THE PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF HEALTH AND HUMAN DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT OF BIOBEHAVIORAL HEALTH BBH 101: Introduction to Biobehavioral Health Spring 2009 Lectures M-W 2:30 3:20 101 Thomas Bldg. Professor Dr. Roger McCarter Professor Biobehavioral Health Office: 101 Amy Gardner House, PSU Office Hours: Generally M & W 1-2 & by appt Email: rjm28@psu.edu Phone(814) 865-1717 Practicum Sections Section Day/Time Location Graduate Assistant Email 1 Friday 2:30-3:20 Thomas 120 Joseph Gyekis J pg186@psu.edu 2 Friday 2:30-3:20 Thomas 219 Paul Goodwin Pjg179@psu.edu 3 Friday 3:35-4:25 Thomas 120 Paul Goodwin Pjg179@psu.edu 4 Friday 11:15-12:05 Willard 371 Joseph Gyekis Jpg186@psu.edu 5 Friday 12:20-1:10 Wagner 115A Paul Goodwin Pjg179@psu.edu 6 Friday 1:25-2:15 Willard 371 Paul Goodwin Pjg179@psu.edu 7 Friday 1:25-2:15 Thomas 120 Joseph Gyekis Jpg186@psu.edu 8 Friday 3:35-4:25 Willard 371 Joseph Gyekis Jpg186@psu.edu COURSE OBJECTIVES: This course is designed to provide you with basic principles related to health and behavior. The course will prepare you for other courses in the Biobehavioral Health Department as well as for other courses in the life sciences. We will emphasize health as a state of physical, mental and social wellbeing rather than as the absence of disease. Upon completion of the course, you should be able to: 1. Describe the importance of integrating biological and behavioral approaches to health. 2. Explain basic biological processes. 3. Analyze, synthesize, and interpret information related to overall health. 4. Identify behavioral factors that contribute to differences in health risk. 5. Apply health principles and research findings to health promotion and disease prevention strategies and public health policies. 6. Recognize reasons for variability in health among different populations. GENERAL OVERVIEW OF COURSE CONTENT 1. Background and History 5. Substance Abuse 2. Research Methods 6. Cardiovascular Health/Diabetes/Pain 3. Physiological Systems/Sexually Transmitted 7. Alternative Systems of Health care/cancer Diseases 4. Nutrition and Obesity 8. Stress The course will follow a modular format for each of the topics above (see attached schedule of topics). Within each topic there will be at least two lectures and a practicum. The lectures, for example, will introduce the basics of the physiological system of interest, consider the mechanisms involved in an example disease of the particular system in question, and then discuss behavioral risk and protective factors for the disease. During weekly practicum students will break into focus groups (n = ~30) to discuss in detail new material and material
presented in lecture. A graduate assistant will facilitate discussion and help the group summarize the main issues and points. REQUIRED READING: Straub, R. O. (2007).Second Edition, Health Psychology. NY, Worth. CLASS NOTES:Lecture Outlines( subject headings only)will be posted online. Lectures notes will not be posted on the web, nor are they available from the instructor.reading the assigned text and writing your own notes are essential to learning the material. TAs may not be attending lectures and thus will not be a helpful resource if you have specific questions about material covered during lecture. If you miss a lecture you will need to arrange to copy notes from a classmate. Lecture Quizzes: There will be 3 lecture quizzes that will take place on various Wednesdays during the semester (see Schedule). These quizzes will account for 60% of your grade. Quizzes will cover lectures & reading assignments. Quizzes will be multiple choice format. If you miss a quiz you will have the opportunity of making it up by taking a comprehensive final examination. This examination will cover the entire course. Whatever grade you make on this examination will substitute for the missed quiz grade. A quiz missed because of illness (as certified by a doctor s certificate ) will result in you getting the average of your other quiz grades for the missed quiz. Practicum Grades: You will earn 5 points for each practicum session for : (i)attendance at the session(2 points),and (ii) writing a brief(about ½ a page ) paragraph listing at least 3 issues covered by that practicum(3 points).please note that these paragraphs must be written during the practicum,not before the practicum. A further 5 points will be earned based on participation in practicum. Each person must speak in reply to questions,or initiate their own questions at least three times during the semester to earn these 5 points. A maximum of 40 points toward your final grade will come from the practicum sessions. i.e.you must attend at least 7 practicum sessions and earn the participation points to earn the 40 points. There will be no make-ups of practicum sessions under any circumstances. PRACTICUMS: Topics of practicum sessions will be focused on the material covered in