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2015-2016 Graduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]
Course Descriptions
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Other Courses |
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ABA 640 Registered Behavior Technician Training
This course provides an overview of a behavior analytic approach to working with a range of consumers, with a primary focus on working with individuals with autism. Topics covered include measurement, assessment, skill acquisition, behavior reduction, documentation and reporting, and professional conduct and scope of practice. Culminating event is a competency-based assessment containing a combination of interview and observation. This course fulfills the Behavior Analyst Certification BoardTM (BACB) training requirements needed to acquire a RBT credential. Students must also pass the RBT exam given by the BACB to become certified. This training program is based on Registered Behavior Technician Task List and is designed to meet the 40-hour training requirement for the RBT credential. The program is offered independent of the BACB.
4 Credit(s)
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ABA 651 Concepts and Principles of Behavior Analysis
This introductory course offers a comprehensive study of the philosophical assumptions and basic principles of behavior analysis. This course will provide students with an overview of the history and theoretical foundations of the field of behaviorism including experimental and applied behavior analysis. It will teach students to identify, define, and apply the characteristics and principles of behavior. Topics covered during this course include a historical perspective of behaviorism, description and environmental explanation of behavior, respondent and operant conditioning, contingencies of behavior, and verbal behavior. In addition, students will learn to identify the key components of empirical journal articles in the field of behavior analysis. Upon completion of this course students will be able to define, provide examples of, and apply the basic principles of behavior analysis within the context of clinical and educational programming. ABA 651 meets Behavior Analyst Certification Board, Inc. requirements for Concepts and Principles of Behavior Analysis (45 of 45 hours).
Prerequisite(s): EDC G ABA
3 Credit(s)
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ABA 652 Assessment and Treatment of Problem Behavior
This is a 3-credit graduate level course designed to review the literature relevant to the assessment and treatment of challenging behavior. The course content is based on relevant literature in the field of behavior analysis and includes an overview of and the logic behind procedures required to complete a functional behavioral assessment of challenging behavior and implementation of function-based treatments to decrease challenging behaviors and increase adaptive behaviors. Functional behavior assessment procedures that will be covered include indirect assessments, descriptive assessments, and functional analysis. Student swill practice conduction an indirect and descriptive assessment, and have the opportunity to design a functional analysis. Treatments that will be covered include antecedent interventions, differential reinforcement procedures, extinction, and punishment, among others. Students will design a comprehensive function-based intervention plan. Conceptual and practical issues related to the assessment and treatment of challenging behavior will be addressed. ABA 652 meets Behavior Analyst Certificate Board, Inc. TM Task list 4 requirements for: a. Identification of the Problem & Assessment (15 of 30 hrs.) b. Intervention and Behavior Change Considerations (5 of 10 hrs.) c. Behavior Change Systems (5 of 10 hrs.) d. Fundamental Elements of Behavior Change & Specific Behavior Change Procedures (20 of 45 hrs.)
Prerequisite(s): EDC G ABA
3 Credit(s)
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ABA 653 Skill Acquisition
This three credit advanced course has been approved by the national Behavior Analyst Certification Board as addressing competencies in the areas of identification of problem behaviors, assessment, intervention and behavior change. It provides a systematic introduction to behaviorally-based assessment methods, the use of reinforcement to teach new behavior, and a variety of instructional methods and instructional formats. The instructional planning process and the protocols necessary to develop comprehensive instructional programs for learners will be reviewed with special emphasis for those learners with autism spectrum disorders. The broad goal of the course is to impart students with a broad range of instructional tools that allow them to develop systematic and comprehensive programs that teach relevant skills in the most natural contexts possible. Specific topics include: schedules of reinforcement, preference assessment, criterion-referenced skill assessments, reinforcement-based behavior change procedures such as token economies and self-management, stimulus control, errorless teaching, behavior chains, discrete trial instruction, naturalistic teaching, verbal behavior training, and maintenance and generalization of skills. ABA 653 meets Behavior Analyst Certification Board, Inc. TM requirement for a. Identification of the Problem and Assessment (10 or 30 hrs.) b. Intervention and Behavior Change Considerations (5 of 10 hrs.) c. Behavior change Systems (5 of 10 hrs.) d. Fundamental Elements of Behavior change and Specific Behavior Change Procedures (25 of 45 hrs.)
