ABCS 2014-2015

Fall 2014 Undergraduate & Graduate ABCS Courses

Arts, Culture, and Humanities

MUSIC IN URBAN SPACES

MUSC 018-401/URBS 018-401 – Molly McGlone  

Freshman Seminar ; Fulfills the Cross Cultural Analysis Foundational Requirement  

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

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

THE BIG PICTURE: MURAL ARTS IN PHILADELPHIA

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

*Auditors need permission from instructors

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

WRITING OUT LOUD: AUGUST WILSON AND BEYOND

AFRC-309-401/THAR-250-401/ENGL-276-401- Suzana Berger

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

PHILADELPHIA AND THE GREAT MIGRATION

AFRC-229-401/HIST-231-401- Steven Hahn

This course is both an exploration of the African-American experience in Philadelphia around the time of the Great Migration and a partnership with a West Philadelphia school designed to take what we are discovering in our class and develop and implement history learning projects for K-12 students.

FRANKLIN COMMUNITY SEMINAR

URBS-305-301-Kent Bream

*Harnwell House Seminar; Permission needed from Instructor; Two terms- student must enter first term

The Urbs 305 seminar in which all Franklin Community residents will participate and act as a linchpin for the community's shared understanding of theory and action, as related to the goals of the Franklin Community: "A learning and living community dedicated to the issues of social justice, civic engagement, entrepreneurship, and intercultural understanding". This course is restricted to residents of the Franklin Community only.

ANTHROPOLOGY AND POLICY: HISTORY, THEORY, PRACTICE

ANTH-305-401/URBS-409-401/ANTH-609-401- Gretchen Suess

From the inception of the discipline, anthropologists have applied their ethnographic and theoretical knowledge to policy issues concerning the alleviation of practical human problems. This approach has not only benefited peoples in need but it has also enriched the discipline, providing anthropologists with the opportunity to develop new theories and methodologies from a problem-centered approach. The class will examine the connection between anthropology and policy, theory and practice (or 'praxis'), research and application. We will study these connections by reading about historical and current projects. As an ABCS course, students will also volunteer in a volunteer organization of their choice in the Philadelphia area, conduct anthropological research on the organization, and suggest ways that the anthropological approach might support the efforts of the organization.

LATINOS IN THE UNITED STATES
SOCI-266-401/LALS-235-401- Emilio Parrado

Fulfills the Cultural Diversity in the U.S. Requirement
This course presents a broad overview of the Latino population in the United States that focuses on the economic and sociological aspects of Latino immigration and assimilation. Topics to be covered include: construction of Latino identity, the history of U.S. Latino immigration, Latino family patterns and household structure, Latino educational attainment. Latino incorporation into the U.S. labor force, earnings and economic well-being among Latino-origin groups, assimilation and the second generation. To better understand the Latino experience in a deeper way, students have the option to volunteer with Casa Monarca, a Mexican cultural center in South Philadelphia.

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

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

VISUAL LEGAL ADVOCACY CLINIC: DOCUMENTARIES AND THE LAW
LAW-979-001- Regina Austin
*Open to students in ALL schools
Visual Legal Advocacy Seminar introduces law students to the art of making short nonfiction advocacy films on behalf of local, individual clients and/or nonprofit groups seeking to advance the cause of social justice. Students will also engage with scholars from other disciplines who make films about community life and deal with issues of “image ethics” as well as reach out to local community leaders and activists from Philadelphia who might be interested in collaborating on a visual legal advocacy project.   

HEARING AFRICA: OLD AND NEW DIASPORA

MUSC-016-401/AFRC-016-401/AFST-016-401/COML-015-401- Carol Muller

Using live and recorded performance as the starting point, this seminar will examine the relationship between contemporary Africa and its diasporas through musical performance. Students will engage with ideas about the old (as shaped by slavery) and new (shaped by colonialism, globalization, migration) African diasporas by reading current literature, listening to pieces of the recorded archive, hearing from musicians, attending live perfomances on campus and in the city of Philadelphia, and writing about them. Will have ABCS component. Students must be avaiable for five evening performances.

STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics)

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

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

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

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

SOFTWARE ENGINEERING

CIS-573-001- Chris Murphy

Prerequisites: CIT 591 and 593, or CIS 120, 121, and 240, or equivalent; proficiency in Java

Writing a “program” is easy.  Developing a “software product,” however, introduces numerous challenges that make it a much more difficult task. This course will look at how professional software engineers address those challenges, by investigating best practices from industry and emerging trends in software engineering research. Topics will focus on software maintenance issues, including: test case generation and test suite adequacy; code analysis verification and model checking; debugging and fault localization; refactoring and regression testing; and software design and quality.

Community Health

AIR POLLUTION: SOURCES & EFFECTS IN URBAN ENVIRONMENTS
ENVS-411-001- Maria-Antonia Andrews & Marilyn Howarth

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

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

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

URBAN ENVIRONMENTS: SPEAKING ABOUT LEAD IN WEST PHILADELPHIA
ENVS-404-401/HSOC-404-401- Richard Pepino

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

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

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

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

Prerequisites: ENVS 200, GEOL 100 or equivalent
An academically-based curriculum service learning approach to using water, science and politics to create a sustainable Philadelphia, this course will provide an overview of the cross-disciplinary fields of civil engineering, environmental sciences, urban hydrology, landscape architecture, green building, public outreach and politics. Students will be expected to conduct field investigations, review scientific data and create indicator reports, working with stakeholders and presenting the results at an annual symposium. This course will define the current issues of the urban ecosystem and how we move toward managing this system in a sustainable manner. We will gain an understanding of the dynamic, reciprocal relationship between practices in an watershed and its waterfront. Topics discussed include: drinking water quality and protection, green infrastructure, urban impacts of climate change, watershed monitoring, public education, creating strategies and more.

URBAN ASTHMA EPIDEMIC
ENVS-408-401/HSOC-408-401- Mick Kulik & Anthony Ierardi

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

Public Schools

TUTORING IN URBAN PUBLIC ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS: A CHILD DEVELOPMENT PERSPECTIVE
EDUC-326-401/URBS-326-401- John Fantuzzo

*Permission Needed from Department
Students will be studying early childhood development and learning while providing direct, one-to-one tutoring services to young students in Philadelphia public elementary schools. The course will cover foundational dimensions of the cognitive and social development of preschool and elementary school students from a multicultural perspective. The course will place a special emphasis on the multiple contexts that influence children's development and learning and how aspects of classroom environment (i.e., curriculum and classroom management strategies) can impact children's achievement.

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

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

MULTICULTURAL ISSUES IN EDUCATION
EDUC 723-001/EDUC 723-401– Vivian Gadsden

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

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

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

Promoting College Access and Democracy

ACCESS AND CHOICE IN AMERICAN HIGHER EDUCATION
EDUC-541-001- Laura Perna

College enrollment is a complex process that is shaped by the economic, social and policy context, higher education institutions, K-12 schools, families, and students. The course will examine the theoretical perspectives that are used to understand college access and choice processes. The implications of various policies and practices for college access and choice will also be explored, with particular attention to the effects of these policies for underrepresented groups. As an Academically Based Community Service (ABCS) course, this course is also designed to generate tangible recommendations that program administrators and institutional leaders may use to improve college access and choice.