lecture & readings, such as:substance abuse, cardiovascular disease, dietary habits,cancer, stress and obesity. Attendance at practicum is required. You must attend the session for which you are registered. Under no circumstances can you switch sections. It is not possible to make-up a session by attending a section for which you aren t registered. There will be no practicum make-ups UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES. GRADING: To calculate your grade, compute your average quiz grade and multiply by 0.6. Then add all your practicum grades to arrive at your grade. You are responsible for contacting your TA to resolve mistakes or error in the recording of your graded assignments. A = 93-100 B = 83-85 C = 70-75 A- = 90-92 B- = 80-82 D = 60-69 B+ = 86-89 C+ = 77-79 F = Below 60 EXTRA CREDIT: Extra credit will be given for 1 hour of student participation as a subject in a Penn State Research project. Students must turn in a copy of the project consent form to their TA. Alternatively, a 2-3- page report can be written on an empirical study published on a biobehavioral research issue. The journal and article have to be approved in advance by your TA to qualify. The topic of the research report also must be approved by your TA. Extra credit points are factored into the final grade distribution as 1 point each, out of the 100 point total. The maximum extra credits are 2. All extra credit needs to be completed before April 17,2009. Additional details about each of these opportunities will be provided in class. EMAIL: Email is an effective and efficient method for communication in this course. Throughout the semester, email will be used to provide you with last minute, up-to-date, and important information regarding this course. Your PSU-assigned email account will be used for all course-related correspondence for several reasons,
including: security, protection against viruses, ability to send large attachments, and availability of PSU webmail access (http://webmail.psu.edu). It is your responsibility to check your Penn State account regularly for course-related emails. If your PSU email is forwarded to an outside account, it is your responsibility to ensure that course emails and attachments are making it through to your account. Emails that are bounced back from AOL, Hotmail, Yahoo, and other outside ISP accounts will not be resent. Because of the difficulty with attachments and because email cannot be guaranteed to arrive in a timely manner, we will not accept assignments by email without prior approval. It is also important to note that your instructor receives more than 100 emails each day and will make an effort to respond to your questions quickly. There will be times during the semester when responses might not always be made the same day messages are submitted. That said, if you do not receive a reply from the instructor or TA within 36 hours of submitting your message it is worth resending your note as it may have been misplaced. Be aware that messages that you send may be reviewed by PSU faculty other than the instructor. CELL PHONES: The BBH 101 classroom is a cell-free environment. Please respect your peers by ensuring that your cell phone and pagers are off when you are in class. ACADEMIC DISHONESTY: Academic dishonesty is a broad topic. The examples given here are not intended to be an exhaustive list, but are provided to give an idea of behaviors that will not be tolerated. The following statements describe Penn State Policies for what constitutes Academic Dishonesty, and for dealing with it when it occurs. If you have any question about what constitutes academic dishonesty, it is your responsibility to discuss the issue with the course instructor. Academic integrity is the pursuit of scholarly activity free from fraud and deception and is an educational objective of this institution. Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, cheating, plagiarizing, fabricating of information or citations, facilitating acts of academic dishonesty by others, have unauthorized possession of examinations, submitting work of another person or work previously (or concurrently) used without informing the instructor, or tampering with the academic work of other students. The usual consequence of academic dishonesty is an F for the course or a lesser penalty if the alleged infraction is of a more minor offense. Students should also be aware of the rules regarding plagiarism. It is recommended that PSU students visit the following site: Cyber-plagiarism Site for PSU students: http://tlt.its.psu/edu/suggestions/cyberplag/. STUDENTS WITH A DISABILITY: The Pennsylvania State University encourages persons with disabilities to participate in its programs and activities. If you anticipate needing any type of accommodation or have questions about the physical access provided, please contact the office of Disability Services at (814)-863-1807 in advance of your participation