Curriculum: Associate of Science in Public Health

The purpose of this course is to provide basic health information that can be utilized to help students critically analyze their personal health behaviors and the health behaviors of others. Students will be able to participate in a behaviorchange project for themselves and/or for family/friends. Valid health information resourceswill be identified, discussed and analyzed.

This course is an introduction to the subject of global health with emphasis on significant global health issues, determinants of health, and factors which influence global health status, including: culture, gender, poverty, politics, economic development, ethical and human rights concerns, and education. The course will also examine how public policy and societal/cultural norms influence health and health behaviors and how health issues in individual countries influence political, economic, and cultural issues worldwide.

This course explores the issue of mental health disorders frequently experienced in society. A major emphasis of this course is on the risk and protective factors associated with mental health problems as well as the appropriate courses of action to take for prevention and treatment. Stigma related to help-seeking behaviors and treatment for mental health problems is also addressed. Students are introduced to the facts surrounding various mental health issues and how systems and culture impact these issues. Effective strategies to promote positive mental health are thoroughly discussed throughout the course. Students will be provided with the unique opportunity to spend time reflecting on their own personal feelings, concerns, goals, and present life situations.

The goal of this course is to provide students with the skills and resources necessary to become an informed consumer of health products and services. Students will learn to critically examine sources of health information from textbooks, websites, health professionals, the media, and others. Students will also learn to apply basic research concepts to health decision-making. Students will practice educating the general population about health products and services.

This course explains the function of food, body processes and optimum diets as the concepts relate to health, wellness, and physical fitness throughout the lifespan. In addition, fundamental concepts of nutrition are addressed with a special focus on contemporary issues relevant to developing health professionals.

This course will review and openly discuss and debate controversial issues in health, health care, and health promotion and education. Students will actively participate in class discussions around various health topics and analyze their own ethical standards, values, and cultural beliefs and practices, in addition to those of other cultural groups, in order to better understand the social influence on decision-making and overall health outcomes. Students are encouraged and guided to examine differing perspectives of health issues and to participate in civil debate drawing on reputable sources to defend positions.

This course is designed to give an overview of the field of Psychology and its major sub-fields: physiology (biology of behavior, consciousness, perception), cognition (learning, thought, language), social, organizational, developmental, personality, and psychopathology and its treatment. Students will be equipped to compare the advantages and disadvantages of the various research methods used in the field. Students will be encouraged to analyze psychological theories and make applications of research findings to their lives.

This course introduces the discipline of sociology. Sociology is the systematic study of social interaction and social organization, particularly in contemporary society. Included is an examination of major research findings and theories related to the social causes and consequences of human behavior. Students are introduced to research methods, social structure and institutions, culture, socialization, social inequality, and social change.

This course will examine drug use from a sociological perspective, addressing how social factors influence our acceptance of the science of addiction, as well as biological and psychological factors influencing substance use and abuse. We will examine the history of substance abuse, the causes of use, social inequality as it relates to substance use, the demographics of substance use, and societal responses the use of various substances.

Through the lens of critical theory, the overarching goal of this course is to study the diversity of American families from a multigenerational developmental perspective. The family will be examined as a social system moving through time, with a focus on the challenges the family faces as they go through the family life cycle from courtship to old age. Because families are embedded within a social environment, we will explore how culture and societal forces affect the family life, and how certain policies, structures, attitudes, and behaviors marginalize and discriminate against non-traditional families. This course focuses on the ways in which the social work profession responds to contemporary families under stress, and how the values and ethics of the profession guide social work practice. In order to understand family processes that enable the family to meet the needs of its members, students will learn the importance of the person-in-environment fit, specifically examining how diversity, equity and inclusion issues impact family from a systems perspective. Students will learn about the major theoretical models that help us understand how family’s function such as systems, role, feminist, intergenerational, social learning, conflict, and ecological theories.

A critical exploration of conceptual and ethical issues raised by new medical technology, including discussion of doctor/patient relationships, euthanasia, psychosurgery, in-vitro fertilization,and genetic engineering.

This course is designed to introduce participants to the theoretical basis of the Motivational Interviewing (MI) style and to help them acquire skills and strategies for using MI in various helping situations.

This course emphasizes critical reading, writing, and textual analysis with particular focus on argument and research-based writing.

This course emphasizes critical reading and writing, advanced research and argument skills, and rhetorical understanding of language as it is used in different discourse communities.

A one-semester comprehensive introduction to statistics suitable for students in biology, nursing, allied health, and applied science. Discussion of data, frequency distributions, graphical and numerical summaries, design of statistical studies, and probability as a basis for statistical inference and prediction. The concepts and practice of statistical inference including confidence intervals, one and two samplet-tests, chi-square tests, regression and analysisof variance, with attention to selecting the procedure(s) appropriate for the question and datastructure, and interpreting and using the result. Pre-requisite: At least 420 on the MPT strongly recommended.

This course will examine the public health system in the United States. Emphasis will be placed on how public health data is collected; the various roles and responsibilities of public health departments; principles of population health; evidence based public health practice; current public health issues and trends; preventing disease, disability and death; and public health across the lifespan. Topics will address elements of society and culture and how they impact the population health approach. Students should gain an appreciation for public health and develop an understanding of various public health career options.

This course is an introduction to epidemiological concepts and methods used to evaluate the distribution and determinants of health and disease in populations. Intended topics include measures of disease occurrence, common sources and types of data, important study designs and sources of error in epidemiological studies, and epidemiological methods.

This course serves as an FYE course for biology and chemistry majors as well as students with an interest in professional careers such as dentistry, pharmacy, medicine, and veterinary medicine. This course is designed to introduce students to different careers in science and to familiarize students with the college support services available to them. Students will also have the opportunity to gather and share information about their chosen science profession as well as begin the development of skills necessary for them to be successful in their science courses.

This course examines multiple aspects of human sexuality. This topic is more than a topic – it is a lived experience for each and every human; sexuality fundamentally effects our individual and collective realities on many different levels. This course attempts to challenge familiar ways of viewing human sexuality and to deepen students’ academic knowledge about psychological, social, cultural, and scientific issues related to sexuality, introducing concepts and methodologies from multiple disciplines in the social sciences for the analysis of the subject.

Select any college-level course.

Select any college-level course.