Prerequisite(s): EDC G ABA
3 Credit(s)
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ABA 654 Research Methods
This 3 credit advanced graduate course has been approved by the national Behavior Analyst Certification Board as addressing competencies in measurement and experimental design. With regard to measurement, students will learn how to define behavior in observable and measurable terms, select an appropriate measurement system based upon the dimension of behavior they are studying, consider the strengths and limitations of each measurement system, and calculate inter-observer reliability using a variety of methods. Students will also learn different ways to display data, interpret data, and arrange various experimental designs using single-subject methodology. ABA 654 meets Behavior Analyst Certification Board, Inc. TM requirements for the following: a. Experimental Design (20 of 20 hours.) b. Measurement (including Data Analysis) 25 of 25 hrs.)
Prerequisite(s): EDC G ABA
3 Credit(s)
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ABA 655 Organizational Behavior Management (OBM)
This advanced course offers intensive study of selected topics in the field of applied behavior analysis. The curriculum has been approved by the national Behavior Analyst Certification Board as addressing competencies in the identification of problems and the implementation, management, and supervision of services. This course will provide students with techniques to collaborate with other professionals working with students requiring special education. It will train students to use everyday language when explaining behavioral concepts and it will teach students to consider environmental modifications to reduce the need for behavior analytical services. This course will also provide students with behavioral methodology for staff training and evaluations. Performance management, behavior expectation, and competency-based training are a few of the topics covered during this course. The students will design tools for monitoring procedural integrity for skill acquisition and problem behavior management. Upon completion of this course students will be able to address complex issues related to training and development of staff in different contexts such as consultation, public schools, home-based programs and private schools. Students will also learn what best practices in consultation are, some limitations and strategies for problem-solving around limitations, and the different models of consultation (e.g., in public schools, within agencies, in-home etc). This course meets Behavior Analyst Certification Board, Inc. TM requirements for a. Identification of the Problem and Assessment (5 of 30 hrs.), b. Implementation, Management and Supervision (10 of 10 hrs.), c. Discretionary (30 of 30 hrs.)
Prerequisite(s): EDC G ABA
3 Credit(s)
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ABA 656 Ethical & Professional Conduct
This three credit course has been approved by the national Behavior Analyst Certification Board as addressing competencies in Ethical and Professional Conduct. This course will provide students with an opportunity to learn the Disciplinary and Ethical Standards, and the Disciplinary Procedures required in the practices of applied behavior analysis. Through case studies and scenarios, student will have the opportunity to apply guidelines for responsible conduct for behavior analysts. In particular, the student will apply the guideline expectations for ways in which to conduct research, assessments, and make ethical decisions before taking action. Students will design ways in which they apply the guidelines to training, supervision and consultation, interactions with colleagues, and their responsibility to society. ABA 656 meets Behavior Analyst Certificate Board, Inc. requirements for Ethical and Professional Conduct (45 of 45 hrs.).
Prerequisite(s): EDC G ABA
3 Credit(s)
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ABA 660 Autism Spectrum Disorder: Characteristics and Interventions
This three-credit graduate course focuses on the characteristics of and teaching methods for students with autism spectrum disorders from a behavior analytic perspective. Topics will include: definitions, accommodations, behavioral support, behavioral analysis, behavioral progress monitoring, and instruction for students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Fieldwork components are included.
Prerequisite(s): EDC G ABA
3 Credit(s)
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ABA 661 Behavioral Analytic Approaches to Psychological Disorders
This course has been designed to evaluate the assessment and treatment of a variety of common psychological disorders through the lens of behavior analysis. Students will be introduced to common behavioral approaches for treating psychological disorders and challenged to understand how to both assess and treat these disorders in a manner consistent with the tenets of applied behavior analysis. By the conclusion of the course, students should have an understanding of traditional behavioral treatments of psychological disorders, as well as a cursory understanding of how to assess and treat these disorders from a behavior analytic perspective.
Prerequisite(s): EDC G ABA
3 Credit(s)
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ABA 662 Culturally Responsive Practices in Applied Behavior Analysis
This course examines the ways in which race, class, gender, language, culture, and ethnicity influence the ways in which we perform our main functions as behavior analysts. Students will begin by exploring our own cultural, socioeconomic and ethnic backgrounds and then those of individuals from other diverse groups with whom they interact professionally. Students will consider the impact these factors have on functional assessment (including interviewing staff, parents, and consumers), targeting behaviors, measurement of behavior, selecting treatment outcomes, consultation, and training caregivers and staff to provide treatment.
