MensHealth103_Syllabus.docx

Men's Health - KNHE 103 

  

Course Syllabus:  

KNHE ONLINE MEN'S HEALTH 103

INSTRUCTOR: David Breig

EMAIL ADDRESS: breig_david@sac.edu

OFFICE LOCATION: F - 105; PHONE: (714) 564-6923; FAX: (714) 564-6969

REQUIRED TEXT:  SAC Open Educational Resources (OER)

 OFFICE HOURS: I am available by email during the semester on Monday - Thursday. I usually will make every attempt to answer your emails within 48 hours.  If you do not receive a reply within 48hrs then that means the email was not received. In that case, be sure to resend the email. I will not be available over the weekends.  T/Th: 10:15 to 11:15 and 2:00 to 2:30

COURSE DESCRIPTION:  This course examines a multitude of topics related to the health of the modern day man.  It provides an investigation into traditional health topics with a special emphasis on men's issues, considering related aspects and concepts of social-cultural influences on men's development and expression of disease prevention and health promotion, aging and diseases, nutrition and fitness, relationships, mental health, substance abuse, sexuality, violence, reproductive issues and the aging man.  Through analysis of these topics, students apply methods towards a healthy lifestyle. 

 STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES: Upon completion of this course students will be able to:      

• Apply course vocabulary and concepts to create personal goals.
• Relate course principles to personal context and apply relevant theories.
• Employ behavioral patterns that are consistent with personal beliefs and values.
• Examine a variety of health scenarios related to personal experience and make appropriate decisions.

COURSE OBJECTIVES:

1. The student will identify and explain key health issues for males.

2. The student will clearly articulate the top causes of death for men.

3. The student will recognize communicable and chronic diseases that affect men, including sexually transmitted diseases, heart disease, diabetes, kidney disease, Alzheimer’s disease and cancer.

4. The student will understand the male body and the required maintenance for optimum health.

5. The student will identify resources and strategies that promote health in the male population.

6. The student will understand mental illness among men.

7. The student will synthesize the characteristics of a healthy and an unhealthy relationship.

8. The student will describe the unique substance abuse issues experienced by men including alcohol, drugs, smoking and performance enhancing drugs in sports and the social and physical consequence.

9. The student will clearly articulate the multitude of factors affecting eating and exercise habits in men, including body image, dieting practices and eating disorders.

METHODS OF EVALUATION/GRADING:

1. Weekly Quizzes                                                    15 pts each
2. Part 1: Self-Health Assessment Contract             10 pts                      
3. Part 2: Self-Health Assessment                            100 pts                        
4. Discussion Board Questions                                 10 pts each
5. Internet Activities                                                 10 pts each    
6. Nutrition Label Assignment                                   25 pts
7. Article Reviews                                                     20 pts each

*The assignments listed above are intended to be a guideline and additional material may be assigned periodically. This is only an outline for the course.  Some of the Internet sites are located on remote servers and may at times be inaccessible or unavailable. Please notify the instructor when this occurs.

 EVALUATION:  Will be based on total points earned from test scores and assignments.  Please allow sufficient time for possible technology problems and failure, both on the part of the student’s server and machines and on the part of the college server and machines.  There will not be any opportunity for make-up tests.  This course requires that you be able to manage your time effectively and insure that you complete your responsibilities according to the timeline. I DO NOT accept late work with the start of week 2.  Quiz and Test results will be available after time expiration of testing window. Assignments are generally graded together after the due date, so if you turn in an assignment 2 weeks early it may not be graded immediately.

GRADING SCALE: 
You will be graded on a straight percentage basis:
            90% - above                A
            80% - 89.9%                B
            70% - 79.9%                C
            60% - 69.9%                D
            Below 60%                   F

 COURSE INFORMATION:

Course Site: Our course can be accessed at https://rsccd.instructure.com or sac.edu. You may access our Canvas course site from home, the library or the student labs at SAC.  I DO NOT recommend completing assignments from a cell phone.  When you are officially enrolled in the class and the class has been made available to students, you will have access to the class on the college Canvas site. The student is expected to monitor the Canvas web site and complete all assignments in a timely manner. Students are expected to login at least every two days.

