BBH 119: Behavior, Health & Disease Spring 2009 T, Th 8:00-9:15 209 South Henderson INSTRUCTOR: Brian Michael Saltsman, Ph.D. 315 Health and Human Development (HHD) East bxs181@psu.edu; 865-7793 Office Hours: By appointment TEACHING ASSISTANTS: Christina Ragan 311 Health and Human Development East cmr317@psu.edu; 863-2991 Office Hours: By Appointment Jian Ding 301 Health and Human Development East jzd144@psu.edu; Office Hours: By Appointment COURSE DESCRIPTION: BBH 119 is designed to present information about the relationship between behavior and health issues, particularly disease. We'll be discussing problems that can affect you, your families and your friends, as well as some that you will not encounter personally, but which affect many people throughout the world. We'll also discuss healthy behaviors that can reduce the risk of many diseases. The course should give you a context for other information you'll encounter -- about healthy living, disease prevention and treatment of acute and chronic illnesses. Because there are so many topics that could be discussed under the heading "behavior, health and disease," many health conditions will be covered minimally; in fact, no topic is adequately covered in terms of fully understanding the nature of the diseases discussed. For example, we have one day to cover cancer, one for mental illness, one for cardiovascular disease...clearly each of these could occupy an entire academic year or more. What you'll get is a general introduction to several health conditions, a more detailed look at a few and some tools for learning more about them. Although we will be discussing a number of specific health conditions, some of which affect you, any personal healthcare questions should be discussed with your own health care provider. COURSE OBJECTIVES: Upon completion of the course you should be able to: 1. Explain what healthy behaviors are, and why they are considered healthy. 2. Act to maintain and promote your own health. 3. Gather and evaluate health information from multiple reliable sources. 4. Critically analyze, synthesize and interpret health data.
REQUIRED READING: Readings from a number of internet sites are required and will be posted on Angel throughout the semester. Additional required readings will be handed out in class and/or posted on Angel. OTHER RESOURCES: Electronic resources There are countless commercial web sites that have health sections; however many of these are unreliable and/or are based on anecdote rather than on objective research. We'll discuss these primarily during our practicum meetings. Print Media (many available around campus for free) Many major newspapers and magazines have health sections. The New York Times, for example, has a health and science section on Tuesdays; this is considered one of the most reliable of the non-scientific print media. Scientific Journals (many available with PSU Library Access) Peer-reviewed scientific journals present findings from recent research, summaries of the body of scientific research on specific topics, and commentary. Video The University has a large video collection of health-related films. These may be viewed in the library s media center, or in some cases, checked out. If you're searching in the CAT, make sure you select "Video Material" as the material type. LECTURES: Questions during the lectures are strongly encouraged. Attendance will be taken during lectures. Students are expected to attend each lecture and will be responsible for material, regardless. Prior approval is required for excused absences. UPDATES: This course uses the ANGEL course management system. (http://cms.psu.edu) Updates to course information will be posted on Angel. In-class and e-mail announcements will also be posted to ANGEL so be sure to check Angel regularly. ***E-MAILING INSTRUCTOR*** Students should use their regular PSU accounts, and not ANGEL, to e-mail the instructor. (You can send e-mail to PSU accounts via ANGEL, but you must checkmark the box that indicates that a copy of the e-mail will be sent to the recipients PSU account.) E- mails sent only to ANGEL may go unnoticed for some time. Regular PSU e-mail is likely to be checked just once a day. If you have an urgent issue, you should try to phone instructor s office 865-7793. GRADING CRITERIA: Grades will be based on: 1) Three (3) in-class exams and optional final exam 2) Practicum assignments 3) Oral practicum presentation 4) In-class essay and response tasks 5) Class attendance and participation
1) Exams: 150 points There will be three 50-point objective (T/F, multiple-choice, fill-in, etc.) exams given during the semester. Exams will cover information from lectures, guest lectures, discussions, films, assigned readings (including those posted on Angel), and the practicum assignments. The semester exams will not be cumulative, i.e., they will cover only the material from the period since the previous exam. An optional 50-point cumulative final exam will be given as an opportunity for students to make up for either a missed exam or a low score. (If you take all three semester exams and want to improve your grade, you may take the optional final exam.) Again, the final exam will be based on material from the entire semester. There will be no make-up exams. Because only three exams will be used to calculate your final grade, it is possible (though not recommended) for you to miss one exam. In the event that a student has an illness or other personal problem during the term which results in more than one missed exam, acceptable documentation for ALL missed exams from a physician or other professional will be required to make alternative arrangements for a grade. All requests must be made at the next scheduled class session or, in the case of a prolonged absence, within one week of returning to classes. All excuses must follow University guidelines as well as the guidelines above. All requests for make-ups related to scheduled University events must be made before the missed exam. 2) Practicum Assignments: 60 points There will be three 20-point written practicum assignments. The written assignments will be posted on Angel and discussed in class. Absence from any practicum meeting or failure to complete and hand in the practicum assignment on time will result in a reduced grade or a grade of zero for that session. E-mailed assignments will not be accepted. Each student in the class must complete all three written practicum assignments. Each student will attend three small-group practicum sessions that meet during the regular class meeting time. Your assigned meeting dates and locations will be posted on Angel. Practicum session logistics and locations will be posted on Angel and announced in class. Your completed, typewritten assignments should be submitted to your TA on the day of your practicum meeting. All students must complete in-class assignments that will be given during practicum sessions (see (4) below); you must be present at your practicum meeting to earn these points. All requests for late work related to scheduled University events must be made before the missed practicum session. There will be no practicum make-ups under any circumstances.
