Updated 8/21/15
Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs
PA 5451 IMMIGRANT HEALTH ISSUES
Professor Katherine Fennelly:
web page with bio: http://www.hhh.umn.edu/people/kfennelly/
Fall, 2015 Teaching Assistant: Steven Lutes
Description:
This course is either a four-credit (with final project) or three-credit (without final project) on-line computer-based course for public policy and health professionals. There are no meeting times for this class; all interaction takes place on the web site and in the community. Each week students will view video-taped interviews with experts in international health, answer questions on readings and learn to do web and community research. Interactions take the form of web responses to instructor’s questions, and comments on classmate’s postings.
Students come from Public Affairs, Public Health and other disciplines. Students in Public Health should note that the course fulfills a requirement for the 7-credit Health Disparities Interdisciplinary Concentration. For more information on the concentration and a full list of requirements, please visithttp://www.sph.umn.edu/academics/ic/disparities/.
Course Objectives:
Students will:
1. acquire research skills necessary to access demographic, health, and background information on immigrants in the U.S.
2. understand the major characteristics, health and social needs of new immigrants, and learn to apply them to analyses of new populations.
3. design ‘culturally competent’ health or educational programs.
4. advocate for needed changes to promote immigrant wellbeing.
Texts and DVD:
We use two text books in this course:
· One is an excellent non-fiction book which many of you may have already read: The Spirit Catches You, and You Fall Down by Ann Fadiman. It can be purchased at most bookstores.
· The course text is by Patricia Walker and Elizabeth Barnett, Immigrant Medicine.
Both books, as well as the course DVD can be purchased in person about two or three weeks before the semester begins, by phone, or on the web (www.bookstore.umn.edu) from the Coffman Union Bookstore at the University of Minnesota. Their phone number is 612-625-3000. Tell them that you want to order the books and DVD for PA5451: Immigrant Health Issues. (Note: the DVD should be available for purchase for $20 by the end of the summer.)
Community Work:
The key to becoming “culturally competent” is to go into the community to meet and learn from the residents you hope to serve. Community visits, observations and interviews are an essential (and fun!) component of the course and the credit requirement.
Assignments:
A course calendar and detailed assignment descriptions in weekly course modules will be available on the course website for enrolled students.
IMPORTANT: All forum postings, evaluations and quizzes that are assigned on a Monday are due by 5 pm on the following Sunday.
(Please note: For full detail on the assignments see individual modules on the web site. Also note that the University’s Office of Information Technology often does work on Moodle on Sunday mornings 9-12; plan your work accordingly to avoid this “down time” for posting.)
COURSE OUTLINE: PA5451: IMMIGRANT HEALTH ISSUES
[Refer to the Course Calendar on the Class Website for Dates]
Week one “Getting Started” (introduction to the course & web site)
Unit I: Research skills to access demographic, health and background data
Module 1: Definitions and data
Module 2: Conducting community research
Module 3: Community attitudes
Module 4: Impacts on communities
Unit II: Characteristics and Needs of New Immigrants
Module 5: Refugees, Asylum and Mental Health
Module 6: Acculturation/Assimilation
Module 7: Poverty and access to services
Module 8: Special issues for women and youth
Unit III: Culturally Competent Care
Module 9: Cultural competence
Module 10: Beliefs about health and illness
Module 11: Language & interpretation
Unit IV: Advocacy
Module 12: Influencing public policy
Module 13: Wrap-up
Grading
You will have several large assignments and weekly web postings reacting to the reading and videos.Postings should be approximately 150-400 words in length, depending upon the complexity of the issue.
Web postings are graded differently from large assignments. They receive grades of check plus, check or check minus, as follows:
· Check plus: Posting is on-time and directly responds to the questions posed. Writing is clear and demonstrates an understanding of the issue. Opinions are substantiated by assigned or outside readings, or class videos. At times you may want to refer to relevant comments from a classmate in your response. (You needn’t refer to other postings each time, but please read them, and help us to use the discussions as a class dialogue, rather than a series of monologues.)
· Check: Posting is adequate, but late, or doesn't meet all the criteria listed above.
· Check minus: Posting is inadequate or late: doesn't address the question in the assignment or is difficult to follow.
· 0 points: no posting by one week after due date.
· All “checks” of any kind receive some point totals. Check + receives the most, check receives less, check minus receives even less. No points (0) allowed for work that is not submitted within one week of the due date.
· There are roughly 23 graded short postings due throughout the semester. You will be graded using your top 20 posting scores
As noted above, late postings are marked down. Postings more than one week late will not be accepted. Don't worry about one or two posting grades that are lower than you had anticipated. There are many assignments and extra credit options that can bring up your grade.
EXTRA CREDIT assignments are due on the Sunday evening (8 pm) of the second week after they are assigned, and so forth. You may complete up to five extra credit assignments. The grades you receive for these extra credit assignments will be added into your small assignments grade. Note: you can never lower your grade by doing extra credit assignments, but they won’t automatically raise your grade average unless you do a good job on them.
