LINFIELD COLLEGE
SUMMER 2005
INSTRUCTOR: Ms. Debra Penkin, MSW
CLASS DATES: Tuesdays; June 14 Through August 16, 2005 (Note, we
have one Saturday class on July 23, 2005, 9 AM to 4 PM)
OFFICE HOURS: Flexible, just contact me to set up a meeting. Thanks.
INSTRUCTOR ADDRESS: Debra Penkin, MSW
PMB #8, 13023 NE Hwy 99, Suite 7
Vancouver, WA 98686
PHONE/FAX: (360)-573-3886 (24-hour Answering Machine and Fax)
EMAIL ADDRESS: dpenkin@linfield.edu
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
Overview of health, illness, disease, and healing including concepts, theoretical frameworks, and relevant histories; the social production and distribution of health, illness, and disease; medical dilemmas and debates; the United States health care delivery system; alternatives to dominant constructions of health, illness, disease, and healing. Prerequisite: general psychology or general sociology. This course is applicable to the Social and Behavioral Sciences major. Class format includes lectures, class discussions, and presentations by students. This course is three credits.
REQUIRED TEXT:
Weiss, Gregory L., Lonnquist, Lynne E., The Sociology of Health, Healing, And Illness, Prentice Hall, Fourth Edition, 2003.
COURSE OBJECTIVES:
Students will develop:
Section I: Sociological Perspectives on Health and Medicine:
1. An understanding of the relationship between sociology and medicine; the sociological contributions to knowledge about health and illness.
2. An understanding of the historical development of attitudes about health, illness and medical institutions.
3. An understanding of the distribution of disease and illness in society, especially as they relate to gender, race, and income.
4. An understanding of the relationship between lifestyle and disease, health behavior and illness behavior.
Section II: Health, Illness and the Social Environment:
1. An understanding of social epidemiology, health risk factors, illness, and stress.
Section III: Behavior of Health and Illness:
1. An understanding of health behavior.
2. An understanding of the process of illness.
Section IV: Health Care Workers and Systems:
1. An understanding of the dynamics of the physician-patient relationship, and other health practitioners, as well as, the role of related ethics.
2. An understanding of socialization of medical students.
3. An understanding of alternative medicines.
Section V: The Macro Picture of Health Care:
STUDENT RESPONSIBILITIES/COURSE POLICIES:
1. Class Attendance: Students are expected to attend classes weekly. Lack of attendance/participation in the course will result in grade deductions since participation is linked to specific required assignments. Students will not be penalized for 3 hours missed but if patterns emerge or more than two classes are missed, there will be penalties. This is done on a case-by-case basis.
2. Late Work: Complete all reading and assignments by specified due dates. Any assignment turned in late will receive a 1/ 3 of a letter grade deduction per day it is late (for example, a B would become a B-, B- to C+ on day two, etcetera). Since we do not meet twice a week, if you mail your assignment and it is postmarked the day after class, that will determine the deduction, not the day it was received. The same applies to emailed or faxed assignments. There are no make-up exams, so if, for unavoidable reasons, you are unable to take the exam the day it is scheduled, you must make arrangements with instructor to take the exam ahead of time.
3. Incompletes: a final grade of incomplete will be given in emergency situations. Please submit your request in writing and state reasons for such a request in order to begin the process. To do this, official paperwork must be filed and sent to the main campus of Linfield College in specified timeframes according to each semester; signatures are required. If you do not complete negotiated assignments by the due date, your grade is based on work turned in throughout the course of the semester.
4. Academic Honesty: Temptations of writing the same paper for several classes, potential abuses of the internet, etc. render this policy. Fabrications, cheating and/or plagiarism is not tolerated and if I discover it, I will address it according to College policies. Review Policies on Academic Dishonesty in Linfield College Catalog.
5. Classroom Environment: Be respectful of instructor and other students in class and external to class. Opinions are fine but express them respectfully and appropriately.
6. If You Have Problems With Assignments: all of us have had assignments that have posed challenges in successful completion and I understand that. All I ask is that you contact me as soon as your problems begin; in other words, do not procrastinate too long or too close to deadlines. Give me some notice so I can help you to my fullest ability.
7. Writing Proficiency: please write your papers in MLA or APA format; please see me if you need supportive references/materials in this regard.
8. Office Hours: I am available to have in-person or phone meetings with you at a mutually agreed upon time and date. Just contact me and we will set up a time.
9. Online Resources and Utilization: I encourage you to use the Internet, but be discerning about the resources you use. Many are inappropriate for academic purposes.
