Social & Behavioral Sciences

• SPH SB 710: Nutrition and Public Health
  This course examines the principles of public health nutrition and explores the nutritional status of individuals throughout their life cycle. Faculty focus on nutrition assessment, the development of nutrition policy, the role of diet in obesity and chronic diseases of an affluent society, nutrition program planning, and national and local nutrition surveillance. In addition, the course reviews the components of administering nutrition services on a local, national, and international level. The impact of overall socioeconomic development on nutrition and health status, infectious disease, and public health policy is considered. No previous coursework in nutrition is required; a basic introduction to nutrition is provided.
• SPH SB 715: Teaching Public Health
  This classroom based, web-enhanced course is designed for students planning to teach or train in structured or informal settings as part of their professional career. Surveying learning theory, educational principles and techniques, the participants develop a short course in an area of interest, based on a systematic approach to educational design. After specifying the performance expected of course graduates, students develop behavioral objectives, an evaluation plan and a student centered course syllabus. Along with the design and development of instruction, students have an opportunity to practice "up front" teaching skills with feedback from the participants.
• SPH SB 721: Social and Behavioral Sciences for Public Health
  This survey course introduces MPH students to social and behavioral sciences within the context of public health scholarship, research, and practice. The basic aim of the course is to teach students the social and behavioral science fundamentals (principles, theories, research, and techniques) that can and should be used to inform the identification, definition, assessment, and resolution of public health problems. The course focuses on providing a framework for considering the important questions in a thoughtful and evidence-based manner such that students will be able to critically analyze public health problems and determine the appropriate social and behavioral sciences principles, theories, and research that will be most effective and useful in intervening to address that particular public health problem. The course considers alternative paradigms for understanding and intervening to resolve public health problems in a critical way, drawing heavily upon the public health literature in which these various perspectives have been vigorously debated and discussed.
• SPH SB 730: Stress as a Public Health Problem
  Research on the impact of excessive psychological stress indicates that it plays a significant role in physical and psychological health, in rising incidence of substance use and violence in communities, in increased absenteeism and decreased productivity in the work place, and increased medical costs. This course examines the impact of psychological, biological, environmental and social stressors on health, illness, health-risking behavior and its economic and public health consequences. Education and intervention strategies and programs involving community awareness and participation are evaluated. Through literature review, lecture and discussion, students examine the field and explore its application to health care and public health.
• SPH SB 732: Nutrition, Aging, and the Elder Population
  This course explores the nutritional needs of elderly adults and describes the various physiological, psychological, and social changes that occur with aging that affect dietary and nutritional status. The techniques of nutritional assessment of elders in both the community and clinical settings are discussed. The nutritional needs of older adults are linked with recommendations designed to maintain optimal health into older age. Students learn about the major federal and state nutrition programs that target elders and are able to identify strengths, weaknesses, and gaps in services. Preparation of a brief policy memo on a topic of current interest and/or controversy related to elderly nutrition is required.
• SPH SB 733: Mass Communication and Public Health
  This course explores the use of mass communication as a tool for health promotion. It begins by examining the structure and function of the mass media and the role of mass media in shaping the social and cultural environment regarding health issues and behaviors. The course then presents the theory and basic elements of the range of mass media approaches available to the public health practitioner (public service announcements, public communication campaigns, integration of mass media into community-based health promotion strategies, advertising, entertainment programming, social marketing, and media advocacy). Students discuss the strengths and limitations of each approach and gain experience in applying principles to specific public health problems. Students also develop basic skills necessary to be able to collaborate with health communication and media specialists in public health organizations and agencies. Students work in groups on a final project in which they develop and present a proposal for a plan for a health promotion initiative that uses mass media.
• SPH SB 750: Preventing Intimate Partner Violence
  This course provides an introduction to the topic of intimate partner violence with a focus on how public health practitioners can contribute to its prevention. Lectures will cover teen dating violence, child witnesses to violence, batterer intervention, the domestic violence shelter movement, elder abuse, the intersectionality of oppressions framework and partner violence prevention, and the overlap between child abuse and partner violence. Students will receive information about current laws and controversies related to partner violence prevention. This course is primarily focused on partner violence in the U.S.. The major assignment for this course is a one-hour presentation prepared and delivered to the class; therefore, students should be prepared for public speaking. Students who complete the course will be prepared to undertake research assistant, health department, or community-based work in the area of partner violence prevention and advocacy. Teaching methods include lectures, small group discussion, case analyses, the use of multimedia, and interviews with providers. National and state experts in the field of partner violence prevention present guest lectures.
• SPH SB 751: Sexual Violence: Public Health Perspectives in Intervention and Prevention
  This course provides an introduction to the topic of sexual violence with a focus on how public health practitioners can contribute to its prevention. Students will have the opportunity to interact with a victim of sexual violence, learn about approaches to sex offender treatment, and receive information about current laws and controversies related to sexual violence prevention. This course is primarily focused on sexual violence in the U.S., although one or two lectures on topics such as women trafficking and sexual violence as a weapon of war may be presented. The major assignment for this course is a one-hour presentation prepared and delivered to the class; therefore, students should be prepared for public speaking. Students who complete the course will be prepared to undertake research assistant, health department, or community-based work in the area of sexual violence prevention and advocacy. Teaching methods include lectures, small group discussion, case analyses, the use of multimedia, and interviews with providers. National and state experts in the field of sexual violence prevention present guest lectures. NOTE: Students with an interest in this course need to consider their own capacity to focus intensively on the difficult subtopics that will be covered in detail, including child sexual abuse.
• SPH SB 771: Topics in Social and Behavioral Sciences in Public Health
  Topics in Social and Behavioral Sciences vary each semester. Consult with the registration packet and course descriptions packet for the specific semester.
