Biosociopolitical Iss in SW - SWSS 005 Z1 - Course Syllabus or Other Course-Related Document

8/7/2019 Biosociopolitical Iss in SW - SWSS 005 Z1 - Course Syllabus or Other Course-Related Document

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Syllabus: Course and Instructor Information

SWSS 005 (3 credits) Spring 2011

Biosociopolitical Issues in Social Work

University of Vermont

Instructor: Laurie Larson, MA College of Education and Social Services

Social Work Department

Class Times: Mondays: January 24th

through May 2nd

4:05 p.m. – 7:05 p.m.

Location: Room Number 401, Waterman Building, Main Campus

Office Hours: None/By appointment only.

Ways to Connect:

phone: (800) 917-7787 ext. 257...this is the best way to leave messages for me.

My voicemail automatically tells me the date and time you

call, so you don‟t need to leave that info.(Not checked on weekends)

e-mail: [email protected] (put “SWSS 005” in the subject line, not checked on

weekends) I do not check my UVM email, so will not likely be answering from there.

Required Texts:

1) readings as assigned

2) Kapit, Wynn & Lawrence M. Elson, The Anatomy Coloring Book,

Harper Collins College Publishers, ISBN 0-06-455016-8, 3rd edition, paperback.And colors of some sort!

Text may be purchased through the University Store.

mailto:[email protected]






1.0 COURSE DESCRIPTION

1.1 Overview of Course

Biosociopolitical Issues in Social Work is a course that satisfies the council onSWEd requirement that students have “content in human biology”. The course is anhuman anatomy/physiology overview for laity that focuses on ethical and clinical issues.

Political histories of selected public health care policies will be reviewed and critiqued.Health care modalities will be explored in depth, and health care delivery systems will be

reviewed in the light of recent health care reform movements. The institution and

practice of “science” itself will be deconstructed and redefined using the lens of broader socially and politically-sensitive considerations.

SWSS005 is a course that considers the biopsychosocial domain of the human

animal and then politicizes it. The course is designed to walk the student through an

outline of the tissue types and organ systems of the human body and then to extrapolate

from the biological into the sociopolitical realms of human behavior and consciousness.The foundation of the course structure derives from the anatomical and physiological,

which, like the ecological social dimension, is based on an analinear dynamic model. Aswe move further into this new millennium, it will become increasingly important for

social workers to understand the differences between this scientific paradigm and the

more reductionist ones it supersedes.

Using the physical theme then, as the jumping off point to explore society, whatare the issues that are derived from or impacted by the fact that the human spirit is housed

inside these things called bodies? This course will attempt to define the corporeal

elements (without excluding mental, emotional or spiritual ones) of pathological or

unbalancing or “stuck” trends that lead humans on detours away from a healthy, balanced

and resilient center. We will examine how these trends become issues with energy and

internal dynamics of their own, and how they must, in turn, be included in the daily lives

of people interfacing with them.By learning to analyze systems and institutions as socially constructed, by

studying the political histories of the policies that derive from them and by comparing

and contrasting the status quo with other possibilities, students will develop a habit of critical and creative thinking. By learning to use resources fully, they will expand their

ability to access the human knowledge base.



1.2 Course Objectives:

KNOWLEDGE OBJECTIVES:

• K1. To explore the impact of social and cultural systems on human biology at various

developmental points, and vice versa.

• K2. To demonstrate a basic understanding of human tissue types and organ systems;by being able to: (1) identify anatomically the basic parts of these tissues and

systems, and (2) explain in a cursory way what the physiological function is of each.

• K3. To grow in understanding of the histories, biases, and political impacts of varioussciences, with a focus on the biological sciences.

• K4. To learn some systems theory and be able to identify the underlying order andparadigms governing scientific systems as being linear or analinear, reductionist or

dynamically chaotic.

• K5. To gain an overview of the political issues affecting human health and the humanbiological realm, and to become aware of the political histories of public health policy

creation and reform.

• K6. To consider non-status-quo perspectives regarding conventionally acceptedpublic health policies, and to understand how they might represent human rights-

centered positions.

VALUES OBJECTIVES:

• V1. To set a standard of health from which to compare non-health using a prevention

emphasis and filtered through an empowerment perspective.