Prerequisite(s): ABA 662
3 Credit(s)
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ABA 663 Designing Behavior Analytic Research
This is a part 1 or a 2 course sequence that results in the completion and writer up of a single-subject research project. The focus of this course is the design of a single subject research proposal that will be submitted to the Institutional Review Board (IRB). Students will apply what they have learned about how to conduct a literature search for an area of interest, formulate a research question, select meaningful target behaviors, define behavior in observable and measurable terms, select an appropriate design and measurement system based upon the dimension of behavior they are studying, and develop staff training protocols for those assisting with the research. The final assignment will be to write an introduction and method sections for the proposed study.
Prerequisite(s): EDC G ABA
3 - 6 Credit(s)
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ABA 664 Implementing Behavior Analytic Research
This course is a part 2 of a 2-course sequence that results in the completion and write-up of a single-subject behavior analytic research project. This section uses a behavior analytic approach to single subject research design, expanding upon ABA 663- Designing Behavior Analytic Research that is a prerequisite to this course. In this second course of this 2-course sequence students will implement the study they developed in course 1 with a research participant. Students will coordinate the implementation of experimental procedures with treatment fidelity, train staff to assist in data collection, ensure reliable data collection, display and interpret data, and if needed, modify the research design. The final assignment will be to write the results and discussion sections for the study, and then to present the results in a poster format suitable tor submission to a professional conference. Students will learn to apply APA standards in writing and use of technologies to support research, including online library resources and reference management software.
3 Credit(s)
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ABA 665 Verbal Behavior
This is a 3-credit graduate level course designed to review the literature relevant to the understanding of verbal behavior. By the end of this course students will demonstrate the basis for a functional analysis of human language. This will include establishing a familiarity with elementary verbal operants, the ways in which verbal behavior is established, the relevance of the behavior of the listener, and ways that verbal behavior becomes organized. Students will establish vocal verbal behavior with regard to the topics addressed. Students will define and distinguish among the elementary verbal operants. Students will design a lesson plan and a research idea related to one verbal operant.
Prerequisite(s): ABA 665
3 Credit(s)
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ABA 696 Independent Study
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1 - 6 Credit(s)
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ABA 697 Special Topics
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Prerequisite(s): EDC G ABA
1 - 6 Credit(s)
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ABA 698 Applied Behavior Analysis for Special Populations Practicum
The ABA Practicum consists of a supervised practicum and portfolio experience for students who are enrolled in or who have completed the ABA Graduate Certificate Program, or ABA coursework within other approved BACB-programs. The focus of the Practicum is learning and consolidating behavior analytic skills related to the Behavior Analysis Certification Board (BACB) Fourth Edition, Task List and Ethical Compliance code, and the mission statement within the College of Advancing and Professional Studies. Pre-registration for the Practicum is required one semester prior to enrollment. The practicum site must be approved by the Graduate Program Director.
Prerequisite(s): EDC G ABA
3 - 6 Credit(s)
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ADM G 601 Organizational Analysis
This course examines a selected number of the most important concepts comprising organizational theory and relates them to the structure and operational management of educational institutions. Field experience is a required component of the course.
3 Credit(s)
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ADM G 603 Organizational Change
Principles and practices drawn from behavioral science theory are employed as means of studying the processes of change and renewal in educational organizations. Field experience is a required component of the course.
3 Credit(s)
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ADM G 604 Professional Expertise
Teacher leaders will learn about the vital role they play in creating a learning organization. Starting with a specific instructional focus, participants will learn to lead teams of teachers to improved practice, based upon collective expertise, combined with the most recent research literature and relevant educational policy. Field experience is a required component of the course.
3 Credit(s)
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ADM G 610 Research Design
This course introduces quantitative and qualitative methods of research and evaluation to help educational administrators use data for school improvement. Emphasis is laid on question formulation, data analysis, observation and inquiry, and interview and questionnaire design. Field experience is a required component of the course.
