HLTH 54: Intro to Public Health

This course is offered in two ways: in person and online. In Spring 2017, the in-person section meets Mondays & Wednesdays, 11:10-12:25 in MUB 370.

My online sections of HLTH 54 are 100% online, meaning all readings, all assignments, and all exams are completed online.

Are you thinking about taking an online class for the first time? If so, you may want to take this quick assessment of your readiness for online learning. http://www.ccsf.edu/Departments/Distance_Education/self_eval.htm

This course introduces students to the basic concepts of public health and community health. It uses current health topics such as health care reform legislation, infectious disease control, community organizing for health, and increasing access to good nutrition and physical activity. The course includes readings, forum discussions, quizzes, midterm and final exams, and a Community Health Project (4 short essays) on a topic of the student's choice.

Starting in Spring 2017, this course will be offered in CANVAS. Also, a textbook is now required: Introduction to Community & Public Health, by McKenzie and Pinger, Eighth Edition (8th ed.). You may get it from the CCSF Bookstore, or any other bookseller, used or new. You could use the "Brief Edition" or the "9th edition" of this same textbook -- but I will be referring to the 8th edition consistently.

Syllabus:

A copy of the Spring 2017 syllabi will be posted when ready.

Want to get a flavor of the kind of things that this course deals with?

Here is a link to one article assigned for the class, which may give you a flavor of public health today. One of the central concerns of public health professionals today is the problem of health disparities (differences in health based on race, class, gender or other social categories) and understanding the social determinants of health. This is an article that I refer to in the course shell as "unnatural causes in the East Bay" : http://www.insidebayarea.com/life-expectancy/life-expectancy/ci_13913952http://www.insidebayarea.com/life-expectancy/life-expectancy/ci_13913952

Another handout on the Social Determinants of Health and Health Equity is available for download, below.

There is an optional in-person orientation session for HLTH 54, for any student taking HLTH 54 online or any student in the face-to-face class who is not familiar with Canvas. For spring 2017, it will be held on Thursday, January 19 from 5:30 to 6:30 in Rosenberg Library room 414. Anyone enrolled in the class is welcome at the orientation! Also, if you are on the wait list, it's a good idea to come to the orientation.

I am on sabbatical Spring 2016-Fall 2016.