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Professional Development Courses

PMD 101: Explorations in Healthcare Careers

Explores the various career pathways in healthcare and helps ºÚÁÏÉçÇøs considering a career in a healthcare field develop a comprehensive plan of preparation for admission to medical school or other healthcare profession school. This professional development course is for all ºÚÁÏÉçÇøs considering a career in healthcare. Credit/no-credit only.

PMD 301: Navigating Healthcare Professional School Admissions

Prepares ºÚÁÏÉçÇøs to navigate the healthcare professional school admissions process. Students reflect on their motivation for becoming a healthcare provider and develop personal statements and descriptions of activities for their applications. The final product will be completion of a mock application to a healthcare professional school and mock interview. This professional development course will be of interest to ºÚÁÏÉçÇøs applying to medical or other health profession school. Credit/no-credit only.

Seminar/Discussion Courses

PMD 210: Discussions in Healthcare

This seminar offers ºÚÁÏÉçÇøs in the Premedical Scholars program the opportunity to identify, present, and discuss issues that will face future healthcare practitioners. May be taken multiple times. Credit/no-credit only. Open only to ºÚÁÏÉçÇøs in the Premedical Scholars Program.

PMD 320: ºÚÁÏÉçÇøics in Healthcare

This seminar is designed as a topics course so that a more complete exploration of the world of healthcare can occur over multiple semesters. PMD 320 addresses topics such as differences among medical specialties, or differences among healthcare professions etc.

PMD 410: Issues in Healthcare

This seminar is similar in format to PMD 320, but as a 400-level course, more complex issues in healthcare will be addressed (cost of healthcare, end of life issues, etc.)

ATH 255. Foundations of Biological Anthropology. (4)

Introduction to biological anthropology using framework of evolutionary theory. Includes human origins, especially ancestral hominids, nonhuman primate studies, models of human evolution, and human variation.

ATH 348. Introduction to Medical Anthropology. (3)

ºÚÁÏÉçÇøics and theoretical approaches of medical anthropology. Explores why disease emerges within particular socio-cultural settings and how people in those settings understand and treat their ills. ºÚÁÏÉçÇøics include historical and current pandemics, culturally specific illnesses, local medical practices, and individuals' struggles with particular ills.

ATH 378. Doctors, Clinics, and Epidemics. (3)

Explores the contemporary social, cultural, and communicative practices of biomedicine, and links these to the responses to epidemics and social hierarchies that form its European roots. Engages various understandings of clinical language, communication, and structural inequities that challenge the efficacy of medical practice.

ATH 448. Developing Solutions in Global Health. (3) (MPC)

Global health is the study of illness and health as a consequence of bio-cultural processes that are both local and global. This is a transdisciplinary capstone encouraging teamwork to understand the complexities of and develop a grant proposal to address a ºÚÁÏÉçÇø-identified global health problem.

ART 194. Introduction to Art Therapy. (3)

Introductory seminar to the field of art therapy as a career, history and origins of the field, education standards and application, and art experientials.

BIO 161. Principles of Human Physiology. (4) (MPF)

Examines physiological systems of the human body. Lecture provides basic information regarding function of these systems from an integrative perspective. In laboratory, use hands-on approach and work in small groups to conduct experiments and/or carry out projects to illustrate the physiological concepts presented in lecture. Not open to Biology, Botany, or Zoology majors. IVA, LAB. CAS-D/LAB. CAS-QL.
3 Lec. 1 Lab.

BIO 201. Human Anatomy. (4)

Anatomy of typical vertebrates.

BIO 305. Human Physiology. (4) (MPT)

Study of general physiological principles necessary for basic understanding of life processes. CAS-D/LAB.
3 Lec. 1 Lab.
Prerequisite: one year of chemistry, junior standing, and   or  , or permission of instructor.

BIO 325. Pathophysiology. (4) (MPT)

Study of relationship between normal body functioning and physiologic changes that occur as the result of illness.
Prerequisite:  and ; or  and . 

BIO 400. Capstone Seminar: Contemporary Issues in Biology. (3) (MPC)

Requires seniors to critically evaluate and form positions on current biological issues of national interest. Format, theme, and topics change from term to term. Examples of themes include the management and use of natural resources, preservation of biological diversity, nature of the medical profession, and issues raised by advances in biotechnology. Faculty as well as other recognized authorities participate.