• V2. To present a cross-cultural and multi-cultural picture of the social constructionsof pathology, diagnostics, disability, etc. that reflects both the historical and

contemporary influences of these cultures and to consider how cultural variations

threaten or support the medical status quo.

• V3. To understand that the diversity embraced in this approach provides the inherent

underpinnings of stability to any socially ecological system.

• V4. To analyze the effects of the political and economic environment on people‟shealth and well-being, and to discuss the social justice implications of these effects.

• V5. To begin to define for oneself a corpus of bioethics to help guide one‟sprofessional approach to decision-making.



SKILLS OBJECTIVES:

• S1. To challenge students to learn to use the human and informational resourcesavailable to them and to stretch their capacity to do so.

• S2. To examine and critique medical, insurance and pharmacological practices andethics so as to be able to evaluate their impact on patients‟ rights, while exploring the

best way to advocate for client self-determination.

• S3. To become habituated to approaching any biologically-based social work problemwith an expanded ability to analyze the issue within a political and social justice

framework.

• S4. To learn to think critically and creatively through research, reflection and

discourse.

1.3 Evaluation of the Course:

Student performance in the course will be evaluated through class observations of student

participation and through graded written assignments and quizzes. The components of the evaluation system are described in greater detail in the appendix of this syllabus. The

instructor will employ the standard University of Vermont grading system.

_______________________________________________________________

• 13 plates from your coloring book 13 % (1% per plate/page)• Attendance & Participation 20% (grading system in

appendix)

• Quizzes (top seven out of eight) 21% (3% per quiz)

• Interviews Transcripts & Analysis Papers 16% (10% interview trans-

cripts & 6% paper)

• “Body Journal”/Self Reflection 15% (3% per hand-in)

• Final Exam:Comprehensive/Open Book/Take Home 15%____________________



2.0 COURSE METHODS

If you believe that you have a learning

disability or challenge which might affect your

academic performance in this class and think youneed an accommodation, auxiliary aids or

services, please let me know at the beginning of

the semester before the course gets underway.

2.1 Instruction and Learning Approach

Generally, classroom time will be divided between standard lecture and discourse.

Occasionally this routine will be altered through the use of quizzes, guests, videos, etc.Methods employed to teach the class will include those that will support cognitive,

affective and experiential growth. Many learning styles have been addressed in thedesign of this course.

Cognitive: Reading, thinking and discussing concepts will exercise mental habits.

Written papers, quizzes and the written final exam will address this area of learning andwill facilitate knowledge acquisition and expansion.

Affective: Keeping a personal “body journal” and reflecting on the emotional impact of the information presented therein will touch upon this domain of learning, and will

expand the student‟s sense of compassion, deepen her/his commitment to social justice

and broaden his/her respect for diversity.

Experiential: Role plays in class and interviewing allopathic and niallopathic medical

practitioners in the field will support learning in this realm, putting the student in touch

with the “real world” beyond academia, and also immersing themselves in situations

where they need to rely on common sense and develop an ability to “think on their feet”,articulating their experience in the moment.

3.0 Course Outline and Schedule:

In general, coloring book assignments are to be done continually, body journal entries are

to be considered as ongoing weekly explorations, and reading assignments will bediscussed as appropriate. You are responsible for knowing the information presented in

the readings whether we discuss them formally in class or not (actually reading them will

make your final easier). A few readings (including handouts) are provided as

supplemental/informational only. Readings are listed as either “required” or

“recommended” on the assignment list which follows the table of assignments below.



BIOSOCIOPOLITICAL ISSUES IN SOCIAL WORK

Jan 17th

No Class: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. birthday (recognized)

class 1

Jan 24th

introductions; syllabus review; objectives & expectations; macro budget priorities;

“science” as socially constructed; intro. to systems; definitions of health & principles

of healing; A. Weil film clip; integrative medicine: allopathy/CAM (& acute vs.chronic)

class 2

Jan 31st

global gender exercise; Unnatural Causes Quiz; SES indicators of health; cellular

bio: organelles, membrane transport, mitosis; DNA transprocesses; epigenetics

class 3

Feb 7th

Quiz 1 on Cellular Bio.; tissue types ; nervous system including: CNS, PNS, nerve

action, special senses; EMF; cultural competency intro.; 1st

Body Journal due

class 4

Feb 14th

Quiz 2 on Nervous System and Special Senses;

health care delivery systems and access to health care; “Sicko” film and discussion

