HLTH 3400: COMMUNITY HEALTH
Fall 2002

Co Instructors: Dr. Barbara Funke || Karen Ebey Tessendorf
Office telephone: 478-445-1780 || 478-445-1781
Office location: 110 Centennial Center || 113 Centennial Center
Email: bfunke@gcsu.edu || kebeyteso@gcsu.edu
Office hours: M/T/W/H 11:00-12:15 & by appt. || M/F 10 10:50 a.m. T 1-4 pm
webpage: http://www.faculty.de.gcsu.edu/~bfunke

I. CATALOG DESCRIPTION

A survey of community health problems and methods of intervention.

II. RELATIONSHIP OF COURSE TO DEPARTMENTAL MISSION

This course is required for Health Education: Community Health and Human Services majors. Students take this course in order to learn the content, skills, and values clarification pieces that are essential to the process of becoming a community health educator.

III. RELATIONSHIP OF COURSE TO CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK

THEME: The Community Health course contributes to the student’s knowledge base and encourages sensitivity to diversity by exploring health problems and methods of prevention across communities and cultures. Read this blog here to know more on improving your health and to perform better in life.

IV. PURPOSE

The purpose of this course is to provide students with a knowledge base to aid them in planning and implementing health education programs in communities.

V. PERFORMANCE OBJECTIVES

Cognitive Objectives:
Describe the role of community health in society today
Explain the concept of community
Explain the role of governmental, international, quasi governmental, and voluntary health organizations in health promotion efforts
Identify professional health organizations
Identify world health issues particularly those affecting women and children
Summarize the steps needed to organize a community
Describe the process of needs assessment, planning, implementing, and evaluating health education/promotion programs
Explain the health status of the U.S. in general and of specific populations including women, children, minorities, and seniors
Describe the impact of mental health problems and drug abuse on a community and explore prevention strategies

Affective Objectives:
Clarify attitudes concerning working with diverse individuals.
Demonstrate increased comfort in regard to diversity issues.

Psychomotor Objectives:
Demonstrate competence and professional behavior in community health settings.
Demonstrate effective application of content and skills obtained in major courses when assisting clients in community health settings.
Demonstrate critical thinking skills at assessing community health settings as evidenced in log entries.

Critically assess personal and professional strengths and weaknesses that may appear when practical experience is obtained in community health settings.
Conduct an assessment of a community to identify health and social problems.

VI. POSSIBLE COURSE ACTIVITIES

Service learning experiences; Lecture/discussion; Guest speakers; Videos/slides; Small group discussion; PowerPoint presentations; Assigned readings; Field trips; Community assessment project

VII. USES OF INSTRUCTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES

Internet applications; Word Processing skills

VIII. FIELD EXPERIENCE

You are required to participate in service learning experiences in community health settings as part of the lab for this course.

IX. ASSESSMENT

1. Complete assigned readings from the text and additional current sources.
2. Attend class, field trips, and site visits.
3. Actively participate in class discussions and activities.
4. Satisfactorily complete a midterm and final exam.
5. Complete a cultural assessment.
6. Complete a community assessment.
7. Completion of a 60 hour field experience, journal, and presentation.

X. REQUIRED TEXT

McKenzie, J. & Pinger, R. (2002). 4th Edition. An Introduction to Community Health. Boston: Jones & Bartlett.

XI. GUIDELINES FOR SERVICE-LEARNING EXPERIENCE

Community Health is a course that has a service learning component as part of the course requirements. A total of 60 lab/Service Learning hours is required for the course which is four hours per week for the 15 week semester. Students must document that they have completed all hours. You will be given a form to document attendance and number of hours that must be signed by the agency/project supervisor. Take this documentation sheet to every Service Learning experience including the Service Learning orientation, BaFa BaFa, the health screenings training (if applicable), and Service Learning seminar. The completed sheet should be turned in with the journal.

The following Service Learning hours are provided for the following REQUIRED activities:

*Community Assessment: 6 hours will be given for time needed to conduct site visits in the chosen community and obtain required information to complete the assessment. Students will work in pairs, choose a community, and arrange these visits on their own.
*Service Learning/Lab Orientation
*BaFa BaFa Multicultural Awareness Experience
*Seminar/student Presentations
*Bibb County Health Department Teen Clinic Teen Clinic (8th graders). These clinics are held on Friday afternoons. You may assist in staffing the stations such as weight, vision screening, etc. but most of the focus will be a two hour “rap session” and the teens will ask questions, mostly about sexuality. You are encouraged to answer questions and assist in facilitating the discussion. Be prepared to answer basic questions about sexuality issues especially sexual responsibility and pregnancy prevention. There are several other programs as well and you could be placed with a program director such as David Perdue who heads an adolescent pregnancy prevention program with an abstinence focus or observe in STD clinic.
*Two, one hour refection sessions to discuss issues in their service learning experiences.
*Community Organizing Application

Total hours: approximately 25 hours

This leaves approximately 35 hours for experiences outside of class.