10. Special Learning Needs: Should you have a documented learning disability or any other special need which I need to be aware of in order to teach you effectively, please let me know in writing so accommodations may be discussed and facilitated as appropriate. Many thanks.
INSTRUCTOR BIOGRAPHY:
I developed an interest in sociology as a high school student when taking an introductory class in the subject. I pursued sociology as an undergraduate, along with a Spanish language concentration and social welfare minor at SUNY College at Fredonia in New York. In later years, I earned a graduate degree in social work at Boston University.
I have been in the social welfare field for over 15 years. During this time, I have worked with addicted youth, with mentally ill teens and adults, with women at high risk for infant mortality/low birth weight babies, juvenile delinquent youth and their families, day treatment, etc. In general I have worked with a diverse population of clients in a variety of different social work settings.
I began teaching college courses in 1991. That led me to becoming the director of two different baccalaureate social work programs at colleges in New York State (not at the same time!). Simultaneously, I had a private counseling and consulting practice for eight years. Currently, I work as a consultant for an adoption agency doing home studies and post placement visits with families, in addition to my teaching.
I moved to Oregon in 1998, and that is when I first began teaching for Linfield College. Since that time, I have taught Deviance, Sociology of Poverty, Urban Society and Culture, Social Work Practice, Social Problems, Social Movements, Sociology of Women, and Sociology of Health and Illness. I teach in distance education and traditional classroom formats. I love Linfield students!
GRADING SCALE:
A = 96-100% B= 86-88.9% C= 77-79.9% F= less than 70%
A- = 92-95.9% B-= 83-85.9% C-= 74-76.9%
B+ = 89-91.9% C+= 80-82.9% D= 70-73.9%
The grade "A" represents superior quality work; it is indicative of mastering the course material in the sense of both understanding and especially the demonstration of creative integration of concepts and related literature. The grade "B" indicates mastering the course material and being able to provide demonstration of knowing it well.
The grade "C" indicates competence in the sense of understanding most of the course material. The grade "D" indicates only limited understanding of the course material.
The grade "F" indicates failure to demonstrate rudimentary understanding of the material.
COURSE ASSIGNMENTS:
Analyzing Advertisements 50 Points Possible
Personal Illness Narrative 50 Points Possible
Mindful Eating Exercise 50 Points Possible
Obstacles to Changing Your Lifestyle 50 Points Possible
Web Page Issue Analysis 50 Points Possible
Class Participation/Attendance 50 Points Possible
Personal Wellness Narrative 50 Points Possible
Quiz (Chapters 1-4) 50 Points Possible
----------------------------------------
Total: 400 Points
ASSIGNMENTS/EVALUATION OF LEARNING:
Students can view several detailed descriptions of assignments in this section unless otherwise directed.
Analyzing Advertisements (50 Points Possible): Due June 21, 2005 (Week Two)
First, select a magazine or two that regularly runs ads about one of the following: alcohol, tobacco, motor vehicles, etc. Your goal is to determine how one of these or other types of products is portrayed in the magazine(s) and how this illustrates a health problem.
Do not exceed 2-3 pages, typed, double-spaced, normal margins.
Quiz (on Chapters 1-4) (50 Points Possible): On June 28, 2005 (Week Three)
Format will be multiple choice and short answer questions. Study Guide will be handed out to class in Week Two of course, one week ahead of quiz date.
Personal Illness Narrative (50 Points Possible): Due July 5, 2005 (Week Four)
This paper is an account of your own experience with an illness—a time when you were sick or injured and received medical care. You should give special consideration to your activities—what you did and whom you did it—from the first indication that "something might be wrong" all the way through treatment or cure. Keep in mind that the "others" may not be present for face-to-face interaction since many of our interactions with other agents are through phone calls or printed documents. Give as much detail as you can while keeping in mind that this paper will be read by the instructor. Do not give out any information that you do not want others to know. You may be asked to share what it was like doing this assignment in class. Throughout this essay, ask yourself the following two questions: Why did I do what I did? And how did I know to do what I did?
Please do not exceed 2-3 pages for this assignment (typed, double-spaced, normal margins).
{Please note that two assignments are due in Week Six;
We meet Tuesday this week and Saturday too!}
Personal Wellness Narrative (50 Points Possible):
Due Tuesday, July 19, 2005 (Week Six)
Please write your personal wellness program, following the ÒcuesÓ in our Week Four Presentation (July 5, 2005) on Personal Wellness Programs. Instructor will provide further detail in this presentation that will provide context for writing up a personal wellness program. Do not exceed 2-3 pages for this narrative assignment (typed, double spaced, normal margins set by computer).
