DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND COMMUNITY SERVICE
WOMEN’S HEALTH, HCSV 368 section 2, fall 2005
Faculty: Janice Kalman, C.N.M., N.P., M.S.N.
Office:
Phone: 872 – 5354
E-mail: kalamari@c-zone.net
Office Hours: Wed. 8:50-9:50 pm
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course will include an analysis of health issues that concern women
throughout the life cycle. The physiological, psychological, cultural, and
political impact upon women’s well-being will be discussed using the feminist
perspective.
This course fulfills the Natural Science subject area (Theme B) for the
Women’s Issues theme. This course is Area B (Natural Sciences) of the
Upper Division Theme,
Women's Issues. You must have completed at least 45 units of coursework in
order to receive theme credit. This course has a 2,500-word writing
requirement. The objectives for all courses within the Women’s Issues Theme are
as follows:
* Define varied feminist
(woman-centered) theories,
perspectives, and methods of studying women as they relate to the discipline
that the course represents.
* Explore the impact of class, race, gender and sexuality on
women's lives and place in society.
* Discuss the historical and current practices, institutions,
and belief systems that maintain the subordination of women.
* Read materials by feminist writers and researchers.
* Identify ways women have brought about social, economic, and
political change
COURSE OBJECTIVES: At the
end of this course you should be able to:
* List the types of research utilized in the study of women’s
health, using major research studies
as examples.
* Distinguish the scientific method from
hearsay in interpreting material written about
women’s health in the popular news.
* Discuss critical findings and implications
of selected research studies exploring various
health and health care issues regarding women.
*
Discuss the status and trends in the health of women and their care,
with special attention to the
differences among ethnic and racial subgroups and the impact of poverty.
* Explore selected physiological changes a
woman’s body undergoes (e.g. menarche,
pregnancy and childbirth, menopause, aging) and their psychosocial impact.
* List and discuss the common diseases and
disorders of women (including STDs): description,
causes, prevalence, risk factors, symptoms, treatment, and prevention measures.
* Analyze selected factors that serve as
barriers to women’s health status and ways
the public policy, health organizations, and women themselves can enhance health promotion behaviors.
* Explore the history of women’s health and
the effect of feminist movements upon health
status, health research, and health care of women.
* Gain knowledge and skills to make informed
decisions to enhance personal health status
and medical care.
* Understand
the following core terms and concepts and explore how they relate to Women’s
Health: patriarchy, paternalism,
paradigm, social construct, conceptual framework, conceptual trap, the doctor
patient relationship, evidence-based practice, feminization of poverty,
medicalization of women’s lives, the beauty myth, son preference,
institutionalized and environmental racism.
TEXTS
Boston Women’s Health
Collective. (2005). Our Bodies,
Ourselves A New Edition for A New Era
Woman’s Health
Reader Mr. Kopy packet #107
Study Guide Mr. Kopy
packet #109
Scientific Analysis Mr.
Kopy packet #108
STUDENT RESPONSIBILITIES
1. Attend
class having read all assigned chapters and articles. Contribute to discussion
and group activities in a manner that is open-minded and respects the diversity
of experience, values, and thought explored in class. Attendance will be
recorded at the end of each class. You will receive 5 points for each class you
attend. Students who are reading, doing homework, or sending cell phone
messages during class will loose the class attendance points for that class.
2. SCIENTIFIC ANALYSIS
(50 points) DUE 9/28
This assignment requires
you to analyze a scientific or medical study that addresses a women’s health issue. You will need to discuss
information such as:
Hypothesis
Sample size
Methodology
Findings
Limitations
How does the
information affect women?
What
research should follow this?
This assignment will be completed as a small
group project. Your work will be graded on the depth of your analysis based on
the areas listed above and the instructional materials provided in class. This
should be a short, 3-5 page paper and you should use the worksheet provided to
insure you cover all of the above areas thoroughly. Students who have an
excused absence for this class can see me during office hours for a make-up
assignment.
3. EXAMS (100 points each)
short answer and an essay question. You will be expected to demonstrate knowledge
from both the reading assignments and class lectures. The final exam is not
cumulative.
4. PERSONAL EXPERIENCE
PAPER (50 points) DUE 11/16
This assignment provides you the opportunity to
reflect on your own personal experiences
with women’s health issues. How have your back-ground, family, friends, society, the media, and actual
medical encounters, etc., contributed
to your views of women’s
health and your view of yourself as a woman.
Consider and include the insights you have gained
about yourself in reference to specific readings and topics
we have discussed this semester. How do these realizations contribute to your goals for the future both
personally and professionally? This should be a three-page typed paper,
double spaced, and is due in class.
5. CLASS
PARTICIPATION/QUIZZES
(QUIZZES-
10 @ 5 points each = 50 points)
There will be a quiz at the beginning of some
classes to help you keep up with the reading assignments. In addition, I expect you to integrate your
own life experiences with your impressions from the readings and lectures and
share your perceptions and insights during group discussion.
COURSE
GRADE
Scientific
Analysis 50
Class
Participation/Attendance 65
Quizzes 50
Midterm 100
Personal Experience Paper
50
Final 100
COURSE SCHEDULE
O = Our Bodies, Ourselves
WH = Woman’s Health Supplementary
Reader
DAY/DATE TOPIC READINGS/ASSIGNMENTS
DUE
W 8/24 Introductions, Overview WH: 11
The
Feminist Perspective and O:
W 8/31 History of Misogyny & Medicine WH: 5
Medicine vs. Healing
The Women’s Health Movement
W 9/7 Feminist Theory, WH:
13,16,17,18,19,20
Biomedical Research
&
Women’s
Health
W 9/14 Evaluating Medical Studies
WH: 11-12, 14,15
Science and the Media
W 9/21 Body Image WH:
21-26 (23) Eating
Disorders O:
pg, 38-43, Ch 2,4
W 9/28 Women’s Sexual Health O:
Ch. 12,
Sexual & Reproductive Anatomy WH: 32,33,34,35
Menarche Scientific
Analysis Due
W 10/5 Family
Planning O:
Reproductive Choices WH: 36-43
(37)
(Quiz key at
Mr.Kopy after 8:00 pm)
W 10/12 MIDTERM EXAM & Birth Films
W 10/19 Pregnancy & Childbearing O:
W 10/26 Well Woman Care O:
p.587-595,649-655,691- Reproductive Health and Disease 695, Ch.14,15,16 Sexually
Transmitted Infections WH:
51-54
W 11/2 Reproductive Cancers and O:
p. 618-653, Ch 5 Conditions.
Non–Allopathic
WH: 63-65
Healing Modalities
W 11/9 Mental Health Issues WH:
27-31
Addiction O:
Ch 3, 6
W 11/16 Breast Health O:595-618, Menopause Ch
26,p. 671-679,Ch 27
Women Growing Older WH: 59-62
Personal
Experience Paper in
W 11/23 Thanksgiving Break
W 11/30 Violence Against Women O:
WH:
55-58, (56)
W 12/7 Women’s Health Status WH:
6, 7 - 10
Health Policy & Finance O:
(Quiz key at
Mr.Kopy after 8:00 pm)
W 12/14 FINAL EXAM 6:00 – 8:00pm
Grading Scale
A = 94 - 100% B+
= 88 - 89% C+ = 78
- 79% D+ = 67 - 69%
A- = 90- 93% B = 84 - 87% C = 74 - 77% D = 64 - 66%
B- = 80 - 83% C- = 70 - 73% F = 63% or less