Health Studies (Bi-Co)

Department Website:
https://www.haverford.edu/healthstudies

Haverford’s Bi-College Health Studies minor brings together faculty and students to explore the intertwined areas of health, disease, and social justice. We offer unparalleled training for students interested in confronting complex real-world health problems and envisioning solutions.

Multidisciplinary in approach and collaborative in spirit, our curriculum embraces the social sciences, natural sciences, and humanities. Students learn how to think about health from a variety of disciplinary perspectives and with an appreciation of its many dimensions. They also gain experience—so vital in addressing contemporary health issues—working in productive partnerships with individuals from different backgrounds, training, and points of view.

Our program welcomes students from every major. Their diverse perspectives come together to create an exceptionally rich learning experience. At the same time, we are committed to advancing each student’s particular academic goals, which may include medicine, public health, journalism, medical anthropology, health policy, among others.

The Health Studies curriculum is organized along three curricular tracks:

cultural, literary, visual, and ethical Representations of health and illness (R-track)
familial, social, civic, and governmental Systems that structure risks to disease and access to health care (S-track)
biological, chemical, and psychological Mechanisms of disease and the maintenance of health (M-track)

The tracks refer to breadth requirements rather than specializations. Students in the minor take courses in all three tracks.

Students may complete a Health Studies minor in conjunction with any major at Haverford, Bryn Mawr, or Swarthmore, pending approval of the student’s coursework plan by the home-campus Health Studies director.

The Bi-Co Health Studies minor aims to:

create a coherent curricular structure in which students address issues of health and disease informed by multidisciplinary investigations, combining insights from the natural sciences, social sciences, and humanities.
develop a student’s ability to think and write with depth, precision, and sophistication about complex topics on health, disease, and social justice.
teach students how to collaborate with others, having varying skill sets and vocabularies, on issues pertaining to health and disease, so they can work in partnership with diverse stakeholders to contribute to the well-being of local communities and global populations.

The minor began in the spring of 2014 and has enrolled students with a wide variety of majors including anthropology, biology, chemistry, classics, French, history, International Studies, mathematics, philosophy, physics, political science, psychology, religion and Spanish, as well as concentrators and minors in Africana Studies, biochemistry, Gender and Sexuality Studies, neuroscience, Peace Justice and Human Rights, and Spanish. Students planning to go into medicine, nursing, nutrition, physical therapy, psychotherapy, and other clinical fields as well as those drawn to policy, economics, health care management, health education, medical humanities, or health-focused research in the social sciences have found that the multidisciplinary nature of the Health Studies curriculum has broadened their undergraduate experience and better prepared them for graduate and professional training and work.

Learning Goals

General

Understand the interconnected physical, social, and humanistic dimensions of community health as described in the three core tracks below.
Analyze the determinants of health and disease employing multidisciplinary perspectives.
Apply principles of public health and social justice to contemporary issues of disease and well-being.
Collaborate in interdisciplinary research and teamwork for improving community health.
Conduct a literature review on a health issue employing diverse academic and public resources.

(Adapted from the Association of Schools of Public Health’s Undergraduate Public Health Learning Outcomes.)

Learning Goals: Three Core Tracks

M Track (Mechanisms of Disease and the Maintenance of the Healthy Body)

Describe the biological mechanisms and risk factors of both infectious and chronic diseases.
Understand how methods of epidemiology and surveillance are used to monitor population health and respond to disease outbreaks.
Evaluate multiple sources of health information and assess health data; use this information to develop responses to individual and community health issues.
Assess the influence that scientific research and technology have on individual and population health.

R Track (Cultural, Literary, and Visual Representations of Health and Illness)

Identify the role that humanistic inquiry plays in developing responses to pressing health issues.
Understand how literary and visual representations and cultural productions shape conceptions of health, illness, and the body.
Explore the diversity of health beliefs and healing practices among individuals, communities, and cultures in local, national, and global contexts.
Analyze ethical dilemmas in the field of public health, clinical medicine, and biomedical research.
Understand how intersections of gender, race, ethnicity, and sexual discrimination shape health and disease, risk, and vulnerability.

S Track (Familial, Social, Civic, and Governmental Structures that Respond to Issues of Health and Disease)

Investigate how social, political, legal, and economic structures and institutions influence responses to health and disease.
Examine public health as social justice with a fundamental right to health and health services.
Identify stakeholders who influence health programs and interventions.
Recognize the impact of policies, laws, and legislation on both individual and population health.
Understand roles and responsibilities of government, non-government agencies, and private organizations in promoting health.
Understand how organizational structures, financing, and the delivery of health care and public health services impact population health.
Recognize the role of community collaborations in promoting population health.

Haverford’s Institutional Learning Goals are available on the President’s website, at http://hav.to/learninggoals.

Curriculum

Our growing menu of courses follows three tracks: mechanisms of disease and maintenance of health (often biology, chemistry, and psychology courses); cultural, ethical, literary, and visual representations of health and illness (often anthropology, religion, philosophy, visual studies, and literature courses); and familial, social, civic, and governmental systems that structure responses to issues of health and disease (often anthropology, economics, history, political science, sociology, and social work courses)

We also require minors to take an introductory level course and a senior seminar, both of which bring a range of perspectives to bear on a series of specific health-related issues. Our senior seminar culminates with students examining specific health issues from their own disciplinary perspectives and in collaboration with students from different majors.

Most courses in the minor are at the 200 or 300-level, so interested students should consider taking introductory courses in anthropology, economics, history, natural sciences, political science, psychology, sociology, or statistics to gain the background necessary for more advanced courses.

Minor Requirements

The Bi-Co Health Studies minor consists of six courses, which include:

A required introductory course (HLTH B115/HLTH H115), offered in the fall and spring semesters, should be completed during the first or second year, however, juniors and seniors are not prohibited from enrolling in the course if they develop an interest in the minor; successful completion of the introductory course is a pre-requisite for enrolling in the Senior Seminar (HLTH H398).
Three elective core course credits from a list approved by the faculty steering committee. Students must elect two of these courses from a department outside of the student’s major, and at least two of these courses should be at the non-introductory level. Students must take one core course in each of three tracks:
- M track: mechanisms of disease and the maintenance of the healthy body
- R track: cultural, literary, visual and ethical representations of health and illness
- S track: familial, social, civic and governmental systems that structure and respond to issues of health and disease.
One additional course, outside the student’s major. Students are encouraged to choose an additional core course from one of the three tracks, but may also select one from a list of approved affiliate courses that deal with health issues, but not necessarily as their primary focus. In order for an affiliate course to count toward the minor, the student is expected to pursue a health-related topic for the final paper or project for the course.
A senior seminar organized around a single theme, which varies each year. Potential themes could be a particular health intervention, a category of diseases, a specific population, or an important social determinant of health, among others. Students complete two projects that address the theme: one that is grounded in their own disciplinary perspective and one that requires collaboration with fellow students majoring in other disciplines. The senior seminar is offered twice each year, once in the fall and once in the spring, on different themes.

No more than two of the six minor credits may come from institutions outside the Tri-Co. Only one course that fulfills a student’s graduation requirement for their major can also fulfill a requirement for the Health Studies minor. For students who are concentrating or minoring in an additional program, only one of the four elective courses for Health Studies can also fulfill a requirement for the concentration or second minor.

Affiliated Programs

4+1 Bioethics Program with the University of Pennsylvania

Study for four years at Haverford, then one year at Penn, and receive a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science from Haverford and a Master’s in Bioethics (MBE) from Penn’s Bioethics Program in the Perelman School of Medicine.

