Course Descriptions
Complete catalog information can be found here.
PHLT 101: Essentials of Public Health (F, S)
3 credits
This course provides a basic introduction to public health concepts and practice by examining the philosophy, purpose, history, organization, functions, tools, activities, and the results of public health practice at the national, state, and local levels. Healthy People 2020 is reviewed. The impact of the Affordable Care Act on health disparities in urban communities is discussed. The function of the Bureau of Health Professions of the Health Resources Services Administration (HRSA) is studied. The course aims to stimulate interactions among students around important problems and issues facing the health of the nation and the world.
PHLT 250: Global Health (Summer)
3 credits/ Elective
This course explores world health issues and policies by examining selected threats to global health. Students ascertain the global interconnectedness of humanity and investigate the effect of economic globalization on health issues. Global warming, cross border pollution, the spread of infectious diseases, and international crime are considered. Current health threats, global health indicators, ethical considerations of global initiatives, and solutions are evaluated.
PHLT 301: Theories of Social Behavioral Change in Community Health Education (S)
3 credits
Students analyze the contribution of social factors to health and illness status, including risk behavior and health inequities. Health behavior programs and interventions are explored. Theories of health promotion, health behavioral change, and health education are examined and applied to a health promotion project focusing on health disparities in urban communities.
PHLT 314: Unhealthy Urban Environments: Healthy Solutions (S)
3 credits
This course integrates earth sciences, geology, environmental sciences, and health initiatives in the urban communities aimed at identifying, managing, and eliminating environmental threats to health. Environmental problems, including lead poisoning of children, radon, asbestos exposure, urban brown fields, toxic waste, urban pollution, and other environmental hazards, are examined through the lens of social justice and health equity. Students explore urban environments identified as high risk for disease and illness from environmental pollutants and geographic or climactic problems. The impact of natural disasters on public health is also examined.
PHLT 315: Violence Prevention and Control (S, Summer)
3 credits
Students review theories of violence causation and epidemiologic patterns of violence in urban settings. An ecological framework is used to guide critical thinking about risk and protective factors regarding violence. Students explore secondary data sources important to public health practitioners working in the area of violence prevention and control. Programs aimed at preventing violence and injury in urban settings will be examined and critically evaluated.
PHLT 319: Epidemiology for Health Educators (F, Summer)
3 credits
This course introduces basic concepts of epidemiology and biostatistics applied to public health problems. The principles and methods of epidemiologic investigation, summaries and displays of data, and the use of statistical approaches for describing the health of populations are emphasized. Various epidemiologic designs for investigating associations between risk factors and disease outcomes are also introduced. The importance of ethics in epidemiologic research underpins the course. Prerequisites: PHLT 101, HSC 217.
PHLT 350: Health Education: Principles and Practice (F)
3 credits
This course provides a comprehensive overview of health education strategies for urban community health settings. This course will focus on: instructional planning, behavior change interventions and methods, unit plan development, the use of technology and media, health disparities, special challenges and controversial topics. The topics covered in this course are aligned with the most recent competencies identified by the Health Educator Job Analysis Project conducted by the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing.
PHLT 355: Needs Assessment and Program Planning (F)
3 credits
In this course, students explore needs assessment and program planning processes used to address public health problems faced by vulnerable populations. They investigate strategies to involve stakeholders in the planning, implementation, and evaluation of health promotion programs. Students evaluate and compare evidence-based programs as they develop health promotion programs for vulnerable populations. Strategies to conduct individual-level and group-level needs assessments are explored.
PHLT 356: Reproductive Health for the Public Health Practitioner (S)
3 credits
Course content emphasizes theories of reproductive health, sexual development and factors influencing sexual behavior within the continuum of health and illness. Common sexual practices and reproductive health issues of people are studied within the context of lifestyle and situational life crises. Concepts of normal sexual function and dysfunction are examined. Contemporary sexual health and reproductive issues, obstetrical care in the United States and abroad, gender based violence, maternal morbidity and mortality, family planning, and reproductive health policy are explored. Theoretical foundations of the medical, psychological, socio-cultural, political, and biological determinants of human sexual behavior and reproductive health are examined. Issues of biology related to sex, gender identity, social sex role, and sexual orientation are discussed. Contemporary issues of sexual risk behaviors, sexually transmitted infections and safer sex practices will be investigated in addition to those issues of chronic illness, disability, and sexual coercion.
