DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND
COMMUNITY SERVICES
HCSV 363 - CHILD
HEALTH
Instructor: Dr. Mary
Rushka
EMAIL:
mrushka@csuchico.edu/ (better to use
this course's email...)
OFFICE:
OFFICE HOURS:
TR 1 - 3 PM or by appointment
PHONE:
898-4620
HCSV DEPT.
OFFICE
DESCRIPTION OF
COURSE:
This course is part of the Upper Division Theme: The
Child. For this course to
count towards the theme, you must have already completed 45 semester units.
Child Health is an examination of the status, needs and trends in
the health of
COURSE READING
MATERIALS:
All weekly required readings are contained within the WebCT course pages. Each week’s lesson includes a PowerPoint presentation and several links to required readings. Please complete all readings before the end of the week AND before posting your weekly discussion question posting.
THEME
OBJECTIVES:
This course, Child Health, includes principles and current knowledge from the Natural Sciences and Behavioral and Social Sciences. The theme objectives will be met by using at least five of the six unifying concepts (the six Es).
1.
Epistemology: Students will
explore alternative explanations of how children come to know or comprehend the
nature of the physical universe and social world in which they
live.
2.
Evolution: Students
will investigate whether or not
childhood and notions of childhood have actually evolved, and if they have, in
what manner. They also will delve
into one the great controversies of the past three centuries: the contributions
of heredity and environment to the development of thought, behavior, and
personality. Finally, students will consider whether childhood is a true
developmental stage in the ontogeny of an adult or merely a social construction
of wealthy cultures.
3.
Economics: Students will
consider the distribution of both wealth and power in a society and its
implications for children and the nature of the impact of economic factors upon
children and their development (especially the extremes of poverty and
bounty).
4.
Ethnicity: Students will
focus on questions such as the pros and cons of raising children to maintain
their ethnic identities in pluralistic societies, and whether or not homogeneous
societies are preferable to heterogeneous ones.
5.
Experience: Students will
explore the significance of early experience and the extent to which early
experiences set a child on a more or less irrevocable path, and the influence of
numerous socializing agents in society (e.g., parents, teachers, peers), and
experience in general.
6.
Epidemiology: Students will study the factors that
determine the origin, frequency, and distribution of diseases in children. They will also learn ways to alter these
factors to prevent or delay negative health outcomes.
COURSE
OBJECTIVES:
The student will be able
to:
1.
List the types of research utilized in the study of the health of the
child and distinguish the scientific method from hearsay in interpreting
material written about the health of children.
2.
Discuss the status and trends in the health of
3. Distinguish
the differences in health status and need among ethnic and racial subgroups and
explore the variables affecting health status and need, giving special attention
to the effects of poverty.
4.
Describe the stages that influence the physical development of the child
from conception to early adolescence, including genetic and environmental
influences.
5. Analyze the
genetic and cultural influences upon the development of sexuality of the child
from conception to adolescence, including issues such as homosexuality, sex
education and child sexual abuse.
6. List and
discuss the common diseases and disorders occurring from conception to early
adolescence: description, cause, prevalence, risk factors, symptoms, treatment,
prevention and measures.
7.
Analyze the major factors influencing the health of the child (early
experience, diet, physical activity, accidents, stress, violence, drug use and
sexuality) and be able to list ways that parents, teachers, community workers
and policy makers can enhance health promotion behaviors.
8.
Analyze the risks the physical environment places upon the health of the
child and be able to discuss several advocacy efforts to counteract their
negative influence.
9.
Address social influences and public policy regarding the quality and
availability of health services for children, including past, current, and
future directions, with special attention to the
impoverished.
10. Discuss the role of the
parent, the school, the community and government programs and policies in
enhancing the health of the child.
COURSE
REQUIREMENTS:
This section of Child Health will meet exclusively on WebCT. WebCT is an online environment that
requires each student to log on at least weekly and complete all
activities/assignments within the time parameters specified on the course
schedule in order to be successful.
The course is divided into 15 content modules, one for each week of the
semester. A new module “begins” on
Monday of each week. All discussion postings and other
assignments will be due on Sundays by midnight unless otherwise specified. It is your responsibility to read each
week’s course material, participate in the weekly chat/discussion (bulletin
board posting), and complete and submit all assignments as described
below:
Bulletin Board
Discussion: Each student is
expected to engage in thoughtful dialogue with classmates on discussion
questions posed by the instructor each week. The discussion questions can
be located at the bottom of each week’s lesson. If you go to the “Discussions”
area, you will see that there is a board corresponding to each week’s
content. During the first week of
class you will write a self-introduction on the discussion board. Subsequent discussions will be group
efforts. Sometime during Week 2 you
will be assigned to a team of 3 or
4 students. Together you decide
when to meet in the Chat Room of your choice, schedule the meeting on our Course
Calendar, and discuss the weekly question.
ONE group member is then responsible for writing a summary of your online
discussion on the weekly board.
Each group is expected to post ONE message for each week and, when
indicated, one posting in response to other students’ postings. Use reflective thought and documentation
(evidence that you have read the week’s information) about each topic before
engaging in discussion.
* Use complete sentences, correct grammar, and correct
spelling.
* Be clear about whether you
are using personal opinions or knowledge.
* You may be asked to use
citations from the readings to document your
postings.