Feb 21

st

No Class: Presidents’ Day class 5

Feb. 28th

introduction to bioethics inc. CAM; “consensus and controversy” exercise; interview

paper check-in; Film “The Shaman‟s Apprentice”, biopiracy; 2nd

Body Journal due

Mar 7th

No Class: Spring Break

class 6

Mar 14th

connective tissue; musculoskeletal systems, kinesiology & synovial joints; medical

establishment, public health recommend.: mammography; 3rd

Body Journal due

class 7

Mar 21st

Quiz 3 on Musculo-Skeletal Systems; respiratory and cardiovascular systems; Eco-

precepts/drugs vs. herbs

class 8

Mar 28th

Quiz 4 on Respiratory and Cardiovascular Systems; immune system; vaccination

as public health policy; patients‟ rights; 4th Body Journal due

class 9

Apr 4th

Quiz 5 on Immune System; gastrointestinal tract and urinary system; The Future of

Food film; food politics; nutrition; dual food system, GMOs, etc.

class 10

Apr 11th

Quiz 6 on Digestive and Urinary Systems; the endocrine system; the environment

and health; hydropolitics; public health policy feature on fluoride (FAN visit?);

INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPTS AND PAPERS DUE!! Paper a-ha‟s sharing

class 11

Apr 18th

Quiz 7 on Endocrine System; reproductive system (male, female and

conception/pregnancy); birth control and STI prevention; eugenics; handout finals

class 12

Apr 25th

Quiz 8 on Reproductive System; Disability; Film: Vital Signs, universal health

care as a right? revisited; 5th

(last) Body Journal due

class 13

May 2nd

final class evaluations; Coloring Books due; Finals due; Gattaca movie; I-Ching

and genetic code; class I-Ching reading



Assignments will be due on a schedule as follows:

For January 24th

:

Required Readings:

Handouts:

War and Bailout Costs, Federal Budget Year in Review... & VT Trade-offs

(costofwar.com) What the World Wants and How to Pay For It Using Military Expenditures

(osearth.com)

Course Syllabus

The Relationship between Attendance, Participation, Group Learning and Personal

and Professional Learning

For (Before) January 31st:

Required Readings:

Handouts:

Who am I: Five Phase Archetypes (Beinfield & Korngold) *** [This last is also a

Body Journal choice.] Biology-related

BB Readings:

“Science” and indigenous cultures (Wronka) in Human rights and social policy in the 21st

Century [Social Construction of “Science”]

Healing, Nature and Modern Medicine (Weil) in Ecological Medicine (Ausubel, ed.)[Integrative Medicine as Culturally Competent Ideal]

Better Health Through Fairer Wealth (Ragan) in Yes! [SES Indicators of Health]

Medicine and Health (Blank) in The Price of Life [SES]

Sustainable Medicine Manifesto (http://sustainablemedicine.org/manifesto/ ) [Eco-Precepts, etc.]

Ten Things to Know about Health [SES Indicators of Health]

(http://unnaturalcauses.org/assets/uploads/file/10things.pdf ) Recommended Readings:

Other handouts: including

Freedom of Choice: Medicine and Alternative Healing (Koren),

Bibliography of Recommended Readings (posted on BB)Coloring Book: x, xi, 1, 2, 5, 6, 8, & 9

For (Before) February 7th

:Prepare for and take Quiz One

Have First Body Journal Entry chosen and prepared to hand in

Required Readings:

Handouts:

Cultural Assessment and Cultural Formulation (health.qld.gov.au)

UCLA Study on Friendship Among Women (Berkowitz)

There is a Middle Way; Truly Integrative Medicine (Bellerose) in Caring for Our Own: APortrait of Community Health Care, Middlebury VT

BB Readings:

http://sustainablemedicine.org/manifesto/



http://unnaturalcauses.org/assets/uploads/file/10things.pdf







Introduction, Chantways and Spiritual Surgery in The Scalpel and The Silver Bear (ArvisoAlvord & Cohen VanPelt) [Int. Med. as CCI]

Medicine Keepers: Issues in Indigenous Health in Critical Public Health (Colomeda &Wenzel) [Int. Med. as CCI]

Philosophy in the West; The Doctor as Mechanic & Philosophy of the East; The Doctor as

Gardener in Between Heaven & Earth (Beinfield & Korngold) [Int. Med. as CCI] The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down and Do Doctors Eat Brains? (Fadiman) [Int.