PHLT 357: Women, Gender, and Public Health
3 credits/ Elective
This course will focus on constructions of gender and sex and their implications for understanding determinants of population health and creating healthy public policy. It will consider how different frameworks of addressing gender and biological sex shape questions people ask about, and explanations and interventions they offer for societal patterns of health, disease, and well-being. The course will demonstrates ways of conceptualizing gender in relation to biology and health using case examples. In all cases, issues of gender will be related to other social determinants of health, including social class, racism, and other forms of inequality. Implications of diverse approaches will be debated, as part of developing useful strategies for improving physical, mental, and social well-being.
PHLT 358: Adolescent Health: Public Health Issues, Programs, and Policies
3 credits/ Elective
This course focuses on the major public health issues of adolescents in the United States and the programs and policies that improve the health and well-being of this population. The students examine the prevalence and etiology of health and wellness indicators for youth and explore a variety of aspects of adolescence and adolescent health. They will analyze adolescent health concerns through conceptual frameworks and recommend effective solutions through interventions.
PHLT 408: Research Methods for Public Health (S)
3 credits
This course investigates research methods and multidisciplinary research applied to health care systems. An overview of research designs and reporting is presented. Quantitative data analysis is explored using data analysis software. Qualitative methods, including the use of focus groups, are also explored. Evidence-based public health practice is emphasized. The importance of ethics in public health research is woven throughout the course. Prerequisites: HSC 217, PHLT 101, 301, 319, 350, 355, 410 and 451. Corequisites: PHLT 411 and 420.
PHLT 410: Public Health Education Capstone I (F)
3 credits/ Capstone
Part one of this two-part course allows students to begin to link public health concepts and ideas presented in the classroom to real world experiences in the public health practice setting. Emphasis is placed on needs assessment, data collection and program planning. Students discuss actual case studies illustrating the practical challenges of data collection and program development. Prerequisites: PHLT 101, 301, 319, 350 and 355.
PHLT 411: Public Health Education Capstone II (S)
3 credits/ Capstone
Part two of this two-part course allows students to continue to link public health concepts and ideas presented in the classroom to real world experiences in the public health practice setting. Emphasis is placed on program implementation and program evaluation. Students discuss actual case studies illustrating the practical challenges of program implementation and evaluation. As one of the final courses of the Bachelor of Science in Public Health program, students focus on public health workforce development, leadership, professional development, and preparation for entry into the public health education workforce. Prerequisites: PHLT 101, 301, 319, 350, 355, 410 and 451. Corequisites: PHLT 408 and 420.
PHLT 420: Public Health Leadership and Health Education (S)
3 credits
In this course, one of the final courses taken in the Bachelor of Science in Public Health curriculum, students explore the leadership role of public health professionals, especially leaders working in urban public health and health education. Public health leadership concepts addressed in this course include: principles of leadership and management, team building, ethics and professionalism, strategic planning, networking, budgeting and finance, and continued professional development. Prerequisites: PHLT 101, 301, 319, 350, 355, 410 and 451. Corequisites: PHLT 408 and 411.
PHLT 451: Introduction to Public Health Policy (F)
3 credits
Students explore key health policy issues in the United States health care system and the outcomes of policies for public, private, and not-for-profit settings. They examine steps of policy analysis and apply these strategies to evaluate health issues and health care. The legislative process and the structure and financing of the health care system in the United States are investigated as are influences of politics and interest groups on health policy formulation. The effect of health policy on the health of urban communities is analyzed along with the interplay of policy on infectious diseases, bioethical issues, and globalization. Prerequisite: PHLT 101
PHLT 452: Urban Men's Health
3 credits/ Elective
This course explores the growing disparities among disenfranchised and vulnerable populations in our society. Students examine the predicament of fragile populations with a focus on the unique health status of the urban male. This course recognizes that the masculinity trait, gender roles, employment, and psychosocial factors influence the way men care for themselves and others. Students experience health promotion activities in environments demonstrating the challenges urban men face when seeking access to healthcare.
PHLT 454: Public Health, AIDS, and Society (S)
3 credits/ Elective
This course provides an in-depth study of the most critical public health issue facing society. Topics include current HIV/AIDS information and an exploration of issues including the history of HIV, transmission and risk factors for infection, local and global disparities in HIV infection, trends in research programs, international/political implications of research and prevention efforts, and the experiences of people living with HIV/AIDS.
PHLT 489: Race, Ethnicity, and Public Health (F, Summer)
3 credits
This course provides students with an understanding of racial and ethnic influences on health status and the societal factors that shape them. During the course, students examine the concepts of race and ethnicity, and distinguish between categories of biological and social constructionist perspectives. Students define and describe racial and ethnic health inequities, discuss mechanisms underlying inequities, and think critically about existing health research on health inequities. Students will explore theoretical frameworks for interpreting inequities in health and examine approaches for elimination of racial and ethnic health disparities. Prerequisites: PHLT 101 and 301.
