COURSE SYLLABUS. Linfield College

Transcription

1 COURSE SYLLABUS Linfield College Course Title: Health and Social Policy Course Number: HSCI 320 Term and Dates: Spring 2017, 02/13/ /25/2017 Course Credits: 3 Class Meetings: This is a fully online class Instructor: Angela D. Thomas, MPH, MBA Office Hours: I am available at any time via . If you would like to speak by phone, please call, leave a message if I am unable to answer, or alternatively, please me to arrange a time for us to speak. Phone: anthomas@linfield.edu COURSE DESCRIPTION This course provides an analysis of the public policy process, major public social and health programs, special interests, and political differences. The course also explores the role of federal, state, as well as local governments and the legal system in policy implementation. Students will also understand complex health and social problems as they are translated into standards of conduct. COMMUNICATION At the beginning of the semester, each student should access the syllabus. The syllabus is subject to change at the discretion of the instructor. Any changes to the syllabus will be made electronically and with notice to students. I will be communicating with students primarily through Blackboard and via . COURSE MATERIALS Required Books Almgren G. (2013). Health Care Politics, Policy, and Services: A Social Justice Analysis, 2 nd edition. New York: Springer Publishing Company. [ISBN# ] Note: Additional required resources (e.g. articles, websites, videos) may be utilized and if applicable will be made available via the course in Blackboard. 1

2 Course Objectives: After completion of this course it is expected that the student will be able to: 1. Critically discuss specific theories of social justice and the impact on health care 2. Describe the historical evolvement of the U.S. health care system 3. Describe and critically discuss health care finance 4. Describe and critically discuss health care services and utilization 5. Discuss the financial, policy, and social justice issues surrounding long-term care of the aged and disabled 6. Critically discuss the associated constructs related to disparities in health and health care 7. Describe social epidemiology and its utility in unraveling the social determinants health disparities 8. Critically analyze and discuss the social and political context of health care system reform TEACHING PHILOSOPHY AND METHODOLOGY This course is planned to provide access to new knowledge and experience, and a safe environment in which to think, share, change, and reassess current knowledge. Critical thinking skills and the ability to express thoughts and questions are central, as are respectful listening and sharing to all involved in the course discussions. COURSE ACTIVITIES AND GRADING Grading in the Course: Activity Weekly Discussion Forums 13 Discussion Forums Assignment #1: Assignment #2: Assignment #3: Assignment #4 Mid-term exam Final exam Total Possible Points Points Possible 260 points (20 points each) 110 points 110 points 110 points 110 points 150 points 150 points 1000 points The grade will be based on engagement in discussion forums, completion of skill building assignments, and the ability to apply knowledge of the subject matter through a mid-term and a final exam. The exams will include multiple choice and true/false questions that assess concepts from the textbook chapters. Given the online nature of the course, exams are open book. Grades will be posted in the course on Blackboard throughout the course, so you can monitor your progress. Final grades will be determined according to the following percentages of points earned: 2

3 Grade Percentage Grade Percentage A >92.9 to 100% C 73 to 76.9% A- 90 to 92.9% C- 70 to 72.9% B+ 87 to 89.9% D+ 67 to 69.9% B 83 to 86.9% D 60 to 66.9% B- 80 to 82.9% F <60% C+ 77 to 79.9% Discussion Forum Expectations and Assessment: Participation in weekly online discussion board forums is an essential element to succeeding in this course. Discussion board interactions are a great opportunity for all of us to interact with one another on interesting, relevant topics. There will be thirteen (13) discussion forums in the course. For a given discussion board, it is required that students will make an initial post by Thursday night at 11:59 PM, Pacific time, in a given week. It is also required that students make at least two (2) responses to classmates on each discussion board by Sunday night at 11:59 PM, Pacific time, in a given week and participate on at least three separate days throughout the week (this includes the date of the initial post). Discussion board postings will be graded on various criteria that indicated engagement in the discussion, including but not limited to demonstration of understanding of course concepts, critical thinking regarding key concepts, and appropriate use of grammar and spelling. Your discussion board postings will be evaluated in the areas of timeliness, quantity, quality and visibility as detailed in this document. These criteria show the minimum standards for receiving a passing grade of C. Be sure and ask your instructor to clarify what is required in order to earn full points. Evaluation Criteria for Discussion Board Participation: Quality: Postings should reflect a strong understanding of the topic and should include substantive ideas supported by course readings, personal experience, and/or additional academic quality research. Posts should extend or deepen the discussion in a relevant way. Timeliness: Initial responses to the are made on the due date (no late initial responses accepted). Replies to fellow students are presented in a timely manner to allow for robust discussion and reflection. Must meet deadlines to receive credit. Visibility: Actively involved 3 or more days a week. 3

