Syllabus - Fall 2009
HSA 5303 - Poverty and Public Health
(Formerly HSA 303)

Excluding textbooks, the information on this syllabus is subject to change.  For the most
up-to-date syllabus, check this site on the first day of classes. 

This is a three-credit graduate course and is one in a series of courses in the online Humanitarian Services Administration program developed by the University of Connecticut's Center for Continuing Studies. This course is an elective course in the online Master of Professional Studies degree with a field of study in Humanitarian Services Administration.

The developer of this course was Dr. Rodney Allen building on the previous work and contributions of Dr. Ruth Rosenbaum and Dr. Janie Simmons.

Course Information

Course Title: Poverty and Public Health (HSA 5303)
Credits: 3 credits
Prerequisites: None
Format: Online via HuskyCT

Instructor: Prof. Rodney Allen
E-mail: R.Allen@uconn.edu

For special permission to register for this course, contact Donna.Campbell@uconn.edu. Include your Peoplesoft ID number and reason for taking the course.

This course provides students with a foundational understanding of the complex and dynamic relationships between poverty and poor health among the poor, worldwide. It examines classic and current studies on poverty and public health from an historical and interdisciplinary perspective (Public Health, Epidemiology, Social Medicine, and Social Economics), and reviews the ways in which the government and non-governmental organizations have addressed the problem. The course will prepare students to engage in thoughtful debate about needed changes in values, perspectives and interventions in order to address and ameliorate the health problems of the economically poor.

Course Objectives

Upon completion of this course, students should be able to:

1. Describe the relationship between the social determinants of health, including poverty, on disease patterns in societies
2. Recognize how public health measurement techniques, primarily epidemiology, can be used for evaluating health and social science methods for measuring poverty in societies.
3. Analyze and discuss the multi-factorial aspects of causal determinants of disease in societies using the Precede-Proceed model.
4. Analyze the impact of globalization, good government, and macro-social and economic policies on poverty and health in states.
5. Compare the program components of the United Nation's Millennium Development Goals and the World Health Organization's Closing the Gap program and asses the results to date.
6. Examine society and health in the context of countries in conflict.
   

Course Requirements

Your course grade is determined by your performance on the following course components. More information about the specific requirements for each component will be provided throughout the course.

1. Discussion Requirements – It is important that everyone participates in the course discussion so that we can all benefit collectively from individual perspectives on each important topic. Participation means contributing an original post to a topic and commenting on fellow student's contributions.
   
   During the first week of each module, we will discuss the readings under the “Research, Summarize & Report” topic. You will also contribute a resource related to the topic for the discussion. During the second week of each module, you will post a summary of your case study findings for class review and feedback. (See Final Case Study for more details.)
   
   Your combined participation for each module's discussion topics is worth 5 points (or 5 percent) towards your final grade. Over the course of the semester, discussions will comprise 35 points (or 35 percent) of your final grade. Please take this requirement seriously.
   
   
2. Final Case Study - You will complete a case study of a country of your choice but no two students should select the same country. The content of the case study should generally follow the thematic format of the course outline, incorporating any specific instructions provided with each module. The completed case study will compose 65 points (or 65 percent) of your final grade, and your manuscript should follow the American Psychological Association publication style.
   
   During the first week of the course, you will select and post in the discussion tool your case study country. After you select your specific country for your case study, you will prepare a synopsis of your work for each module as we progress through the course. You will post this synopsis to the class via the discussion tool during the second week of each module. Further details related to the case study requirements will be provided in the course.
   

 

Course Grading

The final course grade will be based upon the following course components:

Course Components	Points	Percentage of Final Grade
Discussion Requirements	35	35%
Final Case Study	65	65%
TOTAL	100	100%

The final course grading scale is as follows:

Grade	Letter Grade	GPA
97-100	A+	4.3
93-96	A	4.0
90-92	A-	3.7
87-89	B+	3.3
83-86	B	3.0
80-82	B-	2.7
77-79	C+	2.3
73-76	C	2.0
70-72	C-	1.7
67-69	D+	1.3
63-66	D	1.0
60-62	D-	0.7
<60	F	0.0

You are responsible for acting in accordance with the Student Code, available at http://www.dosa.uconn.edu/student_code.cfm.