BIO 454/BIO 554. Endocrinology. (3) (MPC)

Study of the role of chemical messengers and hormones from endocrine and neural origin, in control of physiological processes. Includes review and discussion of current techniques and methodologies in the literature. CAS-D/LAB.
Prerequisite:  , or both   and  , and  .

BIO 457/BIO 557. Neuroanatomy. (3)

Study of structural and functional organization of the mammalian central nervous system. Emphasis on organization of and current methodologies used in study of major neuroanatomical pathways and neurotransmitters of mammalian brain and spinal cord. Includes computer-assisted imaging of brain structures and methods of data analysis.
Prerequisite:  , or both   and  .

BIO 469/BIO 569. Neurophysiology. (3) (MPC)

Study of the physiology of the central nervous system with emphasis on the cellular and molecular basis of signal transmission in the brain. Includes a review of current techniques and topics in the literature.

CMR 224. Medical Terminology. (3)

Covers medical terms including definitions, spelling, and pronunciation along with their use in a workplace setting.

DST 272. Introduction to Disability Studies. (3) (MPF, MPT)

Explores the link between the social construction of disability and that of race, class, gender, ethnicity, and sexual orientation as they pertain to social justice in a multicultural and democratic society. Promotes critical analysis of dominant and nondominant perspectives on disability. IC, IIC. CAS-C.

Cross-listed with EDP/SOC.

DST 278. Women and (Dis)ability: Fictions and Contaminations of Identity. (3)

Provides a critical analysis of the historical, sociological, cultural, media and educational images and representations of women with disabilities. Current research and theories from Disabilities Studies and Womens Studies will serve as the lenses for the exploration of disability as a social construct. The course will focus on exploration of oppressive social forces embedded in the re/presentations of and by women with disabilities which transform and complicate such images.

Cross-listed with EDP/WGS.

EDP 272. Introduction to Disability Studies. (3)

Explores the link between the social construction of disability and that of race, class, gender, ethnicity, and sexual orientation as they pertain to social justice in a multicultural and democratic society. Promotes critical analysis of dominant and nondominant perspectives on disability.

ENG 263. Literature and Medicine. (3)

What does literature have to do with medicine? Turns out, a lot. Every patient has a story, and good diagnosis requires an understanding of how stories work. It is no accident that “taking a history” is a doctor’s first task with a patient, for the signs of illness are always embedded in narrative. In fact, medical diagnosis has much in common with literary interpretation; both practices require attention to patterns of meaning that are initially difficult to discern, lost in a welter of details, tangled in style and emotion.  The practice of interpretative discernment—the skill of reading for pattern, symptom, causality—lies at the very heart of the medical arts. Like good literary critics, good physicians must be only astute and sensitive readers—attuned their own biases, aware that cultural assumptions always shape interpretations, sometimes leading to bias or error.  The practice of medicine and the giving of care, therefore, cannot simply rest on scientific expertise.  This is one reason why medical schools are creating medical humanities programs and seeking applicants steeped in history, literature, philosophy, and culture.  “Education in the humanities,” notes Lloyd Minor, Dean of Stanford University Medical School, “is important preparation for a career in medicine.”  The reverse is also true.  For ºÚÁÏÉçÇøs of literature and humanities subjects,  encounters with disability, illness, and mortality remind us of essential features of human being.

This course is designed both for humanities ºÚÁÏÉçÇøs interested in health and illness and for pre-medical and nursing ºÚÁÏÉçÇøs seeking a deeper engagement with the literature of medicine.  We will examine a wide range of texts about the work of diagnosis, caregiving, illness, and healing.  Our readings will come from famous physician authors such as Antonin Chekhov, William Carlos Williams, Atul Gawande, and Oliver Sacks; classic stories of illness, disability, and recovery by writers such as Leo Tolstoy, Joan Didion, Laurie Moore, Pat Barker, Raymond Carver, Audre Lourde, and Kay Jamieson; and explorations of the social and cultural dimensions of medical knowledges by figures like Margaret Atwood, Sylvia Plath, Stephen Jay Gould, Michel Foucault, F. Scott Fitzgerald, William Styron, Eula Biss, and Charlotte Perkins Gilman.  Throughout our exploration, we will focus on the nature of interpretation itself as practice essential to the critical thinking and empathy sought by all ºÚÁÏÉçÇøs of the arts and sciences.