These Service Learning experiences will mostly occur in community health/social service settings and school settings. Possible choices to complete the remaining hours will be provided. Participation in service learning experiences different from the ones provided by your instructors must be approved in advance. I prefer that each student choose two or three areas and devote approximately 10 15 hours per area but this is flexible. For example, a student can choose to devote most of the hours to one setting. In some circumstances, you may want to work in pairs or small groups on these projects. You will need to make all other arrangements concerning the placement such as transportation, what days and times to work, etc. If you are unable to be at the organization during your scheduled hours, you must inform your supervisor.

It is essential that you perform an active, professional role in these settings. Service learning is very different from volunteerism. Service learning requires you to apply the knowledge you have learned from your coursework and in turn to learn from the service learning experience. In addition, you are expected to gain a thorough understanding of the site’s functions and the staff s roles through observation, job shadowing, asking questions, etc. This experience may help you decide on an internship setting and possible settings for employment after graduation.

Please note: you may not count experiences that you are participating in as a part of a fraternity, sorority or any other class as service learning hours.

Requirements:

• Reflection: You will assess your needs, interests, and concerns prior to participating in the service learning experiences.
  
• Weekly schedules: Your instructors will make site visits and observe/supervise you in your service learning experiences whenever possible. You will submit a schedule each week of where you will be (provide address, phone number, supervisor name) and the dates and times as early as possible. Please submit this during class each Monday starting no later than September 16.
  
• Attendance: Attendance is required for all 60 Service Learning hours. If you miss a Service Learning experience you must make up the hours. Please notify your agency supervisor if you will not be able to attend when scheduled.
  
• Goal/objective setting: You will write goals and objectives for each service setting. This should be done in conjunction with the agency supervisor and then approved by the classroom instructor. You may spend a few hours in each agency before writing your objectives. We want to know where you plan to do your hours, how many hours you anticipate in each setting, and your objectives for each setting by Monday, September 16th. Professionalism: You are expected to be prompt, dress professionally (PLEASE NO BLUE JEANS), and maintain high professional standards in regard to conduct and expectations required by the setting such as confidentiality, etc.
  
• Reflection: Refection journal/service learning paper (due December 2).
  
• Presentation: Class presentation covering service learning experience.
  
• Documentation: Obtain a Service Learning Transcript. Contact Teresa Taylor, Room 130 Lanier, 445 5772, after you have completed your Service Learning hours and provide her with documentation (completed form used for this class) and a brief description of the sites, dates, hours worked, and activities performed. She will enter this into a computer program and give you a printout of your service transcript. This is to be turned in with your log. You can incorporate this into your own vita upon graduation and you may add to the service hours in your remaining semesters at GC&SU.

Guidelines for Journal / Reflection on Service-Learning Paper:

Part I: Journal
Your journal should include a detailed log of tasks, events, times and dates. Make entries for every service learning experience. Use the journal as
a time to think about what you’ve seen, felt, and experienced.

Part II: Reflection
In addition, there are critical reflection pieces to include in a written narrative at the end of the journal, There are three levels of reflection:

• Level 1: The Mirror (A reflection of Self)
  What did you discover about yourself or what insights were reinforced? (think about what you enjoyed, what was stressful, when you felt fulfilled). Do you have more/less understanding or empathy of the group/setting than you did before these experiences? In what ways, if any, has your sense of self, your values, your sense of “community,” your willingness to serve others, and your self confidence/self esteem been impacted or altered through this experience? How has this experience challenged stereotypes or prejudices you have/had? Will these experiences change the way you act or think in the future?
• Level 2: The Microscope (Makes the small experience large)
  What did you learn about the people/community you were helping? Did your ideas about this population change in any way now that you have had direct experience working with them? In what way? Tell about the best thing that happened during the semester such as an insight gained, a goal achieved, etc. Describe a disappointment or failure that occurred during an experience or what was the most difficult aspect of the experience? What did you learn from it? Do you feel your actions had any impact? What more needs to be done? Give several specific examples of how you applied knowledge from your classes into the service learning experiences.
• Level 3: The Binoculars (Makes what appears distant, appear closer)
  From your service learning experience, are you able to identify any underlying or overarching issues that influence the problem? What could be done to change the situation? How will this alter your future behaviors/attitudes/and career choices? How is the issue/agency you’re serving impacted by what is going on in the larger political/social sphere?

Guidelines for presentations:

At the seminar on December 4, students should be prepared to give a 20 minute presentation describing their Service Learning experiences. Please include
relevant stories, personal observations, lessons learned, how you applied knowledge from your classes, and reactions to the experience. Feel free to create photo albums or use other media to help us understand your experience. Access to PowerPoint and an overhead projector will be available.