Grading Weights for 4-Credits (Students writing a final project)
You can review your grades for quizzes and posted assignments on the course website.
Late Policy: If you do not complete the postings/assignments the week they are assigned, your grade will be marked down---please keep this in mind.
Final course grades are calculated as follows:
· 20%: posted reactions to reading.
· 10%: Quiz grades (Quizzes are designed to motivate students to keep up with the reading; they can be repeated once to improve grades)
· 30%: Research and community work assignments, including community profile and provider interview (detailed instructions are on the website)
· 15%: Class participation on the website, which is described on the website. Website participation includes accessing web materials, responding to classmate postings and completing session evaluations. (Note: Moodle gives the instructor feedback on student use of the web site in much more detail than just time logged-on)
· 25%: Final project: A memorandum to a policymaker advocating for needed action on an issue related to immigrant health (detailed instructions are on website)
The criteria for grading the final project include:
· Accuracy
· Importance of topic
· Clarity of writing
· Substantiated conclusions
· Quality of recommendations
· Appropriate descriptions and citations of sources and methods
· Good use of demographic, research and interview data
Grading Weights for 3-Credit Students NOT Writing a Final Project
Final course grades for 3-credit enrollment are calculated as follows:
· 40%: Posted reactions to reading.
· 10%: Quiz grades (Quizzes are designed to motivate students to keep up with the reading; they can be repeated once to improve grades)
· 40%: Research and community work assignments, including community profile and provider interview
· 20%: Class participation on the website. Website participation includes accessing web materials, responding to classmate postings and completing session evaluations. (Note: Moodle gives the instructor feedback on student use of the web site in much more detail than just time logged-on)
Pass/Fail (S/N credit)
In order to pass the course students taking the class for S/N must complete all the assignments described above for 3-credit or 4-credit enrollment and receive a course grade of at least C.
All Students:
Incomplete: No Incomplete ("I") grade will be submitted for any student unless that grade is accompanied by a signed copy of the Incomplete Contract form. (See Public Affairs or School of Public Health policies on Incompletes).
Late Policy: Discussion postings are marked down if late, and will not be accepted after one week from the due date. Large Assignments are marked down 1 step (i.e. A to A- or A- to B+) for every 3 days late, and will not be accepted after one week from the due date. Quizzes: it really doesn’t matter-doing them late is a punishment in itself because you won’t remember what you read. Redoing work is not an option except in exceptional circumstances.
Plagiarism: Students should be aware of the University Of Minnesota Board Of Regents’ policy on student conduct and scholastic dishonesty. It can be found at http://www1.umn.edu/regents/policies/academic/Student_Conduct_Code.html
This policy defines scholastic dishonesty, and any acts of this will be reported to the Office of Judicial Affairs: http://www.sja .umn.edu. Plagiarism is an important aspect of this policy. Both acts of Plagiarism and Scholastic Dishonesty will be reported and result in a grade of “F” or “N” for the entire course. For more information regarding plagiarism, please consult the Universities policies and procedures at: http://writing.umn.edu/tww/plagiarism/plagarism_index.html.
In this class, the instructors may utilize “Safe Assign” at their own discretion. “Safe Assign” is a new anti plagiarism tool that the instructor may use to submit assignments from students when necessary. Feel free to learn more about “Safe Assign” athttp://www.safeassign.com/.
Students are encouraged to consult their Instructor or TA with any questions or concerns regarding citations, plagiarism, and so on.
Disability Resource Center
The University of Minnesota is committed to providing equitable access to learning opportunities for all students. DisabilityResource Center(DRC) is the campus office that collaborates with students who have disabilities to provide and/or arrange reasonable accommodations.
· If you have, or think you may have, a disability (e.g., mental health, attentional, learning, chronic health, sensory, or physical), please contact DRCat612-626-1333to arrange a confidential discussion regarding equitable access and reasonable accommodations.
· If you are registered with DRCand have a current letter requesting reasonable accommodations, we encourage you to contact your instructor early in the semester to review how the accommodations will be applied in the course.
Additional information is available on the DRC website:https://diversity.umn.edu/disability/
Student Mental Health Service and Supports
As a student you may experience a range of issues that can cause barriers to learning, such as strained relationships, increased anxiety. alcohol/drug problems, feeling down, difficulty concentrating and/or lack of motivation. These mental health concerns or stressful events may lead to diminished academic performance or reduce your ability to participate in daily activities. University of Minnesota services are available to assist you with addressing these and other concerns you may be experiencing. You can learn more about the broad range of confidential mental health services available on campus viahttp://www.mentalhealth.umn.edu.
Remember that there are advisors in the Humphrey Student Services office who are trained and experienced counselors. They are available at short notice to address any concerns you have and provide further resources within the University.Humphrey Student Services, HHH 280, (612)624-3800.
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