This 4+1 partnership enables qualified Haverford undergraduates to gain early and expedited admission into a master’s degree offered by the Penn Department of Medical Ethics and Health Policy and to take up to three graduate bioethics courses while still enrolled at Haverford. Students whose GPA is at least 3.5 can apply for this program after completing their sophomore year and before beginning their senior year.

Study Abroad and Internships

Health Studies is distinguished by its investigation of how local conditions of health and disease are shaped by interconnected global forces and processes, such as (im)migration, traveling microbes, war and conflict, and international humanitarian projects. Many students fulfill one or two of their elective requirements for the Health Studies minor while studying abroad. Examples of programs with curricula relevant to Health Studies include:

Australia--University of Melbourne;
Barbados--University of West Indies;
Botswana--CIEE Gaborone;
Chile--Middlebury College;
Denmark--DIS Danish Institute for Study Abroad;
England--University College London.

While not a formal requirement for the minor, Health Studies encourages students to take advantage of the many opportunities for enriching their academic work through independent research and/or internships, in both domestic and international settings. Such opportunities will help students face the challenges of integrating data and theory into their hands-on work in medicine and public health, in both clinical and community settings. Haverford students may seek support through Haverford’s Center for Peace and Global Citizenship (CPGC), from the John B. Hurford ‘60 Center for the Arts and Humanities (HCAH), or the Koshland Integrated Natural Sciences Center (KINSC).

Health Studies students have pursued a rich array of international internships, including programs in Mexico, Malawi, Nicaragua, Uganda, South Africa, and Thailand.

Faculty

Below are the core Bi-Co Health Studies faculty. Many other faculty at both institutions contribute courses to the program; see the Courses section for a full listing.

Core Faculty at Haverford

Kristin Lindgren
Director of College Writing Center and Visiting Assistant Professor of Writing

Lauren Minsky
Visiting Assistant Professor of Health Studies

Carol Schilling
Visiting Professor of the Writing Program and Health Studies

Anna West
Assistant Professor and Director of Health Studies

Core Faculty at Bryn Mawr

Laurel M. Peterson
Associate Professor of Psychology and Interim Program Director of Health Studies

Courses at Haverford

Africana Studies Courses

AFST H334 RACE AND POLITICAL ECONOMY OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES (1.0 Credit)

Division: Social Science
Domain(s): B: Analysis of the Social World

This course explores how race is intertwined with infectious diseases in producing persistent social and health inequalities in the U.S. and abroad. It will examine how human group difference is understood as a given and natural condition despite sociocultural, historical, political, and economic contexts that shape it. It will deal with incidents demonstrated racialized understanding of the body and racial discrimination and inequalities perpetuated in the context of HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, Ebola, Cholera and Covid 19. Crosslisted: AFST,ANTH. Pre-requisite(s): None. Lottery Preference: declared Health Studies minors, then African studies minors or Anthropology majors

Anthropology Courses

ANTH H265 MEDICAL ANTHROPOLOGY (1.0 Credit)

Michael D'Arcy

Division: Humanities
Domain(s): B: Analysis of the Social World

What does it mean to attempt a critical anthropology of the body, illness experience, disease etiology, healing practices, and the epistemology of contemporary biomedicine across a diverse group of cultures and traditions? This course seeks to begin to answer this and other questions by examining the historical development of the field of medical anthropology, exploring the theoretical and philosophical underpinnings of the debates that have shaped the field, and examining the methodological concerns and ethnographic investigations that have broadened the scope of its inquiry. Readings range from classical ethnographic writings, philosophical treatises, anthropological theory, indigenous philosophers, and first person accounts of illness and health.

(Offered: Fall 2024, Spring 2025)

ANTH H333 THE ANTHROPOLOGY OF MIGRATION AND GLOBAL MENTAL HEALTH: POLITICS, EPISTEMOLOGIES, CRITIQUES (1.0 Credit)

Michael D'Arcy

Division: Social Science
Domain(s): B: Analysis of the Social World

How should anthropologists think about the relationship between migration and ongoing debates in the international psychiatric community about global mental health in theory and practice? What happens when both people and ideas move across political borders, between institutions of care, and through the historical and intellectual borderlands that sit between different healing traditions? This course explores these and other related questions through a variety of readings in sociocultural and medical anthropology with a focus on the subjects of the politics of asylum, medical humanitarianism, and transcultural psychiatry. Crosslisted: HLTH. Pre-requisite(s): 200 level course in Anthropology, Heath Studies, History, Sociology, Political science, or Peace Justice and Human Rights. Lottery Preference: Anthropology and Health Studies seniors.

ANTH H334 RACE AND POLITICAL ECONOMY OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES (1.0 Credit)

Staff

Division: Social Science
Domain(s): B: Analysis of the Social World

ANTH H335 THE ANTHROPOLOGY OF ECSTASY: PSYCHE, SOMA, AND THE OUT-OF-BODY (1.0 Credit)

Michael D'Arcy

Division: Social Science
Domain(s): B: Analysis of the Social World

How should contemporary anthropology understand trance, possession, and ecstatic experience? Through course readings, we will interrogate normative understandings of the relationship between mind, body, and collective life via a range of classical and contemporary anthropological texts. Drawing upon diverse theoretical paradigms such as symbolic and structural anthropology, psychoanalysis, and phenomenology, we will explore the ways in which individual engagements with collective life act directly upon and constitute this mind/body interface, at times destabilizing it altogether. Crosslisted: HLTH. Pre-requisite(s): 200 level course in the social sciences Lottery Preference: I would prefer students who are majoring in anthropology and/or health studies be given preference.

ANTH H336 SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, MEDICINE, POWER: (DE)COLONIAL KNOWLEDGE PRODUCTION & EPISTEMOLOGICAL COMMUNITY (1.0 Credit)

Michael D'Arcy

Division: Social Science
Domain(s): B: Analysis of the Social World

This course traces the relationship between scientific knowledge production, notions of technological "progress," and political, economic, and institutional power through the disciplinary histories of anthropology and Science and Technology Studies. Texts will include STS classics that frame contemporary science and medicine as the products of political and economic history, as well as work in anthropology and STS that center non-western and indigenous traditions of knowledge and the voices of BIPOC and feminist scholars. Crosslisted: HLTH. Pre-requisite(s): Introductory level coursework in anthropology (sociocultural or medical) or health studies Lottery Preference: Anthropology, health studies, history, political science

(Offered: Spring 2025)

ANTH H338 THE ANTHROPOLOGY OF ADDICTION: SUBSTANCE, COMMUNITY, AND THE PROBLEM OF CARE (1.0 Credit)

Michael D'Arcy

Division: Social Science
Domain(s): B: Analysis of the Social World

This course explores the conceptual, methodological, and ethical complexities of marking “addiction” as an object of anthropological inquiry. Together we will investigate what anthropologists, medical doctors, public health scholars, and people living with addiction can gain from ethnographic research. We will ask: how can ethnography help us to better understand the degree to which the phenomenon of addiction is socially, culturally, and scientifically constructed but also experienced in intimate and often deeply painful ways? Crosslisted: HLTH.

(Offered: Fall 2024)

Biology Courses

BIOL H304 NEUROBIOLOGY OF AGING (0.5 Credit)

Division: Natural Science
Domain(s): C: Physical and Natural Processes

This course will take an in-depth look at age-related changes in the central nervous system (CNS), focusing on both neuronal and non-neuronal contributors. The relationship of these nervous system changes to age-related cognitive decline will be highlighted. Prerequisite(s): BIOL H200 and BIOL H201 with a grade of 2.0 or above.