ENG 310-B Special ºÚÁÏÉçÇøic: Professional Writing for Healthcare. (3)

(CAS-B humanities with no prerequisites; as a special topic class, be sure to enroll in section B)

The healthcare industry is the fastest growing sector of the U.S and global economy with extensive career opportunities. This course is for people who are interested in possibly working as professional writers and strategic communicators in the healthcare industry, particularly as social  media specialists, print designers, technical communicators, publication editors, and public relations specialists. This  course may also be of interest to others working in various capacities in healthcare who would just like to learn more about healthcare communications.

The course includes many guest speakers who discuss their careers and their approaches to healthcare communication, including speakers from hospital social media, non-profit public relations, pharmaceutical sales, public and community health, Indigenous health research, medical device manufacturing, health records project management, grant writing, and medical journal editing.

You will be able to tailor each of the projects to your particular interests within the broad field of healthcare, completing such projects as:

• press release and/or newsletter--taking the findings from a medical research report and rewriting for more general readers
• public health document design--redesigning an existing health brochure (may be patient information, marketing, etc.)
• social media content strategy--analyzing and then designing a social media campaign for a healthcare organization
• professional trend report--examining communications in a particular healthcare field (of your choosing) and making recommendations

If you have any questions, please contact Professor Heidi McKee (mckeeha@miamioh.edu).

GTY 110. Opening Minds through Art (OMA) Volunteer Experience. (1; maximum 3)

OMA is an intergenerational visual art program for people with dementia. It is grounded in the belief that people with dementia are capable of expressing themselves creatively. Its approach is to capitalize on what people with dementia can still do. OMA currently offers its program at 15 sites that serve people with dementia in long-term care facilities, adult day centers and those living at home. OMA has four primary goals: 1) to promote the social engagement, autonomy, and dignity of people with dementia by providing creative self-expression opportunities; 2) to provide staff and volunteers with opportunities to build close relationships with people with dementia; 3) to show the public the creative self-expression capacities of people with dementia through exhibitions of their artwork; and 4) to contribute to the scholarly literature on dementia care and the arts. In this Service-Learning course you will volunteer weekly in the OMA program. IC.

GTY 254. Global Aging. (3) (MPF, MPT)

Integrates bio-demographic and socio-cultural approaches to the study of global aging by drawing on cross-cultural quantitative and qualitative data including ethnographic records. Developed and developing countries are compared and contrasted in terms of a wide range of issues related to aging, from global to local. The phenomenon of global aging is explored and addressed through active engagement with international organizations and individuals. IIIB, IC. CAS-C.

GTY 318. Social Forces and Aging. (3) (MPT)

Examines the social forces that shape the diverse experiences of aging for individuals and the social structures in which they live. Particular emphasis is given to sociological issues such as age stratification, the life course, demographic change and its effects, and societal aging as a force in social change. IC.
Prerequisite:   or   or SOC/ ; or SOC/DST/ ; or  .
Cross-listed with  .

GTY 354. Issues & Controversies in Aging. (3)

Enables ºÚÁÏÉçÇøs to explore issues such as end-of-life, theories of functional decline, responsibility for care of older people, and other sometimes controversial topics.
Prerequisite:  .

GTY 357. Medical Sociology. (3)

Sociological study of illness, patients, medical professionals, and problems inherent in the delivery of health care services.

Prerequisite: , or .

GTY 365. Social Policy and ºÚÁÏÉçÇø in Gerontology. (3)

Provides practical information about working in programs serving older people. ºÚÁÏÉçÇøics include social policy and old age, health policy and programs, federal economic reform, grantsmanship, program planning and coordination, and professions in the field of aging.
Prerequisite:  .

GTY 456/GTY 556. Aging & Health. (3)

As individuals grow older, they experience a variety of physical and social changes that influence their health and well-being. In this course, topics such as age-related changes in health and illness, psychosocial and behavioral factors that contribute to those changes, and health promotion and disease management among older adults are explored.
Prerequisite:  .