• SPH SB 805: Race, Ethnicity, and Health
  This course examines conceptual and measurement issues related to race/ethnicity in health, public health research and practice, as well as the role of socioeconomic status and other contextual factors in health status and access to health care. The major objectives of this course are to increase students' understanding of: major health problems and utilization of health care among various racial/ethnic populations; the conceptual and measurement issues related to race/ethnicity; and social and political factors that shape health status and access to, and quality of, health care.
• SPH SB 806: Communications Strategies for Public Health
  This core course focuses on the development and execution of a planned communications strategy for a public health organization that is responsible for a community-based intervention. The course also features a review of basic theory and research that can inform the health communications process. Working through a sequence of written assignments, students outline an intervention plan and then prepare several materials to execute a communications strategy, including a pitch letter, press release, commentary/editorial, letter to the editor, and a scheduled press event. Writing workshops in class are designed to give students ideas for their projects and interim feedback on their written assignments.
• SPH SB 807: The Health of LGBT Populations
  This course explores the current knowledge about the health of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) populations. Students will develop an understanding of the historical milestones in identifying LGBT populations and how social science disciplines went about understanding these populations’ health. The course emphasizes methodological strategies, analytical thinking, the barriers to obtaining adequate information on LGBT populations, and current gaps in knowledge of health disparities due to sexual orientation, differences within LGBT populations, and will formulate new research ideas that have potential of moving the field of LGBT health forward.
• SPH SB 808: Merging Clinical & Population-Based Perspectives in Public Health Practice: Tension & Resolution
  Clinicians and public health professionals rarely share common definitions of health or illness, and they often have competing interests, conflicting agendas, and different strategic approaches to health care problems. This course explores contradictions and tensions between two perspectives that limit the effectiveness of both personal medical care and public health activities. Students observe population-based programs within an emergency department setting and explore the policy implications of collaborative, integrated models.
• SPH SB 809: Intervention design and development to reduce health disparities
  This course will review current knowledge on the design and implementation of interventions to reduce health disparities and will provide students with plans and tools for creating and evaluating their own interventions to reduce or eliminate disparities. First, we will define health disparities from a broad variety of settings. Then we will review a model for intervention design applied to health disparity settings. We will work through the steps of the intervention process, focusing on both the evidence needed at analysis of the literature on intervention design and development. Finally, students will design their own intervention and evaluation plan to target the health disparity of their choice.
• SPH SB 813: Designing and Evaluating Websites for Public Health Interventions
  The class is designed to ground students in current eHealth trends and issues, and to guide them through the critical steps in conceptualizing, designing, and evaluating theory-guided and user-centered web-based health communication interventions. During the semester each student will develop a proposal for a health website as well as basic prototype web pages, conduct formative research, produce storyboards, and conduct preliminary user testing. Although the course emphasis is on the design process and not web development technology, students will be introduced to the Dreamweaver web authoring tool at a beginning level.
• SPH SB 818: Qualitative Research Methods
  SB721 This course is designed to provide students with experience in the use and application of qualitative research methods for public health activities including needs assessments, research studies, intervention strategies, and program evaluations. Students are introduced to the quantitative versus qualitative data debate in social science research. Emphasis is placed on the practice of qualitative research and each student designs and conducts a research project. Throughout the semester students' field proposals, problems, process, and progress are discussed as are methodological issues including objectivity, sampling, data collection, ethics, and data analysis. Due to the intensive nature of the class, it is not suitable for auditors.
• SPH SB 820: Assessment and Planning for Health Promotion
  This course will introduce students to neighborhoods of Boston and provide opportunities for acquiring and practicing community assessment skills. How do public health scientists and practitioners demonstrate that a health problem in a community warrants intervention? Students will learn to consult large data sets (such as the U.S. Census, hospitalization data, vital records, MassChip, and the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System) to determine health promotion needs of a specific neighborhoods and groups. Students will practice conducting literature reviews and health problem analyses to examine social determinants and propose ‘webs of causation’ for selected health outcomes. The focus of the course is on applying both quantitative and qualitative skills, learning to present data clearly and accurately, and communicating effectively using a scientific writing style.
• SPH SB 821: Intervention Strategies for Health Promotion
  This course focuses on strategic planning for public health practice. Social science and maternal and child health approaches are included. Working through a sequence of written assignments, students develop a strategic plan for a program intervention designed to change health behavior or a health outcome. Work in class and during individual consultations is designed to give students practice with elements of the strategic planning process, ideas for their project, and interim feedback on their written assignments.
• SPH SB 822: Quantitative Methods for Program Evaluation
  This course provides an overview of the major principles and methods associated with systematic evaluation of public health programs. The overall goal is to help students develop skills needed to plan, conduct, critique, and use evaluation research. The course covers: program logic models; formative, process and outcome evaluations; internal, external, validity; threats to internal validity; experimental and quasi-experimental designs; probability and non-probability sampling; questionnaire development; operationalization of variables; statistical analysis strategies; power analysis; and analysis of evaluation design.
• SPH SB 833: Designing and Implementing a Public Health Communication Campaign
  What does it take to design a health communication campaign? Who is involved? What media should you use? What works? Should you hire an ad agency, do it yourself, and/or engage the participation of members of your target audience? These are just a few of the questions that will be addressed by students of SB833. In “Designing …” students will develop and implement a mock health communication campaign on a topic selected by the class. The process will include topic research, audience selection, writing a communication plan, brand and message creation. Students will “sell” their idea by responding to an RFP. Then, students will break into groups to implement their plan. They may create or facilitate the creation of websites, marketing materials, video, and/or any other products deemed effective and feasible.

Note that this information may change at any time.

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