Med. as CCI]

Understanding the Concepts & The Multicultural Challenge to Health Care (Julia & Ratliff)

in Multicultural Awareness in the Health Care Professions [Int. Med. as CCI]

Yin Yang in The Foundations of Chinese Medicine (Maciocia) [Int. Med. as CCI]

The New American Patient (Bergner; reprinted with permission in 2002 for CantinPackard) in 6

thInternational Herb Symposium reader; Voices of the Herbal

Renaissance [Immunity]

Recommended Readings:

Other possible handouts

Coloring Book: 3 E & G, 10, 15, 70 – 73, 85, 90, 91, & 93 – 95, 98 & 100


: Prepare for and take Quiz Two

Required Readings:

Handouts:

Biology-related

Overview of VT...Health Programs (compiled by VT Office of Health CareOmbudsman)

BB Readings:

Health Care, It‟s What Ails Us (Pibel & VanGelder) in Yes! [Health Care is a Human

Right] Review power points on Dr. Hsiao‟s team‟s proposals for VT Health Care Reform


:

Have Second Body Journal Entry chosen and prepared to hand in

Required Readings:

BB Readings:

Who Owns Knowledge? (Kawell) in NACLA Report on the Americas [SocialConstruction of “Science”/”Med”]

Introduction in Biopiracy (Shiva) Americas [Social Construction of “Science”/”Med”]

Ethics and Integrative Medicine: Moving Beyond the Biomedical Model (Guinn) [Bioethics]

The Principles of Bioethics in The Foundations of Bioethics (Engelhardt) [Bioethics]

For (Before) March 14th

: Have Third Body Journal Entry chosen and prepared to hand in

Required Readings:

Handouts:



Biology-related

Mammogram Alert (Hunt)

BB Readings:

Can Breast Cancer Be Prevented? in Breast Cancer? Breast Health! (Weed) [PublicHealth Recommendations and Allopathic Standards of Care Critiques]

Corporate Personhood and the „Right‟ to Harm the Environment (Edwards & Valencia) in

Peace & Freedom; Magazine of the Women‟s International League for Peace and Freedom[Social Construction of “Science”/”Med”]

Legal Aspects (Stepan & Leslie) in Traditional Medicine and Health Care Coverage(Bannerman, Burton & Wen-Chieh, eds.) [Social Construction of “Science”/”Med”]

Reversing the Cancer Epidemic (Epstein) in Ecological Medicine [PHR&ASOC Critiques]

Herbal Hypotheses 2: Medline & The Mainstream Manufacture of Misinformation (Treasure)

in Journal of the American Herbalists Guild (vol. 6 #2) [Social Construction of

“Science”/”Med”]

Recommended Readings:Other possible handouts

Coloring Book: 3 A & B, 11 – 14, 17, 20, 21, 22 I – N, 23, 27, 44 & 69

For (Before) March 21st:

Prepare for and take Quiz Three

Required Readings:

Handouts:

CIA Dope Calypso (Ginsberg)

One Strike for Some, Many for Others (Sklar)

Way Beyond the Call of Duty (Dispoldo)

BB Readings: Herbal Hypotheses: Warding off Evil in the 21

st Century/ St. John‟s Wort as a

Xenosensory Activator? (Treasure) in Journal of the American Herbalists Guild [Eco-

Precepts]

A Third Arm for the First World? (Duke) in The Proceedings of the 15th

AnnualAmerican Herbalists‟ Guild Symposium [Eco-Precepts]

Coloring Book: 3 C, 4 H, 101 – 103, 105, 106, 115, 120, 129 & 134

For (Before) March 28th

:

