ABCS 2016-2017

Fall 2016 ABCS Courses

Undergraduate Courses

NUTRITION THROUGHOUT THE LIFE CYCLE-NURS-375-001 Monique Dowd
*Prerequisites: NURS 054, NURS 112, or comparable nutrition or introductory course
Understanding and meeting nutritional needs from conception through adulthood will be addressed. Nutrition-related concerns at each stage of the lifecycle, including impact of lifestyle, education, economics and food behavior will be explored. As an ABCS course, students will be given the opportunity to address a real world nutrition-related issue in West Philadelphia in collaborations with Penn and/or local programs. Students will work in West Philadelphia with either senior citizens in the LIFE Program or K-8 students through the Agatston Urban Nutrition Initiative's Fruit Stands for 2-4 hours/week outside of classtime.

URBAN EDUCATION
2 classes: EDUC-202-001 AJ Schiera & URBS-202-301 Michael Clapper

Fulfills the Culture and Diversity in the United States Foundational Requirement; Requirement for the Urban Education Minor
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 Community School Student Partnerships, a student-led group that supports school day and afterschool programs in one-on-one and/or group settings at our West Philadelphia University-Assisted Community Schools. Students should expect to commit 2-4 hours outside of classtime per week.

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 outside of regular classtime.

MUSIC IN URBAN SPACES- MUSC 018-402/URBS 018-402 – 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. Students should expect to support music programming at either Lea or West for 2-4 hours a week outside of regular classtime.

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. Students spend half of their weekly lecture hours mastering physics fundamentals and preparing lesson plans. The other half will be spent implementing lessons at school sites in West Philadelphia and other city schools.

THE POLITICS OF FOOD & AGRICULTURE- PSCI-135-401/HSOC-135-401- Mary Summers 
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. Students should expect to commit an additional 2-4 hours/week to their service placement in addition to regular classtime.

AUGUST WILSON AND BEYOND: PERFORMANCE IN THE AFRICAN DIASPORA
AFRC-325-401/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. Students are expected to attend several events throughout the semester with WPCA members, conduct oral interviews outside of classtime, and develop a monologue to be performed at the end of the semester before WPCA members, interviewees, and the rest of the University community.

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 Elementary School in West Philadelphia), about air pollution. Students should expect to commit an additional 2-4 hours/week to their service placement in addition to regular class time.

EDUCATION IN AMERICAN CULTURE- EDUC-240-001 Brian Peterson
This course explores the relationships between forms of cultural production and transmission (schooling, family and community socialization, peer group subcultures and media representations) and relations of inequality in American society. Working with a broad definition of "education" as varied forms of social learning, we will concentrate particularly on the cultural processes that produce as well as potentially transform class, race, ethnic and gender differences and identities. From this vantage point, we will then consider the role that schools can and/or should play in challenging inequalities in America. Students will have the option of volunteering at a local school or community organization in addition to regular coursework.

URBAN ENVIRONMENTS: SPEAKING ABOUT LEAD IN WEST PHILADELPHIA
ENVS-404-401/HSOC-404-401- Richard Pepino & Catherine Klinger Kutcher
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. Students in this class should expect to spend 2-4 hours/week outside of regular class time to teach lessons in groups at local schools.

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

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

NURSING IN THE COMMUNITY -NURS-380-001-Alison Buttenheim and Monica Harmon
Prerequisites: NURS 225; NURS 235; NURS 245; NURS 255
This course considers how nursing influences the health and healing capacities of both communities as a whole (populations) and of groups, families, and individuals living within particular communities locally and globally. It addresses the complexity of nursing practice using a public health paradigm. It requires students to draw from prior class and clinical knowledge and skills and apply this practice base to communities across care settings, ages, and cultures with different experiences of equity and access to care. It provides the tools needed to engage in collaborative community work and to give voice to the community's strengths, needs, and goals. It also moves students from an individual and family focus to a population focus for health assessment and intervention. Students consider the science, policies, and resources that support public health, and community based and community-oriented care. Clinical and simulated experiences in community settings provide sufficient opportunities for clinical reasoning, clinical care and knowledge integration in community settings. Students will have opportunities to care for patients and populations within selected communities. Site placement options vary year by year, but students should expect to commit approximately 8-10 hours at sites outside of regular class time over the course of the semester.