3) Oral Presentation: 25 points At one of the practicum sessions, you will be required to present a brief (5 to 10 minutes) summary of your written practicum work. The details of these oral presentation assignments will be given when the practicum assignment is made. Each student in the class is required to attend all practicum sessions and to give a presentation at one of the sessions. At the beginning of the course, you will have an opportunity to sign up for a day to give your presentation. If you miss signing up, get in touch with your TA as soon as possible and sign up. 4) Practicum Response essays: 30 points Practicum class work: 30 points During practicum sessions you will be required to write responses to the student presentations; these are worth 10 points each, for a total of 30 points. 5) Pop essays: 25 total points In addition there will be five "pop" essay assignments -- writing or discussion assignments given during class. These will be worth 5 points each, for a total of 25 points. 6) Class attendance: 10 points Attendance will be taken randomly during the semester if you are present during all the attendance checks you will receive full credit. Any more than one absence during the attendance check will result in a loss of points. Total Points for Course: 300 points Grading Percentage Equivalents: Total Percentage Grade >=93 A 90 - <93 A- 86 - <90 B+ 83 - <86 B 80 - <83 B- 76 - <80 C+ 70 - <76 C 60 - <70 D <60 F 7) Class participation: 20-30 additional points These points are earned through class and practica discussion and participation at the instructor and TA s discretion. The purpose of these points is to both engage students as well as to have a manner to help students who may be between or on the border of two grades. These points are only applicable for substantive contributions to the class (not just for saying something in class). 8) Extra Credit -- 10 points -- Outside Lecture Extra Credit: You may earn up to a maximum of 10 points of extra credit by attending certain out-of class lectures, writing a brief review of the content, and turning it in to your TA by the next class meeting.
TEACHING ASSISTANTS Each of you will be assigned to a teaching assistant (TA). This TA will direct your practicum sessions and grade your assignments; most questions about assignments should be asked of your TA. (E.g., if you need to switch your practicum session, your TA will be able to approve that.) STATEMENT ON OUTSIDE OBLIGATIONS If an assignment deadline or exam date conflicts with a University sanctioned event (athletic event, choir trip, etc.) students should obtain a letter or the class absence form from the sponsoring unit/department delineating the semester's anticipated excused absences. This must be presented to the respective instructor at least one week in advance of the university-approved activity in order to provide adequate time to prepare alternative opportunities. The assignment will be due before the date listed on the syllabus. If such scheduled trips are considered by the instructor to be hurting the student's scholastic performance, the instructor will present such evidence for necessary action to the chair of BBH and to the dean of the college in which the student is enrolled or to the Division of Undergraduate Studies if the student is enrolled in that division. With respect to religious holidays, 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. The Faculty Handbook says that "Faculty members are encouraged to entertain requests for exemptions from class attendance for purposes of religious observances." Please see http://www.events.psu.edu/cgibin/cal/webevent.cgi?cmd=listyear&ncmd=startup&cal=cal42 for more information. ACADEMIC INTEGRITY Academic integrity and academic dishonesty are broad topics. The examples given here are not an exhaustive list, but they give you 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 (including failure to cite references), fabricating of information or citations, facilitating acts of academic dishonesty by others, having unauthorized possession of examinations, submitting work of another person, submitting work that was previously (or concurrently) used without informing the instructor, or tampering with the academic work of other students. Again, if you have any question about these terms or about what constitutes academic dishonesty, it is your responsibility to discuss the issue with the course instructor. Instances of academic dishonesty threaten the atmosphere of trust and free exchange of ideas. Such instances will result in the offending student receiving a grade of zero grade for work discovered to be fraudulent; if there is a second offense, that student will receive a failing grade for the course. ACCESSIBILITY The Pennsylvania State University encourages people with disabilities to participate in its programs and activities. If you anticipate needing any type of accommodation for a disability, or have questions about the physical access provided, please contact the Office of Disability Services at (814)-863-1807 in advance of your participation. Please discuss any special needs you may have with Dr. Saltsman at the beginning of the semester.
Tentative Lecture Schedule, BBH 119 Day Topic Reading Week 1 1/13 Introduction to Behavior Health and Disease 1/15 Nutrition Week 2 1/20 Obesity 1/22 Diabetes Week 3 1/27 Smoking 1/29 Alcohol Week 4 2/3 Addictions 2/5 Exam 1 Week 5 2/10 Stress 2/12 Cardiovascular Disease Week 6 2/17 Practicum 1 Health Myths 2/19 Practicum 1 Health Myths Week 7 2/24 Infectious Disease 2/26 Infectious Disease Week 8 3/3 Mental Health 3/5 Exam 2 Week 9 3/10 NO CLASS SPRING BREAK 3/12 NO CLASS SPRING BREAK Week 10 3/17 Sexual Behavior and Health I 3/19 Sexual Behavior and Health II Week 11 3/24 Practicum 2 Anaphrodisiacs/Aphrodisiacs 3/26 Practicum 2 Anaphrodisiacs/Aphrodisiacs Week 11 3/31 Cancer 4/2 Pain Week 12 4/7 Environmental Influences on Health I 4/9 Environmental Influences on Health II Week 13 4/14 Practicum 3 Pre-Natal Testing 4/16 Practicum 3 Pre-Natal Testing
Day Topic Reading Week 14 4/21 Alternative Medicine 4/23 Genetic Disorders Week 15 4/28 Special Topics 4/30 Evaluations and Exam 3 Finals Week 5/5 5/7 *Additional required readings will be posted on ANGEL throughout the semester. Please note that while we will follow the lecture schedule as closely as possible, it is subject to change due to availability of guest speakers, class discussions, and time constraints.