COURSE LENGTH:  Eight (8) week semester class. Be sure to check the Assignment Deadlines and the Class Announcements pages frequently. There will be assignments due on Wednesday and/or Saturdays throughout the semester (See weekly assignment menu for all assignments and due dates)

COMMUNICATION: The primary source of communication in this course will be by email (breig_david@sac.edu) and the announcement menu. I will use the Discussion Board as a line of communication as well (more information under discussion board).  Please be sure to have a current working email address in your Canvas profile. Students must be active all semester.  This includes checking into class the first week and finishing the class at the end of the semester.

 Personal Issues: For questions regarding personal issues such as a grade on a specific assignment, please communicate with me via email. Emails must include our Course Section Number (e.g. 65824), your name and the subject, in the subject line. (e.g. 71950 - Your Name – Dis. Brd 4A Question).  Emails received over the weekend will be answered on Monday. Responses to emails without the proper subject information will be delayed.

 ATTENDANCE:  Attendance is mandated by the state.  A student may be administratively dropped from class upon accumulating more than 3 absences (Students who fail to turn in the weekly assignments and or participate in the discussion boards will be considered “absent”). An absence is considered excused if it meets one of the College’s sanctioned reasons (personal illness, death of an immediate family member, or a College sponsored event).  If a conflict arises, simply contact me by email (breig_david@sac.edu). 

Noteworthy:

1. It is the student’s responsibility to drop all classes in which he/she is no longer participating.
2. It is the student’s responsibility to drop all classes in which he/she is no longer attending.
3. It is the instructor’s discretion to withdraw a student after the add/drop deadline.

 No Show Drop: In this course, you must start a new thread under DISCUSSION BOARD and respond to a classmate by THURSDAY of the first week of classes or you will be dropped as a “No Show”.

 ACADEMIC HONESTY:  Students at Santa Ana College are expected to be honest and forthright in their academic endeavors. To falsify the results of one’s research, to steal the words or ideas of another, or to cheat on an examination, corrupts the essential process by which knowledge is advanced. Academic dishonesty is seen as an intentional act of fraud, in which a student seeks to claim credit for the work or efforts of another without authorization, or uses unauthorized materials or fabricated information in any academic exercise. As institutions, we also consider academic dishonesty to include forgery of academic documents, intentionally imped­ing or damaging the academic work of others, assisting other students in acts of dishonesty or coercing students into acts of dishonesty.

 ACCOMMODATIONS FOR DISABILITIES: Your success in this course is important to me.  Santa Ana College and I are committed to providing reasonable accommodations for all individuals with disabilities.  If you have a disability that may have some impact on your ability to do well in this course, I encourage you to speak with me as soon as possible.  Also, please contact Disabled Student Programs & Services so that we can all collaborate on your classroom accommodations in a timely manner.  DSP&S is located in U-103 and their phone number is 714-564-6264.  The DSP&S office requires documentation of your disability in order to receive reasonable accommodations.  If you do not have documentation they will work with you to acquire it.  I look forward to supporting you to meet your learning goals.

 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: 

Update your Canvas Email:  Please see the Distance Education website for further details: http://sac.edu/disted

Distance Education Office: If you have any trouble logging in OR tech issues please contact the Distance Education Office at (714) 564-6725, or A-101. If for some reason you experience technical problems during an exam you must try your best to finish the exam even if it says you have gone over the time limit. Then immediately email Mr. Breig and describe what happened.

Preparation: Are you ready for Online Learning?

• This course is geared for students who are self-directed and are able to learn on their own.
• It is mandatory to be able to use the Internet and type all assignments.
• Take the Skills Quizzes and Personal Survey at the Distance Education site to see if online learning is best for you: http://sac.edu/disted

EXPECTATIONS: This is a college level course. Many students expect that an online course will be easier, or entail less time. This is not true. This online class will take just as much time as a traditional classroom course. College credits are based on the Carnegie Unit, the structure of the US Education system, for a system of “units”. One semester unit represents one lecture hour of required classroom time and two hours of student preparation time. Thus, our three unit course requires, 3 lecture hours and 6 hours of student preparation, or approximately 9 hours total, per week that you will need to spend on this course.

Quizzes:  Weekly quizzes will be posted under “Modules”.  

