ABCS 2015-2016

Fall 2015 Undergraduate & Graduate ABCS Courses

Undergraduate Courses

AN ETHNOGRAPHIC APPROACH TO URBAN ATHLETICS AND HUMAN MOVEMENT

ANTH-276-301- Gretchen Suess & Frank Johnston

Rooted in the rubric of public interest social science and motivated by a commitment to social justice through original ethnographic research, this course will focus on kinesiology and the anthropology of sports and well-being through analysis of the Young Quakers Community Athletics (YQCA) program, a collaboration between the Netter Center for Community Partnerships and Penn Athletics.Guest lecturers from multiple disciplines will help to round out the course. The core learning objective is to foster a holistic examination of a complex institutional partnership intended to promote positve social transformation and improved human health and well-being.

EDUCATIONAL INEQUALITY- SOCI-230-001- Stephen Viscelli

This class will look at the historical development of the issue of educational inequality in South Philadelphia, a largely poor and working-class area undergoing some of the most dramtic social change in the city. In particular, we will focus on the racial and class politics of educational reform, education funding, and charter schools. We will use sociological theories to assess the evidence related to a number of pressing questions central to these politics. This course has a significant ABCS component in which students will volunteer assisting teachers at on of the city's most diverse neighborhood public schools: Andrew Jackson (K-8).

ABCS CHEMISTRY OUTREACH- CHEM-010-001- Jenine Maeyer & Stan Najmr

CHEM 010 is an opportunity for undergraduates to share their interest and enthusiasm for science, specifically chemistry, with students in grades K-12 from urban public schools in West Philadelphia while developing their own teaching skills. The skills they will develop in the duration of this course can be applied to all facets of their education and future career. CHEM 010 is designed to prepare the undergraduates to develop chemistry outreach experiments. They will learn to create and facilitate effective chemical demonstrations and hands-on activities.

NUTRITION THROUGHOUT THE LIFE CYCLE-NURS-375-001 Monique Dowd

*Prerequisites: NURS 054, NURS 112, or comparable nutrition or introductory course

Understanding and meeting nutritional needs from conception through adulthood will be addressed. Nutrition-related concerns at each stage of the lifecycle, including impact of lifestyle, education, economics and food behavior will be explored. As an ABCS course, students will be given the opportunity to address a real world nutrition-related issue in West Philadelphia in collaborations with Penn and/or local programs. Students will work in West Philadelphia with either senior citizens in the LIFE Program or K-8 students through the Agatston Urban Nutrition Initiative's Fruit Stands.

URBAN EDUCATION

2 classes: EDUC 202– AJ Schiera OR URBS 202-Paul Skilton-Sylvester

Fulfills the Culture and Diversity in the United States Foundational Requirement

This course focuses on various perspectives on urban education, conditions for teaching and learning in urban public schools, current theories of pedagogy in urban classrooms along with a close examination of a few representative and critical issues. In the past, students in this course have volunteered as mentors through either various Netter Center programs, which work in K-8 and 9-12 schools in West Philadelphia.

FACULTY/STUDENT COLLABORATIVE ACTION: SEMINAR IN URBAN UNIVERSITY/COMMUNITY RELATIONS

HIST 173-401/URBS 178-401/AFRC 078-401 – Ira Harkavy & Theresa Simmonds

Benjamin Franklin Seminar; Fulfills the Cultural Diversity in the United States Foundational Requirement

One of the goals of this seminar is to help students develop their capacity to solve strategic, real-world problems by working collaboratively in the classroom, on campus, and in the West Philadelphia community. A primary goal of the seminar is to help students develop proposals as to how a Penn undergraduate education might better empower students to produce, not simply "consume," societally-useful knowledge, as well as function as caring, contributing citizens of a democratic society. Among other responsibilities, students focus their time in the community on college and career readiness at West Philadelphia High School and Sayre High Schools for two hours each week.

MUSIC IN URBAN SPACES- MUSC 018-401/URBS 018-401 – Molly McGlone

Freshman Seminar; Fulfills the Cross Cultural Analysis Foundational Requirement

*Two terms; students must enter first term; Special permission needed from instructor

Music in Urban Spaces explores the ways in which individuals use music in their everyday lives and how music is used to construct larger social and economic networks that we call culture. We will read musicologists, cultural theorists, urban geographers, urban educators and sociologists who work to define urban space, arts education and the role of music and sound in urban environments. While the readings we do will inform our conversations and the questions we ask, it is within the context of our personal experiences working with a group of students in the music programs at West Philadelphia High School and Henry C. Lea Elementary that we will begin to formulate our theories of the musical micro-cultures of West Philadelphia and education’s role in shaping socio-economic realities.

THE COMMUNITY PHYSICS INITIATIVE- PHYS-137-001- Larry Gladney & Bill Berner

The goal is to develop a course that links practical and theoretical attributes of some fundamental physics concepts to engage students in significant research and service activities between Penn students and local high school students. Penn students learn theoretical and practical physics by creating and teaching hands- on physics lessons to high school students.