3 Credit(s)
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ADM G 611 Using Data
The purpose of the “Using Data” module is to ensure that teachers have a solid understanding of assessment literacy and that they can use that foundation to help their peers strengthen their capacity for data-based decision-making. The secondary goal of this work is to support teachers to find greater satisfaction in the teacher leadership roles they hold, opportunities which offer advancement but do not lead them out of the classroom. Course participants will gain the knowledge, skills, resources and tools to use data on teaching, learning and school culture; quantitative and qualitative data; and using data for monitoring and evaluation progress as well as to inform decision -making.
3 Credit(s)
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ADM G 613 Personnel: Administration, Supervision and Evaluation
This course examines staff development and supervisory approaches that can assist in the creation of improved teaching-learning climates in classrooms. Field experience is a required component of the course.
3 Credit(s)
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ADM G 621 Curriculum: Theories, Development, and Evaluation
Beginning with an examination of the definition of curriculum from multiple perspectives, this course focuses on the interrelationships among curriculum, instruction, and assessment. Participants examine the implications for curriculum development and evaluation of the research on cognition and of alternative approaches to assessment. Field experience is a required part of the course.
3 Credit(s)
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ADM G 622 Curriculum: Status, Issues, and Trends
While meaningful change happens at the local school level, national standards and state curriculum frameworks influence local reform efforts by establishing “world class” standards for student achievement. This course draws both on research on how children learn and on the standards movement that defines what children need to know and be able to do. Field experience is a required component of the course.
Prerequisite(s): ADM G 621
3 Credit(s)
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ADM G 627 Legal Issues In Educ
Current legal concepts and practices concerning the rights, liabilities, duties, and responsibilities of all personnel employed by public schools and school systems are explored. Particular attention is given to these matters as they pertain to those who are, or aspire to be, administrators or supervisors.
3 Credit(s)
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ADM G 632 Facility Design and Fiscal Management
This course explores three related areas. The first is the process of design, construction, and equipping of school facilities to meet the needs of a given community. Second, the course focuses on topics related to fiscal management: strategic planning, analysis of resources, and developing a budget through an integrated approach to school management. Finally, the course examines legal issues pertaining to facility and fiscal concerns. Field experience is a required component of the course.
3 Credit(s)
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ADM G 646 Leadership Development
Concepts drawn from the behavioral sciences are used as a basis for leadership skill development. Participants engage in a series of leadership strategies in simulated situations which will enable them to better understand, predict, and modify their own behavior and that of others in organizational settings.
3 Credit(s)
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ADM G 655 Advanced Seminar in Supervision
Both traditional and contemporary practices of supervising teachers and related support staff in educational settings are examined in the light of municipal budgets, collective bargaining positions, legal rights, and other such factors generally perceived as playing significant roles in the supervisory process.
3 Credit(s)
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ADM G 656 Supporting Instruction
The purpose of the Supporting Instruction course is to ensure that teachers have a solid understanding of adult learning principles and can use that foundation to help their peers strengthen their instructional practice as they simultaneously work on their own practice. The secondary goal of this work is to support teachers to find greater satisfaction in the teacher leadership roles they hold, opportunities which offer advancement but do not lead them out of the classroom.
3 Credit(s)
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ADM G 686 Internship I Ed Adm
A laboratory course providing practical experience in educational administration on a part-time basis, with special focus on the role of the principal/assistant principal, the supervisor/director, or the administrator of special education. This course combines field experience in an appropriate setting with a seminar focused on relevant issues and concerns. It is designed for part-time students who are able to devoted ten hours per week over a 15-week span to administrative or supervisor duties and responsibilities.
1.5 - 3 Credit(s)
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ADM G 687 Practicum II in Educational Administration
A continuation of ADM G 686, which must be taken within two years of completing ADM G 686.
1.5 - 3 Credit(s)
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ADM G 691 Advanced Seminar in Administration
Through group discussions, this course explores the major features of important issues facing school systems today and the implications of these issues for individuals in school leadership roles.
3 Credit(s)
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ADM G 693 Shared Leadership
The purpose of the “Shared Leadership” module is to ensure that teachers have a solid understanding of the relationship between their teacher leadership roles, the system of distributed leadership within their schools, and district reform; and to support them to strengthen the skills they need to boost their effectiveness in their teacher leadership roles. Course participants will have the knowledge, skills, resources and tools to participate productively and lead in shared leadership structures in all the ways their teacher leadership role requires. This may include, for example, facilitating efficient meetings, supporting effective communication, supporting adult learning, strengthening school culture, monitoring and evaluation progress, and facilitation shared decision-making.