• Chapter Quizzes
• Quiz Policy: Each quiz will be consisting of 15 questions, which will be multiple choice and/or true/false type and will be worth one (1) point each for a total of 15 points. Your quizzes will be administered online.
• You will have thirty minutes (:30) window period in which to complete your quizzes online. You must know the material before you enter the quiz/test and challenges to the time limits will not be accepted. It is imperative that you understand this rule. You must be able to read and process quickly to complete the test within the allotted time. Exams are “open book” and notes should be used for assistance or reference during the exams. Please do not wait until the last minute to complete your quiz.

Midterm: No Midterm

Final Exam: No Final

FEEDBACK ON QUIZZES:  No feedback on specific questions will be given in order to preserve the integrity of the tests. The only way you will be able to go over questions you missed will be to make an appointment to see Mr. Breig during office hours (see office hour schedule).  No questions concerning test material will be answered via email.

 TYPES OF ASSIGNMENTS:  Please proofread and edit your papers for grammatical and spelling errors as written assignments submitted with such errors will have points subtracted.  All assignments must be typed in 12 point font, double spaced using font size style Times New Roman.  The papers should be logically organized, reflect a theoretical or research foundation and APA format is recommended.  You may access APA at the following http://www.apastyle.org.  No late assignments will be accepted.

1. Self-Health Assessment - Directions: 1000 plus words required (see Rubric). - Identify either a behavior that is limiting your overall quality of health, or you will identify a behavior that you need to adopt to improve your overall quality of health. After choosing whether to eliminate or add a new behavior to your lifestyle choices, you will create a goal and a plan of action to change that behavior. Also include a Behavior Change Contract (see Chapter 1 for an example).  The behavior change contract will NOT count towards word count requirements for this assignment. The self assessment must cover either a behavioral change (a modification or elimination of a behavior or the adoption of a new behavior) that can be accomplished during the course of this class, or it could be a far reaching behavioral change that may take several months or even years to achieve. For more information you can relate to Healthy People 2020 http://www.health.gov/healthypeople.  For this assignment you will be required to type and submit to me a paper outlining a specific, quantifiable goal for either:

• a behavioral modification
• adoption of a new behavior
• elimination of a behavior that is diminishing the quality of your health.

To assist you in this assignment here are some tips:

• Find an assessment where there is a gap between your actual behavior (either one that will potentially limit the quality of your life, or identify the absence of a behavior that would improve your quality of life) and your desired behavior.
• Stay focused on a behavioral change that is a major area of interest and/or concern.
• The behavior you identify to change, modify, or eliminate must be something that affects the overall quality of your health.
• The goal you set must be quantifiable. Quantifiable means that there must be some numerical value that can be measured, e.g. lose ten pounds, decrease systolic blood pressure by 10 points, decrease resting heart rate to 60 bpm, etc.
• The goal must be something you implement during the time you are enrolled in Men's Health 103; however, the goal does not need to be completed within the semester you are enrolled in Men's Health 103.

To receive all 100 points you should include the following: (please use headers for each of the SIX areas, e.g. Behavior Change CONTRACT (Due Part 1), Behavior Identified to Change, Historical Perspective, Action Plan, Timeline and Journal.

