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Health Studies Current Courses

Fall 2025

Course Code Title/Instructor Meets
HEST 400-01 Senior Seminar in Health Studies
Instructor: David Sarcone
Course Description:
The Senior Seminar in Health Studies is an interdisciplinary, topics driven course, with specific foci dependent upon the specialization(s) of the instructor. Students will survey the relevant literatures of at least two disciplines; identify specific problems or topics; complete a research project based on secondary and/or primary sources; and offer a final presentation of interdisciplinary work (in the forms of academic papers, oral presentations, or some other creative project (including film, narrative, performance, etc.). Prerequisite: 201 and at least two other courses in Health Studies (as accepted by Health Studies Coordinator), or permission of instructor.Normally offered fall semester.
01:30 PM-04:30 PM, T
TOME 227
Courses Offered in ANTH
Course Code Title/Instructor Meets
ANTH 242-01 Research Methods in Global Health: Quantitative, Qualitative and Anthropological Approaches
Instructor: James Ellison, ANTH STAFF
Course Description:
This course introduces students to different methodological approaches used in global health to understand health needs in the global south and design appropriate interventions to address them. Through readings and discussions about the theoretical underpinnings of qualitative and quantitative research students will learn the different ways in which each approach contributes to understanding a health problem and developing solutions, with a special emphasis on the growing role of anthropological perspectives in conducting socially relevant and context appropriate global health research. Pre-requisites: ANTH 100 or 110 (ARCH 110) or 101 or 216 or permission of instructor. This course introduces students to different methodological approaches used in global health to understand health needs in the global south and design appropriate interventions to address them. Through readings and discussions about the theoretical underpinnings of qualitative and quantitative research students will learn the different ways in which each approach contributes to understanding a health problem and developing solutions, with a special emphasis on the growing role of anthropological perspectives in conducting socially relevant and context appropriate global health research. Pre-requisites: ANTH 100 or 110 (ARCH 110) or 101 or 216 or permission of instructor.
10:30 AM-11:45 AM, TR
DENNY 112
Courses Offered in BIOL
Course Code Title/Instructor Meets
BIOL 132-03 Introduction to Molecules, Genes, and Cells: Topics in the Molecular Basis of Disease
Instructor: Tiffany Frey
Course Description:
Permission of instructor required.
10:30 AM-11:45 AM, TR
TOME 115
01:30 PM-04:30 PM, W
JAMESR 2218
BIOL 326-01 Microbiology w/Lab
Instructor: David Kushner
Course Description:
Permission of instructor required. Molecular biology, genetics, and biochemistry (structure and function) of bacteria, archaea, and viruses. Includes an introduction to the immune system and mechanisms of medical control of microbes. Molecular mechanisms of bacterial pathogenesis are addressed via readings from the recent primary literature. Laboratory exercises include the isolation and characterization of unknown bacteria using traditional and molecular methods, and modern genomic approaches to characterizing host response to infection. Six hours classroom a week. Prerequisites: One 200-level BIOL course. For Neuroscience majors, prerequisite is NRSC 200.
09:30 AM-10:20 AM, MWF
STUART 1113
01:30 PM-04:30 PM, W
RNORTH 1316
BIOL 425-01 The Biology of Cancer w/lab
Instructor: Michael Roberts
Course Description:
Cancer is a genetic disorder that affects some 10 million people worldwide. In the United States, cancer is a close second to heart disease as the leading cause of death. This course will examine the molecular basis of cancer including the genes and signaling pathways involved in malignant transformation and the physiological consequences of uncontrolled cell growth. Current methods in cancer research and recent advances in cancer treatment will also be discussed. Specific topics covered will include: oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes, oncogenic mutation, tumor viruses, apoptosis, angiogenesis, metastasis, tumor immunology, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and biological therapy. Six hours classroom/laboratory a week. Prerequisite: One of the following: 216, 313, 316, 318, 326, 327, 380, or permission of the instructor. Cancer is a genetic disorder that affects some 10 million people worldwide. In the United States, cancer is a close second to heart disease as the leading cause of death. This course will examine the molecular basis of cancer including the genes and signaling pathways involved in malignant transformation and the physiological consequences of uncontrolled cell growth. Current methods in cancer research and recent advances in cancer treatment will also be discussed. Specific topics covered will include: oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes, oncogenic mutation, tumor viruses, apoptosis, angiogenesis, metastasis, tumor immunology, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and biological therapy. Six hours classroom/laboratory a week. Prerequisite: One of the following: 216, 313, 316, 318, 326, 327, 380, or permission of the instructor.