BIOL H311 ADVANCED GENETIC ANALYSIS (0.5 Credit)

Nancy Maas

Division: Natural Science
Domain(s): C: Physical and Natural Processes

The molecular mechanisms governing the transmission, mutation and expression of genes. Particular emphasis is placed on the use of experimental genetic methods to analyze other areas of biology. Crosslisted: Biology, Health Studies Prerequisite(s): BIOL H200 and BIOL H201 with a grade of 2.0 or above, or instructor consent

(Offered: Spring 2025)

BIOL H311 ADVANCED GENETIC ANALYSIS (0.5 Credit)

Nancy Maas, Staff

Division: Natural Science
Domain(s): C: Physical and Natural Processes

(Offered: Spring 2025)

BIOL H320 MOLECULAR MICROBIOLOGY (0.5 Credit)

Jessica Comstock

Division: Natural Science
Domain(s): C: Physical and Natural Processes

A study of prokaryotic biology with emphasis on cell structure, gene organization and expression, which will incorporate selected readings from the primary literature. Topics include the bacterial and viral cell structure, the genetics of bacteria and bacteriophage, gene regulation, horizontal gene transfer and microbial genomics. The course will be taught via lecture, class presentation and discussion, and workshops. Prerequisite(s): BIOL H200A and H201B with a grade of 2.0 or above, or instructor consent

(Offered: Spring 2025)

BIOL H325 MOLECULAR VIROLOGY (0.5 Credit)

Eric Miller

Division: Natural Science
Domain(s): C: Physical and Natural Processes

This course will focus on the study of virus structure, genome organization, replication, and interactions with the host. Many different families of viruses will be highlighted, with an emphasis on those that infect humans, and specific viruses, especially those of clinical importance, will be incorporated as models within each family. Prerequisite(s): BIOL H200 and BIOL H201 with a grade of 2.0 or above, or instructor consent

BIOL H328 IMMUNOLOGY (0.5 Credit)

Kimberly Wodzanowski

Division: Natural Science
Domain(s): C: Physical and Natural Processes

This course will provide an introduction to the rapidly expanding discipline of immunology. Students will learn about the molecular and cellular basis of the immune response through the study of the genetics and biochemistry of antigen receptors, the biochemistry of immune cell activation, the cell physiology of the immune system, immune memory, immune tolerance induction and immune-mediated cell death. Prerequisite(s): BIOL H200 and BIOL H201 with a grade of 2.0 or above, or instructor consent.

(Offered: Fall 2024)

BIOL H337 PATHOGENIC MICROBIOLOGY (0.5 Credit)

Jessica Comstock

Division: Natural Science
Domain(s): C: Physical and Natural Processes

This course will examine the role of medically-significant pathogenic microorganisms in causing disease in humans and other animals. Viruses, bacteria, and fungi all can have devastating effects on their hosts, and modes of infection, host-microbe interactions, pathogenesis, anti-microbial treatments and the emergence of drug resistance will be examined at cellular and molecular levels for a variety of pathogens important in human and veterinary medicine. Pre-requisite(s): BIOL H200A and H201B with a grade of 2.0 or above, or instructor consent

Chemistry Courses

CHEM H222 ORGANIC BIOLOGICAL CHEMISTRY (1.0 Credit)

Alberto Lopez, Leah Seebald

Division: Natural Science
Domain(s): C: Physical and Natural Processes

Survey of organic chemistry reactions in an aqueous environment, highlighting transformations important for understanding the properties and reactivity of biomolecules in the cell, with emphasis on functional groups, acids and bases, chirality, energetics, reaction mechanisms, enzyme inhibitors and drug design. One lab per week required. One recitation per week required. Prerequisite(s): CHEM H111 or CHEM H113 or CHEM H115; and CHEM 104 or CHEM H112 or CHEM H114. Alternatively, students who have taken a two semester General Chemistry course elsewhere (for instance, CHEM B103 and CHEM B104) must, prior to the start of CHEM H222, demonstrate knowledge (by a self-scheduled exam) of common organic functional group structures and spectroscopic methods (as covered by CHEM H111, CHEM H113 and CHEM H115); students should contact the Department Chair the instructor immediately after preregistration to obtain access to a self-guided course centered on these topics.

(Offered: Fall 2024)

English Courses

ENGL H226 DISABILITY AND LITERATURE (1.0 Credit)

Danielle Allor

Division: Humanities
Domain(s): A: Meaning, Interpretation (Texts)

How are bodies and minds depicted as "normal" or "abnormal"? This course will address how bodily differences and impairments are given social meaning as disability, and how these disabilities are portrayed in literary genres including scripture, hagiography, poetry, drama, novels, short stories, and memoir. We study these depictions from the perspective of disability studies, a discipline that seeks to understand the cultural meanings and material realities of disability with respect to systems of oppression. Pre-requisite(s): Completion of the Writing Requirement

(Offered: Spring 2025)

ENGL H353 VICTORIAN POVERTY, ECOLOGY, AND PUBLIC HEALTH (1.0 Credit)

Stephen Finley

Division: Humanities
Domain(s): A: Meaning, Interpretation (Texts)

This course will be centered upon the homeless and working poor of the 1840s and 1850s as they are described in the literature and social documents of the period. We focus on the relationship between human destitution and environmental degradation. The course, often simply, is about sewers (or lack thereof) and sewage—about water, contamination, and epidemic disease.

History Courses

HIST H206 HEALTH AND MEDICINE IN MODERN AMERICAN HISTORY (1.0 Credit)

Division: Social Science
Domain(s): B: Analysis of the Social World

This course explores key themes in the history of medicine, health, and healing in the modern United States, including the evolution of the medical profession; the role of race, class, and gender in shaping medical ideas and practices; shifting burdens of disease; relationships between patients and practitioners; medical science and the rise of biomedicine; the social meanings of disease; relationships between medicine, industry, and public health; and hospitals and health insurance. Pre-requisite(s): None

HIST H258 PLAGUES, DISEASES, AND EPIDEMICS IN HISTORY (1.0 Credit)

Darin Hayton

Division: Social Science
Domain(s): A: Meaning, Interpretation (Texts); B: Analysis of the Social World

COVID joins a long list of epidemics that have terrified people, upended our comfortable existence, and been the source of fundamental disagreements (about cause, treatment, and reality). This course examines the theories and strategies that people developed to explain the advent and spread of individual plagues. Outbreaks of the Black Death, the French Disease (syphilis ?), various fevers, and deadly diseases provide opportunities to examine how societies understand, categorize diseases, and attempt to control.

HIST H310 POLITICAL TECHNOLOGIES OF RACE AND THE BODY (1.0 Credit)

Andrew Friedman

Division: Social Science
Domain(s): A: Meaning, Interpretation (Texts); B: Analysis of the Social World

This course examines the technologies, ideologies, and material strategies that have created and specified human beings as racialized and gendered subjects in the U.S. Readings cover biopolitics, disability studies, material culture, histories of disease, medicine, violence and industrialization. In our discussions and research, we will aim to decode the production of "reality" at its most basic and molecular level. Crosslisted: History, Health Studies

HIST H312 SICK CITY: URBAN HEALTH IN AMERICAN HISTORY (1.0 Credit)

Staff

Division: Social Science
Domain(s): B: Analysis of the Social World

This course examines cities as sites of public health concern in modern American history. We consider the meaning of “public health” as a distinct domain of action, expertise, and authority by thinking historically about why certain health problems have attracted public attention while others are seen as matters of private responsibility, how some urban spaces become sites of medical concern while others are neglected, and how race, class, and gender shape urban health interventions. Pre-requisite(s): HLTH H/B115, or any course in History, or permission of the instructor.