1. Name, Course Title, Date
2. Behavior Identified to Modify or Change. 
   This is like the thesis statement in an essay, and will introduce your reader, me, to the topic of the paper. This must include: a specific, quantifiable goal for you. Your goal must be related to your proposed behavior change, and it must be something that can be measured, g. I will smoke zero cigarettes by June 1st. This must be stated clearly in your paper in the first paragraph-- type it in a bold typeface. In writing your goal you must identify something that is measurable numerically (quantifiable). Do not use phrases like: I want to feel better, or I want to feel less stressed. Better and feel cannot be measured quantifiably. A much easier way to measure something quantifiably is to attach some criteria that can be measured. For example, I want to lower my cholesterol levels from 260 to 180 by July 2017.
   It is very critical in the goal setting process that you create a challenging, yet not overwhelming goal for yourself.
3. Historical Perspective 
   If you are not engaging in a behavior that you need to start, you need to state why you are not performing the specific behavior that will provide you with a health benefit. If you are modifying a behavior, you need to state how you are going to make modifications to the existing behavior. If you are eliminating a behavior, then you need to identify when you started exhibiting this behavior, and for how long—be detailed in your description. 
   Remember to stay focused on whether you are eliminating a behavior or whether you are adopting a new behavior. Papers will be vastly different based upon this factor.
   You may use a narrative style to describe this section of the assignment. Also, identify why this behavior or lack of behavior is limiting the quality of your life, and how continuance of this behavior or lack of starting or modifying an existing behavior will effect your wellness, now, and in the future—give specific examples of possible ailments, diseases, etc. Additionally, you need to identify causative factors that contribute to this behavior, e.g. smoking while driving, eating while watching TV, etc. Be sure to identify every causative factor you can. Finally, you must explain who is responsible for the change in the behavior and how that person will be held accountable for instituting the change.
4. Action Plan 
   You need to next create an action plan. The action plan will detail the steps you will take to meet your goal. Be specific as to what you are going to do to achieve your goal. For example, state that you are going to begin a walking program by walking for 20 minutes every day and cover 1.5 miles for the first two weeks. After two weeks you are going to walk for 25 minutes every day and cover 2 miles.
5. Timeline
   You need a specific timeline or chronology that includes: a starting date, a date/sequence in which the goals will be evaluated and you need a final evaluation date to determine whether you will achieve your goal. Try to establish a goal with a specific starting and ending date. If you are unable to establish a specific ending date, state how you will measure your progress/maintenance periodically. You also need to include a method of ongoing evaluation or checking to see whether the goal has been attained or is in need of modification.
6. Journal
   As you implement the change, keep a record of how you are doing. This does not need to be extensive. For example, a three day journal will suffice.
7. 1000 plus words in length.

The ultimate purpose for this assessment is to have you look at specific areas of your individual health and have you recommend appropriate modifications or changes to your behaviors, and to develop a strategic plan that will allow you to accomplish your goal-- whether you follow through, or not, is up to you. Length of the self-assessment must reach a 1000 plus words. You will be evaluated on how well you can cover the criteria and "evaluate" yourself. You will not be graded on how healthy you are planning to become, etc.

I.  Discussions – (10 points per week)  Directions: Participating in discussions is a considerable requirement of this online course. Regular and in-depth participation is required to pass this course and to maximize the benefit of the online learning environment. Prior to participating in the discussion, you are required to study the modules for that week, and read the assigned readings for that week. In summary, each week each student will do the following.

1st half of the week:

1. Study the modules for that week (please refer to course outline or Modules for when the week starts) and read the assigned readings within each Module, view any assigned videos, links, and participate in any quizzes, etc.
2. Without reading the postings of others first, post your original thoughts in Discussions, viewing the discussion questions through the lens of the module and readings. These responses are core posts and should be 150 words plus in length. To avoid a confusing discussion forum, please post your responses to discussion questions in the designated subject thread (which will be clearly indicated). You will be evaluated on the depth of your discussion and engagement with and reflection on the required readings and activities. You must enter your discussion post within the designated time period.  You will post your own original thoughts (informed by the course modules and readings) prior to reading the postings of others. This ensures that the discussion forum presents an abundance of ideas and experiences, not just “group think” and a re-articulation of the ideas of others. Please post all postings in text, not as attachments. You may want to initially develop your thoughts in Word and then copy and paste.

2nd half of the week:

3. Respond to two peers’ original postings to affirm and extend their thinking. These follow up responses to other participants – should be less than 100 words in length and should professionally affirm, challenge and extend the initial respondent’s thinking. In a sense, these will be like small group discussions since you will be responding to course topics and asking questions to extend the thinking of your peers. If you notice that as many as three different people have already responded to one posting, please choose another.

Reminder that the Discussions (DB) is like a classroom lecture – all need to participate each particular week for points.  I will also use Discussion as a way keep dialogue with all students on a weekly basis.  My communication with you can be viewed through the gradecenter once points have been submitted.  No late post will be accepted.

II. Internet Health Activities –   Directions:  These research internet assignments are worth 10 points each. These health related internet activities pertaining to each chapter of study.

III. Contract for Self Health Assessment - 10 points

See Module 1 for example

IV. Health Article Reviews (20 points each): You will be required to locate an article on a health topics covered in this class. They can be collected from a reliable news or health agency site on the Internet or from a magazine or newspaper.   See Module 3, 6, and 8 for more information and follow outline below:

 

Article Review Format

Source: 

Title: 

Author of Article: 

Date of Article: 

Overview of Article:  paragraph form – 150 words

Opinion:  paragraph form – 150 words

Relation to Class:     paragraph form – 150 words