Obstacles to Changing Your Lifestyle (50 Points Possible):
Due Saturday, July 23, 2005 (Week Six)
You are to write a paper describing your efforts to change a negative health habit using the following guidelines outlined on the top of page six:
Do not exceed 2-3 pages for this assignment (typed, double spaced, normal margins).
Mindful Eating (50 Points Possible): Due August 2, 2005 (Week Eight)
Eat a small meal or snack without distractions of any sort for 30 minutes. If possible, set an alarm so that you can do this without watching a clock. Give all your attention to what you are doing: eating. Do this alone without the television on, music, reading, doing homework. Simply eat slowly. Immediately after eating, describe the experience in writing. Keep these questions in mind:
-What did I eat and when and where?
-Was I impatient as I was eating slowly? Did other things, other than eating, keep coming to mind?
-How did "distracting" thoughts affect my enjoyment of the food?
-Did I enjoy eating without distraction? Why or why not?
-How would I describe my routine eating habits?
-How easy/difficult would it be for me to incorporate mindful eating into my eating habits?
-What obstacles would I face?
-How might others react if I began to eat more mindfully?
-How do I think my diet would change if I ate more mindfully?
-Would my health change if I were to eat more mindfully?
Do not exceed more than 2-3 pages for this assignment (typed, double spaced, normal margins).
Web Page Issue Analysis (50 Points Possible): Due August 9, 2005 (Week Nine)
Papers should be typed, double spaced and no more than one page. Find a web page related to a health issue for the purpose of sharing it with other students in the form of a one page fact sheet. Identify web host and URL address. Then, report organization of web site and who owns/runs it. Briefly outline organization of web page and contents posted, share sub-links that you found interesting, and lastly, provide your own brief critique of the web site. Bring copies of your fact sheet for others to class.
Should you be unable to make copies, email the assignment and I will make the copies for the class. You need to think ahead though, if you do so! J Students have 5-7 minutes each to talk about their web page in class on August 9th.
Class Participation and Attendance (50 Points):
This has been outlined in the Student Responsibilities Section. This includes attendance and class participation requirements. Any questions about this area can be directed to me at any time.
COURSE OUTLINE:
Section I: Sociological Perspectives on Health/Medicine:
June 14, 2005 (Week One):
Topic: Welcomes; Introductions; An Introduction to Sociology of Health, Healing and Illness (correlated to chapter one of text); Scientific Medicine (correlated to chapter two)
Reading: Text, Chapter One, p. 1-11 (A Brief Introduction to the Sociology of
Health, Healing, and Illness)
Text, Chapter Two, p. 12-33 (The Development of Scientific Medicine)
Text, Chapter Three, p.34-56 (Social Epidemiology)
Assignment: Analyzing Advertisements Assignment is Due Next Week! LetÕs Go!
June 21, 2005 (Week Two):
Topic: Analyzing Advertisements Assignment is Due Tonight; Social Epidemiology (correlated to chapter three); Society, Disease, and Illness (corresponding to chapter four)
Reading: Text, Chapter Four, p. 58-83 (Society, Disease, And Illness)
Assignment: Study for Quiz Next Week on Chapters 1-4!
Section II: Health, Illness and the Social Environment:
June 28, 2005 (Week Three):
Topic: Quiz Tonight on Chapters 1-4 of class text
Reading: Text, Chapter Five, p.85-105 (Social Stress)
Assignment: Work on Personal Illness Narrative that is due Next Week!
July 5, 2005 (Week Four):
Topic: Collect Personal Illness Narratives Due Tonight; Social Stress (corresponding to chapter five); Special Presentation on Personal Wellness, A Significant Part of Physical and Mental Health
Reading: Text, Chapter Six, p.107-124 (Health Behavior)
Text, Chapter Seven, p. 126-148 (Experiencing Illness and Disability)
Assignment:
You can begin work on Personal Wellness & ÔObstaclesÓ now.