THE POLITICS OF FOOD & AGRICULTURE- PSCI-135-401/HSOC-135-401- Mary Summers & Jane Kauer

Fox Leadership Course; Communication Within the Curriculum (CWIC) course

Students will use course readings and their community service to analyze the institutions, ideas, interests, social movements, and leadership that shape “the politics of food” in different arenas. Academic course work will include weekly readings, Canvas blog posts, several papers, and group projects. Service work will include a group presentation (related to your placement) as well as reflective writing during the semester. Service sites include: the Agatston Urban Nutrition Initiative; the Greater Philadelphia Coalition Against Hunger; the West Philadelphia Recess Initiative; the Vetri Foundation's Eatiquette Program; and Bon Appetit at Penn.

AUGUST WILSON AND BEYOND: PERFORMANCE IN THE AFRICAN DIASPORA

AFRC-325-401/THAR-250-401/ENGL-276-401- Suzana Berger & Herman Beavers

In this seminar, students will read groundbreaking playwright August Wilson’s 20th Century Cycle: ten plays that form an iconic picture of African American traumas, triumphs, and traditions through the decades, told through the lens of Pittsburgh’s Hill District neighborhood along with other related readings. As an ABCS course, Writing Out Loud gives students the opportunity to enhance their understanding of the plays, and history and culture that shaped them, by connecting with members of the West Philadelphia Cultural Alliance to discuss and attend plays together, and share stories through oral history interviews. The course culminates with students writing an original theatre piece inspired by the readings and relationships, which they will share with those who inspired it at an end-of-semester performance.

AIR POLLUTION: SOURCES & EFFECTS IN URBAN ENVIRONMENTS

ENVS-411-001- Maria-Antonia Andrews & Marilyn Howarth

This course is designed to provide the student with an understanding of the fundamentals of air pollution at the local, regional, and global levels. The nature, composition, and properties of air pollutants coupled with the mechanisms controlling the occurrence and mobility of air pollutants in the atmosphere will also be studied. The course will focus on Philadelphia's air quality and how air pollutants have an adverse effect on the health of residents. Through a partnership with Philadelphia Air Management Services (AMS), the science of air monitoring and trends will be explored. Students will learn to measure PM 2.5 in indoor and outdoor settings and develop community-based outreach tools to effectively inform the community (for this course, Lea and Comegys Elementary Schools in West Philadelphia), about air pollution.

CLEAN WATER-GREEN CITIES- ENVS-410-301-Howard Neukrug & Alex Warwood

Prerequisites: ENVS 200, GEOL 100 or equivalent

An academically-based curriculum service learning approach to using water, science and politics to create a sustainable Philadelphia, this course will provide an overview of the cross-disciplinary fields of civil engineering, environmental sciences, urban hydrology, landscape architecture, green building, public outreach and politics. Students will be expected to conduct field investigations, review scientific data and create indicator reports, working with stakeholders and presenting the results at an annual symposium. This course will define the current issues of the urban ecosystem and how we move toward managing this system in a sustainable manner. We will gain an understanding of the dynamic, reciprocal relationship between practices in an watershed and its waterfront. Topics discussed include: drinking water quality and protection, green infrastructure, urban impacts of climate change, watershed monitoring, public education, creating strategies and more.

BIOLOGY OF FOOD- BIOL-017-001- Scott Poethig

Fulfills the Living World Sector Requirement

This course will examine the ways in which humans manipulate-and have been manipulated by-the organisms we depend on for food, with particular emphasis on the biological factors that influence this interaction. The first part of the course will cover the biology, genetics, evolution, and breeding of cultivated plants and animals; the second part will concern the ecological, economic, and political factors that influence food production. Lab activities include demonstrations and field trips to local farms.

MUSIC AND PERFORMANCE OF AFRICA

ANTH-263-401/MUSC-256-401/AFRC-253-401/AFST-253-401/FOLK-253-401- Carol Muller

This class provides an overview of the most popular musical styles and discussion of the cultural and political contexts in which they emerged in contemporary Africa. Learning to perform a limited range of African music/dance will be a part of this course. Students will work with local African immigrant-serving organizations. No prior performance experience required. (Formerly ANTH 253.)

URBAN ENVIRONMENTS: SPEAKING ABOUT LEAD IN WEST PHILADELPHIA

ENVS-404-401/HSOC-404-401- Richard Pepino

Benjamin Franklin Seminar; Fulfills Natural Sciences & Mathematics Sector Requirements

Communication within the Curriculum (CWIC) Course

Lead poisoning can cause learning disabilities, impaired hearing, behavioral problems, and at very high levels, seizures, coma and even death. Children up to the age of six are especially at risk because of their developing systems; they often ingest lead chips and dust while playing in their home and yards. In ENVS 404, Penn undergraduates learn about the epidemiology of lead poisoning, the pathways of exposure, and methods for community outreach and education. Penn students collaborate with middle school and high school teachers in West Philadelphia to engage students in exercises that apply environmental research relating to lead poisoning to their homes and neighborhoods.

