Why Aren't We Dead Yet? The Role of Public Health in Society | University College

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University College
202-885-6737
universitycollege@american.edu
Anderson, Room 1014

Wyatt, Jamie J
Associate Director, University College and Learning Communities

Mailing Address

Why Aren't We Dead Yet? The Role of Public Health in Society

GNED-150

Infectious and chronic diseases kill millions of people around the world every year. In this class we will discuss how microbes and lifestyle choices can make you sick, and how the field of public health helps keep communities healthy. We will discuss global and reproductive health issues, as well as the influence of environmental and public policy on health, by examining specific diseases including cholera, HIV/AIDS, diabetes and cancer.

In this class we will:
•    learn how cholera makes people sick and how it is spread through contaminated water, then visit a local water purification plant
•    learn how smallpox killed millions of people (and likely Egyptian pharaohs) discuss how the disease was eradicated by the 1970’s, and then survey people in the DC area about vaccination issues
•    discuss why it is so difficult to design a vaccine for HIV/AIDS and demonstrate how quickly organisms can mutate by creating an antibiotic resistant strain of bacteria in the lab
•    examine why clean water is a gendered health issue
•    discuss how public health programs can influence lifestyle choices and impact health
•    and many more

Come explore Washington, DC and its populations through a public health lens, and have fun and meet new friends while you’re doing it!

Fulfills the General Education Area 5 lab science requirement.

Draft Syllabus - subject to revision

This seminar is year-long.

Lynne Arneson

Dr. Arneson is an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Biology, and the University's Premedical Program Coordinator. She holds a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago, an MS from the University of Cincinnati, and a BS from Indiana University.

From the professor...

What is your style in the classroom?
If asked for a one-word answer to this question, I think my students would reply "Enthusiastic!!" Science being science, I do a lot of lecturing, usually with Powerpoint slides to demonstrate the points I'm making. But I also involve the students as much as possible, asking for questions, encouraging discussion of key issues. It seems that most folks learn science best by seeing it, so I "act out" how things happen in class. For instance, I might ask students to stand up and become fatty acids or various proteins, or as a class we might go outside and play a game of tag to demonstrate predator-prey interactions J Whatever we do, I'm the person in the front (or side, or back) of the room jumping up and down and all but bursting with my passion for the material we're discussing.

What's distinctive about the way you teach this class?
This is a tough question, as this is a new class and has never been taught before, either by me or by other professors. I'm expecting this class to be very interactive, both in the labs, the Wednesday UC excursions, and in the lectures. We learn by doing, and we'll be doing a LOT of doing this semester, in the lab, on campus, and out in the DC area!

What do you like best about teaching undergrads?
I love the passion of undergrads, of folks learning the material for the first time. I love to see the "light bulb go off" when they 'get' what we're talking about. I love the energy of young folks, eager to make a difference in the world. I hope that this class, an introduction to public health, will help these students see how they can make that difference, and encourage their drive to get out there.