3 Credit(s)
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ADM G 696 Research Project
In close consultation with a staff member, students undertake a research project treating an actual problem or concern in an educational institution.
1 - 6 Credit(s)
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ADM G 697 Special Topics in Educational Administration
An advanced course offering intensive study of selected topics in educational administration. Course content varies according to the topic and will be announced prior to the advance pre-registration period.
1 - 6 Credit(s)
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BWPEDU 510 Writing in the Content Areas (Middle & High School)
This course is designed to address teachers’ growing need to teach writing in specific disciplines. Participants will examine developmental learning theory connecting writing and learning, improve their own writing skills, and learn effective practices for teaching writing. Through journals, writing prompts, and reader response methods, participants will integrate theories with practice. They will examine assessment and evaluation methods for measuring students’ progress. Applying their knowledge of the Massachusetts Curriculum frameworks, they will work on interdisciplinary teams to design units of study that reflect the needs of their school contexts and state standards.
Prerequisite(s): Graduate degree student
3 Credit(s)
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BWPEDU 530 Teaching & Writing Poetry: K-12
This workshop course allows teachers and pre-teachers to expand their knowledge of poetry and its classroom applications. Based on the National Writing Project model of supporting teachers to explore their own writing process and critical responses, the better to teach their own students, it incorporates ongoing writing response groups to explore new themes, forms, strategies, and models. Teachers will consider how critical theories translate into classroom practice and how developmental theory applies to grade-level expectations. We will become familiar with a wide range of multicultural poems and poets for ages K-adult.
Prerequisite(s): Graduate degree student
3 Credit(s)
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BWPEDU 596 Independent Study
Study of a particular area of this subject under the supervision of a faculty member.
1 - 6 Credit(s)
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CAPS 560 Practical Strategies for Teaching Mandarin
In this elective course, participants will observe and practice-teach in the Mandarin Summer Camp for students grades 6-12. Guided by master teachers at the camp and the course instructor, participants will learn how to design and implement curriculum and teaching based on the National Standards for Foreign Language Education in the 21st Century. In addition to learning a variety of teaching strategies and skills, participants will give special attention to comprehensible input to help students develop language skills through meaningful context - real-life situation - as they acquire a second language. Participants will advance their teaching skills and confidence through observation of and participation in daily classroom routines and through practice teaching.
3 Credit(s)
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CAPS 561 Integrating Technology into Language Curriculum
This course is for existing language teachers and those pursuing certification for employment to develop multiple uses of technology for integration into the teaching of Mandarin. It focuses on practice with and development of universal elements of technology that can be used across platforms to deliver and manage instruction in 21st Century classrooms that emphasize independence in learners, employing research habits across subjects, and opportunities for student-centered learning and self-evaluation. Mandarin language classrooms teachers learn engaging activities, ways to provide opportunities for students to work at individual paces, and numerous assessment tools and strategies.
3 Credit(s)
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CAPS 595 Independent Study
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1 - 6 Credit(s)
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CAPS 596 Independent Study
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1 - 6 Credit(s)
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CAPS 597 Special Topics
This course offers study of selected topics within this subject. Course content and credits vary according to topic and are announced prior to the registration period.
1 - 6 Credit(s)
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CRSCAD 522 Migrants and Refugees
This course will provide students with a broad overview of challenges faced by migrant and refugee populations that have been displaced by socio-political upheavals and natural disasters.
3 Credit(s)
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CRSCAD 523 Climate Change: Strategies for Mitigation and Adaptation
The theme of this course will be to address the two main imperatives in a climatically changed world: avoid conditions that will be unmanageable and manage the changes that will be unavoidable. The course will begin with a historical perspective of the variability in earth’s climate, and explanation of factors affecting climate such as the Greenhouse Effect, and a critique of current evidence indicative of global warming. To avoid catastrophic changes in earth’s future climate, mitigation strategies involving transportation, energy, agriculture, innovative technologies, legislation, cooperation between developing and developed nations, and individual responsibility will be explored. Specific strategies such as a smart electric grid, non-carbon sources of energy, new technologies, carbon sequestration, cap and trade, and lifestyle changes will be investigated. To manage new climate conditions, adaptive measures will be necessary. The course will evaluate adaptive strategies to address rising temperatures, rising sea levels, and shifting rainfall patterns. These strategies include infrastructure modification, coastal fortification, wetlands and coral reef restoration, and the need to develop water tolerant and drought resistant crops. The students will conclude the course with an assessment of their own carbon footprint.