NURSES AND THE CHILD WELFARE SYSTEM NURS-358-001 - Cindy Connolly

* Prerequisites: NURS 165; NURS 215

Building on knowledge and skill acquired through undergraduate nursing courses, this case study offers nursing majors an in-depth and inter-professional opportunity to study research, policy, and practice-based issues in children and families involved with the child welfare system. Special emphasis is placed on the role of the nurse in the child welfare system. Fieldwork experiences will enable students to gain practical experience regarding the needs of children and families with an emphasis on a consideration of how to achieve partnership and create alliances with parents and youngsters.

TUTORING IN URBAN PUBLIC ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS: A CHILD DEVELOPMENT PERSPECTIVE
EDUC-326-401/URBS-326-401- John Fantuzzo
*Permission Needed from Department
This course provides a hands-on opportunity for undergraduate students to participate in academically-based community service learning in urban educational settings. Students will be studying early childhood development and education while providing direct educational services to young students in a West Philadelphia preschool or public elementary school. The course will cover foundational dimensions of the cognitive and social/emotional development of preschool and elementary school students from a multicultural perspective, and will place a special emphasis on the role that context plays in influencing child development and learning and how aspects of school and classroom environment impact children's achievement and classroom behavior. We will also consider a range of larger issues impacting urban education embedded in American society.

NURSING IN THE COMMUNITY

NURS-380-001-Alison Buttenheim, Christine Brewer, and Monica Harmon

Prerequisites: NURS 225; NURS 235; NURS 245; NURS 255

This course considers how nursing influences the health and healing capacities of both communities as a whole (populations) and of groups, families, and individuals living within particular communities locally and globally. It addresses the complexity of nursing practice using a public health paradigm. It requires students to draw from prior class and clinical knowledge and skills and apply this practice base to communities across care settings, ages, and cultures with different experiences of equity and access to care. It provides the tools needed to engage in collaborative community work and to give voice to the community's strengths, needs, and goals. It also moves students from an individual and family focus to a population focus for health assessment and intervention. Students consider the science, policies, and resources that support public health, and community based and community-oriented care. Clinical and simulated experiences in community settings provide sufficient opportunities for clinical reasoning, clinical care and knowledge integration in community settings. Students will have opportunities to care for patients and populations within selected communities.

URBAN ASTHMA EPIDEMIC- ENVS-408-401/HSOC-408-401- Mick Kulik

Communication with the Curriculum (CWIC) Course

Asthma as a pediatric chronic disease is undergoing a dramatic and unexplained increase. It has become the number one cause of public school absenteeism and now accounts for a significant number of childhood deaths each year in the USA.. In ENVS 408, Penn undergraduates learn about the epidemiology of urban asthma, the debate about the probable causes of the current asthma crisis, and the nature and distribution of environmental factors that modern medicine describes as potential triggers of asthma episodes. Penn students will collaborate with the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) on a clinical research study entitled the Community Asthma Prevention Program. The Penn undergraduates will co-teach with CHOP parent educators asthma classes offered at community centers in Southwest, West, and North Philadelphia. The CHOP study gives the Penn students the opportunity to apply their study of the urban asthma epidemic to real world situations.

EDUCATION IN AMERICAN CULTURE

EDUC-240-401/URBS-240-401-Brian Peterson

This course describes explores the relationships between forms of cultural production and transmission (schooling, family and community socialization, peer group subcultures and media representations) and relations of inequality in American society. Working with a broad definition of "education" as varied forms of social learning, we will concentrate particularly on the cultural processes that produce as well as potentially transform class, race, ethnic, and gender differences and identities. From this vantage point, we will then consider the role that schools can and/or should play in challenging inequalities in America.

GLOBALIZATION AND ITS HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE ANTH-012-401/HIST-012-401/SOCI-012-401-Brian Spooner, Lee Cassanelli, & Mauro Federico Guillen

This course describes and analyses the current state of globalization and sets it in historical perspective. It seeks to develop a general social-science-based theoretical understanding of the various historical dimensions of globalization: economic, political, social and cultural. The course is taught collaboratively by an anthropologist, an historian, and a sociologist, offering the opportunity to compare and contrast distinct disciplinary approaches. Students will have the option of conducting research while volunteering in one of the programs run by the Netter Center for Community Partnerships.

Undergraduate/Graduate Courses

OBESITY AND SOCIETY- NURS-313-401/NURS-513-401- Tanja Kral

This course will examine obesity from scientific, cultural, psychological, and economic perspectives. The complex matrix of factors that contribute to obesity and established treatment options will be explored. In the past, students in this course have simultaneously worked on projects with the Agatston Urban Nutrition Initiative. This course satisfies the Society & Social Structures Sector for Nursing Class of 2012 and Beyond.

SCIENCE IN ELEMENTARY AND MIDDLE SCHOOLS- EDUC-521-001-NancyLee Bergey

*Permission needed from instructor

The goal of this course is to prepare teachers to facilitate science learning in the elementary and middle school. Special emphasis is placed on striving for a balance between curricular goals; individual needs and interests; and the nature of science. Students assistant teach in local elementary and middle schools. Offered within the Master’s level Teacher Education Program.