Remember, in Week Six, we have a lot on the schedule so jump ahead
And you will thank me later! J
Section III: Behavior of Health and Illness:
July 12, 2005 (Week Five):
Topic: Health Behavior (corresponding to chapter six); Experiencing Illness and Disability (corresponding to chapter seven)
Reading: Text, Chapter Eight, p.150-172 (Physicians and the Profession
Of Medicine)
Text, Chapter Nine, p.175-194 (Medical Education And The
Socialization of Physicians)
Text, Chapter Ten, p. 196-217 (Nurses, Mid-Level Health Care
Practitioners, and Allied Health Workers)
{Please note that there is a lot of reading assigned for next week so, if
you can, jump ahead and read through chapter thirteen)
Assignment: Your Personal Wellness and Obstacles to Changing Your Lifestyle
Assignments are due Tuesday, July 19th and Saturday, July 23rd
Respectfully. Your Health Briefings are Due Saturday also! Enjoy! J
Section IV: Health Care Workers and Systems:
July 19, 2005 and Saturday, July 23, 2005 (Week Six):
TuesdayÕs Topic: Personal Wellness Assignment is Due Tonight; Physicians and the
Medical Profession (corresponding to chapter Eight); Medical
Education and the Socialization of Physicians (corresponding to
Chapter nine)
Reading: Text, Chapter Eleven, p. 219-241 (Complementary and Alternative
Medicine
Text, Chapter Twelve, p. 245-265 (The Physician-Patient Relationship:
Background and Models)
SaturdayÕs Topic: Obstacles To Changing Your Lifestyle Assignment is Due Today; Nurses and Other Health Workers (corresponding to chapter ten);
Complementary/Alternative Medicine (corresponding to chapter
Eleven)
Reading: Text, Chapter Thirteen, p. 270-286 (Professional and Ethical
Obligations of Physicians in the Physician-Patient Relationship)
Assignment: Mindful Eating Assignment is Due (Week Eight) August 2nd but you need
to plan for it. Just a reminder here since we are coming off a busy week.
July 26, 2005 (Week Seven):
Topic: Physician-Patient Relationship (corresponding to chapter twelve); Professional
And Ethical Obligations of Physicians (corresponding to chapter thirteen)
Reading: Text, Chapter Fourteen, p. 289-311 (The Health Care System Of The
United States)
Text, Chapter Fifteen, p. 314-334 (Health Care Delivery)
Assignment: Mindful Eating Assignment is due next week!
Section V: The Macro Picture of Health Care:
August 2, 2005 (Week Eight):
Topic: Collect Mindful Eating Assignments; The American Health Care System
(corresponding to chapter fourteen); HealthCare Delivery (corresponding to
chapter fifteen)
Reading: Text, Chapter Sixteen, p. 336-361 (The Social Implications Of Advanced
Health Care Technology)
Text, Chapter Seventeen, p. 363-384 (Comparative Health Care Systems)
Assignment: Web Page Issue Analysis (Written fact sheet and 5-7 minutes oral) is due
Next week!
August 9, 2005 (Week Nine):
Topic: Instructor Evaluations; Web Page Issue Analysis Presentations Tonight (One Page Fact Sheet and 5-7 Minute Orals); Social Implications of Advanced Health Care Technology (corresponding to Chapter sixteen); Comparative Health Care Systems (corresponding to chapter Seventeen)
Reading: None Assigned
August 16, 2005 (Week Ten, Our Last Class of the Term):
Topic: ÒWellness DinnerÓ; Goodbyes
INTERNET REFERENCES (This is not an exhaustive listing):
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention http://www.cdc.gov/
The Socio Web http://www.socioweb.com/
Find Articles http://www.findarticles.com
American Sociological Association http://www.asanet.org/
American Medical Association. http://www.ama-assn.org/
Journal of the American Medical Association. http://jama.ama-assn.org/
The American Sociological Association, The Medical Sociology Section Homepage. http://dept.kent.edu/sociology/asamedsoc/
British Medical Journal. http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/
Center for Disease Control and Prevention - Health Topics A to Z. http://www.cdc.gov/health/default.htm
Center for Disease Control and Prevention - Publications. http://www.cdc.gov/doc.do/id/0900f3ec8021ee7a
Have, Paul ten. "Current Trends in Qualitative Medical Sociology: Some Recent Studies from the Netherlands." http://www2.fmg.uva.nl/emca/presov.htm
HealthScout. http://www.healthscout.com/
Health Affair - The Policy Journal of the Health Sphere. http://www.healthaffairs.org/
Medical sociology topics from About.com.
http://psychology.about.com/cs/medicalsociology/
Medline Plus Health Information. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/
National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine. http://nccam.nih.gov/health/
National Center for Health Statistics. http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/
North Carolina AHEC Digital Library (guest login available). http://library.ncahec.net/
United States Census Bureau http://www.census.gov/
PBS Frontline - Diet War. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/diet/view/
PBS Frontline - Medicating Kids. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/medicating/watch/
PBS Frontline - The Other Drug War. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/other/
SocioSite, Sociology of Health. http://www2.fmg.uva.nl/sociosite/topics/health.html
Yahoo - Alternative Medicine. http://health.yahoo.com/health/alternative_medicine/
United States Department of Health and Human Services. http://www.hhs.gov/