Public Health 6007 - Fall 2015
Social and Behavioral Approaches to Health
Wednesday 3:10 to 5:00 PM
Rm 100
Course Professor
Monique Turner, PhD, M.A.
950 New Hampshire Ave, 301N
Phone: (202) 994-3672
E-mail:
Office Hours: By appointment (please email to schedule)
Graduate Teaching Assistants
Floriza Gennari
950 New Hampshire Ave
E-mail:
Office Hours: By appointment (please email to schedule)
Agha Xaher Gul
950 New Hampshire Ave
Phone: (292) 304-5850
Email:
Office Hours: By appointment (please email or text to schedule)
Course Description
This course is part of the MPH Core Curriculum. It examines the complex relationships between social context, behavior, and health at both the individual and community level. It identifies key social and behavioral aspects of health in the U.S. and throughout the world and presents theories that facilitate interventions aimed at improving health and well-being.
Core Competencies
After completing the course, students should be able to:
1. Describe the role of social and community factors, including race/ethnicity and culture, in both the onset and solution of public health problems.
2. Identify the causes of social and behavioral factors that affect health of individuals and populations.
3. Describe a set of selected and widely employed social and behavioral science theories, models, constructs, and principles used to develop or improve programs to address public health issues.
4. Define the scope of health promotion and health education.
5. Identify national initiatives to improve the health of the American people.
6. Specify multiple targets and levels of interventions for social and behavioral science programs and/or policies.
7. Identify individual, organizational, and community concerns, assets, resources, and deficits for social and behavioral science intervention.
8. Apply evidence-based approaches in the development and evaluation of social and behavioral science interventions.
9. Describe the merits of social and behavioral science interventions and policies.
10. Describe theories and approaches that focus on community mobilization and advocacy.
11. Comprehend the dynamic interactions among human and societal systems and describe how they affect the relations among individuals, groups, organizations and communities.
Course Prerequisites: None.
Blackboard
Blackboard will be used for posting course files and assignments and for communicating with the class. You are already “signed up” for this course on Blackboard, since it is linked to the course registration system (log in at http://blackboard.gwu.edu/, using your gwu.edu address and password). It is your responsibility to periodically check the course site for updates to the syllabus/readings. Materials posted on Blackboard will provide substantive support in attaining core course competencies. Thus, it is strongly recommended that students check Blackboard on a regular basis.
Required Articles
Readings must be completed for each session before coming to class. The articles will be posted in the READINGS Section, organized by class session, on Blackboard.
Required Texts
1. Glanz K, Rimer BK, Lewis FM (Editors). Health Behavior and Health Education: Theory, Research, and Practice, 4th Edition. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass; 2008.
2. Turning Technologies Response Card RF LCD (can be purchased from company directly, or at the bookstore (often, they can be rented, too). ISBN 978-1-934931-40-0 http://www.turningtechnologies.com/
NOTE: you must purchase your clicker ASAP and register it via our blackboard site. Log on to our course blackboard site, and register your clicker under “tools” then click on Turning Technologies. You will see a window asking for the serial number of your clicker. This will connect you with your clicker and allow us a systematic way to track your “clicks”.
ALSO: Many smart phones now offer inexpensive “clicker apps”—check into this option for your phone prior to purchasing a clicker! I have posted an announcement in Blackboard that will clarify how to get it and how to use it.
Supplemental Texts That May Prove Useful
Readings within these texts are not assigned nor discussed in class, but may provide supplementary information or reinforce concepts taught in class and throughout your MPH education. You are not obligated to read these.
1. Gladwell M. The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference. Boston: Little Brown; 2001.
2. Coley SM and Scheinberg CA. Proposal Writing: Effective Grantmanship, 3rd Edition. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications; 2007.
3. Turabian KL. A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations, 7th Edition. Chicago: University of Chicago Press; 2007.
Methods of Instruction
Methods of instruction for this course include but are not limited to lectures, required readings (from the textbook and those posted on Blackboard), class and small group discussions, and student papers.