Prepare for and take Quiz Four

Have Fourth Body Journal Entry chosen and prepared to hand in

Required Readings:Handouts:

Biology-related

Childhood Fevers & Natural Immunity

BB Readings:

Hoxsey: When Healing Becomes a Crime (Ausubel) [Social Construction of “Science”/”Medicine”]



Bacteria: Pathogens or Agents of Decay? (Feustel) in Permaculture Activist[Immunity]

(under “Immunization…) Preface to the Second Edition & Are Immunizations Effective? in

Immunization; the Reality Behind the Myth (James) [2 articles under PHR&ASOC

Critiques]

The Moral Right to Conscientious, Personal Belief Or Philosophical Exemption toMandatory Vaccination Laws as presented to the National Vaccine Advisory Committee(Loe Fisher) [Health Freedom UNDER Int. Med. as CCI]

Vaccine Controversies (Koch) in CQ Researcher [PHR&ASOC Critiques]

Vaccination is Not Immunization (O‟Shea) [PHR&ASOC Critiques]

Recommended Readings:Other possible Handouts

Coloring Book: 3D, 4K, & 121 – 128

For (Before) April 4th

: Prepare for and take Quiz Five

Required Readings:Handouts:

The 10 most wanted (Rothacker)

Bon Appetit?

The StarLink Criinals (Epstein)

Why Genetically Altered Food Won‟t Conquer Hunger (Rosset)

BB Readings:

Are you Eating the „Real‟ Thing? (Tursi & Shackford) [Food Politics UNDER

Environment and Health]

Golden Rice: When Science Goes Awry (Shiva) in Hinduism Today [Food Pol. underEnv. and Health]

Report on the 2008 Survey of Vermont Food Shelves and Community Kitchens, (Planning, Policy and Regulation Unit of ESD, VT DCF) [Food Pol. under Env. and

Health]

Organic Diet for a Small Planet (Lappe) [Food Pol. under Env. and Health]

Western Diet and Inflammation (Neustadt) in Integrative Medicine [NutritionUNDER Digestive System]

Recommended Readings:Other possible handouts

Diet Plans Analysis from “The Trouble with Fad Diets” (Pick) at www.womentowomen.com/nutritionalweightloss

Other Readings:

A Diet Solution Based on Evolution (Cordain) Coloring Book: 4 I & J, 136, 141 – 146, 148 & 149


: Have your Interviews and Reaction Paper ready to hand in!

Prepare for and take Quiz Six

Required Readings:

http://www.womentowomen.com/nutritionalweightloss

http://www.womentowomen.com/nutritionalweightloss



Handouts:

Biology-related

BB Readings:

Principled Ethical Action: Testimony for Burlington City Council (Larson)[PHR&ASOC Critiques]

The Absurdities of Water Fluoridation (Connett) [PHR&ASOC Critiques] The Coming Age of Ecological Medicine (Ausubel) and A Mother‟s Lament (Steingraber)

both in Utne Reader (2 articles) [Environment and Health]

Crossed Signals (Lerner) in Whole Earth [Environment and Health]

Fluoride: Industry‟s Toxic Coup in Food &Water Journal (Griffiths) [HydropoliticsUNDER Environment and Health]

World Scientists Warning to Humanity [Environment and Health]

Recommended Readings:

Handouts:

Flouride Health Effects Database (fluoridealert.org)

Other Readings:

Purify Your Home Without Poison (Dadd) Why I Changed my Mind About Water Fluoridation (Colquhoun) in Perspectives in

Biology and Medicine

Coloring Book: 3 F, 151, & 153 – 156


:

Prepare for and take Quiz Seven

Required Reading: Biology-related handouts

Online reserves:

Mining Humanity (Tokar) in Toward Freedom [Biotech and Eugenics]

Coloring Book: 4 L & M, 157-161, 163, 165, 167


: Prepare for and take Quiz Eight

Have Fifth Body Journal Entry chosen and prepared to hand in

Required Readings:

Handouts:

Power Point slides on Interactional Model of Disability (Ottinger/Gill)

Basic Etiquette: People with Disabilities (adopted from an AmeriCorps handout)

Independent Living vs. Conventional Paradigms

For (Before) May 2nd

:

Take Final and Prepare to Hand-InPrepare Coloring Books to Hand In

Body Journal “menu” to choose from (with class content correspondences noted): 1. Complete/fill-out hand-out to go with Beinfield & Korngold‟s „5 Phase

Archetypes‟. (class 1) 2. Massage your feet or trade a massage with someone else and note where the sore

spots are and what they correspond to on the foot reflexology chart. (class 1)



3. Write a few paragraphs about what seasons you tend to get sick in the most and

what types of illnesses you are afflicted with most often &/or describe a typicalday in terms of energy flows and ebbs for you (morning or evening person, sleep

cycle, dreams, energy slumps and peaks, etc.). (classes 1 and 8)

4. Take 10 minutes each for each of the five senses (taste, touch, smell, hearing and

vision) and record everything you notice within that sense. (class 3)5. Blindfold yourself for an hour or so and try to go somewhere or do something

fairly complex (cook a meal, take a shower, write a report, etc.) or pretend to be

deaf for an hour or two in public somewhere and note how people react to you.(What are the ethical considerations of doing this?) (class 12)

6. Describe any broken bones you‟ve had &/or do (share with someone if you don‟t

know any) five yoga stretches (asanas) and after doing each, write down where

you‟re stiff or sore, and where you feel “released” or more flexible. (class 6)

7. Describe a personal doctor‟s office/hospital visit that had a personal impact on

you. (classes 1, 5 and 6)

8. Take your breath and pulse rates before and after doing 100 jumping jacks (don‟t

do if you feel like this would stress your body in any way). (class 7)9. Keep track of everything you eat for 2 days and note at least two of the following

things: if each food you eat is whole or processed, if it is locally grown or where itis grown, if it is grown organically or using pesticides and herbicides, and where

it falls on the yin-yang chart and whether you‟re eating more on one side of the

chart than the other or if you‟re eating more at the extremes than in the center.

(class 9)10. Take an inventory of environmentally friendly vs. toxic substances you have

stocked in your house (can include food, cleaning supplies of all types…e.g.

laundry, household, etc., recreational supplies, etc.). (class 10)11. Write a paragraph or two about an experience that marked puberty for you (could

be breast development, body hair growth, onset of menarche, a first wet dream,

voice changes, etc.). (classes 10 and 11)

12. List 9 ways that you have been encouraged to act gender-appropriately in yourlifetime and who (in relationship to you; no names please) it was who gave you

those messages. (class 11)

13. Do a genealogy as far back as you can for your family including eye color, hair

color, and “body type” for any of the relatives you know &/or if you‟re adopted or don‟t know, reflect on how you construct your cultural and familial “roots” for

yourself. (classes 2 and 11)14. Define what “safer sex” means to you and discuss how you practice it or not.

(class 11)

15. Explain why you think universal health care is a basic human right or not, and use

statistical and/or anecdotal information to back up your thesis. This is an opinionpaper vs. a self-reflection paper, and therefore should have proper citations of any

materials referenced in the statistical argument case. (classes 4 and 12)

4.0 Relationship of this Course to the rest of the Curriculum:

This course contains traditional and contemporary knowledge about human

biology (and/or biosociopolitical issues) and provides students with the values and



knowledge necessary to understand human organ systems and diseases, as well as

conventional and alternative treatments. This knowledge about human conditions andenvironmental relationships augments all other Social Work courses, especially Human

Behavior in the Social Environment, Research, Policy, Practice, and Field.

This course serves to count as the biological requirement for undergraduates, and

the biology pre-requisite for graduate students. The course will provide an overview of human biology while always relating it to other concepts, issues and ideas relevant to the

student‟s overall undergraduate experience within the Department of Social Work. The

course‟s emphasis on a strengths-based perspective, as well as its political analyseswrought through a filter of the principles of human rights and social justice are

characteristic of all BSW courses at UVM.

This course not only provides students with a basic understanding of humanbiology, but it looks at that topic through a political lens that broadens and deepens the

biological issues broached and summarily covered in SWSS47 and SWSS48. While

biological issues are presented developmentally as a component of biopsychosocial issues

in the Human Behavior and the Social Environment (HBSE) series, they are scrutinized

in more depth in SWSS005, and approached from a political perspective that questionstheir bioethical and multicultural implications, as well as placing them in an historical

context that reveals the biases and assumptions drawn upon in their construction.