URBAN ASTHMA EPIDEMIC- ENVS-408-401/HSOC-408-401- Mick Kulik
Communication with the Curriculum (CWIC) Course

Asthma as a pediatric chronic disease is undergoing a dramatic and unexplained increase. It has become the number one cause of public school absenteeism and now accounts for a significant number of childhood deaths each year in the USA.. In ENVS 408, Penn undergraduates learn about the epidemiology of urban asthma, the debate about the probable causes of the current asthma crisis, and the nature and distribution of environmental factors that modern medicine describes as potential triggers of asthma episodes. Penn students will collaborate with the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) on a clinical research study entitled the Community Asthma Prevention Program. The Penn undergraduates will co-teach with CHOP parent educators asthma classes offered at community centers in Southwest, West, and North Philadelphia. The CHOP study gives the Penn students the opportunity to apply their study of the urban asthma epidemic to real world situations. Students will also team teach lessons at local West Philadelphia schools. Students should expect to commit 2-4 hours/week outside of regular class time to site placements.

LATINOS IN THE UNITED STATES-SOCI-266-401/LALS-235-401- Amada Armenta
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. Students who select the ABCS option should expect to spend 2-4 hours/week outside of class time at the partner sites.

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. Students who select the ABCS option should expect to spend 2-4 hours/week outside of class time at the partner site.

ESSAY, BLOG, TWEET: NON-FICTION NOW! -ENGL-134-402/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. If we do the job right, we will shine a light on people in our midst creating structures of safety for kids in an era of fear. If we make it fun to read, look at, and listen to, too, then, like a few historic college courses that participate substantively in their communities, we'll be on our way to stealth culture change.

COMMUNITY ALGEBRA INITIATIVE- MATH 122-001 - Idris Stovall
This course allows Penn students to teach a series of hands-on activities to students in math classes at high schools in West Philadelphia.  The semester starts with an introduction to successful approaches for teaching math in urban high schools.  The rest of the semester will be devoted to a series of weekly hands-on activities designed to teach fundamental aspects of geometry.  In the first class meeting of each week, Penn faculty will teach Penn students the relevant mathematical background and techniques for a hands-on activity. During the second session of each week, Penn students will teach the hands-on activity to small groups of high school students. Penn students will also have an opportunity to develop their own activities and implement them with the high school students.

Undergraduate/Graduate Courses

OBESITY AND SOCIETY- NURS-313-401/NURS-513-401- Monique Dowd
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, including Fruit Stand, Cooking Crew, and the granola bar social enterprise Rebel Ventures. This course satisfies the Society & Social Structures Sector for Nursing Class of 2012 and Beyond. Students should expect to commit 2-4 hours/week outside of regular class time to site placements.

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.

ETHNOGRAPHIC FILMMAKING - EDUC-545-007 Amitanshu Das & Kathleen Hall
The workshop project has been developed in collaboration with the School District of Philadelphia, camra (http://camrapenn.org), PennGSE and GSE Films (www.gse.upenn.edu/gsefilms). In January 2015, the School District of Philadelphia (PSD) approached PennGSE to engage in a partnership project to produce videos highlighting the unique programming in individual District high schools. The goal of these videos is to address a problem related to school choice in the PSD. Each year students transitioning from middle school to high school tend to apply for admission to only four or five of the District’s 53 high schools. The District’s objective in creating these videos is to provide parents and transitioning students with additional information to assist them in considering a broader range of high schools to determine which school fits best with the student’s college or career aspirations and academic interests and needs. Meetings between PSD and GSE Films resulted in a pilot project conducted in Spring 2015. Amit Das with two students produced two videos focusing on the Philadelphia Military Academy (PMA) (a 15-second Instagram video, and a 3-4 minute informational documentary). In this course we will continue this work in partnership with the PSD to produce additional films on District high schools. Engagement in this project will simultaneously enable PennGSE to contribute to District improvement efforts while providing students with an opportunity to gain knowledge about and experience in producing film. In the course of producing these videos, we will explore the affordances and challenges of engaging in action research and in using film as a vehicle for ethnographic representation. We will also consider the broader challenges the District and its high schools are facing in this era of neoliberal reform. In producing the films, we will work collaboratively with District and school administrators, teachers, and high school students. 

THE BIG PICTURE: MURAL ARTS IN PHILADELPHIA -FNAR-222-401/URBS-322-401/FNAR-622-401- Jane Golden Heriza & Shira Walinsky
*Auditors need permission from instructors

The history and practice of the contemporary mural movement couples step by step analysis of the process of designing with painting a mural. In addition, students will learn to see mural art as a tool for social change. Students will design and paint a large outdoor mural in West Philadelphia in collaboration with Philadelphia high school students and community groups. Students should expect to commit approximately 8-10 hours at sites outside of regular class time over the course of the semester.

