Life Next Semester: Senior Classes
In early October, nerds like me get ready to sort through the courses being offered for the spring semester, spending hours and hours analyzing and crafting to create the perfect schedule. The official list of classes for the spring semester is released in early October; student registration takes place the last week of the month to the first week in November. Typically, the goal is to strive for a class assortment that is challenging enough while still allowing for a life outside of its assignments, and intriguing enough to avoid boredom.
This upcoming semester I have very specific requirements that I have to fulfill in order to graduate in the spring. I am double majoring in Human & Organizational Development and Medicine, Health, & Society, so I had a few core courses to complete. Luckily, they all sound interesting to me (I wish I could get out of the Intro to Philosophy class, but alas…). I am currently in the process of applying to nursing school, so these classes focusing on various aspects of health, medicine, and human behavior align well with my future goals.
PHIL-1002W-09 : Introduction to Philosophy. An introduction to the basic problems of philosophy based upon readings in the works of selected leading philosophers. Repeat credit for students who have completed 1002.
PSY-3635-01 : Health Psychology. Neurophysiological, endocrine, and immune systems. Factors underlying health habits and lifestyles. Methods to enhance health behaviors and prevent illness. Stress management. Reciprocal interactions among behavior, thoughts, and physiology with resulting effects on physical and psychological health and illness.
HODH-3211-01 : Introduction to Counseling. An overview of the counseling profession: theories, techniques, settings, and specialty areas. In addition to lectures and class discussions, the course includes an experiential component designed to increase students’ listening and responding skills. By the end of the course, students will have a clear understanding of what being a counselor entails.
HODH-3650-01 : Health and Human Services Seminar – Social Norms & Health Behaviors. Humans are social beings. To guide their own behavior, people often consciously or unconsciously seek information on what most others¿ approve of and information on how most others act in their peer groups. This course will provide an overview of social norms and their impact on health-related behaviors across different countries and topics. We will first use social science frameworks to explore questions such as: What are social norms? How are they defined and measured? How are they generated? Drawing on research studies from across the world, we will then dig into why social norms matter for health outcomes. Specifically, we will review research-based evidence on whether social norms influence personal engagement in behaviors that are associated with some of the top causes of morbidity and mortality (e.g., risky alcohol and drug use, violence, and sexual behavior, as well as protective behaviors such as handwashing, HIV testing, seat belt use, contraception, and health care use). Multiple teaching methods will be employed, including opportunities for engaging in research. Finally, we will discuss how interventions and policies can be designed to use information on social norms across different communities to change behaviors and, ultimately, health outcomes. Many of the studies will focus on youth and young adults. Applications to other topics and populations will also be discussed, as well as avenues for future research on social norms and health.
MHS-2110-01 : American Medicine and the World. Social foundations of medical authority. Health disparities in the United States and abroad. Effects of social settings of medical research, evaluation, and treatment on health outcomes. Inequalities in medical knowledge and institutions.
Here is my schedule if you want to check it out! Sadly, I was unable to escape having classes on Fridays during my last semester on campus (which many students are lucky and able to avoid!). However, I will take a 2pm start time any day!