Health Studies Courses

HLTH H115 INTRODUCTION TO HEALTH STUDIES (1.0 Credit)

Lauren Minsky

Division: Social Science
Domain(s): B: Analysis of the Social World

The multidisciplinary foundation for the health studies minor. Students will be introduced to theories and methods from the life sciences, social sciences, and humanities and will learn to apply them to problems of health and illness. Topics include epidemiological, public health, and biomedical perspectives on health and disease; social, behavioral, and environmental determinants of health; globalization of health issues; cultural representations of illness; health inequalities, social justice, and the ethics of health as a human right.

(Offered: Fall 2024, Spring 2025)

HLTH H206 HEALTH AND MEDICINE IN MODERN AMERICAN HISTORY (1.0 Credit)

Staff

Division: Social Science
Domain(s): B: Analysis of the Social World

HLTH H214 MEMOIRS OF ILLNESS AND DISABILITY (1.0 Credit)

Carol Schilling

Division: Humanities
Domain(s): A: Meaning, Interpretation (Texts)

This seminar explores recent memoirs about a range of illnesses and disabilities written from the experiences of patients, family caregivers, and physicians. Our close reading will be attentive to both the personal/experiential and cultural/structural stories they tell. Prerequisite(s): First-Year Writing Seminar

(Offered: Spring 2025)

HLTH H215 SACRIFICE ZONES: EMPIRES, EPIDEMICS, AND CLIMATE CHANGES (1.0 Credit)

Lauren Minsky

Division: Social Science
Domain(s): B: Analysis of the Social World

Global health environments have been shaped by human activities of imperialism and globalization since antiquity. Explore the relationships between intensive agriculture and the cultivation of disease; trade and disease spread; industrial capitalism, metabolic disorders and cancers; and differential racial, gendered and class entitlements and life expectancy. Participate in debates over how to address humanity's current existential crisis, and learn about alternative approaches to “healing” global health environments that can be recycled from our global past. Pre-requisite(s): Intro to Health Studies (HLTH H115/HLTH B115) or permission of instructor. Lottery Preference: (1) Declared Health Studies minors, (2) Environmental Studies and/or History majors/minors

(Offered: Fall 2024)

HLTH H216 EPIDEMIC CITY: PHILADELPHIA FROM YELLOW FEVER TO COVID-19 (1.0 Credit)

Division: Social Science
Domain(s): B: Analysis of the Social World

This course will examine how Philadelphia and other American cities have responded to epidemic disease throughout history, and, in turn, how epidemic diseases have shaped urban space and urban life. As part of the Tri-Co Philly Program, the course will provide students with opportunities to engage with historical sites and institutions in Philadelphia on topics relating to epidemics such as yellow fever, influenza, HIV/AIDS, and COVID. Prerequisite(s): Priority in registration will be given to students participating in the Tri-Co Philly Program and Health Studies minors. Remaining seats are available to other Tri-Co students, by lottery, if demand exceeds remaining spaces in the course. If you are interested in the program, you must fill out the application, which is due on Friday, March 31 by 11:59 pm (https://www.haverford.edu/philly-program). The program includes registering for two of three program’s three courses: this course or Environmental Justice: Ethnography, Politics, Action/Philadelphia (ENVS 035/SOAN 035) or Public Art, Historical Preservation, and the Ethics of Commemoration (PHIL B234). Those not participating in the Philly program do not need to complete the application and can simply pre-register for a class. Lottery Preference: (1) Tri-Co Philly Cohort, (2) Health Studies minors.

HLTH H219 BREATHING TOGETHER: AIR, CAPITALISM, AND HEALTH (1.0 Credit)

Anna West

Division: Social Science
Domain(s): B: Analysis of the Social World

This course explores the history of public health approaches to the properties, pathogenic potential, and politics of shared air. We ask what it means to breathe together—as humans in a global economic system—at multiple scales, from interpersonal to institutional, industrial, and imperial. Topics include miasma, tuberculosis, industrial pollution, occupational health and gendered labor, household fuels, secondhand smoke, incinerators, megacities. Texts are drawn from history, public health, science and technology studies, geography, and anthropology. Pre-requisite(s): HLTH H/B115, a health-related writing seminar, or at least one course in the humanities or social sciences Lottery Preference: In descending order: 1. declared Health Studies minors 2. Sophomores 3. Anthropology majors and minors 4. Environmental Studies majors and minors

HLTH H226 RADICAL MEDICINE (1.0 Credit)

Staff

Division: Social Science
Domain(s): B: Analysis of the Social World

Novel social experiments of medicine can disrupt the existing healthcare system, enabling alternative political imaginations. Students will read ethnographies written by physician anthropologists or ethnographies about physicians caring vulnerable populations, including undocumented migrants, prisoners, and HIV/AIDS patients in developing countries. Crosslisted: Health Studies, Anthropology

HLTH H227 HEALTH & EXPERTISE IN AFRICA (1.0 Credit)

Division: Social Science
Domain(s): B: Analysis of the Social World

This class examines the politics of health in Africa with a focus on the diverse forms of health expertise practiced on the continent. We will consider the relationships between scientific and medical practices and broader political systems in Africa and the diaspora, investigate the interface between knowledge traditions emerging from within and outside the continent, and consider how experts attempt to intervene in the domain of health. Pre-requisite(s): HLTH 115 or instructor consent Lottery Preference: 1) declared health studies minors, 2) sophomores

HLTH H232 FOOD, HEALTH, & JUSTICE (1.0 Credit)

Staff

Division: Social Science
Domain(s): B: Analysis of the Social World

This class examines the complex connections between food, understandings of health, and social justice. The availability of sufficient, appealing, and healthy food is critical for human wellbeing, but what constitutes good food and what it means to thrive are each significantly shaped by social, cultural, and historical context. This class takes an interdisciplinary approach to situate food and health in their social and cultural contexts. Pre-requisite(s): HLTH 115 or instructor consent Lottery Preference: 1) declared health studies minors, 2) sophomores

HLTH H265 MEDICAL ANTHROPOLOGY (1.0 Credit)

Michael D'Arcy

Division: Humanities
Domain(s): B: Analysis of the Social World

(Offered: Fall 2024, Spring 2025)

HLTH H302 CARE AND SOCIAL ACTION IN CONTEXTS OF INEQUALITY (1.0 Credit)

Carol Schilling

Division: Social Science
Domain(s): B: Analysis of the Social World

This course brings together questions and texts about social justice, health, and social action, especially during health emergencies. The course integrates the humanities and social medicine through cross-disciplinary readings about witnessing and representing inequalities, cultural conceptions of health, structural determinants of health, and models of care. Will also draw on students’ own experiences giving and receiving care, on historical and current examples of care, and on literary and visual representations of caregiving.