3 Credit(s)
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CRSCAD 526 Disasters and Public Health
Hurricanes, earthquakes, Isunamis, pandemic outbreaks of infectious/communicable disease, industrial emergencies bio-terrorism events - whether triggered by mother Nature or human nature, the incidence of disasters impacting on large populations has increased dramatically throughout the world. The inextricable relationship between public health and disaster occurrence, prevention, response, and recovery is undeniable. This course provides an overview of the phenomena of disasters and their impacts within the public health scope. It will cultivate insight into the pervasive presence of public health in contingencies specific to natural, accidental, and intentional disaster events paying special attention tot he epidemiology of events and patterns of events. Students will gain knowledge and insight into the nature and anatomy of disasters. Emphasis will be placed on public health interventions and emergency management strategies with an eye toward transition to long-term sustainable development.
3 Credit(s)
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CRSCAD 527 GIS in Emergency and Disaster Management
This course provides an introduction to spatial technologies and desktop GIS software via real-world scenarios and research questions in humanitarian relief, disaster management, International development and environmental issues. In particular, students will learn to analyze, map, and publish spatial information at community, regional and global scales using powerful GIS tools. Students will develop skills in cartography, spatial data management and analysis, collaborative online mapping, manipulation of satellite and aerial imagery as well as toolsets, workflows and strategies common to disaster management and international development fields.
3 Credit(s)
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CRSCAD 595 Independent Study
Students may conduct independent research under the supervision and guidance of members of the faculty. Students wishing to register for independent study must do so through the department.
1 - 6 Credit(s)
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CRSCAD 596 Independent Study
Students may conduct independent research under the supervision and guidance of members of the faculty. Students wishing to register for independent study must do so through the department.
1 - 6 Credit(s)
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CRSCAD 597 Special Topics
This course offers study of selected topics within this subject. Course content and credits vary according to topic and are announced prior to the registration period.
1 - 6 Credit(s)
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CRSCAD 601L Social Vulnerability to Disasters
By means of a multi-disciplinary approach, this course introduces students to an understanding of hazards and disasters grounded in social vulnerability analysis. It examines different theories of social vulnerabilities as well as the historical, geographical, social, and cultural factors and conditions that put people differentially at risk before, during, and after disasters. In particular, the course focuses on global, national, regional, and local patterns of development. Students will explore how vulnerable social groups are affected by and cope with various types of disasters, and strategies for community-based mitigation engaging those most at risk. CRSCAD 601L and UPCD 601L are the same course.
3 Credit(s)
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CRSCAD 602L Climate Change, Food & Water Resources
This course will examine the causes and consequences of climate change with a special focus on food and water resources. We will analyze proposals to prevent and mitigate global warming with both proactive and responsive policies. As a global society, food and water security is the most important goal we face, yet many people in the developing world lack even basic food security and more than a billion people worldwide lack access to safe drinking water. Food and water shortages are exacerbated and caused by climate change, environmental degradation and natural and human-caused disasters. It is projected that unless drastic efforts to cut greenhouse gas emission are implemented global warming will lead to massive crop failures as early as 2040 and become a worldwide phenomenon by 2080. Because poor nations will be most adversely affected by climate change it is incumbent upon the global society to prepare for and avert disaster. CRSCAD 602L and UPCD 602L are the same course.
3 Credit(s)
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CRSCAD 603L Reconstruction After the Cameras Have Gone
This course introduces the student to the complex process of post-disaster reconstruction and the roles of government, Non-Governmental Organizations, humanitarian and development agencies, multilateral establishments, and the private sector as well as the ways in which they can all support vulnerable populations during and after disasters. It also examines institutional, regulatory and policy frameworks for implementing reconstruction programs and projects. At the end of the semester, the student submits a research paper on a topic selected by him/her and approved by the instructor. UPCD 603L and CRSCAD 603L are the same course.
