybrid format combines the flexibility of online learning with the educational benefits of intensive face-to-face interaction.

Evaluation Methods

• Individual assignments and written reports: 40%
• Policy analysis paper: 30%
• Presentations and policy debates (individual and group work): 20%
• Class participation: 10%

Learning Outcomes
Students will be able to: (1) apply economic concepts and analytical tools to understand healthcare systems, healthcare markets, and health policy; (2) evaluate healthcare interventions and arts-based initiatives using evidence-based approaches and economic evaluation methods; (3) analyze major healthcare challenges, including health inequalities, population aging, and access to healthcare, from the perspectives of both economic efficiency and social equity; (4) critically assess the role of arts and culture in promoting health and well-being through contemporary research and international case studies; (5) develop innovative, evidence-informed policy recommendations for improving health and well-being.

Bibliography

1. Bhattacharya, J., Hyde, T., & Tu, P. (2013). Health Economics (2nd ed.). Bloomsbury Publishing
2. Fancourt, D. (2017). Arts in Health: Designing and Researching Interventions. Oxford University Press.
3. Fancourt, D., Finn, S. (2019). What is the evidence on the role of the arts in improving health and well-being?: A scoping review. Health Evidence Network synthesis report 67.
   https://www.who.int/europe/publications/i/item/9789289054553
4. Selected academic articles and policy papers will be assigned throughout the course.

Course duration: 40 hours of tuition
Credits equivalence: 6 ECTS

Last updated: July 10, 2026