HLTH H304 CRITICAL DISABILITY STUDIES: THEORY AND PRACTICE (1.0 Credit)

Kristin Lindgren

Division: Humanities
Domain(s): A: Meaning, Interpretation (Texts)

An examination of work in critical disability studies across a range of humanistic disciplines and an exploration of how disability theory and engaged community practice inform and shape one another. The course includes a weekly praxis partnership with the Center for Creative Works, a community artspace for artists with intellectual disabilities. Enrollment Limit: 15 Lottery Preference: Health Studies seniors

(Offered: Spring 2025)

HLTH H305 THE LOGIC AND POLITICS OF GLOBAL HEALTH (1.0 Credit)

Anna West

Division: Social Science
Domain(s): B: Analysis of the Social World

This course engages critically with changing intervention paradigms in global health from the late colonial period to the present. Topics include colonial and missionary medicine; sanitation and segregation; medicalization of reproduction; eradication campaigns; family planning; labor hierarchies; postcolonial technoscience; medical research. Prerequisite(s): HLTH 115 OR at least one course in anthropology or history OR permission of the instructor

(Offered: Fall 2024)

HLTH H309 TRAUMA, HISTORICAL MEMORY, AND EMBODIMENT (1.0 Credit)

Staff

Division: Humanities
Domain(s): A: Meaning, Interpretation (Texts); B: Analysis of the Social World

Historical memories of mass atrocity shape trauma and bodily experiences of present-day generations. This course is based on “hauntology,” the study of traumatic historical memories which affect contemporary psychological and political processes, with readings from anthropology, history, philosophy, psychoanalysis and sociology. Crosslisted: Health Studies, Anthropology Prerequisite(s): HLTH 115 OR a 200-level anthropology or history class OR permission of instructor

HLTH H310 POLITICAL TECHNOLOGIES OF RACE AND THE BODY (1.0 Credit)

Andrew Friedman

Division: Social Science
Domain(s): A: Meaning, Interpretation (Texts); B: Analysis of the Social World

HLTH H312 SICK CITY: URBAN HEALTH IN AMERICAN HISTORY (1.0 Credit)

Staff

Division: Social Science
Domain(s): B: Analysis of the Social World

HLTH H315 CANCER NARRATIVES (1.0 Credit)

Staff

Division: Social Science
Domain(s): B: Analysis of the Social World

Cancer is not merely the leading cause of mortality, but a significant metaphor to understand human experience in contemporary society. Despite triumphant hype of paradigm-shifts in clinical medicine, less attention has been paid to illness experiences of cancer patients, which cannot be reduced to numbers and diagnosis in description. Their living with uncertainties and hope, and navigating therapeutic and moral landscapes in resource-limited circumstances provide a lens to critically examine healthcare system and sociopolitical conditions. Pre-requisite(s): Any previous course in Health Studies

HLTH H316 MAKING AND MISTAKING RACE IN AMERICAN MEDICINE (1.0 Credit)

Anna West

Division: Social Science
Domain(s): B: Analysis of the Social World

This course examines the origins and development of American medical and scientific thinking about race. Drawing on histories of medicine, critical race theory, science and technology studies, sociology, and medical anthropology, we trouble the idea of race-as-biological-difference and explore the social construction of (pseudo)scientific knowledge about race, bodies, genes, and health. Students learn to historicize genomic and post-genomic discourses of racial difference, and develop communication strategies for confronting racial essentialism in medicine and public discourse. Pre-requisite(s): HLTH H115 or a 100-level course in Anthropology, Sociology, or History Lottery Preference: Senior Health Studies minors Junior Health Studies minors Africana Studies minors and concentrators Anthropology majors and minors

(Offered: Spring 2025)

HLTH H318 TRADITIONAL MEDICINE: HISTORIES AND ETHNOGRAPHIES (1.0 Credit)

Lauren Minsky

Division: Social Science
Domain(s): B: Analysis of the Social World

What is “traditional medicine” and why is it simultaneously revered, reviled and suppressed? How does traditional medicine relate to “antique” senses and sensibilities of an enchanted cosmos, seasonality and stewardship? How have people translated and transformed traditional medicine for a “modern” world? Does traditional medicine have relevance for the climate crisis and billionaires’ efforts to conjure transhumanism? Readings include TCM; Kampo; Talmudic Medicine; Ayurveda; Unani-tibb; Homeopathy; Sufi, Saint and Goddess cults; Yoga; and Nature Cure. Pre-requisite(s): HLTH 115, or any course in History, Anthropology or Religion, or permission of the instructor Lottery Preference: (1) Declared Health Studies seniors; (2) Declared Health Studies juniors; (3) History, Anthropology, Environmental studies, or Religion majors; (4) Everyone else.

(Offered: Fall 2024)

HLTH H319 METABOLIC DISORDERS (1.0 Credit)

Lauren Minsky

Division: Social Science
Domain(s): A: Meaning, Interpretation (Texts); B: Analysis of the Social World; C: Physical and Natural Processes

Life and death are animated by metabolism — the biochemical conversion of gases and matter into energy, and the reverse. We learn the current biochemistry of metabolism, and how social scientists draw upon scientific models of metabolism to explain how societies power production and exchange in ways that generate collective life, growth, disease and death. We then study pandemics of “metabolic disorders”, including diabetes, cardiac disease, cancer, IBD, autism, ADHD, schizophrenia, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and infertility. Pre-requisite(s): HLTH H115 or at least one course in the humanities or social sciences Lottery Preference: 1) Health Studies minors — seniors; 2) Health studies minors — juniors; 3) students with health-related independent majors; 4) Environmental studies majors; 5) Environmental studies minors

(Offered: Spring 2025)

HLTH H320 BIOPOLITICS: THE GOVERNANCE OF LIFE & DEATH (1.0 Credit)

Staff

Division: Social Science
Domain(s): B: Analysis of the Social World

Philosopher Michel Foucault described biopolitics as a kind of politics aimed at fostering life or disallowing it to the point of death. As such, this class considers “the politics of life itself.” After reading key texts in biopolitical theory, we will examine works by social scientists who analyze institutions and forms of expertise that take life as an object of knowledge or intervention in a variety of political and economic settings. Pre-requisite(s): HLTH 115 or instructor consent Lottery Preference: 1) declared health studies minors, 2) seniors

HLTH H333 THE ANTHROPOLOGY OF MIGRATION AND GLOBAL MENTAL HEALTH: POLITICS, EPISTEMOLOGIES, CRITIQUES (1.0 Credit)

Michael D'Arcy

Division: Social Science
Domain(s): B: Analysis of the Social World

HLTH H334 RACE AND POLITICAL ECONOMY OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES (1.0 Credit)

Staff

Division: Social Science
Domain(s): B: Analysis of the Social World

HLTH H335 THE ANTHROPOLOGY OF ECSTASY: PSYCHE, SOMA, AND THE OUT-OF-BODY (1.0 Credit)

Michael D'Arcy

Division: Social Science
Domain(s): B: Analysis of the Social World

HLTH H336 SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, MEDICINE, POWER: (DE)COLONIAL KNOWLEDGE PRODUCTION & EPISTEMOLOGICAL COMMUNITY (1.0 Credit)

Michael D'Arcy

Division: Social Science
Domain(s): B: Analysis of the Social World

(Offered: Spring 2025)

HLTH H338 THE ANTHROPOLOGY OF ADDICTION: SUBSTANCE, COMMUNITY, AND THE PROBLEM OF CARE (1.0 Credit)

Michael D'Arcy

Division: Social Science
Domain(s): B: Analysis of the Social World

(Offered: Fall 2024)

HLTH H398 SENIOR SEMINAR IN HEALTH STUDIES,SENIOR SEMINAR HEALTH STUDIES (1.0 Credit)

Anna West

Domain(s): ,B: Analysis of the Social World

Required culminating seminar, which integrates the three tracks of the Health Studies minor. Students share and critically assess their own and fellow students’ ongoing work to communicate across disciplines and understand the value and interconnectedness of different disciplinary approaches. Students present and defend their semester-long collaborative projects at the end of the course. Prerequisite(s): HLTH 115; students must be in their senior year and be declared Health Studies minors in good standing

(Offered: Fall 2024, Spring 2025)

HLTH H480 INDEPENDENT STUDY (1.0 Credit)

Michael D'Arcy

Prerequisite: Permission of instructor is required.