or visit. PLEASE NOTIFY YOUR INSTRUCTOR OR ONE OF THE TAs AT THE BEGINNING OF THE SEMESTER IF YOU NEED SPECIAL ARRANGEMENTS FOR CLASS OR QUIZZES. IF IN DOUBT ABOUT YOUR SITUATION, PLEASE CONSULT WITH YOUR INSTRUCTOR OR ONE OF THE TAs. STATEMENT ON RELIGIOUS HOLIDAYS: Students are reminded of Penn State s policy regarding students requests for absence from class for the purpose of observing a religious holiday. The University Faculty Senate Policy on Class Attendance (42-47) states that instructors should provide, within reason, opportunity to make up work for students who are obligated to miss classes for legitimate reasons. As further clarification, Academic Administrative Policy on Religious Holidays (R-4) states that while the University makes every effort to avoid conflicts with religious holidays, when conflicts are unavoidable, the policy is to try and make special arrangements for the student affected. In consultation with campus and community religious leaders, The Center for Ethics and Religious Affairs has complied a listing of those holy days of the major world religions for which observance may require a student to depart from his or her normal routine at the University. Only those holy days that occur when classes are in session are included. This is not, therefore, an exhaustive list of all major holy days in each religious tradition. The list is available on the Web at www.sa.psu.edu/cera/relhol.html. STATEMENT ON PRINCIPLES FOR PROMOTING A VIBRANT LEARNING CULTURE: A vibrant learning culture with teachers and students energetically participating in the learning process requires dedicated interaction between teacher and learner. Whereas the teacher has the responsibility to apply effective
teaching methods and learning tools, overall improvement in learning can take place only if the student acts responsibly and applies the learning tools as instructed. Both quality teaching and quality learning require hard work, diligence, and major time commitment. Students are encouraged to review the principles of promoting a vibrant learning culture developed by the University Faculty Senate, available on the web at www.psu.ed/oue/vibrant.html. GENERAL COURSE GRADING POLICIES (1) There is no other method for determining grades other than those described in this document. (2) Grade Disputes a. On occasion students will desire clarification as to why they have lost points on one of the assignments. It is the policy of the professors of this course to provide such clarification ONLY during the office hours of the professors /graduate assistants or during a mutually arranged appointment. b. The clarification will consist of identifying correct content only. c. Adjustment of grades in terms of course points will only occur during the last week of class after all materials have been graded and given back to students. No adjustments will take place during any other time period before or after. d. Students are required to keep copies of all graded materials handed back to them. Lost materials will result in students forfeiting the potential to adjust the grades of lost materials. e. During the last week of class, students who have grades to dispute will present the materials to the TAs during office hours or a scheduled appointment. If there is a dispute due to the improper summation of point totals, the grade will be corrected. If there is a dispute due to a difference in the perception of the student and the professors/tas as to what is the correct answer, the student can request to have the materials re-graded. Requests for re-grading must be done in writing (typed or word-processed only) with the student identifying the exact reason why s/he perceives the answer to be correct. The professors/tas then have the right to correct the materials in their entirety. The grade can then increase, stay the same or decrease as a result of the re-grading. The focus of this activity is to ensure students receive the correct grades for their efforts rather than merely increasing point total or grades. f. There will be no discussion at any point in time regarding what seems to be fair or unfair course, point, or grading practices for the required assignments in part or whole. Fair is that everyone knows the rules and grading practices in advance and gets treated the same. In this sense, the policies of the class are fair. (3) Things change as the semester progresses. The instructor reserves the right to change any or all parts of the syllabus at any time during the semester. If major changes are required, students will be notified in writing. FINAL COURSE CONSIDERATIONS: Any student who encounters any problem with any aspect of this course should not hesitate to talk with the professors as soon as possible. If you disagree with the policies described in this document, you should not take the course. To remain in the course is to accept the policies both herein and as described in class.