Methods of Evaluation
Method / Points Possible / NotesCritical Thinking exercise(s) / 20 points
(5 points, 4 times per semester) / At 4 random times during the semester students are asked to work with a small group and respond to questions based on the readings, video links, course content, and/or guest speakers, etc. There are NO make up opportunities for points lost.
Pop Quizzes: / 25 points
(5 points per quiz) / Multiple choice quizzes are not pre-announced.
Midterm Exam / 100 points / Multiple choice and short answer. The midterm exam will be taken in an assigned period of time on Blackboard.
The midterm will be ready and available on Blackboard on Thursday Oct 22nd at 9am EST and will close down by Saturday Oct 24th at 5pm EST. ONCE you open this exam, it will close down in 3 hours. You CAN NOT open the exam, look it over, and then take it later. You CAN NOT save some answers and then complete it later. You must choose a 3 hour block during which you will take the exam in 1 sitting.
Final Exam / 100 points / Multiple choice and short answer. The final exam will be taken in an assigned period of time on Blackboard.
The final exam will be ready and available on Blackboard on Dec. 11 at 9am EST and will close down by 5 pm on Dec 16, 2015 EST. ONCE you open this exam, it will close down in 3 hours. You CAN NOT open the exam, look it over, and then take it later. You CAN NOT save some answers and then complete it later. You must choose a 3 hour block during which you will take the exam in 1 sitting.
Group Project (Final Paper) / 100 points
Final Project Grades are multiplied by team member assessments of performance on the group project (see Appendix B) / Your group topic/theory will be assigned in week 2 during class hours.
TOTAL: / 345 POINTS
Explanation of course elements:
Class Participation
This course is NOT designed to be a passive experience. I expect that, as graduate students, you will answer and ask questions and (of course) attend classes. However, this is not a points-based system.
Critical Thinking Exercise: At random points throughout the semester, students will be asked to respond to a question (or questions) regarding readings, videos, guest lectures, or lectures with a small group of class peers. These exercises present an opportunity for you to think about a specific critical issue in public health. Students will be provided class time to think about the issue and respond in a written form. Students will receive credit for these critical thinking exercises—but, the exercise is pass/fail.
Quizzes
There will be 5, in class, pop (meaning, unannounced) quizzes. You will take them with your clicker (questions will appear on screen, you will reply with clicker, we will download responses). Therefore, you need a working “clicker device” with you each and every class. Each quiz is only 5 questions—worth 1 point each. In other words, these quizzes are not meant to comprise a large portion of your grade; rather, they are aimed to help you understand and evaluate your own knowledge level in the course, and prepare you for my testing style. Makeup quizzes are not allowed.
Midterm Examination and Final Examination
There will be 2 exams for this course (see dates above). Both exams require knowledge and application of concepts and theories covered in the course to that point. Both exams will be comprised of multiple choice questions (matching, traditional multiple choice, true/false etc) and a few short answer/essay questions. Both exams will be posted on Blackboard and will be taken on Blackboard. For each exam, Dr. Turner will provide a window of time that you MUST take the exam. The exam must be taken in a one-time shot (much like an exam taken in a classroom). That is, you cannot take part of the exam, close the exam down, and then complete it later. Once the exam is opened on Blackboard—it must be completed within 3 hours and CAN NOT be shut down during that time. You may take the exam from any computer you desire (though I do not recommend taking the exam on an ipad / tablet—students have had issues in the past). Choose a time where you are in a comfortable and quiet environment. More details will be provided in class. Make-up exams and quizzes will not be permitted.
Final Project
Students will be assigned to project teams at the beginning of the semester. Students should access their designated team pages on Blackboard to view their group members and as a mechanism through which to email their group.
Each team will be tasked with writing a Health Intervention Proposal regarding a specific public health problem and utilizing a specific health behavior theory or model. Each team will have the opportunity to meet and discuss the project during most class sessions, time permitting. The teaching staff will be available as a resource during these sessions. They will also be available to meet with groups by appointment. Please note: it is encouraged and expected that project teams meet outside of 6007 class time (or communicate in other ways) to complete assignments and group project work.