FILMMAKING WORKSHOP: REPRESENTING PHILADEPHIA HIGH SCHOOLS

EDUC-545-007 Amitanshu Das & Kathleen Hall

The workshop project has been developed in collaboration with the School District of Philadelphia, camra (http://camrapenn.org), PennGSE and GSE Films (www.gse.upenn.edu/gsefilms). In January 2015, the School District of Philadelphia (PSD) approached PennGSE to engage in a partnership project to produce videos highlighting the unique programming in individual District high schools. The goal of these videos is to address a problem related to school choice in the PSD. Each year students transitioning from middle school to high school tend to apply for admission to only four or five of the District’s 53 high schools. The District’s objective in creating these videos is to provide parents and transitioning students with additional information to assist them in considering a broader range of high schools to determine which school fits best with the student’s college or career aspirations and academic interests and needs. Meetings between PSD and GSE Films resulted in a pilot project conducted in Spring 2015. Amit Das with two students produced two videos focusing on the Philadelphia Military Academy (PMA) (a 15-second Instagram video, and a 3-4 minute informational documentary). In this course we will continue this work in partnership with the PSD to produce additional films on District high schools. Engagement in this project will simultaneously enable PennGSE to contribute to District improvement efforts while providing students with an opportunity to gain knowledge about and experience in producing film. In the course of producing these videos, we will explore the affordances and challenges of engaging in action research and in using film as a vehicle for ethnographic representation. We will also consider the broader challenges the District and its high schools are facing in this era of neoliberal reform. In producing the films, we will work collaboratively with District and school administrators, teachers, and high school students.

THE BIG PICTURE: MURAL ARTS IN PHILADELPHIA

FNAR-222-401/URBS-322-401/FNAR-622-401- Jane Golden Heriza & Shira Walinsky

*Auditors need permission from instructors

The history and practice of the contemporary mural movement couples step by step analysis of the process of designing with painting a mural. In addition, students will learn to see mural art as a tool for social change. Students will design and paint a large outdoor mural in West Philadelphia in collaboration with Philadelphia high school students and community groups.

SOCIAL CHANGE THROUGH PARTICIPATORY FILM SWRK-798-005- John Jackson Jr. & Arjun Shankar

* Open to undergraduates and graduates with instructor's permission

Participatory Film is a unique opportunity for students from the University of Pennsylvania to work with students in the Multimedia Program at West Philadelphia High School to create film projects that reflect the experiences of those in the Philadelphia community and the dilemmas inherent in conducting participatory research. This course challenges students to think beyond the borders of the university space by engaging with school communities to "learn through service" and creating context-relevant filmic products which will be shown to students, parents, and teachers at their school-site. The course will be divided into two parts. First, students will get a ''crash course" in participatory ethnographic research and unpack the types of representational dilemmas that arise in any research-community engagement. Here, they will explore the intellectual debates, ethics, techniques, and narratological strategies of "research film". Second, students will get an opportunity to work in small teams with high school students to create a film on a documentary topic of their choosing. The groups will work together to conceptualize their theme, storyboard, produce, and finally, edit a complete film of approximately 5-10 minutes. Permission from the instructors is required. Prior media production experience is preferred but not required.

Graduate Courses

MULTICULTURAL ISSUES IN EDUCATION

EDUC 723-001/EDUC 723-401/AFRC 723-401 – Vivian Gadsden

*Permission Needed From Department

This course examines critical issues, problems, and perspectives in multicultural education. Intended to focus on access to literacy and educational opportunity, the course will (1) review theoretical frameworks in multicultural education, (2) analyze the issues of race, racism, and culture in historical and contemporary perspective, and (3) identify obstacles to participation in the educational process by diverse cultural and ethnic groups. Students will be required to complete field experiences and classroom activities that enable them to reflect on their own belief systems, practices, and educational experiences.

VISUAL LEGAL ADVOCACY CLINIC: DOCUMENTARIES AND THE LAW

LAW-979-001- Regina Austin

*Open to students of ALL schools

Visual Legal Advocacy Seminar introduces law students to the art of making short nonfiction advocacy films on behalf of local, individual clients and/or nonprofit groups seeking to advance the cause of social justice. Students will also engage with scholars from other disciplines who make films about community life and deal with issues of “image ethics” as well as reach out to local community leaders and activists from Philadelphia who might be interested in collaborating on a visual legal advocacy project.

INTERDISCIPLINARY CHILD ADVOCACY CLINIC: ENRICHING ADOLESCENT DEVELOPMENT THROUGH INTEGRATED COMMUNITY EDUCATION
LAW-649-001-Kara Finck

*Open only to LAW and SP2 students
Students in the clinic represent adolescent and youth clients on a variety of matters including child welfare cases, immigration proceedings, education issues and health related matters. As part of the seminar, clinic students will also have access to experts and guest lecturers from the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and Penn’s School of Social Policy and Practice to assist with their interdisciplinary representation of clients and examination of laws and policies affecting children and families.

Spring 2016 Undergraduate & Graduate ABCS Courses

Undergraduate Courses

PUBLIC ART, PERFORMANCE, AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

THAR-275-402/URBS-274-402 Jim Schlatter

This course will combine an intensive practical and intellectual investigation of some area of the making of theatre: performance techniques, theatrical styles, a particular period of theatre history. Students will work with local K-12 students to create a theatrical piece focused on community figures and stories.