09:00 AM-10:15 AM, TR
TOME 213
01:30 PM-04:30 PM, M
RNORTH 1316
Courses Offered in EASN
Course Code Title/Instructor Meets
EASN 306-01 Health, Care, and Culture in Contemporary Asia
Instructor: Shawn Bender
Course Description:
New understandings of health and care have accompanied the economic rise of countries in the Asian region. This course explores how ideologies of health and care connect to shifting social and political norms, changing conditions of work and family, and inherited cultural and religious beliefs in contemporary Asia. Students will examine inherited understandings of health in the region, intersections of trauma, anxiety, and treatment of mental health, the demands of paid and unpaid care work, and the ritualization of care at end of life.
03:00 PM-04:15 PM, MR
EASTC 112
Courses Offered in ENST
Course Code Title/Instructor Meets
ENST 350-01 Environmental Health
Instructor: Wande Benka-Coker
Course Description:
This course will focus on the intricate bidirectional relationship between human activity and the natural environment, emphasizing its implications for human health. Class meetings will encompass a broad spectrum of foundational (epidemiology, toxicology, and exposure assessment methods) and integrative topics, including the quality and safety of the air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat and our living and working environments, along with the evolving influence of weather and climate, and the dynamic fluctuations within various levels of our ecosystems. The integration of systems thinking into environmental health sciences is central to coursework, enabling students to analyze complex interactions within ecosystems and assess their impact on human health. Laboratory meetings will allow students to explore various methodologies for evaluating environmental health quality and leveraging available data resources to inform public health interventions. A keen focus will be the understanding of how environmental exposure health outcome relationships are hypothesized, established, and clearly communicated through data, and ultimately, text, graphics, and speech. Students will be expected to become prefatorily familiar with environmental data analysis tools like MS Excel and R statistical language, although previous data analysis experience is not expected or required. This experience will culminate in a field research project that explores indoor and outdoor environmental quality, and air pollution. Prerequisite: 161 and 162 or CHEM 131 or permission of instructor. This course will focus on the intricate bidirectional relationship between human activity and the natural environment, emphasizing its implications for human health. Class meetings will encompass a broad spectrum of foundational (epidemiology, toxicology, and exposure assessment methods) and integrative topics, including the quality and safety of the air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat and our living and working environments, along with the evolving influence of weather and climate, and the dynamic fluctuations within various levels of our ecosystems. The integration of systems thinking into environmental health sciences is central to coursework, enabling students to analyze complex interactions within ecosystems and assess their impact on human health. Laboratory meetings will allow students to explore various methodologies for evaluating environmental health quality and leveraging available data resources to inform public health interventions. A keen focus will be the understanding of how environmental exposure health outcome relationships are hypothesized, established, and clearly communicated through data, and ultimately, text, graphics, and speech. Students will be expected to become prefatorily familiar with environmental data analysis tools like MS Excel and R statistical language, although previous data analysis experience is not expected or required. This experience will culminate in a field research project that explores indoor and outdoor environmental quality, and air pollution. Prerequisite: 161 and 162 or CHEM 131 or permission of instructor.
01:30 PM-04:30 PM, R
KAUF 116
10:30 AM-11:45 AM, TR
KAUF 187
Courses Offered in LALC
Course Code Title/Instructor Meets
LALC 239-01 Spanish for the Health Professions
Instructor: Jorge Sagastume
Course Description:
Cross-listed with SPAN 239-01. This is a specialized course emphasizing Spanish language and culture as they relate to health and medicine. The course goal is written and oral communication and cultural fluency as they relate to Global Health Care, Food Security, Immigration, and the delivery of health-care services to Limited-English-Proficient, Hispanic patients. Off-campus volunteer work with native Spanish speakers is required. Prerequisite: SPAN 202 or above, or permission of instructor. This course is cross-listed as SPAN 239.
