Course Syllabus

Spring 2024 | AHS-2015-VO01 - Principles of Public Health

Online Class

Online courses take place 100% online via Canvas, without required in-person or Zoom meetings.

Faculty

Melanie Meyer
View Faculty Credentials
View Faculty Statement
Hiring Coordinator for this course: Ryan Joy

Course Description

This course provides students with an overview of public health in the United States and globally. Students will be introduced to the five core areas of public health: biostatistics, epidemiology, environmental and occupational health, social behavioral health, and health policy and administration. Additional topics include the historical development of the discipline, understanding determinants of health, identifying population health issues and interventions, and an exploration of public health careers.

Essential Objectives

1. Describe the historical development of public health as a discipline and current trends within the field.
2. Identify the ten essential services of a public health system and discuss the five core areas of public health and how each contributes to a holistic public health perspective.
3. Explain the basic principles of epidemiology, including rates, risk factors, disease determinants, causation, and public health surveillance.
4. Summarize major trends of morbidity and mortality in the United States and globally, including infectious and non-infectious diseases.
5. Identify determinants of health, particularly social determinants of health, and the impact these have on health disparities.
6. Give examples of public health research methods and how research results are used to inform programs and policies.
7. Analyze the effectiveness of public health strategies, including social and behavioral and policy interventions, to improve population health.
8. Describe challenges to improving population health in a variety of settings including costs of health care, trends in disease and illness, political factors, and population demographics.
9. Create a public health plan to reduce a leading cause of mortality or morbidity within a specific population.
10. Identify and investigate the scope and diversity of career opportunities in public health.

Required Technology

More information on general computer and internet recommendations is available on the CCV IT Support page. https://support.ccv.edu/general/computer-recommendations/

Please see CCV's Digital Equity Statement (pg. 45) to learn more about CCV's commitment to supporting all students access the technology they need to successfully finish their courses.

Required Textbooks and Resources

This course uses one or more textbooks/books/simulations.

Spring 2024 textbook details will be available on 2023-11-06. On that date a link will be available below that will take you to eCampus, CCV's bookstore. The information provided there will be specific to this class. Please see this page for more information regarding the purchase of textbooks/books.

The last day to use a Financial Aid Advance to purchase textbooks/books is the 3rd Tuesday of the semester. See your financial aid counselor at your academic center if you have any questions.

Methods

-Online lecture videos

-Reading assignments

-Research project and presentation

-Class discussions

-Quizzes

Evaluation Criteria

Weekly class discussions (30%)

Quizzes (10%)

Fact Sheet Project (15%)

Climate Change Film Review (15%)

Research Presentation (30%)

Grading Criteria

CCV Letter Grades as outlined in the Evaluation System Policy are assigned according to the following chart:

	High	Low
A+	100	98
A	Less than 98	93
A-	Less than 93	90
B+	Less than 90	88
B	Less than 88	83
B-	Less than 83	80
C+	Less than 80	78
C	Less than 78	73
C-	Less than 73	70
D+	Less than 70	68
D	Less than 68	63
D-	Less than 63	60
F	Less than 60
P	100	60
NP	Less than 60	0

Weekly Schedule

Attendance Policy

Regular attendance and participation in classes are essential for success in and are completion requirements for courses at CCV. A student's failure to meet attendance requirements as specified in course descriptions will normally result in a non-satisfactory grade.

• In general, missing more than 20% of a course due to absences, lateness or early departures may jeopardize a student's ability to earn a satisfactory final grade.
• Attending an on-ground or synchronous course means a student appeared in the live classroom for at least a meaningful portion of a given class meeting. Attending an online course means a student posted a discussion forum response, completed a quiz or attempted some other academically required activity. Simply viewing a course item or module does not count as attendance.
• Meeting the minimum attendance requirement for a course does not mean a student has satisfied the academic requirements for participation, which require students to go above and beyond simply attending a portion of the class. Faculty members will individually determine what constitutes participation in each course they teach and explain in their course descriptions how participation factors into a student's final grade.

Participation Expectations

To earn full participation points for the week, students should:

• Read the assigned material and demonstrate an understanding of those resources in your assignments and posts. Readings and resources should be cited using APA format.
• Post an original response to the weekly prompt(s) before Friday at midnight (11:59 PM) and a minimum of two responses to peers before Monday at midnight (11:59 PM). You are welcome to post early and/or more frequently, as your schedule allows, but you will not receive full credit if you do not meet these minimum requirements and/or deadlines.
• Posts should be substantive and demonstrate college-level writing. A substantive post is well-developed, a minimum 150 words, and references the reading or another appropriate source. A substantive post is NOT one or two sentences of general statements or unsupported opinion.

Missing & Late Work Policy

Missing/Late Work Policy:

Please let me know if you have circumstances that will prevent you from turning in your work on the due date. Such circumstances should be communicated to me prior to the due date, if possible. Late submissions are subject to a point deduction of 10 points per day beyond the due date.

All missing assignments will result in a zero score.

Accessibility Services for Students with Disabilities:

1. Provide disability documentation to the Accessibility Coordinator at your academic center. https://ccv.edu/discover-resources/students-with-disabilities/
2. Request an appointment to meet with accessibility coordinator to discuss your request and create an accommodation plan.
3. Once created, students will share the accommodation plan with faculty. Please note, faculty cannot make disability accommodations outside of this process.

Academic Integrity