ABCS EVERYDAY NEUROSCIENCE BIBB-160-001 Lori Flanagan-Cato

This course is an opportunity for undergraduates to share their interest and enthusiasm for neuroscience with students in grades 9-12 attending urban public schools in West Philadelphia. The course will allow Penn students to develop their science communication and teaching skills. Students will prepare neuroscience demonstrations, hands-on activities, and assessment tools. In parallel, the course aims to engage local high school students, increasing their interest and knowledge in science, and ultimately promoting lifelong science literacy.

ABCS CHEMISTRY OUTREACH- CHEM-010-001- Jenine Maeyer & Stan Najmr

ACADEMICALLY BASED COMMUNITY SERVICE COURSE IN AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE/DEAF STUDIES

LING-077-068 – Jami Fisher

For this course, students will attend Pennsylvania School for the Deaf on a weekly basis where they will participate in and contribute to the school community through mutually determined activities. Students will also have formal class on a weekly basis with discussions and activities centering on reflection of community experiences through linguistic as well as cultural lenses. Additionally, drawing from the required Linguistics and other ASL/Deaf Studies coursework, students will develop an inquiry question and conduct preliminary community-based research to analyze sociolinguistic variations of ASL and Deaf cultural attitudes, behaviors, and norms. Ongoing reflections and discussions—formal and informal—on Deaf cultural/theoretical topics drawing from readings as well as community experiences will be integral to the course experience. A minimum of four semesters of American Sign Language and LING 078, Topics in Deaf Culture, are required for this course.

RESEARCH METHODS IN SOCIAL ANTHROPOLOGY

ANTH-303-301 Gretchen Suess

This undergraduate seminar is about how ethnographers do reserach. It introduces fundamental concepts and techniques- research design, participant observation, interviews, questionnaires, field notes, archives, data collection and analysis. It also addresses ethical and legal issues- cultural protocols, intellectual property rights, collaborative anthropology, and institutional review boards. Students will conduct original ethnographic reserach in partnership with the Netter Center.

WRITING FOR CHILDREN- BEAUTY, THE BOOK (AND THE BLOG)

ENGL-121-401/AFRC-121-401 Lorene Cary

We will read our favorite kids' books, determine the kinds of books we love to read and write, and then write them, aiming at a clear voice appropriate to the story, and as much order or misrule as each writer's kid-muse demands. For inspiration, we'll visit the Maurice Sendak Collection at the Rosenbach Musum and Library and have a nostalgic wallow in the kids' section at the library. Then students write, fast, drafts of stories to workshop, mull and revise. Yes, fun is required. For sure we'll critique, but first we'll try to outrun our interior grown-up! Work-shopping happens first with student writer colleagues, and then with the real kids in schools, through our partner West Philadelphia Alliance for Children. Reading to children will give student writers a chance to hear where children laugh, see where they look scared, or notice when they begin to fidget. Returning with revisions will be a promise fulfilled, and an important marker in the literary life of everyone involved. Our class will act as a team of editors, then, to submit stories-- and illustrations by authors and/or kids--on the upcoming website, SafeKidsStories.org.

MUSIC IN URBAN SPACES MUSC-018-401/URBS-018-401 Molly McGlone

Freshman Seminar; Fulfills the Cross Cultural Analysis Foundational Requirement

*Two terms; students must enter first term; Special permission needed from instructor

TUTORING IN URBAN PUBLIC SCHOOLS: THEORY AND PRACTICE

EDUC-323-401/URBS-323-401- Cheryl Parker

This course represents an opportunity for students to participate in academically-based community service involving tutoring in a West Philadelphis public school. This course will serve a need for those students who are already tutoring through other campus tutoring organizations. It will also be available to individuals who are interested in tutoring for the first time.

THE ART OF SPEAKING: COMMUNITCATION WITHIN THE CURRICULUM SPEAKING ADVISOR TRAINING

COLL-135-301 Sue Weber

Communication Within the Curriculum (CWIC) course

This course is designed to equip students with the major tenets of rhetorical studies and peer education necessary to work as a CWiC speaking advisor. The course is a practicum that aims to develop students' abilities as speakers, as critical listeners and as advisors able to help others develop those abilities. In addition to creating and presenting individual presentations, students present workshops and practice advising. During this ABCS course, students will practice their advising skills by coaching and mentoring students at a public school in West Philadelphia.

HEALTHY SCHOOLS

PSCI-335-401/HSOC-335-401 Mary Summers

Fox Leadership Course; Communication Within the Curriculum (CWIC) course

This academically based community service research seminar will develop a pilot program to test the efficacy of using service-learning teams of undergraduates and graduate students to facilitate the development of School Health Councils (SHCs) and the Center for Disease Control's School Health Index (SHI) school self-assessment and planning tool in two elementary schools in West Philadelphia. This process is intended to result in a realistic and meaningful school health implementation plan and an ongoing action project to put this plan into practice. Penn students will involve members of the school administration, teachers, staff, parents and community members in the SHC and SHI process with a special focus on encouraging participation from the schools' students. If this model for the use of Penn service-learning teams is successful, it will form the basis of on ongoing partnership with the School District's Office of Health and Safety & Physical Education to expand such efforts to more schools.