GTY 479/GTY 579. Research on Inequality in Aging & Health. (4)

This course examines health inequalities, unequal access, and usage of health care as they relate to aging. ºÚÁÏÉçÇøics include health conditions, social environments, caregiving, and access to and utilization of health services and resources. The emphasis is on intersections of various inequality systems (e.g., race/ethnicity, socioeconomic class, gender) and how age interacts with them to produce and reinforce health inequalities.

GHS 101. Introduction to Global Health. (3) (MPF)

Introduces ºÚÁÏÉçÇøs to the complexity and ethical dilemmas of global health as a practical field that seeks to work with organizations and local communities to solve health problems. Students will learn to assess knowledge from multiple disciplines to thoroughly describe global health problems. This course is the required gateway to the Global Health Minor. IIIB.

MTH 135. Introductory Mathematics for Science Applications. (3) (MPT)

The course can satisfy the math prerequisite for PHY 161 and includes concepts and examples from the MCAT exam. It also satisfies Signature Inquiry, Miami Plan Math and Formal Reasoning and CAS-E requirements.)

Service course. Concepts, terminology and problem-solving skills important in chemistry, physics, and biology. Ratios and proportions, significant figures, scientific notation, moles and molarity, linear, quadratic, logarithmic and exponential functions, trigonometry, vectors, algebraic systems, rates of change, and elements of probability and statistics with focus on using these topics in science applications. Qualitative reasoning is emphasized and quantitative problem-solving skills are developed.

Prerequisite: An ACT Math Score of 22 or higher, or an SAT Math Score of 530 or higher, or a Miami Math Placement Test score of 8 or higher, or a Miami Precalc Placement Test score of 8 or higher, or successful completion of MTH 025.

MBI 361. Epidemiology. (3) (MPT)

Consideration of the epidemic nature, etiology, and characteristics of infectious and organic diseases, and methods used to analyze their control within the framework of environmental and population variables.
Prerequisite: two hours of microbiology or biology or permission of instructor.

MBI 405/MBI 505. Medical Bacteriology. (4)

Pathogenic bacteria, their identification, and mechanisms by which they cause disease.
3 Lec. 1 Lab.
Prerequisites:  and either  or .

MBI 414/MBI 514. Immunology Principles. (3)

Lectures covering molecules, cells, tissues, and organs of the immune system. Primary emphasis on mechanisms involved in immune responses.
3 Lec. 1 Lab.
Prerequisites:  or , and  or .

MBI 415/MBI 515. Immunology Principles and Practice. (4)

Covers the same lecture content as , but adds laboratory exercises and demonstrations illustrating a variety of immunologic phenomena, techniques, and applications. Credit not given for both  and .
3 Lec. 1 Lab.
Prerequisites:  or , and  or .

MBI 464/MBI 564. Human Viruses. (3)

Study of the physical and chemical characteristics of viruses, virus replication mechanisms, disease causation and host response, and tumor induction.
Prerequisites:  or  and  or permission of instructor.

PHL 375. Medical Ethics. (4) (MPT)

Purpose of course is to think together in an informed and critical manner about selected issues in the field of health care. Attempt made with each issue addressed to consider distinctive interests and perspectives of physicians, nurses, patients, and the public. Issues considered include physician/patient relationships; lying, truth-telling, paternalism, and trust; death and dying, including suicide, euthanasia, and treatment of defective newborns; treatment of mental illness and patient rights; allocating scarce resources; nature of health and purposes of medicine.
Prerequisite: Prior completion of one course in philosophy;   is recommended.

PSY 231. Developmental Psychology. (3) (MPT)

Psychological development over the lifespan; research and theory in physical, perceptual, cognitive, language, and socio-emotional development.
Prerequisite:   or  .

PSY 242. Abnormal Psychology. (3) (MPT)

In-depth survey of symptoms, causes, diagnosis, and treatment of major psychological disorders including functional and organic psychoses, neuroses, personality disorders, psychophysiological disorders, affective disorders and suicide, alcoholism and other drug use disorders, psychosexual deviations, mental retardation, and abnormal behaviors associated with childhood, adolescence, family, and old age.
Prerequisite:  .

PSY 251. Introduction to Biopsychology. (3)

Introduction to basic research and theory in physiological psychology: brain mechanisms and consciousness, memory, thought, emotion, and stress. Basic neurophysiology and neuroanatomy, as well as nervous system-endocrine system integration are included.