(Offered: Fall 2024, Spring 2025)

Mathematics Courses

MATH H203 STATISTICAL METHODS AND THEIR APPLICATIONS (1.0 Credit)

Lynne Butler

Division: Natural Science; Quantitative
Domain(s): C: Physical and Natural Processes

(Offered: Fall 2024)

Peace, Justice and Human Rights Courses

PEAC H201 APPLIED ETHICS OF PEACE, JUSTICE AND HUMAN RIGHTS (1.0 Credit)

Prea Persaud Khanna

Division: Humanities
Domain(s): A: Meaning, Interpretation (Texts); B: Analysis of the Social World

This course surveys major legal and ethical theories with a view to helping students understand arguments about peace, justice and human rights and formulate their own creative approaches to ethical problems. Theories will be applied to concrete problems of justice. No prerequisites.

(Offered: Spring 2025)

Psychology Courses

PSYC H242 CULTURAL PSYCHOLOGY (1.0 Credit)

Peiyao Chen

Division: Social Science
Domain(s): B: Analysis of the Social World

An examination of cultural variation in psychological processes, covering development, personality, social behavior, neuroscience and genetics, and acculturation and multiculturalism. Prerequisite(s): PSYC 100 or PSYC B105 or Psychology AP Score of 4 or instructor consent

PSYC H337 STRESS AND COPING (1.0 Credit)

Shu-wen Wang

Division: Social Science
Domain(s): B: Analysis of the Social World

An examination of theory and research on stress and coping processes, and their links with disease and mental health. Students will also learn and apply stress management techniques. Crosslisted: Psychology, Health Studies Prerequisite(s): PSYC H100 or PSYC B105 or Psychology AP Score 4, and one topical 200-level Psychology course (i.e., not PSYC H200, B205)

Sociology Courses

SOCL H217 QUALITATIVE RESEARCH METHODS (1.0 Credit)

Elise Herrala

Division: Social Science
Domain(s): B: Analysis of the Social World

This course examines and provides basic training in qualitative methods used in sociological research, including the application and conceptualization of theory, research design, sampling, strategies for framing research and interview questions, and data coding and analysis. Prerequisite(s): SOCL 155A or SOCL 155B, or instructor consent

Statistics Courses

STAT H203 STATISTICAL METHODS AND THEIR APPLICATIONS (1.0 Credit)

Lynne Butler, Weiwen Miao

Division: Natural Science; Quantitative
Domain(s): C: Physical and Natural Processes

An introduction to statistical methods used to analyze data in the natural and social sciences. It covers descriptive statistics, the binomial and normal distributions, expected value and variance, confidence intervals and hypothesis testing, comparison of two samples, regression, and analysis of variance. A required computer lab, using R, is taught alongside this course. Crosslisted: Mathematics, Statistics Prerequisite(s): MATH 118 or higher, placement into MATH 121 or higher, or instructor. consent. Students who have taken another introductory statistics course at Haverford or Bryn Mawr may only enroll in STAT 203 with instructor consent Enrollment Limit: 20,An introduction to statistical methods used to analyze data in the natural and social sciences. It covers descriptive statistics, the binomial and normal distributions, expected value and variance, confidence intervals and hypothesis testing, comparison of two samples, regression, and analysis of variance. A required computer lab, using R, is taught alongside this course. Crosslisted: Mathematics, Statistics Prerequisite(s): MATH 118 or higher, placement into MATH 121 or higher, or instructor consent. Students who have taken another introductory statistics course at Haverford or Bryn Mawr may only enroll in STAT 203 with instructor consent

(Offered: Fall 2024, Spring 2025)

Writing Program Courses

WRPR H105 THE POLITICS OF SELF-CARE (1.0 Credit)

Jess Libow

Division: First Year Writing

In this course, we’ll interrogate the relationships between self-care; politics; and physical, mental, and spiritual health by turning to three distinct moments in the history of American self-care: “self-reliance” in the 19th c. as articulated by Emerson and Thoreau; late 20th c activist groups including the Black Panther Party, the Boston Women’s Health Collective, and ACT UP; and contemporary understandings of self-care discourses such as wellness and the perspectives of those living with chronic illnesses. Pre-requisite(s): Placement by the Director of College Writing.

WRPR H120 EVOLUTIONARY ARGUMENTS (1.0 Credit)

Carol Schilling

Division: First Year Writing

From the eugenics movement of the early twentieth century to the present, scientists, ethicists, disability activists, and others have argued about the uses of increasingly sophisticated technologies for preventing certain inherited traits and enhancing others. We will track representative arguments in ethics, the court, social movements, and popular culture. How do these medical technologies intersect with cultural values and beliefs? How do they influence who will be included in the human community? Open only to first-year students as assigned by the Director of College Writing.

(Offered: Fall 2024, Spring 2025)

WRPR H135 HEALTH AND HUMANITIES (1.0 Credit)

Division: First Year Writing; Humanities

Over the last few decades, “medical humanities” and “health humanities” programs have been popping up in health professional schools across the country. In these courses, students study works of art, literature, history, and philosophy in the hopes that these endeavors will help them become better healthcare providers. But what exactly are “the humanities”? How do they differ from “the arts” or “humanity” itself? And how does a humanistic education benefit healthcare providers and their patients? Open only to first-year students as assigned by the Director of College Writing.

(Offered: Spring 2025)

WRPR H188 EPIDEMICS AND SOCIETY (1.0 Credit)

Staff

Division: First Year Writing

An examination of the ways epidemics are shaped by society, culture, and popular representation, using historical sources to explore the politics of disease narratives and how class, race, and identity influence responses to epidemics. Open only to first-year students as assigned by the Director of College Writing.

Courses at Bryn Mawr

Anthropology Courses

ANTH B312 ANTHROPOLOGY OF REPRODUCTION (1.0 Credit)

Melissa Pashigian

Division: Social Science

This course will examine how power in everyday life shapes reproductive behavior and how reproduction is culturally constructed. Through an examination of materials from different cultures, this course will look at how often competing interests within households, communities, states and institutions (at both the local and global levels) influence reproduction in society. We will explore the political economy of reproduction cross-culturally, how power and politics shape gendered reproductive behavior and how it is interpreted and used differently by persons, communities and institutions. Topics covered include but are not limited to the politics of family planning, mothering/parenting, abortion, pregnancy, pregnancy loss, fetal testing and biology and social policy in cross-cultural comparison. Prerequisite: ANTH 8102 (or ANTH H103) recommended

(Offered: Fall 2024)

ANTH B317 DISEASE AND HUMAN EVOLUTION (1.0 Credit)

Maja Šešelj

Pathogens and humans have been having an "evolutionary arms race" since the beginning of our species. In this course, we will examine how natural selection and other evolutionary forces shape our susceptibility to disease, and how we have adapted to resist disease. We will also address how concepts of Darwinian medicine impact our understanding of how people might be treated most effectively. We will focus on infectious and chronic diseases, and the anthropogenic effects contributing to the observed distribution of various diseases and illnesses, such as climate change and racism, and their interactions.