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 be used to improve college access and choice.

ANTHROPOLOGY AND PRAXIS ANTH-318-601/ANTH-518-601 Gretchen Seuss
This course focuses on real world community problems, engaged scholarship, and the evaluation of actively-running Penn programs intended to improve social conditions in West Philadelphia. Two trends emerge in public interest social science that students will explore through research and evaluation: 1.) merging problem solving with theory and analysis in the interest of change motivated by a commitment to social justice, racial harmony, equality, and human rights; and 2.) engaging in public debate on human issues to make the research results accessible to a broad audience. As part of the course, students will learn the foundations of anthropology,social theory, and evaluation as they work with qualitative and quantitative data while conducting an evaluation based on community and partner need. Students will gain direct experience conducting evaluation research as a collaborative process and have an opportunity to engage in academically-based community service with a focus on social change.

Graduate Courses

FIELD METHODS IN ETHNOMUSICOLOGY MUSC-650-301 – Carol Muller
The purpose of this graduate seminar is to provide students with a compressed experience of doing fieldwork in anthropology/ethnomusicology by working in a community organization in West Philadelphia. This semester we are focusing on what it means to engage with a community in our immediate neighborhood, in a manner that has clearly articulated benefits for both Penn students and community members. We are at a place in American and global history in which many are asking questions about the status quo, so too, the sub-discipline of applied ethnomusicology is gaining ground in interrogating what we do as ethnomusicologists, how and why we do what we do, and how this benefits the living communities of musicians we work alongside, and the people whose music we research.

MULTICULTURAL ISSUES IN EDUCATION
EDUC 723-001/EDUC 723-401/AFRC 723-401 – Vivian Gadsden
*Permission Needed From Department

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

OUTSIDE THE SCHOOL BOX: HISTORY, POLICY AND ALTERNATIVES EDUC-551-001 - Michael C Johanek
This course explores historical and contemporary challenges involved in the policy and practice of non-school education agencies and factors that work in service to local school/community settings. Students will explore several historical case studies, conceptual frames, and current policy challenges, culminating in a community-based research project.

TEACHING SECOND LANGUAGE WRITING EDUC-516-001 - Anne Pomerantz
This course introduces participants to a range of theoretical and practical issues related to second language literacy development, with a particular emphasis on writing instruction. An intensive service-learning project offers course participants the opportunity to work with developing writers in a bilingual community organization. The dual emphasis on theory and pedagogy is intended to create space for critical reflection on the characteristics, production, teaching, and assessment of written texts in bi/multilingual educational setting

VISUAL LEGAL ADVOCACY CLINIC: DOCUMENTARIES AND THE LAW
LAW-979-001- Regina Austin *Open to students of ALL schools

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

INTERDISCIPLINARY CHILD ADVOCACY CLINIC: ENRICHING ADOLESCENT DEVELOPMENT THROUGH INTEGRATED COMMUNITY EDUCATION
LAW-649-001-Sara Schwartz, Kara Finck, and Jennifer Nagda  *Open only to LAW and SP2 students

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

Spring 2017 ABCS Courses

Undergraduate Courses

AN ETHNOGRAPHIC APPROACH TO URBAN ATHLETICS AND HUMAN MOVEMENT
ANTH-276-301- Gretchen Suess

Rooted in the rubric of public interest social science, this course focuses on bridging theory and practice motivated by a commitment to social justice and human rights through ethnographic research. In particular, this course brings together an examination of biology, history, culture, and evaluation to focus on urban athletics, human movement, and well-being through an intense analysis of the Young Quakers Community Athletics (YQCA) program, a collaboration between the Netter Center for Community Partnerships and Penn Athletics. This partnership involves complex institutional and social relationships with varied aspects of athletics, physical activity, community well-being, and other components providing a breadth of topics to examine in an innovative way.

RESEARCH METHODS IN SOCIAL ANTHROPOLOGY
ANTH-303-601- Gretchen Suess

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

ASIAN AMERICAN COMMUNITIES
ASAM-205-401/URBS-207-401- Fariha Khan
Fulfills the Cultural Diversity in the United States Foundational Requirement

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 multifaceted 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.

EVERYDAY NEUROSCIENCE
BIBB-160-001- Loretta Marie Flanagan-Cato
*Prerequisite: BIBB-109

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

URBAN EDUCATION
EDUC-202-401/ URBS-202-301- Michael Clapper
Fulfills the Culture and Diversity in the United States Foundational Requirement; Requirement for the Urban Education Minor

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 Community School Student Partnerships, a student-led group that supports school day and afterschool programs in one-on-one and/or group settings at our West Philadelphia University-Assisted Community Schools. Students should expect to commit 2-4 hours outside of class time per week.