COMMUNITY BASED ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH

ENVS-406-001 Marilyn Howarth

Benjamin Franklin Seminar

From the fall of the Roman Empire to Love Canal to the epidemics of asthma, childhood obesity and lead poisoning in West Philadelphia, the impact of the environment on health has been a continuous challenge to society. The environment can affect people's health more strongly than biological factors, medical care and lifestyle. The water we drink, the food we eat, the air we breathe, and the neighborhood we live in are all components of the environment that impact our health. Some estimates, based on morbidity and mortality statistics, indicate that the impact of the environment on health is as high as 80%. These impacts are particularly significant in urban areas like West Philadelphia. Over the last 20 years, the field of environmental health has matured and expanded to become one of the most comprehensive and humanly relevant disciplines in science. This course will examine not only the toxicity of physical agents, but also the effects on human health of lifestyle, social and economic factors, and the built environment. Topics include cancer clusters, water borne diseases, radon and lung cancer, lead poisoning, environmental tobacco smoke, respiratory diseases and obesity. Students will research the health impacts of classic industrial pollution case studies in the US. Class discussions will also include risk communication, community outreach and education, access to health care and impact on vulnerable populations. Each student will have the opportunity to focus on Public Health, Environmental Protection, Public Policy, and Environmental Education issues as they discuss approaches to mitigating environmental health risks. This honors seminar will consist of lectures, guest speakers, readings, student presentations, discussions, research, and community service. The students will have two small research assignments including an Environmental and Health Policy Analysis and an Industrial Pollution Case Study Analysis. Both assignments will include class presentations. The major research assignment for the course will be a problem-oriented research paper and presentation on a topic related to community-based environmental health selected by the student. In this paper, the student must also devise practical recommendations for the problem based on their research.

URBAN ENVIRONMENTS: PREVENTION OF TOBACCO SMOKING IN ADOLESCENTS

ENVS-407-401/HSOC-407-401 Mick Kulik

Communication with the Curriculum (CWIC) Course

Cigarette smoking is a major public health problem. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Control reports that more than 80% of current adult tobacco users started smoking before age 18. The National Youth Tobacco Survey indicated that 12.8% of middle school students and 34.8% of high school students in their study used some form of tobacco products. In ENVS 407, Penn undergraduates learn about the short and long term physiological consequences of smoking, social influences and peer norms regarding tobacco use, the effectiveness of cessation programs, tobacco advocacy and the impact of the tobacco settlement. Penn students will collaborate with teachers in West Philadelphia to prepare and deliver lessons to middle school students. The undergraduates will survey and evaluate middle school and Penn student smoking. One of the course goals is to raise awareness of the middle school children to prevent addiction to tobacco smoke during adolescence. Collaboration with the middle schools gives Penn students the opportunity to apply their study of the prevention of tobacco smoking to real world situations.

PSYCHOLOGY OF FOOD PSYCH-070-001 Paul Rozin

*Permission needed from the instructor; Benjamin Franklin Scholars Course

Food is a biological essential for humans, but one that has been elaborated and transformed in many ways through history, and given a variety of cultural signatures. This course will consider food from the point of view of different disciplines. It will also serve as medium for promoting critical thinking and quantitative skills, particularly through exercises in data collection (both observation and experiment), basic statistics and interpretation of results. The course will partner with the Agatston Urban Nutrition Initiative (AUNI).

ELEMENTARY SOCIAL STUDIES AND SCIENCE METHODS

EDUC-421-401/ENVS-421-401 NancyLee Bergey

An intensive approach to current methods, curricula, and trends in teaching science as basic learning, K-8. "Hands-on" activities based on cogent, current philosophical and psychological theories including: S/T/S and gender issues. Focus on skill development in critical thinking. Content areas: living things, the physical universe, and interacting ecosystems.

URBAN EDUCATION

URBS-202-401/EDUC-202-401- Michael Clapper

This seminar focuses on two main questions: 1) How have US schools and urban ones in particular continued to reproduce inequalities rather than ameliorating them? 2) In the informational age, how do the systems affecting education need to change to create more successful and equitable outcomes? The course is designed to bridge the divide between theory and practice. Each class session looks at issues of equity in relation to an area of practice (e.g. lesson design, curriculum planning, fostering positive student identities, classroom management, school funding, policy planning...), while bringing theoretical frames to bear from the fields of education, sociology, anthropology and psychology. Among the theoretical frames students will learn will be the tools of systems thinking (Bertalanffy, 1968). While most of us have internalized the key lesson of the industrial revolution-that to understand something we must break it into its parts; systems thinking, in contrast, is about understanding the parts in relation to whole. The power of systems thinking is that each point of connection also serves as a point of intervention. By showing the importance of decisions of those within classrooms and those outside of them, this course is well-suited to students of education, but also any who seek a role in creating a more just society.