ANTH B331 MEDICAL ANTHRO SEMINAR: CRITICAL THINKING FOR CRITICAL TIMES (1.0 Credit)

Melissa Pashigian

Division: Social Science
Domain(s): B: Analysis of the Social World

Advanced Medical Anthropology: Critical Thinking for Critical Times explores theoretical and applied frameworks used in medical anthropology to tackle pressing problems in our world today. Coupled with topical subjects and ethnographic examples, this seminar will enable students to delve deeply into sub-specialization areas in the field of medical anthropology, including: global health inequalities, cross-border disease transmission, genomics, science and technology studies, ethnomedicine, cross-cultural psychiatry/psychology, cross-cultural bioethics, and ecological approaches to studying health and behavior, among others. No prior experience in medical anthropology is required. Prerequisite: Sophomore standing and higher.

Biology Courses

BIOL B201 GENETICS (1.0 Credit)

Tamara Davis

Division: Natural Science
Domain(s): C: Physical and Natural Processes

This course focuses on the principles of genetics, including classical genetics, population genetics and molecular genetics. Topics to be covered include the genetic and molecular nature of mutations and phenotypes, genetic mapping and gene identification, chromosome abnormalities, developmental genetics, genome editing and epigenetics. Examples of genetic analyses are drawn from a variety of organisms including Drosophila, C. elegans, mice and humans. Lecture three hours a week. Prerequisite: BIOL B110 and CHEM B104.

(Offered: Fall 2024)

BIOL B212 NUTRITIONAL PHYSIOLOGY (1.0 Credit)

Nutritional physiology covers the biochemical basis of energy metabolism, physiological processes in digestion and uptake, structure and function of the digestive tract, and the biochemical transformation of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins in the body. The course also addresses vitamins, mechanisms of organ- to organism-wide control, the gut microbiome, and major events in nutritional research, as well as topics on politics and sociocultural influences of agricultural practices, food production, its distribution, and factors in its consumption. The emphasis is on expanding the students' understanding of physiology, primarily through a human-focused approach. Prerequisite: completion of Biol 110 or 111.

BIOL B215 BIOSTATISTICS WITH R (1.0 Credit)

Seba De Bona

Division: Natural Science; Quantitative
Domain(s): C: Physical and Natural Processes

An introductory course in statistical analysis focusing on biological data. This course is structured to develop students' understanding of statistics and probability and when to apply different quantitative methods. The lab component focuses on how to implement those methods using the R statistics environment. Topics include summary statistics, distributions, randomization, replication, and probability. The course is geared around problem sets, lab reports, and interactive learning. No prior experience with programming is required. Suggested Preparation: BIOL B110 or B111 is highly recommended. Students who have taken PSYC B205/H200 or SOCL B265 are not eligible to take this course.

(Offered: Fall 2024)

BIOL B216 GENOMICS (1.0 Credit)

Barbara Bitarello

Division: Does not satisfy Haverford QU; Natural Science
Domain(s): C: Physical and Natural Processes

An introduction to the study of genomes and genomic data. This course will examine the history of this exciting field, the types of biological questions that can be answered using large biological data sets and complete genome sequences as well as the techniques and technologies that make such studies possible. Topics include genome organization and evolution, comparative genomics, and analysis of transcriptomes, with a focus on animal genomics and humans in particular. Prerequisite: One semester of BIOL 110. BIOL 201 highly recommended.

BIOL B255 MICROBIOLOGY (1.0 Credit)

Monica Chander

Division: Natural Science
Domain(s): C: Physical and Natural Processes

Invisible to the naked eye, microbes occupy every niche on the planet. This course will examine how microbes have become successful colonizers; review aspects of interactions between microbes, humans and the environment; and explore practical uses of microbes in industry, medicine and environmental management. The course will combine lecture, discussion of primary literature and student presentations. Three hours of lecture and three hours of laboratory per week. Prerequisites: BIOL 110 and CHEM B104.

(Offered: Spring 2025)

BIOL B271 DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY (1.0 Credit)

Gregory Davis

Division: Natural Science
Domain(s): C: Physical and Natural Processes

An introduction to embryology and the concepts of developmental biology. Concepts are illustrated by analyzing the experimental observations that support them. Topics include gametogenesis and fertilization, morphogenesis, cell fate specification and differentiation, pattern formation, regulation of gene expression, neural development, and developmental plasticity. The laboratory focuses on observations and experiments on living embryos. Lecture three hours, laboratory three scheduled hours a week; some weeks require additional hours outside of the regularly scheduled lab. Prerequisite: one semester of BIOL 110-111 or permission of instructor.

(Offered: Fall 2024)

BIOL B352 IMMUNOLOGY (1.0 Credit)

Adam Williamson

An introduction to immunology with a focus on the dynamic network of molecules and cells underlying the vertebrate immune response. This problem-based workshop course uses primary research articles and a curiosity-driven, open-ended laboratory research project to make sense of complicated biology and empower each student to build a big-picture view of this fast-moving, interdisciplinary field. Key themes include: immune cell specification and development; molecular recognition and immune cell signaling; generation of immunological memory; and cancer immunotherapies. Learning strategies include problem solving, small group discussion, and critical analysis of the primary literature. Three hours of class meetings and three hours of lab per week. Prerequisites: BIOL B110 and any 200-level course in Biology.

(Offered: Fall 2024)

Chemistry Courses

CHEM B242 BIOLOGICAL CHEMISTRY (1.0 Credit)

Ashlee Plummer-Medeiros

Division: Natural Science
Domain(s): C: Physical and Natural Processes

The structure, chemistry and function of amino acids, proteins, lipids, polysaccharides and nucleic acids; enzyme kinetics; metabolic relationships of carbohydrates, lipids and amino acids, and the control of various pathways. Lecture three hours a week. Prerequisite: CHEM B212 or CHEM H222.

(Offered: Fall 2024)

Data Science Courses

DSCI B314 ADVANCED DATA SCIENCE:REGRESSION & MULTIVARIATE STATISTICS (1.0 Credit)

Marc Schulz

This course is designed to improve your data science skills by introducing you to advanced statistical techniques that have become increasingly important in psychology and a variety of fields. The focus will be on understanding the advantages and limitations of regression approaches and multivariate analytic techniques that permit simultaneous prediction of multiple outcomes. Topics covered will include basic regression approaches, advanced regression strategies, structural equation modeling, factor analysis, measurement models, path modeling, modeling of longitudinal data sets, multilevel modeling approaches and growth curve modeling. Students will gain familiarity with these techniques by working with actual data sets. The last part of each class will be reserved for lab time to apply lessons from class to an assignment due the following week. Students are welcome to stay beyond the noon ending time to complete the assignment. Prerequisites: Required: PSYC Research Methods and Statistics 205 (BMC), Psych 200 (HC) Experimental Methods and Statistics, or BIOL B215 Experimental Design and Statistics. Students with good statistical preparation in math or other disciplines and some knowledge of core methods used in social science or health-related research should consult with the instructor to gain permission to take the class.This course was formerly numbered PSYC B314; students who previously completed PSYC B314 may not repeat this course.

(Offered: Fall 2024)

Economics Courses

ECON B214 PUBLIC FINANCE (1.0 Credit)

Prithvijit Mukherjee

Division: Social Science
Domain(s): B: Analysis of the Social World

Analysis of government’s role in resource allocation, emphasizing effects of tax and expenditure programs on income distribution and economic efficiency. Topics include sources of inefficiency in markets and possible government responses; federal budget composition; social insurance and antipoverty programs; U.S. tax structure and incidence. Prerequisites: ECON B105.