Each team will develop a written proposal that improves their public health problem by developing an integrated program that incorporates the assigned health behavior theory, as well as other class topics and theories, as applicable. The final paper is worth 100 points. INDIVIDUAL PARTICIPATION ON THE TEAM WILL BE EVALUATION BY PEERS, AND WILL AFFECT EACH INDIVIDUAL GRADE. SEE APPENDIX B for the intragroup feedback form.
All papers must be in Word format, double-spaced using 12-point font with one inch margins on all sides. Each paper will contain a cover page and a manuscript of twenty pages or fewer, exclusive of references, tables, and appendices. In-text citations and references should be formatted in accordance with AMA Style Guidelines, as one would use in the American Journal of Public Health (AJPH) or the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), and should be included at the end of the manuscript. The cover page must list the title of the paper, names of the authors, and date of submission. SEE APPENDIX A FOR PAPER TEMPLATE.
Class Policy: Late Work & Make-Up Assignments
Late work will not be accepted and make-up assignments will not be permitted.
Class Policy: Attendance/Participation
Your attendance and active participation are an integral part of your learning experience in this course. Reading for a particular session and preparation for in-class assignments should be completed before coming to class. Come to each class prepared to discuss the readings and to actively participate in discussion sessions.
Course Grading Scale and Standards
Points Earned / Grade95 – 100 / A
90 – 94 / A-
87 – 89 / B+
84 – 86 / B
80 – 83 / B-
77 – 79 / C+
73 – 76 / C
70 – 72 / C-
69 and below / F
Academic Integrity
All graded work must be completed in accordance with The George Washington University Code of Academic Integrity (www.gwu.edu/~ntegrity/code.html). Please review this policy at your earliest convenience.
Academic dishonesty is defined as cheating of any kind, including misrepresenting one's own work, taking credit for the work of others without crediting them and without appropriate authorization, and the fabrication of information. Common examples of academically dishonest behavior include, but are not limited to, the following: cheating; fabrication; plagiarism; falsification and forgery of University academic documents; facilitating academic dishonesty, and submitting the same work in more than one course without prior permission of both instructors.
Students with Disabilities
If you feel you may need an accommodation based on the impact of a disability, please contact me privately to discuss specific needs. The Disability Support Services Office is located in Suite 242 of the Marvin Center (tel: 202.994.8250; http://gwired.gwu.edu/dss). Please contact them to establish eligibility and to coordinate reasonable accommodations.
Adverse Weather/Class Cancellation
In the advent of inclement weather or any other emergency, SPHHS will follow the decision of the University, and I will follow the SPHHS decision. Call the University hotline at 202.994.5050 or check the GWUMC status button at www.gwumc.edu . In the event of class cancellation, we will email you about rescheduling, assignments due, etc.
SESSION / DATE / TOPIC / READINGS / Misc. notes:1. Sept 2 / Public Health—What is it we’re doing anyway?
Social determinants of health.
The ecological Model. / Ten social determinants activity (Marmot Report: http://www.euro.who.int/__data/assets/pdf_file/0005/98438/e81384.pdf
Social Determinants of Health Inequalities by Michael Marmot. Lancet, 2005.
Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Studyby Felitti, 1998.
Glanz et al.: Chapter 20 / Please read this syllabus carefully prior to next week’s class. Professor Turner can address syllabi-related questions at that time.
2. Sept 9 / Gender and biological sex as a determinant of health. / Gorman BK & Read JG. Why Men Die Younger Than Women. Geriatrics & Aging. 2007, 179-181. Available at: www.socsci.uci.edu/~jennan/Publish_Geriatrics&Aging_2007.pdf
Videos (watch in this order):
Learning to lead by Borges: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xbd2ws_learning-to-lead-by-phil-borges_travel
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Cf83V86AsE (Kidan)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFxcUT4oCxU (Addis)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WILhgeHN8o8 (Sanchita)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NT_O5xtEhsw (Consolée) / Groups are assigned. Please see group assignments posted on Blackboard.