4 Quantity: Post a first response to the plus a minimum of 2 additional discussion responses to classmates for a passing grade. Responses must be posted over 3 or more days. Readability: Posts are visually attractive and understandable to your readers, e.g. break text into paragraphs, space between paragraphs. Clarity: Ideas are communicated in clear, grammatical English. The goal is post writing that is clear, concise, direct, and professional. Assignments Short Papers and a PowerPoint Presentation: There are written assignments to help you comprehend the material. There are two types of assignments: short papers and a PowerPoint presentation. I expect that you will try your best to fully and accurately complete each assignment. Some assignments will be more difficult than others. Each short paper must be typed using no less than 12 point font. The PowerPoint presentation must use bullet points on the slide with each bullet point supported by well-written discussion in the speaker notes using no less than 12 point font. Please use PowerPoint only NOT Prezi or KeyNote). You will lose points if you do not follow this format for short papers and the PowerPoint. Other formatting requirements are noted in the description of each assignment. It is important to carefully proofread your writing before submitting your assignment to the course. It is my expectation that these assignments will be both assigned by me and completed and submitted to the course by you via the appropriate area of the course in Blackboard. There are four (4) such assignments; these assignments are worth 44% of your final grade. All assignments are due by Sunday night at midnight, Pacific time. Please see the Assignments Rubric in the course for additional information on the grading of assignments. Midterm and Final Exams: There is a midterm and a final exam in our course. The midterm and final exams are multiple choice and true/false questions and is completed online. Each is worth 15% of your final grade. The midterm and final exam are due by Sunday night at midnight, Pacific time. Please see the Midterm and Final Exam Rubric in the course for additional information on the grading of the midterm and final exam. COURSE POLICIES AND EXPECTATIONS Attendance: A student is considered to be in attendance in an online course by participating in class or otherwise engaging in an academically related activity. Examples of such activity in an online classroom include but are not limited to: contributing to an online discussion, submitting an assignment or taking an exam. Due Dates and Deadlines: 4

5 Refer to specific assignment directions for deadline information. All assignments, including Discussion Forum posts, are due by 11:59 PM in the Pacific Time zone. Late Policy: Late assignments will be deducted 10% for each day late (10% of total assignment credit). No assignments can be accepted more than 6 days past the due date. No assignments can be accepted after the last day of class. Late discussion posts will not earn credit. It is not possible to make up missed discussions. At the discretion of the instructor exceptions may be made for extraordinary circumstances. Prior approval from the instructor is needed. No extra credit, resubmission of work for re-grading or make up work is allowed. Preventing Plagiarism: Plagiarism is a form of academic dishonesty that occurs when a student uses information or material from outside sources without proper citation. Plagiarism is grounds for disciplinary action. It is a student's responsibility to understand plagiarism and its consequences. Students should consult their instructor if they have any questions about preventing plagiarism. Plagiarism occurs if: 1. The student does not cite quotations and/or attribute borrowed ideas. 2. The student fails to enclose borrowed language in quotation marks. 3. The student does not write summaries and paraphrases in his/her own words and/or doesn t document his/her source. 4. The student turns in work created by another person (e.g., another student, downloaded from the internet, etc.). Please see also see the Academic Integrity section below under College Policies. Blackboard Help Desk: If you experience any technical issues with Blackboard, please see 5