BIOLOGY OF FOOD
BIOL-017-001- R. Scott Poethig
Fulfills Living World Sector Requirement

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

ABCS CHEMISTRY OUTREACH
CHEM-010-001- Jenine Maeyer

THE ART OF SPEAKING: COMMUNICATION WITHIN THE CURRICULUM SPEAKING ADVISOR TRAINING
COLL-135-301- Sue Weber
*Permission needed from instructor; Communication Within the Curriculum 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 Philadelphia.

TUTORING IN URBAN PUBLIC SCHOOLS: THEORY AND PRACTICE
EDUC-323-401/URBS-323-401- Cheryl Parker
*Permission needed from instructor

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

SCIENCE IN ELEMENTARY AND MIDDLE SCHOOLS
EDUC-421-401/ENVS-421-401- NancyLee Bergey

An intensive approach to current methods, curricula, and trends in teaching science and social studies as basic learning for K-8 students. "Hands-on" activities based on understanding of the history of science education and current thinking about both social studies and science teaching. Fieldwork in a local elementary school uses environmental themes to demonstrate the intersection of science and social studies. Applicable to both formal and informal learning settings.

INTERFAITH DIALOGUE IN ACTION
EDUC-598-001- Stephen Kocher
*Permission needed from Department; Greenfield intercultural center

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.

ADVANCED WRITING FOR CHILDREN
ENGL-123-401/AFRC-123-401- Lorene Cary
*Prerequisites: ENGL-121 or at least one other Creative Writing class *Permission needed from instructor

Like the Slow Food movement, Advanced Writing for Children is a response to our fast-and-faster learning culture. We’ll take the term to write two pieces for children or teens. Let’s call it it Slow Write.  The idea is to take time to write better, deeper, more beautifully, funnier, to respect stories and how you choose and render them.  Using community—among ourselves and with select partners outside the university—we will work to help you harness various intelligences to figure out the stories you need to write. Trips and collaborations will refresh and surprise.  You’ll be writing, but also taking time: to remember, sketch, research, meditate, assess, develop, discard. Slow writing respects difference.  Some of us need to get honest, others to pull back; some to learn fluency and others restraint.  Most of us need support to work harder, but as Thomas Wolfe defined it for artists: “an integrity of purpose, a spiritual intensity, and a fine expenditure of energy that most people have no conception of.” When stories are ready, you will be invited to submit them to SafeKidsStories.com, because as Pippi Longstocking author Astrid Lungren has said: “…children perform miracles when they read.”.

COMMUNITY BASED ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH
ENVS-406-001- Mick Kulik 
*Permission needed from Department; 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-407-001- Michael Kulik
Communication Within the Curriculum (CWiC) Course

Cigarette smoking is a major public health problem. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Control reports that more than 90% of current adult tobacco users started smoking before age 18. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicate that 6.5% of middle school students and 23% 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 tobacco advertising in West Philadelphia. 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.  

THE ROLE OF WATER IN URBAN SUSTAINABILITY AND RESILIENCY
ENVS-410-301- Howard Neukrug
*Prerequisites: ENVS 200, GEOL 100 or equivalent

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. There is no metaphor like water itself to describe the cumulative effects of our practices, with every upstream action having an impact downstream. In our urban environment, too often we find degraded streams filled with trash, silt, weeds and dilapidated structures. The water may look clean, but is it? We blame others, but the condition of the creeks is directly related to how we manage our water resources and our land. In cities, these resources are often our homes, our streets and our communities. 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.

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 West Philadelphia High School and Sayre High School. Students are typically engaged in academically based community service learning at the schools for two hours each week. 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. Please note new location of the class: The Netter Conference Room is on 111 South 38th Street, on the 2nd floor.

ACADEMICALLY BASED COMMUNITY SERVICE COURSE IN AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE/DEAF STUDIES
LING-077-680- Jami Fisher
*Penn Language Center Permission Needed; Prior Language Experience Required

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

DEAF CULTURE
LING-078-680- Jami Fisher Fulfills Cultural Diversity in the US
Prerequisites: LING 074 or permission from coordinator; Penn Language Center Permission Needed; Prior Language Experience Required

This course is an advanced/conversational ASL course that explores several key topics related to Deaf Culture. Using only ASL in class, students will read and discuss books, articles, and films related to the following topics: What is Deaf Culture?, The History of the Deaf American, Communication Issues and Pathological Perspectives on Deafness, Deafness and Education, Deaf/Hearing Family Dynamics, and Deaf Theatre, Arts, and Poetry. Vocabulary, grammar, and idioms related to the topics will be presented through direct instruction as well as through the course of class conversation.