 

Course Guidelines, Etiquette & Expectations

Student Code and Academic Integrity

As a member of the graduate student community at the University of Connecticut, you are responsible for acting in accordance with the policies and procedures outlined in the University's Student Code available at  http://www.dosa.uconn.edu/student_code.cfm. In particular, take time to review Appendix B - Academic Integrity in Graduate Education and Research.

Netiquette

At all times, course communication with fellow students and the instructor are to be professional and courteous. If you are new to online learning, you may want to look at this guide titled, The Core Rules of Netiquette.

Due Dates

The Calendar tool in HuskyCT lists the course's important due dates and details the course's schedule. All course deadlines are based on Eastern Time; if you are in a different time zone, please adjust your submittal times accordingly.

Feedback and Grades

I will make every effort to provide feedback and grades in a timely manner. To keep track of your performance in the course, use the MyGrades tool in HuskyCT.

Accommodations & Special Circumstances

If you require accommodations due to a documented disability (see below Students with Disabilities), or if you have emergency information to share, send me a message using the Mail tool in HuskyCT.

 

Students with Disabilities

Students needing special accommodations should work with the University's Center for Students with Disabilities. You may contact the Center by calling (860) 486-2020 or by emailing csd@uconn.edu. If your request for accommodation is approved, an accommodation letter will be provided. Please present your official letter to the instructor as soon as possible so special arrangements, as appropriate, can be made. (Note: Student requests for accommodation must be filed each semester.)

The University of Connecticut's online course management system, HuskyCT, is a product of Blackboard, Inc. "Blackboard measures and evaluates accessibility levels using two sets of standards; Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act issued from the United States federal government and the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) issued by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C)." (Retrieved December 1, 2008 from http://www.blackboard.com/company/accessibility.aspx)

Course Materials

There is no required textbook to purchase for this course. All reading and resource materials will be accessible in the instructional modules via the UConn Libraries' eJournal subscriptions, UConn Libraries' Electronic Course Reserves (ECR) and the Internet.
 

• Word processing software
• Adobe Acrobat Reader

This course is completely facilitated online using the learning management platform, HuskyCT. Ensure your Internet browser and browser settings are HuskyCT compatible by viewing the following settings information. If you have difficulty accessing HuskyCT, call the Learning Resource Center (LRC) at (860) 486-1187, or visit its online help (including instant chat) at http://lrc.uconn.edu/help.

Your Internet browser and browser settings need to be HuskyCT compatible. See Settings.

To be successful in this course, you will need the following technical skills:

• Use electronic mail (such as email) with attachments.
• Save files in commonly used word processing program formats.
• Copy and paste text or graphics.
• Work within two or more browser windows simultaneously.
• Run and access audio and video clips from the Internet.
• Open and access PDF files.

1. Social Determinants of Health
   • the social and economic environment,
   • the physical environment,
   • the person's individual characteristics and behaviors, and
   • Precede-Proceed model of health behaviors.
     
2. Poverty
   • measurement including CREA, living standards method,
   • implications for health, and
   • impact on other determinants.
     
3.   Health
   • what is health, and
   • measurement of health in populations.
     
4. Health Impact Assessments
   
5. Macro Issues of Poverty and Health
   • good governance,
   • the IMF and World Bank approaches, and
   • globalization.
     
6. Improving the Social Determinants of Health
   • The UN Millennium Development Goals, and
   • The WHO Closing the Gap.
     
7. Social Determinants of Health in Countries in Conflict
   
   

Students will be provided an opportunity to evaluate instruction in this course using the University's standard procedures, which are administered by the Office of Institutional Research.