6 College Policies This course satisfies the Writing-Intensive Course(s) in the Major (MWI) area in the Linfield Curriculum. Courses in this area pay explicit attention to writing and writing instruction while engaging students in all phases of the writing process. Furthermore, writing assignments are a significant portion of the course work and the course grade. In this class, students will: 1. Students frame key questions important to the understanding of health and social policy. 2. Students answer such questions in writing appropriate to the conventions of health and social policy and compelling to an intended audience. 3. Students develop or further refine an iterative writing process that includes prewriting activities (e.g. discussion, research, literature review) drafting, revising and editing, and that is appropriate for health and social policy 4. Students receive significant instruction and feedback helping them in the various steps of this process. Gaining LC credits for this class: In order to earn a MWI for this course, you must submit relevant exemplars of your work to TaskStream by the last day of finals week, as discussed in the Linfield College Course Catalog, pgs If you have any questions about which assignments in this class are appropriate as an exemplar for either of these learning outcomes, I am available to assist. 6

7 Special Accommodations McMinnville: Students with disabilities are protected by the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. If you are a student with a disability and feel you may require academic accommodations please contact Learning Support Services (LSS), as early as possible to request accommodation for your disability. The timeliness of your request will allow LSS to promptly arrange the details of your support. LSS is located in Melrose Hall 020 ( ). We also encourage students to communicate with faculty about their accommodations. Portland and DCE: Students with disabilities are protected by the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. If you are a student with a disability and feel you may require academic accommodations contact Cheri White, Program Director of Learning Support Services (LSS), as early as possible to request accommodation for your disability. The timeliness of your request will allow LSS to promptly arrange the details of your support. LSS is located in Loveridge Hall, Room 24, ( ). We also encourage students to communicate with faculty about their accommodations. (Academic Affairs, 2015) Academic Honesty Linfield College has a policy regarding academic honesty. All students enrolled in this course are expected to follow it. The policy can be found in the Linfield College Course Catalog. Please be sure you read this policy. The policy states that academic work is evaluated on the assumption that the work presented is the student s own, unless designated otherwise. Academic Dishonesty refers to cheating, plagiarism, fabrication and facilitating academic dishonesty. I will strictly adhere to the college policy on academic dishonesty. Students that commit academic dishonesty will receive zero points for the assigned work, I will inform the Dean of Students of the violation and other sanctions may occur per college policy. If unsure whether your work reflects an appropriate level of academic honesty do not hesitate to discuss the matter with me before the work is started. Please see 7

8 COURSE SCHEDULE AND ASSIGNMENTS Week Dates Topic Reading Assignment(s) Due 1. 2/13-2/19 Theories of Social Justice Chapter 1 (all) response 2. 2/20-2/26 Historical Evolvement of U.S. Chapter 2 response Health Care 3. 2/27-3/5 Historical Evolvement of U.S. Health Care Assignment #1 Social Justice Frameworks assignment due (pages 49-64) Chapter 2 (pages 64-end of chapter) 4. 3/6 3/12 Health Care Finance Chapter 3 (pages ) 5. 3/13-3/19 Health Care Finance Chapter 3 (pages 139 end) 6. 3/20-3/26 Health Care Services and Utilization Assignment #2 Health Care Legislation assignment due 7. 3/27-4/2 Health Care Services and Utilization 8. 4/3 4/9 Long-Term Care of the Aged and Disabled 9. 4/10 4/16 Long-Term Care of the Aged and Disabled Mid-term exam 10. 4/17 4/23 Disparities in Health and Health Care Assignment #3 Long-term care assignment due 11. 4/24 4/30 Disparities in Health and Health Care 12. 5/1 5/7 Social Epidemiology and Health Disparities Assignment # 4 Disparities assignment due 13. 5/8 5/14 Social Epidemiology and Health Disparities Chapter 4 (pages ) Chapter 4 (pages 188 end) Chapter 5 (pages ) Chapter 5 (pages 225 end) Chapter 6 (pages ) Chapter 6 (pages 262 end) Chapter 7 (pages ) Chapter 7 (pages 304 end) 14. 5/15 5/21 Health Care System Reform Chapter 8 (pages 327 end) response ; Assignment #1 (Sunday) response response response ; Assignment #2 (Sunday) response response response ; Mid-term (Sunday) response ; Assignment #3 (Sunday) response response ; Assignment #4 (Sunday) response No discussion use the time to prepare for the final exam 8