CASE STUDY: SELF-CARE OF CHRONIC ILLNESS
NURS-355-001- Barbara Riegel
*Prerequisites: NURS 215

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

IDENTITY
PHIL-295-401/GSWS-205-401- Karen Detlefsen
*Permission needed from instructor

The content of the course may include the following, and related, themes: what makes a human the same human over time? What constitutes our identities? Are gender, race, sexual orientation, and the like essential features of our identities, and if so, how do they become so? How do ethics, politics and identity interact? After learning this philosophical content, Penn students will develop lesson plans for introducing this content to Philadelphia public high school students. Mid way through the semester, Penn students will start to prepare the high school students to present their own original work on the philosophy of identity at a conference to be held at Penn in May 2017. 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. Enrollment by permit only. Please contact Professor Detlefsen detlefse@sas.upenn.edu to schedule an interview for admission to the course.

HEALTHY SCHOOLS PSCI-335-401/HSOC-335-401- Mary Summers
Fox Leadership Course; Communication Within the Curriculum (CWiC) course
Fulfills the Cultural Diversity in the United States Foundational Requirement

This Fox Leadership and academically based community service seminar will use course readings and students' own observations and interviews in their service learning projects in West Philadelphia schools to analyze the causes and impact of school health and educational inequalities and efforts to address them. Course readings will include works by Jonathan Kozol, studies of health inequalities and their causes, and studies of No Child Left Behind, the CDC's School Health Index, recess, school meal, and nutrition education programs. Course speakers will help us examine the history, theories, politics and leadership behind different strategies for addressing school-based inequalities and their outcomes. Service options will focus especially on the West Philadelphia Recess Initiative. Other service options will include work with Community School Student Partnerships and the Urban Nutrition Initiative.

PSYCHOLOGY OF FOOD
PSYC-070-001- Paul Rozin
*Permission needed from Department; Benjamin Franklin Seminar

PUBLIC ART, PERFORMANCE, AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
THAR-275-402- James Schlatter

This course is devoted to investigating the current state of arts and community partnerships in America that seek to create a dynamic civic culture linking the arts-visual art, music, dance, theatre—with local schools, cultural organization, and community groups.  Field research will be conducted by students in the West Philadelphia community with the goal of helping to build a network of individuals and groups who will collaborate on programs and events that bring members of the community together in creative and educational partnership.  The course will culminate in a practical arts-based community event to be determined through the work of the semester.

EMBEDDED CONTROLLED GARDENING - EAS 097 – Jorge Santiago – Aviles
A course intended to integrate concepts of basic physics, biology and electronics and systems engineering for the benefit of Penn engineering students, teachers and students from two minority centered community public schools. The course will engage the participants in the design and implementation of indoors cultivating systems using photo-voltaic technology to energize LED emulating the needed solar radiation for plant growth, a liquid nutrient distribution system, sensors / actuators capable of selecting the harvestable plants and keeping track of overall system parameters.

CASE STUDY - ADDRESSING THE SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH: COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT IMMERSION
NURS-354 Terri Lipman and Rebecca Phillips

This case study offers students experiential learning to develop an in depth understanding of social determinants of health in vulnerable, underserved populations and to collaboratively design and refine existing health promotion programs based on the needs of the community site. Grounded on an approach that builds upon the strengths of communities, this course emphasizes the development of techniques to lead effective, collaborative, health-focused interventions for underserved populations. Students are required to draw on skills and knowledge obtained from previous classes related to social determinants of health and community engagement and will engage in specific creative, innovative community based programs developed for populations across the life span. These culturally relevant programs, which have been shown to positively impact communities, create opportunities for students to address the social determinants of health, build engagement and leadership skills and increase program success and sustainability.

Undergraduate/Graduate Courses
 

COMMUNITY ACTION FILMMAKING 
EDUC-545-012- Amitanshu Das
Seats are limited because of space and equipment limitations and admission is by permission of the instructor.