03:00 PM-04:15 PM, TF
KAUF 179
Courses Offered in PSYC
Course Code Title/Instructor Meets
PSYC 120-01 Introduction to Health Psychology
Instructor: Supriya Dixit
Course Description:
This course is designed to provide a broad overview of the interdisciplinary field of health psychology, which uses scientific research methods to study the bi-directional relationship between psychology and health. We will discuss psychological states such as stress and how they affect the body, and mental processes such as finding meaning that are associated with effective coping and positive health outcomes. We will also study health behaviors such as exercise, sleep, eating, and substance use. Finally, we will explore how psychological concepts and research can be applied to health promotion and illness prevention. Course content will be especially relevant to students considering careers in health care or public health. This course is designed to provide a broad overview of the interdisciplinary field of health psychology, which uses scientific research methods to study the bi-directional relationship between psychology and health. We will discuss psychological states such as stress and how they affect the body, and mental processes such as finding meaning that are associated with effective coping and positive health outcomes. We will also study health behaviors such as exercise, sleep, eating, and substance use. Finally, we will explore how psychological concepts and research can be applied to health promotion and illness prevention. Course content will be especially relevant to students considering careers in health care or public health.
12:30 PM-01:20 PM, MWF
KAUF 179
PSYC 125-01 Brain and Behavior w/Lab
Instructor: Emily Brown
Course Description:
This course will introduce the structure and function of the brain as it influences human behavior. Findings from neuroanatomy, neurophysiology, and endocrinology will be considered in their relation to a number of behavioral processes such as perception, memory, and social behavior. In the laboratory, students will engage in hands-on activities to explore brain anatomy and brain-behavior relationships. Three hours classroom and three hours laboratory a week.
11:30 AM-12:20 PM, MWF
JAMESR 1206
01:30 PM-04:30 PM, M
JAMESR 1206
PSYC 175-01 Introduction to Community Clinical Psychology
Instructor: Sharon Kingston
Course Description:
This course will provide an introduction to the field of community psychology. Community psychology focuses on promoting well-being and preventing negative mental health and social outcomes by understanding persons-in-context and the ways that social issues, institutions, and settings impact individuals, families and communities. In the course, we will: (a) review the historical underpinnings of community psychology; (b) examine the field's major tenets and theories, including its emphasis on understanding the role of the environment in human behavior; (c) explore he field's application to prevent negative mental health and social outcomes and promote well-being and social justice. This course will provide an introduction to the field of community psychology. Community psychology focuses on promoting well-being and preventing negative mental health and social outcomes by understanding persons-in-context and the ways that social issues, institutions, and settings impact individuals, families and communities. In the course, we will: (a) review the historical underpinnings of community psychology; (b) examine the field's major tenets and theories, including its emphasis on understanding the role of the environment in human behavior; (c) explore he field's application to prevent negative mental health and social outcomes and promote well-being and social justice.
11:30 AM-12:20 PM, MWF
KAUF 179
PSYC 465-01 Seminar in Serious Mental Illness
Instructor: Sharon Kingston
Course Description:
Critics of the mental health care system in the United States lament a system that seems to provide the least amount of services to those with the greatest need: individuals with psychotic symptoms. In this advanced seminar, we read and discuss primary scholarly sources and personal accounts related to serious mental illnesses like schizophrenia. We will examine the proposed causes and risk factors for the development of these conditions and treatment options. We will also examine the historical and cultural forces that guide our understanding of these disorders, sources of stigma and neglect of individuals with these conditions and ways that individuals with serious mental illness can be fully integrated into communities as valued contributing members.
10:30 AM-11:20 AM, MWF
KAUF 187
Courses Offered in SPAN
Course Code Title/Instructor Meets
SPAN 239-01 Spanish for the Health Professions
Instructor: Jorge Sagastume
Course Description:
Cross-listed with LALC 239-01. This is a specialized course emphasizing Spanish language and culture as they relate to health and medicine. The course goal is written and oral communication and cultural fluency as they relate to Global Health Care, Food Security, Immigration, and the delivery of health-care services to Limited-English-Proficient, Hispanic patients. Off-campus volunteer work with native Spanish speakers is required. Prerequisite: 202 or 205. This course is cross-listed as LALC 239.
03:00 PM-04:15 PM, TF
KAUF 179