9 -- 5/22 5/25 Final exam Comprehensive Due by Thursday 5/26 ASSIGNMENTS Assignment #1: Social Justice Frameworks: In a double spaced typed paper of 750 words using 12 point font, address the following questions: In what ways does the current organizing and financing of the American health care system align with any two social justice frameworks discussed in chapter one? The grading of the paper will be done using the following rubric: Style issues (20 points) 1. Correct formatting requirements (5 points) 2. Correct grammar (5 points) 3. Correct spelling (5 points) 4. Adherence to specified word limit (5 points) Content issues (90 points) 1. Discussion of organization in the context of two frameworks (45 points) 2. Discussion of financing in the context of two frameworks (45 points) Assignment #2: Health Care Legislation assignment: One phenomenon in social policy is the ever-present risk of unintended consequences whereby a policy that is designed as a solution to one social problem ends up being the cause of another. Choosing as your example any major piece of health care legislation that has been implemented in the last 50 years, show how this is so. Present your argument in a 750-1,000 word double spaced typed paper using 12 point font. Please justify your opinions based on the readings. Use at least two additional references. The grading of the paper will be done using the following rubric: Style issues (20 points) 1. Correct formatting requirements (5 points) 2. Correct grammar (5 points) 3. Correct spelling (5 points) 4. Correct word count (5 points) Content issues (90 points) 1. Identification and discussion of the health care legislation (10 points) 2. Discussion of social problem solved (20 points) 3. Discussion of social problem caused (20 points) 4. Justification of positions (20 points) 5. Proper use of at least two additional references (20 points) Assignment #3: Long-term Care assignment: Despite decades of knowledge that the aging of the baby boom generation is certain to create a national crisis in long-term care services and financing, now that the baby boom generation is transitioning to old age there is still no coherent national policy that addresses the sustainable financing of long-term care. 9

10 What have been the obstacles to a more foresighted and rational approach to national long-term care policy? What will have to happen in order to move the nation forward on long-term care policy? Summarize your findings in a four (minimum) to six (maximum) page double spaced typed paper using 12 point font. Please justify your opinions based on the readings. Use at least two additional references. The grading of the paper will be done using the following rubric: Style issues (20 points) 1. Correct formatting requirements (5 points) 2. Correct grammar (5 points) 3. Correct spelling (5 points) 4. Adherence to specified page limit (5 points) Content issues (90 points) 1. Discussion of obstacles of long-term care policy (25 points) 2. Discussion of steps to move forward on long-term care policy (25 points) 3. Justification of positions (20 points) 4. Proper use of at least two additional references (20 points) Assignment #4: Disparities assignment: Over the last half of the 20th century, life expectancy for both Whites and African Americans improved dramatically, yet the racial gap in life expectancy remained essentially unchanged over this same period. In this assignment, you will prepare a PowerPoint presentation (please use PowerPoint only NOT Prezi or KeyNote) addressing the following questions: Why is did this gap remain despite the increase in life expectancy? What specific fundamental social changes would need to take place to shrink this racial gap in life expectancy? Please use a minimum of 10 PowerPoint slides for your presentation. Please use bullet points on each slide supported by a well-written discussion of each bullet point in the speaker notes. Please justify your opinions based on the readings. Use at least two additional references. The assignment will be graded on the following rubric: Style issues (20 points) 1. Appropriate use of bullet points on the slide (5 points) 2. Appropriate use of speaker notes (5 points) 3. Correct number of Power point slides (10 points) Content issues (90 points) 1. Discussion of why the gap remains (25 points) 2. Discussion of specific fundamental social changes necessary (25 points) 3. Justification of positions (20 points) 4. Proper use of at least two additional references (20 points) 10

11 CALENDAR HSCI 320 Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 5 Day 6 Day 7 Mon Tues Wed Thurs Fri Sat Sun Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Assignment #1 due 11:59 pm PST Week 5 Week 6 Assignment #2 due 11:59 pm PST Week 7 Week 8 Week 9 Week 10 Mid-term Exam due 11:59 pm PST Assignment #3 due 11:59 pm PST 11

12 Week 11 Week 12 Assignment #4 due 11:59 pm PST Week 13 Week 14 Finals No discussion use the time to prepare for the final exam Final Exam due 11:59 pm PST 12