Examinations: There will be two non-cumulative
examinations; each will be accessible from the course Homepage (click on “Exam”
icon). Exams will consist of
multiple choice, matching and
true/false questions and will be completed entirely in WebCT. More specific directions for
taking the exams will be available from the “Exam” icon during exam weeks. You may also want to familiarize
yourself with this WebCT tool on the tutorial.
Playground
Observation: Visit a
local playground (or a favorite playground in your hometown) and observe the
following:
1) physical development of the
children;
2) layout and safety of the play
equipment;
3)physical activity and interaction among
children AND between children and adults;
4) gender differences demonstrated during
play.
5) Conclude your paper by making some
suggestions for improvement of this play environment.
. * Make certain to obtain
permission from school office if you choose to observe an elementary school
while in session.
Write your perceptions and
summary (including suggestions for positive change) in a 2-page, double-spaced
typed paper, using 12-pt font, written according to APA style guidelines.. BE
SURE TO COMPLETE THE PLAYGROUND
SAFETY CHECKLIST AVAILABLE HERE. SIMPLY INCORPORATE ITS RESULTS INTO YOUR
PAPER. NO NEED TO SEND THE CHECKLIST VIA EMAIL ATTACHMENT - JUST THE PAPER.
Papers will be scored as
follows:
All of the above (5) observations described adequately:
25 points
Meaningful use and incorporation of safety checklist:
25 points
Overall quality of paper’s content:
25 points
Presentation (grammar, punctuation, spelling) quality
25 points
TOTAL
100 points
This is an assignment that
students will POST on the Week 11 Discussion Board. You will be given a choice
of writing prompts regarding the media's influence on kids' health. Each student
will receive a list of the writing prompts later in the semester. The resultant
assignment is a short essay paper that you post for everyone to read.
OBJECTIVE: After reading the book, Mountains beyond Mountains,
demonstrate your in-depth knowledge of the health of children in a
developing country of your choice by collecting and analyzing available data
relevant to its health and economic status. This analysis should describe the health
& economic problems that children face in your selected country, how the
living situation might impact a child’s particular developmental stage, and long
and short term health effects.
Demonstrate your ability to use professional journals and global health
statistics to obtain information about child health in a developing country.
TASK (2-part):
Choose from a list of “developing nations” and write a 4-page descriptive
paper, 12 point font, double spaced, AND prepare a Power Point
presentation for the class to view.
You may work with a partner on this project or choose to complete one or
both portions on your own.
CONTENT:
Use the guidelines below for
the content of your paper. Include a reference list of at least 5 resources from
scholarly journals or professional web sites. The paper must be typed in 12 point
font, using the APA or MLA style of writing.
SUGGESTED INFORMATION TO INCLUDE IN YOUR
PAPER:
Brief history of
political system (include brief discussion of colonial history, if
applicable).
Brief description of
geographic characteristics – location, topography, climate.
Annual per capita
income.
Sources of income
(How do most people make their living?)
Does current
political system affect the health care of citizens?
Current health care
system (if any) or sources of
health care – e.g., are there hospitals, health care centers, medical
schools? How do people pay for
care?
Volunteer agencies
working to improve health?
Adult literacy
rate
Life expectancy at
birth
Maternal mortality
rate
Leading causes of
death (general population)
HIV/AIDS infection
rate
What are the most
common health problems (if different from causes of death) – e.g. , parasite infections, nutritional
deficiencies.
What do people eat
and how do they obtain food?
What are the
important nutritional health issues?
HEALTH INFORMATION
SPECIFIC TO CHILDREN
Infant
mortality
Leading causes of
death (children)
Breastfeeding
rate
Malnutrition
rate
Childhood
immunization rates
SUMMARY
PARAGRAPH
Answer the question:
How does the health of children in your selected country compare to that of
children in one of the settings/countries where Dr. Paul Farmer and Partners in
Health provide health
care?
The Power Point presentation should be a companion to your paper. It should contain a minimum of 15 slides. Appropriate material may include data charts, maps, photographs, video, etc. The objective of this presentation is to teach your classmates about the status of children’s health in the selected developing country. Be creative! All presentations will be posted and reviewed by your peers.
GRADING:
The combination of paper (90 points) and presentation (10 points) is
worth 100 points. Your grade will
not be influenced by any unease with the actual presentation, but only by the
content.
Paper:
Description of selected country (thoroughness with
respect to criteria above)
15 points
Thoroughness of health information
15 points
Short and long term effects on a child
10
points
Effect on a specific developmental stage of childhood
10 points
References (at least 5 professional sources)
20 points
General writing skill
20 points
Presentation:
Each of the following worth 2 points: Thoroughness, Factual Accuracy,
Creativity, Preparedness, Appearance of Visual Aids.
A note on academic honesty;
I support the University’s zero tolerance for plagiarism of any kind on
papers. Consequences for not citing
sources or using someone else’s work are receiving zero credit on paper, failing
the class and being called before Student Judicial Affairs, with the possibility
of dismissal from the University.
EVALUATION AND GRADING:
PROJECT
POINTS POSSIBLE
1.
Bulletin Board Discussion
300
2.
Exam 1
50
3.
Exam 2
50
4.
Playground Observation
100
5.
Media Critique
100
6.
Volunteer Work
100
TOTAL
700
Assignment of Course
Grades
A = 658 - 700
A- = 630 - 657
B+ = 588 - 629
B = 582 - 587
B- = 560 - 581
C+ = 525 - 559
C = 519 - 524
C- = 490 -
518