Courses
The course descriptions below are correct to the best of our knowledge as of June 2013. Instructors reserve the right to update and/or otherwise alter course descriptions as necessary after publication. The listing of a course description here does not guarantee a course’s being offered in a particular semester. The Course Rotation Guide lists the expected semester a course will be taught. Paper copies are also available in the BUSPH Registrar’s office. Please refer to the published schedule of classes for confirmation a class is actually being taught and for specific course meeting dates and times. In addition to the courses listed in the bulletin and courses approved after June 1, 2013, SPH, SPH degree candidates may register for a directed (independent) study with a full-time SPH faculty member. For more information, speak with your faculty advisor or a staff member in the SPH Registrar’s Office.
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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 800: The Obesity Epidemic: Moving from Individual to Environmental and Policy Approaches for Promoting Physical Activity and Healthy Eating
This course explores environmental and policy approaches to promote physical activity and healthy eating, two behaviors strongly associated with obesity prevention. Students will gain knowledge in this topic by examining the literature and relevant strategies. Upon completion,students will be able to develop strategies to promote population wide physical activity and healthy eating. -
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 813: Web-based Health Communication Strategies for Public Health Interventions
This course covers key health communication principles and methods for designing and evaluating web-based public health interventions. Reflecting the multimedia nature of the web, we'll consider multiple content strategies such as blogs, social media, online instruction modules and more. Each student will conduct formative research to develop a written design document and a simple website prototype for a public health intervention on a topic of interest. We'll cover how to define an audience, set clear objectives, draw on theory, conduct competitive analysis, design for accessibility, write for the web, and gather user input. While the course emphasis is on the planning process and not website design, a series of hands-on computer labs will introduce students to some basic online content creation tools and provide instruction and support for creating a simple website prototype. No technical background is necessary. Grad Prereq: SPH SB721 -
SPH SB 818: Qualitative Research Methods
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. -
SPH SB 860: Strategies for Public Health Advocacy
This course is for advanced MPH students. It will explore the role public health practitioners can play in advocating for programs and policies to improve the public's health that have been demonstrated to be effective through peer reviewed scientific research. Students will analyze the process of advocating for policy and program change based on scientific evidence at the city, state and federal level through the legislative, executive and judicial branches of government.