INTERDISCPLINARY CHILD ADVOCACY CLINIC: ENRICHING ADOLESCENT DEVELOPMENT THROUGH INTEGRATED COMMUNITY EDUCATION
LAW-649-001-Kara Finck & Diane Smith-Hoban

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

FACULTY/STUDENT COLLABORATIVE ACTION: SEMINAR IN URBAN UNIVERSITY/COMMUNITY RELATIONS 
HIST 173-401/URBS 178-401/AFRC 078-401 – Ira Harkavy & Theresa Simmonds

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

 

Spring 2015 Undergraduate & Graduate ABCS Courses

Arts, Culture, and Humanities

PUBLIC ART, PERFORMANCE, AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT 

THAR-275-301 - Jim Schlatter 

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

ASIAN AMERICAN COMMUNITIES 

ASAM-205-401/URBS-207-401- Fariha Khan 

Who is Asian American and how and where do we recognize Asian America? This interdisciplinary course explores the multiple factors that define Asian American identity and community. In order to provide a sketch of the multifacted experience of this growing minority group, we will discuss a wide variety of texts from scholarly, artistic, and popular (film, cinematic) sources that mark key moments in the cultural history of Asia America. The course will address major themes of community life including migration history, Asian American as model minority, race, class, and transnational scope of Asian America. In combination with the readings, this class will foster and promote independent research based on site visits to various Asian American communities in Philadelphia and will host community leaders as guest lecturers. 

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

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

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

MUSIC IN URBAN SPACES 

MUSC-018-401/URBS-018-401 – Molly McGlone   

Freshman Seminar; Fulfills the Cross Cultural Analysis Foundational Requirement   

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

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

THE BIG PICTURE: MURAL ARTS IN PHILADELPHIA 

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

*Auditors need permission from instructors 

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

FRANKLIN COMMUNITY SEMINAR 

URBS-305-301 - Kent Bream 

*Harnwell House Seminar; Permission needed from Instructor; Two terms- student must enter first term 

The URBS 305 seminar in which all Franklin Community residents will participate and act as a linchpin for the community's shared understanding of theory and action, as related to the goals of the Franklin Community: "A learning and living community dedicated to the issues of social justice, civic engagement, entrepreneurship, and intercultural understanding". This course is restricted to residents of the Franklin Community only. 

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

COLL-135-301-Sue Weber

Communication Within the Curriculum (CWIC) course 

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

CREATIVE NON-FICTION: ESSAY, BLOG, TWEET: NON-FICTION NOW! 

ENGL-135-402/AFRC-134-402 - Lorene Cary 

This class is designed to advance students’ writing practice, discipline, and workshop and critiquing skills. Student writers will create non-fiction narrative in several forms: blogs, memoir, interviews, Q&As, essays.  We will play with promotion, video, and social marketing, even grant proposals, advertisements, public service announcements, queries, and photo captions—all the forms that writers actually use throughout careers of deep reflection followed by hustle-and-pitch. The class will act as an editorial group for SafeKidsStories.org, a site to be launched in the fall of 2015. The idea is to depict safety with the specificity and drama that we usually reserve for conflict. Your writing will explore Big Questions about the social, emotional, relational and physical structures that affect our children and youth; your research, interviews, reporting, and experience will discover and share solutions. 

THE NEW AFRICAN DIASPORA: AFRICAN IMMIGRANT LIVES IN WEST PHILADELPHIA 

AFST-167-601/HIST-167-601/URBS-167-601/AFRC-167-601- Cheikh Babou and Lee Cassanelli

This seminar will examine the experiences of recent African immigrants and refugees in Philadelphia in an historical and comparative framework.   We will employ a variety of sources--newspapers, census data, legal briefs, literature and film, and diaspora internet sites--to explore the lives, aspirations, and perceptions of Philadelphia's African residents.  There will be opportunities for dialogue with high school students, teachers, and parents; with representatives of African community and business organizations; and with local government and service agencies.  Students will be required to do a final project which involves volunteering with an African immigrant non-profit or business and/or conducting focused research on specific African communities in Philadelphia. 

PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION

PHIL-249-401/GSWS-249-401- Karen Detlefsen

The content of the course may include the following themes: uncovering philosophical aspects of current movements in the USA to reform education (including philosophical aspects of Teach for America and the charter school movement); thinking about how much control over a child's education ought to be allocated to parents and how much to the state; considering what role, if any, religion ought to play in education; considering how race and gender impact individuals' educational experiences (and how such issues should be addressed in the classroom); thinking about what sort of (if any) civic education ought to be taught in schools; and considering how schools should be funded. We may also deal with more traditional themes in the philosophy of education such as the aims of education, the relation between theories of human nature and education, and the relation between theories of knowledge and education. Students will work with Philadelphia high school students to prepare them to present their own original work on the philosophy of education at a conference to be held at Penn in May 2015. Penn students will be assessed on their own written and other work for the course, and in no way on the written or oral work of the high school students.  

STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics)

ELEMENTARY SOCIAL STUDIES AND SCIENCE METHODS 

EDUC-421-001/ENVS-421-001-NancyLee Bergey 

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

SOFTWARE ENGINEERING 

CIS-350-001-Chris Murphy

You know how to write a "program". But how do you create a software "product" as part of a team, with customers that have expectations of functionality and quality? This course introduces students to various tools (source control, automated build systems, programming environments, test automation, etc.) and processes (design, implementation, testing, and maintenance) that are used by professionals in the field of software engineering. Topics will include: software development lifecycle; agile and test-driven development; source control and continuous integration; requirements analysis; object-oriented design and testability; Android application development; software testing; refactoring; and software quality metrics. 

STEM CELL SCIENCE IN SCHOOLS: HISTORY, ETHICS, AND EDUCATION 

HSOC-302-001-Jamie Shuda 

This course will provide University of Pennsylvania and local Philadelphia High School students with the opportunity to learn fundamental biology concepts and apply them in a hands-on, inquiry-based approach that is also attentive to society, history and social context. Biological sciences have long been deeply engaged with social issues, and our topics for this course reflect their relevance to everyday life. Topics of this course will include, but are not limited to, cell development and stem cell biology, which form the basis of the emerging field of Regenerative Medicine.  

Community Health

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

PUBH-588-401/NURS-587-401- Heather Klusaritz, Katherine Margo, and Terri Lipman  *Undergraduates need permission

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

PUBLIC INTEREST ETHNOGRAPHY

ANTH-516-401/AFST-516-401/GSWS-516-401/URBS-516-401- Gretchen Suess

This is a Public Interest Ethnography workshop (originally created by Peggy Reeves Sanday - Department of Anthropology) that incorporates an interdisciplinary approach to exploring social issues. Open to graduate and advanced undergraduate students, the workshop is a response to Amy Gutmann's call for interdisciplinary cooperation across the University and to the Department of Anthropology's commitment to developing public interest research and practice as a disciplinary theme. Rooted in the rubric of public interest social science, the course focuses on: 1) merging problem solving with theory and analysis in the interest of change motivated by a commitment to social justice, racial harmony, equality, and human rights; and 2) engaging in public debate on human issues to make research results accessible to a broader audience. The workshop brings in guest speakers and will incorporate original ethnographic research to merge theory with action. Students are encouraged to apply the framing model to a public interest research and action topic of their choice. This is an academically-based-community-service (ABCS) course that partners directly with Penn's Netter Center Community Partnerships.