In this course, students learn filmmaking and collaborate with high school students in West Philadelphia to produce films exploring issues relevant to the students, their schools and to the surrounding community.  In addition to learning hands-on filmmaking, a central theme of the course is to assess and reflect upon the strengths (and weaknesses) of film as a medium for better informing a community on important issues, generating discussion and serving as a catalyst for community action and social change. The filmmaking process itself will be explored as a way to engage and interact with communities. So that all film production activity is accompanied by thoughtful reflection, guest lectures, film viewing and readings introduce students to Ethnographic research methods, Cinema Studies/Film Theory and community activists using film in their efforts to support local communities. Towards the end of the semester, following the successful completion of film production, students will hold community screenings to engage, discuss, receive feedback and gauge the impact of their work. Approved films may be screened with an accompanying panel discussion at a School District Of Philadelphia screening. These films will also be broadcast on Comcast Philadelphia’s PSTV Channel 52 and webcast via the district’s website and Youtube channel. This course has been designed in collaboration with Penn’s Netter Center For Community Partnerships, West Philadelphia Public High Schools, the School District of Philadelphia and their television station PSTV-52. It is also being supported by the Weigle Information Commons at Van Pelt Library. While film training  (cinematography, editing etc.), lectures, presentations, discussions and screenings happen during class sessions students should expect to practice and conduct all their film project work outside class time as per the needs of their particular community action film project. All films will be produced in teams comprising of Penn and High School students.

REFORMING PHILADELPHIA SCHOOLS: A RESEARCH PRACTICUM ON COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
EDUC-722-001- Rand Quinn

The course will offer a unique opportunity for students to directly contribute to public school improvement efforts in Philadelphia. Teams of students will consult with a local school (Sayre High School; Carver High School of Engineering and Science; Southwark Elementary) and conduct actionable research with broad policy relevance to the community engagement in education field. The capstone of the semester will be a student research symposium open to the general public. Suitable for graduate and undergraduate students with an interest in education, policy, and civil society

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. This course combines theory with practice. Students will design and paint a large outdoor mural in West Philadelphia in collaboration with Philadelphia high school students and community groups. The class is co-taught by Jane Golden, director of the Mural Arts Program in Philadelphia, and Shira Walinsky, a mural arts painter and founder of Southeast by Southeast project, a community center for Burmese refugees in South Philadelphia.

OBESITY AND SOCIETY
NURS-313-401/NURS-513-401- Monique Dowd

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. This course satisfies the Society & Social Structures Sector for Nursing Class of 2012 and beyond.

AN INTERDISCIPLINARY COURSE IN ADVANCED LEADERSHIP SKILLS IN COMMUNITY HEALTH 
 PUBH-588-401/ NURS-587-401- Heather Klusaritz, Terri Lipman, Walter Tsou
*Prerequisites: Enrollment in a Masters or Doctoral Program
*Undergraduates need permission

Grounded in a social justice perspective, this inter professional 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 discuss ways to develop respectful partnerships with community organizations. An assets-based approach that draws upon the strengths of communities and their leaders provides a foundation for community-engagement skill building. The course emphasizes the development of skills and techniques to lead effective, collaborative, health-focused interventions for disenfranchised groups, including residents of urban neighborhoods.

Graduate Courses

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

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.

VISUAL LEGAL ADVOCACY CLINIC: DOCUMENTARIES AND THE LAW* 
LAW-979-001- Regina Austin *Open to students of ALL schools

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

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

This course focuses on the implementation of the professional role of the Pediatric Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (PNP-AC). Particular emphasis is placed on the role components of the nurse practitioner in pediatric acute care. Applications of nursing, biological and behavioral science are emphasized in the advanced clinical assessment, clinical decision making and management skills needed to care for complex, unstable acutely and chronically ill children and their families. The role of the advanced practice nurse in promoting optimal child/family outcomes is emphasized.
 

INTEGRATIVE SEMINAR IN CHILD WELFARE SWRK-732-001 Antonio Garcia, Johanna greeson
*Permission Needed From Department
*Prerequisites: Acceptance to the Child Well-Being and Child Welfare Specialization at SP2

This capstone course in the Child Well-Being and Child Welfare specialization will integrate direct/micro and macro levels of practice; research in child welfare and related fields, as the research relates to all levels of practice; the relationship of child maltreatment and other social problems; and perspectives from several disciplines, specifically social work, other mental health professions, law, and medicine, as these disciplines address problems of child maltreatment and child welfare. The seminar will highlight issues of social justice, disproporionality - particularly the over-representation of children and families of color in the child welfare system, and disadvantaged populations, including children in general and poor children in particular. Faculty from other disciplines will be features as guest speakers throughout the course.