“Politics” in this course is taken to mean the type of politic that correlates with the

etymology of the word “cosmopolitan” more than it refers to an electoral, legislative or

policy-making function. Policy per se, particularly as it relates to Social Welfare

(including the public benefits of Medicaid and Medicare), is covered instead in SWSS165and SWSS166. The course will however, attempt to analyze the interests and biases of

some of the institutions responsible for defining the status quo of health care, medicine

and pharmaceutical regulation commonly accepted in the United States currently andwhich are relied upon to create this policy and other public health initiatives.

The course will attempt to use language common to Social Work majors at UVM,

and will draw upon language defined in other courses such as the multi-level micro,

mezzo and macro terminology introduced in HBSE and reinforced in SWSS168 and

SWSS169, as well as commonly employed terms like “intervention” and “ethicaldilemma” as explored in SWSS2. This will support the student in developing a common

language with her/his peers and other professionals in the arena of social work.

Through its treatment of topics such as “Environmental Racism”, cultural dietaryappropriateness, and eugenics the course will supplement the range of topics covered in

more depth and breadth in SWSS167. The course‟s inclusion of multicultural viewpointswhen looking at western medicine will provide an analysis that transcends a dominant

monocultural paradigm.

The issues studied in SWSS005 will be applicable in casework and other

fieldwork the student will undertake as part of his/her Social Work study at UVM. In thisway, it will potentially relate to organizational analysis undertaken in SWSS51, or in

field experience encountered in SWSS170 and SWSS171. The course‟s scrutiny of statistics manufactured to support opposing conclusions regarding healthcare will provide

a good testing ground for methods learned in SWSS194.



Appendix A:

Attendance -20%

Social Work is a profession where the professional must be an active participant,

an extremely good listener, well spoken, well prepared, and able to demonstrate goodjudgment. In this course, the student will be expected to come to class having read all the

assigned reading, and prepared to discuss her/his feelings about and understanding of theassignment. The instructor will be monitoring the student‟s willingness to contribute todiscussion, and reveal trepidations, confusions or points of agreement or disagreement, as

well as volunteer. The instructor will also be monitoring the student‟s awareness of a

balance of speaking and listening, and the student‟s sensitivity to others‟ levels of safetyin disclosing their own ideas and feelings and her/his ability to respond in a respectful

manner.

Students are expected to arrive on time or a little early for class to be ready tobegin at 4:05 p.m. sharp. Students are expected to call ahead of time (1-800-917-7787ext. 257) if they think they will be late or missing a class, just as they will be expected to

notify clients and colleagues ahead of time if they are to be late to a meeting. Students

are expected to attend all classes and all missed class work is expected to be made up onthe student‟s own time. We only have 13 classes to cover a great deal of work.Therefore, all excused absences will impact the final attendance grade by 5% (1% of your

overall final grade). If I am not contacted ahead of time, any absence will not be counted

as “excused” no matter how compelling the reason, even if the time on my voicemail isduring or immediately after class, and these absences will impact your attendance grade

by a full 20% (4% of your overall final grade).

Attitude is important here. People who engage in discussions and activelyparticipate in small groups will do better than people who are passive for the entire

semester. Social work is not a discipline where one can remain “shy” and get away withit for long.

Appendix B:

Quizzes-21% (3% per quiz)



There will be eight quizzes over the course of the semester. They will mostlycover the previous lectures and will be geared to measure your understanding and

retention of the material, as well as your preparedness for each class. An „extra credit‟question is provided on each quiz. The instructor reserves the right to have these

questions cover material from the readings that has not been covered in class. Your bestseven out of eight scores will be taken to calculate your final grade for this requirement.

Each quiz represents 3% of your grade in this way.

Appendix C:

Interviews and Reaction Papers-16% : (10% transcripts and 6% papers):

You are asked to interview the following:

• two niallopathic, CAM, or non-conventional healing arts practitioners (Chiropractor,Acupuncturist, Acupressurist, Alexander Technique Practitioner, Rolfer, Naturopath,

Chinese Medical Doctor, Herbalist, Apitherapist, etc.)