(Offered: Fall 2024)

History Courses

HIST B337 TOPICS IN AFRICAN HISTORY (1.0 Credit)

Kalala Ngalamulume

Division: Social Science
Domain(s): B: Analysis of the Social World

This is a topics course. Topics vary.

Health Studies Courses

HLTH B115 INTRODUCTION TO HEALTH STUDIES (1.0 Credit)

Arnav Bhattacharya

Division: Social Science
Domain(s): B: Analysis of the Social World

(Offered: Fall 2024, Spring 2025)

HLTH B398 SENIOR SEMINAR HEALTH STUDIES (1.0 Credit)

Adam Williamson

(Offered: Spring 2025)

Italian and Italian Studies Courses

ITAL B303 BOCCACCIO, THE PLAGUE, AND EPIDEMIC ILLNESS: LITERATURE AND MEDICINE (1.0 Credit)

Roberta Ricci

Division: Humanities

What are the responses to human suffering during outbreaks of epidemic illness? How can literature be a valuable tool for plague prevention in time of pestilence? This class explores crucial questions on how narrative works in medical contexts, with a focus on the Decameron and the black plague of 1348. Giovanni Boccaccio is the first writer to unite the literary topos of narration during a life-threatening situation with an historical epidemic context in Medieval Italy. How does he tell his stories in time of illness and death? How do writers and other storytellers respond to dominant versions of health and medicine? Taught in Italian.

(Offered: Spring 2025)

Political Science Courses

POLS B310 COMPARATIVE PUBLIC POLICY (1.0 Credit)

Carol Hager

Division: Social Science

A comparison of policy processes and outcomes across space and time. Focusing on particular issues such as health care, domestic security, water and land use, we identify institutional, historical, and cultural factors that shape policies. We also examine the growing importance of international-level policy making and the interplay between international and domestic pressures on policy makers. Writing attentive. Prerequisite: One course in Political Science or public policy.

Psychology Courses

PSYC B209 CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY (1.0 Credit)

Sarah Conlin

Division: Social Science
Domain(s): B: Analysis of the Social World

This course examines the experience, origins and consequences of psychological difficulties and problems. Among the questions we will explore are: What do we mean by abnormal behavior or psychopathology? What are the strengths and limitations of the ways in which psychopathology is assessed and classified? What are the major forms of psychopathology? How do psychologists study and treat psychopathology? How is psychopathology experienced by individuals? What causes psychological difficulties and what are their consequences? How do we integrate social, biological and psychological perspectives on the causes of psychopathology? Do psychological treatments (therapies) work? How do we study the effectiveness of psychology treatments? Prerequisite: Introductory Psychology (PSYC B105 or H100). Please note that this course was previously known as “Abnormal Psychology” and has now been renamed “Clinical Psychology" and can not be repeated for credit.

(Offered: Fall 2024, Spring 2025)

PSYC B231 HEALTH PSYCHOLOGY (1.0 Credit)

Magdalena Leszko

Division: Social Science
Domain(s): B: Analysis of the Social World

This course will provide an overview of the field of health psychology using lecture, exams, videos, assignments, and an article critique. We will examine the current definition of health psychology, as well as the theories and research behind many areas in health psychology (both historical and contemporary). The course will focus on specific health and social psychological theories, empirical research, and applying the theory and research to real world situations. Prerequisite: Introductory Psychology (PSYC B105) or Foundations of Psychology (PSYC H100). Students may take either this course or HLTH/PSYC H245 not both.

(Offered: Fall 2024)

PSYC B316 ADVANCED TOPICS IN NEUROSCIENCE (1.0 Credit)

This is a topics course. Topics content varies..Prerequisite: PSYC B218 or BIOL B202 or PSYC H217. PSYC 205 is strongly recommended.

PSYC B327 ADOLESCENT DEVELOPMENT (1.0 Credit)

Dustin Albert

Is adolescence a biologically distinct stage of life, or a social “holding ground” invented by modern culture for young people unready or unwilling to assume the responsibilities of adulthood? Are adolescents destined to make risky decisions because of their underdeveloped brains? At what age should they be held accountable as adults in a court of law? This course will explore these and other questions about the biological, social, and legal forces that define the boundaries and shape the experience of adolescents growing up in the modern world. Students will learn about: (1) historical changes in understanding and treatment of adolescents; (2) puberty-related biological changes marking the beginning of adolescence; (3) brain, behavioral, cognitive, and social development during adolescence; and (4) contemporary debates regarding age of adult maturity, and their implications for law and policy. Prerequisite: PSYC B206 (Developmental Psychology) or PSYC B211 (Lifespan Development) or permission or instructor. PSYC B205 is recommended.

PSYC B331 HEALTH BEHAVIOR AND CONTEXT (1.0 Credit)

Laurel Peterson

This seminar will be devoted to a discussion of theory and research in health psychology. We will investigate both historical and contemporary perspectives on the psychology of wellness and illness. We will begin with a consideration of how psychosocial forces influence health cognitions, behaviors, and physiological processes. The second half of the course will focus on contextual factors, interventions, and emerging topics in research. We will debate the question of whether/how psychological forces influence health outcomes. Prerequisite: PSYC B105 and PSYC B231 or PSYC B208, or by permission of the instructor.

PSYC B353 ADVANCED TOPICS IN CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY (1.0 Credit)

Sarah Conlin

Division: Social Science
Domain(s): B: Analysis of the Social World

This course provides an in-depth examination of research and theory in a particular area of clinical psychology. Topics will vary from year to year.

(Offered: Fall 2024)

Sociology Courses

SOCL B317 COMPARATIVE SOCIAL POLICY: CUBA, CHINA, US, SCANDINAVIA (1.0 Credit)

David Karen

Division: Social Science
Domain(s): B: Analysis of the Social World

This course will examine different countries' policy choices to address different societal challenges. Four societal types - socialist (Cuba), post-socialist (China), capitalist (US), and social-democratic (Scandinavia) - will be studies to help us understand how these different kinds of societies conceive of social problems and propose and implement attempted solutions. We will examine particular problems/solutions in four domains: health/sports; education; environment; technological development. As we explore these domains, we will attend to methodological issues involved in making historical and institutional comparisons

Academic Catalog 2024-2025

Health Studies (Bi-Co)

Learning Goals

General

Learning Goals: Three Core Tracks

M Track (Mechanisms of Disease and the Maintenance of the Healthy Body)

R Track (Cultural, Literary, and Visual Representations of Health and Illness)

S Track (Familial, Social, Civic, and Governmental Structures that Respond to Issues of Health and Disease)

Curriculum

Minor Requirements

Affiliated Programs

4+1 Bioethics Program with the University of Pennsylvania

Study Abroad and Internships

Faculty

Core Faculty at Haverford

Core Faculty at Bryn Mawr

Courses at Haverford

Africana Studies Courses

Anthropology Courses

Biology Courses

Chemistry Courses

English Courses

History Courses

Health Studies Courses

Mathematics Courses

Peace, Justice and Human Rights Courses

Psychology Courses

Sociology Courses

Statistics Courses

Writing Program Courses

Courses at Bryn Mawr

Anthropology Courses

Biology Courses

Chemistry Courses

Data Science Courses

Economics Courses

History Courses

Health Studies Courses

Italian and Italian Studies Courses

Political Science Courses

Psychology Courses

Sociology Courses