Helpful Strategies: We have several suggestions to share with you from our former students. (1) Try not to miss class. Each class will cover material that will be important. The study of human development is a dynamic process. This is not a course where you can miss one class and then walk in the next day and presto, you can follow along as though nothing happened the day you were out. If you rely on a fellow student's notes to help you with what you missed, I recommend being familiar with the material before the next class begins. Each class builds on the previous one and so on. The same goes for being late. You miss the beginning of a class and you're up the creek but the paddle is at home. If you are a "late person" pretend that the class starts 15 minutes earlier. You can use the time to go over your notes. 2. Read all assignments before the class and then again after! Knowing what will be discussed in class in advance will familiarize you with the concepts. The class will provide you with the skills to understand the conceptual aspects of the material. Reading the material again will reinforce what you have learned (i.e., think of it as getting paid after you have done the real work). 3. Go over your class notes after each class! This will serve two purposes. First, it will reinforce what you have learned in class. Second, if there is anything that you missed or do not understand, you can ask one of us about it before we start the next class. Remember, each class builds on the previous one. If you are not absolutely sure of what we went over in class, the next class will be that much more difficult and so on for each class after. 4. Make a work schedule and keep to it! I recommend making a schedule for each day of the week and block out how many hours you will commit to reading, re-writing notes, working on the class project, studying for quizzes, and so on. It is better to commit time for each task, than have a larger unorganized period of time for each class. This way you can see where you need to make adjustments as the semester goes on. 5. Form a study group. I recommend forming a study group right away. This way you can look over notes right away and find places where you need clarification before exam-time. 6. Use a small cassette recorder to tape class lectures. If you are not a good note taker you will be happy you did this. Class information is very important. 7. Know required project assignments and due dates. Many students lose points throughout the semester because they do not read their class syllabus carefully. We cannot underscore the importance of understanding this document in determining your grade in the class.
BBH 101 Tentative Schedule Day Format Topic Reading Week 1 1/12;1/14 Introduction to course, syllabus. History of Health Affairs Chapter 1 (6-26) NO PRACTICUM Week 2 1/21 Research Methods Chapter 2 (28-50) Practicum 1(1/23) Week 3 1/26;1/28 Physiological Systems Chapter 3 (54-60; 62-74) Practicum 2(1/30) Week 4 2/2; 2/4 Endocrines; HIV/AIDS Chapters 3,11 (60-62;75-78; 331-344) Practicum 3 (2/6) Week 5 2/9 Review: Chapters1,2,3,11 2/11 QUIZ 1 2/13 Review Quiz 1 Week 6 2/16; 2/18 Nutrition;eating;obesity Chapter 7 (189-225) Practicum 4(2/20) Week 7 2/23; 2/25 Substance abuse Chapter 8 (227-265) Practicum 5(2/27) Mid Semester Evaluations Week 8 3/2; 3/4 Cardiovascular Disease;Diabetes Chapter 9 (268-302) Practicum 6(3/6) Week 9 3/9 3/13 SPRING BREAK
Week 10 3/16; 3/18 Pain Chapter 13 (397-425) Practicum 7 Week 11 3/23 Review : Chapters 7,8,9,13 3/25 QUIZ 2 3/27 Review Quiz 2 Week 12 3/30; 4/1 Complementary and Alternative Medicine Chapter 14(429-462) Practicum 8 (4/3) Week 13 4/6;4/8 Cancer Chapter 10 (303-329) No Practicum Week 14 4/13; 4/15 Stress/Coping with Stress Chapter 4 (84-95;99-100);Chapter 5 (118-134;141-152) Practicum 9(4/17) Week 15 4/20; 4/22 Review( chapters 4,5,10,14).Quiz 3 Practicum10 (4/24) Week 16: 4/27;4/29 Course Evaluation Course Review( chapters 1,2,3,4,5,7,8,9,11,13,14). Comprehensive Make-up Exam during week of May 4-8,2009 for those who missed a quiz.