FACULTY/STUDENT COLLABORATIVE ACTION: SEMINAR IN URBAN UNIVERSITY/COMMUNITY RELATIONS

HIST 173-401/URBS 178-401/AFRC 078-401 Ira Harkavy & Theresa Simmonds

Benjamin Franklin Seminar; Fulfills the Cultural Diversity in the United States Foundational Requirement

One of the goals of this seminar is to help students develop their capacity to solve strategic, real-world problems by working collaboratively in the classroom, on campus, and in the West Philadelphia community. Research teams help contribute to the improvement of education on campus and in the community, as well as the improvement of university-community relations. Among other responsibilities, students focus their community service on college and career readiness at two West Philadelphia High Schools: Sayre High School and West Philadelphia High School. Students are typically engaged in academically based community service learning at the schools on Monday and Tuesday afternoons. A primary goal of the seminar is to help students develop proposals as to how a Penn undergraduate education might better empower students to produce, not simply “consume,” societally-useful knowledge, as well as function as caring, contributing citizens of a democratic society.

CASE STUDY: SELF-CARE OF CHRONIC ILLNESS

NURS-355-001 Barbara Riegel; Prerequisites: NURS 215

This case study introduces the role of self-care by patients with chronic illness. We will discuss the history, definitions, predictors, and outcomes of self-care in various chronically ill populations. A focus of discussion will be an in depth exploration of the factors that influence self-care. Understanding these factors will prepare nurses for their role in promoting patient self-care. Fieldwork experiences (1 hour/week) will enable students to gain practical experience in engaging chronically ill individuals in self-care.

URBAN ETHNOGRAPHY: SOCIAL JUSTICE AND THE STREET

COMM-243-401 Jessa Lingel

How do qualitative social scientists study urban communities? What kinds of powerful tales can be told about urban lifestyles and social issues in places like Philadelphia? This course will allow students to study various ethnographic treatments of urban communities in the United States, using films, articles, TV serials, and books as guides for the framing of their own independent research on the streets of Philadelphia. Students will also form production teams of two or three people, and these production teams will be responsible for (i) identifying and researching an important urban issue in contemporary an important urban issue in contemporary Philadelphia and (ii) turning that research into a 15-30 minute video documentary or pod cast. Mixing video/audio journalism with ethnographic methods will enhance their skills at archival and social research, from participant observation and interviewing techniques to sound editing and production. This course is intended to be a rigorous and exciting opportunity for students to tell empirically grounded stories using the voices of their participants and the sounds of the city.

Undergraduate/Graduate Courses

OBESITY AND SOCIETY

NURS-313-401/NURS-513-401 Ross Johnson

ANTHROPOLOGY AND PRAXIS ANTH-518-640 Gretchen Suess

Fulfills the Quantitative Data Analysis Foundational Approach Requirement

*Prerequisites: ANTH 002 or any cultural ANTH course (for undergradutes)

This course focuses on real world community problems, engaged scholarship, and the evaluation of actively-running Penn programs intended to improve social conditions in West Philadelphia. Two trends emerge in public interest social science that students will explore through research and evaluation: 1.) merging problem solving with theory and analysis in the interest of change motivated by a commitment to social justice, racial harmony, equality, and human rights; and 2.) engaging in public debate on human issues to make the research results accessible to a broad audience. As part of the course, students will learn the foundations of anthropology,social theory, and evaluation as they work with qualitative and quantitative data while conducting an evaluation based on community and partner need. Students will gain direct experience conducting evaluation research as a collaborative process and have an opportunity to engage in academically-based community service with a focus on social change.

FILMMAKING WORKSHOP: REPRESENTING PHILADEPHIA HIGH SCHOOLS PART 2

EDUC-545-007 Amitanshu Das & Kathleen Hall

*Permission needed from department

AN INTER-PROFESIONAL COURSE IN ADVANCED LEADERSHIP SKILLS IN COMMUNITY HEALTH

PUBH-588-401/ NURS-587-401 Heather Klusaritz and Terri Lipman

*Undergraduates need permission

Grounded in a social justice perspective, this course aims to provide the student with a foundational overview of the field of community health and leadership skills in public health advocacy. The course encourages critical thinking about health outcomes framed by the broad context of the political and social environment. This course analyzes the range of roles and functions carried out by leaders in healthcare advocacy for marginalized communities; integrates knowledge of health policy and the key influence of government and financing on health outcomes; explores community-based participatory research and interventions as tools for change; and discusses ways to develop respectful partnerships with community organizations. An assets-based approach that draws upon the strengths of communities and their leaders provides a foundation for community-engagement skill building. The course emphasizes the development of skills and techniques to lead effective, collaborative, health-focused interventions for disenfranchised groups, including residents of urban neighborhoods.

THE BIG PICTURE: MURAL ARTS IN PHILADELPHIA

FNAR-222-401/URBS-322-401/FNAR-622-401 Jane Golden Heriza & Shira Walinsky

*Auditors need permission from instructors

The history and practice of the contemporary mural movement couples step-by-step analysis of the process of designing with painting a mural. In addition, students will learn to see mural art as a tool for social change. Students will design and paint a large outdoor mural in West Philadelphia in collaboration with Philadelphia high school students and community groups.

