Community Health Minor
Community health is an interdisciplinary field of study that seeks to improve the health characteristics of diverse communities through a research-based understanding of social, cultural, and environmental determinants. Coursework examines determinants of health through the viewpoints offered by:
- psychology
- sociology
- biology
- philosophy
Upon completion, students will better understand the underlying social, economic, psychological, and environmental forces that create health and social inequities in a community and be more informed health practitioners.
Because student experience with and knowledge of medically underserved populations is becoming increasingly important for healthcare practitioners, all students pursuing health-related professions are encouraged to earn the minor in community health.
The Community Health Minor requires a minimum of 18 credit hours.
All prerequisites must be completed prior to enrollment in the following courses.
This is a survey course providing a study of the behavior of living organisms, particularly human behavior. Typical problems are methods and measurement in psychology, theoretical systems, learning, motivation, perception, personality and psychopathology.
Study of the interrelationships among biological, psychological and social factors in health and illness. Topics will include health promotion and illness prevention, behavioral medicine and psychoneuroimmunology.
This course explores the ethical dilemmas confronting contemporary medicine. It both inquires into a broad range of topics (abortion, euthanasia, health-care costs, organ transplantation, etc.) and provides a thorough study of ethical theories that may be applied to address the dilemmas of modern medicine.
This course introduces students to the social realities of drug use and drug users. Drawing from sociological and criminological perspectives, the course focuses on the historical significance and social construction of drug use, users, abuse and addiction; the relationship between drug use and racism/class conflict; medicalization in contemporary societies; and social movements aiming to effect attitude and policy change.
Choose one course from the following (3 hrs.):
Students will be introduced to the field of community psychology, which seeks to understand the relationship between environmental conditions and the health and psychosocial well-being of community members. This course will explore the various theoretical bases of community psychology. Special emphasis will be placed on experiential learning, as students will examine the social issues, social institutions, and other settings that influence their local community. Lastly, students will concentrate on the practice of community psychology, by increasing their awareness of organizations aimed at improving quality of life in their local community.
Choose one course from the following (3 hrs.):
This course explores the causes and consequences of institutionalized inequality and how life chances, including life, health and death differ by race, socioeconomic status, and gender. Special emphasis will be given to how these social statuses affect health outcomes in the community.
This course is concerned with the social causes and consequences of health and illness. Major areas of investigation include the social facets of health and disease, the social behavior of healthcare personnel and people who utilize healthcare, and the social functions of health organizations and healthcare delivery systems.