PSY 331. Infant Development. (3)

A survey of research and theory on physical, cognitive and social development in infancy.
Prerequisite:   and  .

PSY 332. Child Development. (3) (MPT)

A survey of research and theory on physical, cognitive and social development in infancy and childhood.
Prerequisites:   and  .

PSY 333. Adolescent Development. (3) (MPT)

Survey of research and theory on physical, cognitive, and social development in adolescence.
Prerequisites:   and  .

PSY 334. Adulthood and Aging. (3) (MPT)

Psycho-social functioning across adulthood with a focus on middle and old age. Changes in and determinants of body structures and functions, motor skills, intelligence and cognition, personality, and social behavior.
Prerequisites:   and  .

PSY 351. Advanced Biopsychology. (4)

Current theories and research in motivation, emotion, learning and memory, and/or sensation and perception. Laboratory includes anatomical dissections of sheep brains and experimentation in biopsychology, including behavioral research with rodents and analysis of prepared tissue samples.
3 Lec. 1 Lab.
Prerequisite:   or (  and  ) or permission of instructor.

PSY 356. Psychopharmacology. (3)

Survey of the major classes of psychoactive drugs. In addition to behavioral and psychological effects, emphasis is placed on sites and mechanisms of drug action.
Prerequisite:   or   or permission of instructor.

PSY 410. Capstone Seminar in Psychology: The Multiple Determinants of Behavior. (3) (MPC)

Promotes the integration of the ºÚÁÏÉçÇø's knowledge of psychology to a particular topic within psychology.
Prerequisite:  .

PHY 421/PHY 521. Molecular and Cellular Biophysics. (4)

Introduction to physical phenomena acting on molecular and cellular size scales, including transport properties; thermodynamics and statistical mechanics of reactions; self-assembly; and fluctuations. Development of physical models for biological systems and phenomena, including cooperative behavior in macromolecules; enzyme activity; molecular motors and machines; energy transduction; and nerve transmission.
Prerequisite:   or  ,  , or permission of instructor.

(It says Calc III, but ºÚÁÏÉçÇøs who have had Calc II and exposure to differential equations do fine.)

PHY 422/PHY 522. Physics for Medicine and Biology. (4)

Introduction to biophysical phenomena, especially on the cellular and tissue size scales, including materials and fluid mechanics; transport phenomena; and electromagnetic phenomena. Introduction to physical methods used in medicine and biology, including methods of signal and image analysis; use of tissue-light interactions; ultrasound, x-ray, and NMR imaging; and nuclear medicine.
Prerequisites:  ,  ; and  .

(This is meant for physics/engineering majors, and is an intro to medical physics.  Level of math and physics makes it difficult for ºÚÁÏÉçÇøs without the math background, unfortunately.  It may not stay on the books much longer; it gets 7-10 ºÚÁÏÉçÇøs per offering so it has a low-enrollment problem.  I am willing to develop an algebra-based replacement if you think there might be an audience for it.)

SOC 221. Sexualities. (3)

Introduction to the study of human sexual behavior with particular attention paid to the issues of gender development; premarital, marital, and post-marital sexual patterns; birth control; sexual dysfunction; cross-cultural sexual patterns; and alternative sexual lifestyles.
Cross-listed with FSW/WGS.

SOC 257. Population. (3) (MPT)

Examines population theory, characteristics, dynamics and policies, focusing on global processes and global inequality.

SOC 357. Medical Sociology. (3)

Sociological study of illness, patients, medical professionals, and problems inherent in the delivery of health care services.
Prerequisites:   or  ; or SOC/ ; or  .
Cross-listed with GTY.

SOC 358. The Sociology of Mental Disorders. (3)

Study of social factors in cause, perpetuation, and treatment of emotional problems.
Prerequisite:   or  ; or SOC/ .

SOC 435. Death Studies. (3) (MPT)

Examines social processes involved in the meaning, management, and experience of death and dying. Analyzes death as it relates to social structure, patterns of social interactions, and human experience.
Prerequisite:   or  ; SOC/ ; or  .

SPA 316. Introduction to Audiology. (3)

ºÚÁÏÉçÇøics include: physics of sound principles and techniques of audiometric testing, types of hearing loss, and treatments for hearing impairment.
Prerequisite: junior standing (major status).