HEALTHY SCHOOLS 

PSCI-335-401/HSOC-335-401 - Mary Summers & Jane Kauer 

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

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

COMMUNITY BASED ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH 

ENVS-406-401/HSOC-406-401- Richard Pepino & Marilyn Howarth

Benjamin Franklin Seminar 

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

URBAN ENVIRONMENTS: PREVENTION OF TOBACCO SMOKING IN ADOLESCENTS 

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

Communication with the Curriculum (CWIC) Course 

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

PSYCHOLOGY OF FOOD 

PSYCH-070-001- Paul Rozin 

*Permission needed from the instructor; Benjamin Franklin Scholars Course

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

PEDIATRIC ACUTE CARE NURSE PRACTICIONER: PROFESSIONAL ROLE AND INTERMEDIATE CLINICAL PRACTICE: DANCE FOR HEALTH 

NURS-735-001- Terri Lipman 

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

FOOD HABITS IN PHILADELPHIA COMMUNITIES 

ANTH-252-401/URBS-352-401- Jane Kauer 

In this course, Penn undergraduates will explore and examine food habits, the intersection of culture, family, history, and the various meanings of food and eating, by working with a middle-school class in the Philadelphia public schools. The goal of the course will be to learn about the food habits of a diverse local community, to explore that community's history of food and eating, and to consider ways and means for understanding and changing food habits. Middle school students will learn about the food environment and about why culture matters when we talk about food. Topics include traditional and modern foodways, ethnic cuisine in America, food preferences, and 'American cuisine'. The course integrates classroom work about food culture and anthropological practice with frequent trips to middle school where undergraduates will collaborate with students, their teachers, and a teacher partner from the Agatson Urban Nutrition Initiative (AUNI). Students will be required to attend one of two time blocks each week to fulfill the service learning requirement-times TBA. Undergraduates will be responsible for weekly writing assignments responding to learning experience in the course, for preparing materials to use middle school children, being participant-learners with the middle school children, and for a final research project. The material for the course will address the ideas underlying university-community engagement, the relationships that exist between food/eating and culture, and research methods. 

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

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

HEALTH PROMOTION INTRODUCTION

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

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

LOCAL & GLOBAL PUBLIC & COMMUNITY HEALTH

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

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

PRACTICUM IN COMMUNITY HEALTH PROMOTION I

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

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

PRACTICUM IN COMMUNITY HEALTH PROMOTION II

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

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

Public Schools

TUTORING IN SCHOOLS: THEORY AND PRACTICE

EDUC-323-401/URBS-323-401-Jacqueline Kasher 

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

REFORMING PHILADELPHIA SCHOOLS: A RESEARCH PRACTICUM ON COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT 

EDUC-545-012-Rand Quinn *Open to undergraduate and graduate students

This course provides a unique opportunity for students to directly contribute to public school improvement efforts in Philadelphia. Teams of students will consult with a local school and conduct actionable reserach with broad policy relevance to the community engagement in education field. The capston of the semester will be a student reserach symposium open to the general public. Suitable for graduate and undergraduate students with an interest in education, policy, and civil society.

URBAN EDUCATION

URBS-202-401/EDUC-202-401- Paul Skilton-Sylvester

Fulfills the Culture and Diversity in the United States Foundational Requirement

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

ELEMENTARY SOCIAL STUDIES AND SCIENCE METHODS 

EDUC-421-001/ENVS-421-001-NancyLee Bergey 

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

Promoting College Access and Democracy 

ACCESS AND CHOICE IN AMERICAN HIGHER EDUCATION

EDUC-541-001- Laura Perna

College enrollment is a complex process that is shaped by the economic, social and policy context, higher education institutions, K-12 schools, families, and students. The course will examine the theoretical perspectives that are used to understand college access and choice processes. The implications of various policies and practices for college access and choice will also be explored, with particular attention to the effects of these policies for underrepresented groups. As an Academically Based Community Service (ABCS) course, this course is also designed to generate tangible recommendations that program administrators and institutional leaders may use to improve college access and choice.

INTERFAITH DIALOGUE IN ACTION

EDUC-598-001- Kathleen Hall & Stephen Kocher

This ABCS course explores religious pluralism and interfaith dialogue and action on college campuses. It brings together students with diverse faith commitments (including atheism) to engage with and learn from one another in academic study, dialogue, and service.

VISUAL LEGAL ADVOCACY CLINIC: DOCUMENTARIES AND THE LAW 

LAW-979-001- Regina Austin

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

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

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

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

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

INTERDISCIPLINARY CHILD ADVOCACY CLINIC: ENRICHING ADOLESCENT DEVELOPMENT THROUGH INTEGRATED COMMUNITY EDUCATION 

 LAW-649-001-Kara Finck & Diane Smith-Hoban

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