NOTE: (…or 2 allopaths if you‟ve been raised with CAM exclusively; or 1 of each if you‟ve been raised equally with both. These options would necessitate a history of

seeing someone other than an allopath, chiropractor or nurse practitioner for your primary

care physician, e.g., a naturopath, a Chinese or Ayurvedic medical practitioner, etc.)

You will be provided with some sample questions to use in your interview,

although other questions are encouraged. Remember that these people are busyprofessionals, and try to be respectful of their time when doing the interviewing. Try to

keep the interviews to 20 to 30 minutes whenever possible. Try to conduct the interview

on site wherever the practitioner normally practices. Try to include a range of sites(hospital, emergency room, private office, massage room, waiting room). Take notes on

the environment, the displays on the wall, etc. as part of your transcripts.

You will be expected to submit a transcription of each interview worth 5% of your grade each (10% total), and a summary analytical paper of your experiences in the

different practice settings (6% of grade). You will be given an outline of things to think

about/include in this summary along with your sample questions. The assignment is due

in place of a midterm on April 11th. The paper should be typed, double-spaced, with nolarger than 1” margins (careful: standard in many word processing programs is 1.25”!)and (at least) four to (not more than) five pages in length (with font size no larger than 12

point....11 preferred).

The purpose of this assignment is to expose you to a sample of healing practicesand practitioners in the field, and to allow you to develop some ideas about how they are

different or similar. I will be grading your papers based on your academic degree level

(i.e., graduate papers will be graded together and undergraduate papers will be graded



together), the extent to which you are able to draw on concepts presented in class, and the

degree of depth of thinking you employ when discussing your findings. DO NOT expectto primarily restate the material presented in your transcripts and expect to get a good

grade. I will not grade adversely for an expressed opinion as long as it is based on a

compelling argument and not on inaccurate assumptions. Also, be careful of making

sweeping generalizations from a very limited sample/experience.Important Note: Make sure you read the supplementary materials provided for

this assignment, including the grading cover sheets I will be using to grade your

submissions.

Appendix D:

“Body Journal” and Self -Reflection-15%

Each week (or so), you will be assigned some topic to explore concerning your

own body and biological experience, including 15 possible choices/assignments in all.You will be expected to contribute feelings or ideas that occurred to you in the course of

your journaling experience. You will be required to submit excerpts from your journalfive times during the semester. Items that seem too personal to submit should be kept

private, but you may share a more generalized discussion about why something is too

private to share, or a more indirect overview of the feelings or issues that came up for youwhen considering this aspect of your journal. Submissions are expected to be one to two

pages in length and legible, but they may include creative or multi-media forms of

expression....collages, drawings, audio-tapes, etc. Each submitted entry (5 total) counts

for 3% of your grade. Papers less than one page in length (double spaced with maximum1 inch margins, including the footer) will be marked down. For a header, all I need is

your name and the number of body journal. I don‟t need my name, the name of the class,etc., or a huge gap of spaces before you begin writing.

Appendix E:

Final: Comprehensive-15% The final exam for this course will be take-home and open book and the instructor

reserves the right to cover topics included in the assigned reading and handouts for thesemester that haven‟t been covered otherwise in class. The test will be roughly half totwo-thirds on biological concepts, and roughly half to one-third on socio-politicalconcepts. A bioethical dilemma or two may be included.



Appendix F: Coloring Book-13% (1% per plate):

This is not an art class. Coloring books will be graded for accuracy (the color of

the name of an organ/tissue matches the color of that organ/tissue) and completion of plates (full page). Each plate colored is worth 1% of your grade up to 13 plates.

Coloring books will be handed in on the last class for grading and will be taken home that

same night. Please mark with post-its or some other marker which pages/plates you

would like to have graded ahead of time. The teacher reserves the right to mark downyour grade for this assignment for books that are not marked (with something other than

the corners of the pages folded in). You are responsible for knowing all the materialpresented in the plates assigned whether you colored those plates or not.

Biosociopolitical Iss in SW - SWSS 005 Z1 - Course Syllabus or Other Course-Related Document

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