This course is designed for students who are curious to learn about pharmaceutical public policy at the global level and also to explore the interrelationship between global and domestic health public policy issues, particularly those related to political economy and the governance of the pharmaceutical system. There are no prerequisites required but students are strongly recommended to have taken at least one social science or public health course given the ample reading and research requirements. Particular emphasis will be placed on how governments in different jurisdictions manage their public health responsibilities, particularly in terms of providing access to essential medicines and human development objectives, the tension between economic and health objectives, global trade obligations and their impact on access to medicines, and how pressure from special interest groups are relevant to pharmaceutical policy. Corruption issues will also be addressed. This course encourages a large amount of student participation through group work, discussion, presentations, and debate. Accordingly, students will need to keep up with the weekly readings in order to ensure that they are prepared for the class.