MOLECULAR ANTHROPOLOGY ANTH-246-401/ANTH-649-401 Theodore Schurr

*Prerequisites: ANTH 003, Intro to Human Evolution; some background in biology and genetics also useful

In this course, we will explore the molecular revolution in biological anthropology, and, in particular, examine the nature and theory of collecting molecular data to address anthropological questions concerning human origins, evolution and biological variation. Some of the topics to be covered in this course are modern human origins and migrations, biological and disease adaptations, and genomic approaches to understanding human evolution and diversity. The prerequisite for this course is ANTH 003, Intro to Human Evolution, as it provides a basic overview of the anthropological issues that we will be exploring from a molecular perspective in ANTH 246. Having some background in biology and genetics will also be helpful for understanding the empirical data presented in the readings, although we will review these aspects of the molecular data throughout the course. Students in the ABCS section of this course will be working with students at Sayre High School in West Philadelphia to sample, examine, and analyze genetic data.

Graduate Courses

INTERDISCIPLINARY CHILD ADVOCACY CLINIC: ENRICHING ADOLESCENT DEVELOPMENT THROUGH INTEGRATED COMMUNITY EDUCATION
LAW-649-001-Jennifer Nagda *Open only to LAW and SP2 students
Students in the clinic represent adolescent and youth clients on a variety of matters including child welfare cases, immigration proceedings, education issues and health related matters. As part of the seminar, clinic students will also have access to experts and guest lecturers from the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and Penn’s School of Social Policy and Practice to assist with their interdisciplinary representation of clients and examination of laws and policies affecting children and families.

PEDIATRIC ACUTE CARE NURSE PRACTITIONER: PROFESSIONAL ROLE AND INTERMEDIATE CLINICAL PRACTICE: DANCE FOR HEALTH NURS-735-001 Terri Lipman

Obesity and type-2 diabetes are more prevalent in areas of poverty and in African American and Hispanic populations, and thus require interventions that are culturally relevant and targeted to the needs of the community. Dance has been successfully used in low-income African American communities as an enjoyable method of obesity reduction. Dance for Heath is the key component of NURS737-advanced clinical practice for pediatric acute care nurse practitioners. This program is a collaborative initiative among the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, West Philadelphia High School students who are members of the Agatston Urban Nutrition Initiative (AUNI), and a community recreation center. For the first part of the initiative, Penn Nurse Practitioner students will provide an interactive curriculum for the AUNI students based on the needs identified by AUNI staff and students. Subsequently, the Penn/AUNI team will undertake a project in the community directed at increasing activity in the community. This project will actively engage the community in each component of planning and implementation in order to create community-driven programming.

VISUAL LEGAL ADVOCACY CLINIC: DOCUMENTARIES AND THE LAW

LAW-979-001- Regina Austin

HEALTH PROMOTION INTRODUCTION

DENT 508 (full year course) - Joan Gluch *Open to DENTAL students ONLY

Lectures, seminars, clinical sessions and community experiences are provided so that students gain the necessary knowledge and skill regarding the philosophy, modalities, rationale and evaluation of oral health promotion and disease prevention activities in community and public health. Course topics include personal wellness theory and practice; etiology, early detection and prevention of dental caries, periodontal diseases and oral cancer; and assessment, planning, implementation and evaluation of community oral health programs.

LOCAL & GLOBAL PUBLIC & COMMUNITY HEALTH

DENT 612 (full year course) *Open to DENTAL students ONLY

Lectures, seminars and community experiences provide students with foundation knowledge in general principles of public health and community health, with specific application to the following dental public health concepts: access to care, cost, quality of care and international health. Students complete community experiences that provide foundation experiences in developing and implementing community oral health promotion activities.

PRACTICUM IN COMMUNITY HEALTH PROMOTION I

DENT 712 (full year course) - Joan Gluch *Open to DENTAL students ONLY

Experiences in selected community settings provide students with the opportunity to develop and expand their skills in community oral health promotion. Students are scheduled in a local elementary and/ middle schools and participate in the oral health education, screening and referral program under the direct supervision of faculty members. In addition, students complete activities from a selected list of programs at local community agencies and/or schools. Students attend small group seminars to discuss their experiences and theoretical underpinnings of community oral health activities.

PRACTICUM IN COMMUNITY HEALTH PROMOTION II

DENT 812 (full year course) - Joan Gluch *Open to DENTAL students ONLY

Experiences in alternate oral health care delivery settings provide students with the opportunity to develop and expand their skills in providing comprehensive oral health care in community based settings under the direct supervision of faculty members. Students are scheduled in the mobile dental vehicle, PENNSmiles, and are also scheduled at Community Volunteers in Medicine, a community based medical and dental treatment facility in West Chester, PA. Students attend small group seminars to discuss their experiences and theoretical underpinnings of community oral health activities.

Provost’s Advisory Committee on Community Engaged Scholarship

PENN STUDENTS: click here to browse opportunities to engage with the West Philadelphia community!

ABCS 2015-2016