3 Credit(s)
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CRSCAD 621L Human Dignity, Human Rights, and Sustainable Post-Disaster Reconstruction
The course will explore the intersection dynamics of human dignity, humiliation, and human rights in the context of post-disaster reconstruction. CRSCAD 621L and UPCD 621L are the same course.
3 Credit(s)
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CRSCAD 624L Survival Skills for the 21st Cent: Develop Personal, Organizational, & Community Resilience Skills.
This course will examine resilience and the power to adapt to stress, adversity, and trauma. Coping with and managing tragedy and crisis is important to the individual, his/her family and friends, employment, and other relationships that are part of our lives. CRSCAD 624L and UPCD 624L are the same course.
3 Credit(s)
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CRSCAD 643L The Political Economy of International Migration
The aim of the course is to introduce students to the major issues associated with the economic consequences of migration. Students will gain an understanding of the theoretical reasons why people migrate. Many of these reasons are economic, but the resulting dynamic is a lasting relationship between the sending and receiving country. As a result of the development of transnational identities these ties include remittances, political participation, and economic opportunities for both countries. CRSCAD 643L and UPCD 643L are the same course.
3 Credit(s)
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CSCI 601 Research Seminar I
The research seminar is intended to introduce an interdisciplinary approach in computational science research. Each offering of the seminar is co-taught by two faculty members from different departments participating in the CSCI program and seeks to integrate research techniques originating in mathematics, computer science, physics, biology, and chemistry in approaching complex problems. The seminar covers topics in graph theory, network analysis, algorithmics, combinatorial optimization, statistics, cell biology, and biological networks, computational chemistry, etc., and involves faculty and invited speakers’ presentations and student presentations. The seminar is open to all graduate students in the College of Science and Mathematics.
2 Credit(s)
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CSCI 602 Research Seminar II
This seminar is a continuation of CSCI 601. The research seminar is intended to introduce an interdisciplinary approach in computational science research. Each offering of the seminar is co-taught by two faculty members from different departments participating in the CSCI program and seeks to integrate research techniques originating in mathematics, computer science, physics, biology, and chemistry in approaching complex problems. The seminar covers topics in graph theory, network analysis, algorithmics, combinatorial optimization, statistics, cell biology, and biological networks, computational chemistry, etc., and involves faculty and invited speakers’ presentations and student presentations. The seminar is open to all graduate students in the College of Science and Mathematics.
Prerequisite(s): CSCI 602
1 Credit(s)
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GERON GR 601 Research Methods and Experimental Design
This course provides the conceptual and practical foundations for policy research on aging. It covers the methodological skills necessary for empirical dissertation research.
3 Credit(s)
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GERON GR 603 Statistical Methods in the Analysis of Social Problems I
This course introduces students to statistics as a social science tool. It is designed to provide students with a working knowledge of descriptive statistics, the logic of statistical inference, hypothesis testing, analysis of variance, and correlation. In addition to classroom instruction, students are required to attend a statistical lab each week to use a statistical package. Student should expect to use the statistical package outside of class for homework assignments.
3 Credit(s)
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GERON GR 604 Statistical Methods in the Analysis of Social Problems II
This course introduces students to advanced statistical procedures as social science tools. This is an application-oriented course covering multiple regression analysis in extensive detail and logistic regression models. It is designed to provide students with a working knowledge of advanced statistical techniques. This is an application-oriented course covering multiple regression, path analysis, simultaneous equation methods, factor analysis, summary measures, and econometrics. Students are required to use a statistical package available in computer labs outside of class for homework assignments.
3 Credit(s)
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GERON GR 609L Qualitative Methods and Field Research
This course is designed to introduce students to qualitative research methods; its specific focus is on policy research and aging. Students practice the skills needed to observe the world around them by attending to social phenomena, descriptively and analytically. The course functions as both a seminar and a research workshop, and students learn by engaging in a field work project. GERON GR 609L and PPOL-G 609L and SOCIOL 609L are the same course.
3 Credit(s)
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GERON GR 610 Understanding Data: Research Methods for Managers
This course aims to allow graduate students to use data and understand and apply evidence to their management of aging services. It introduces them to basic research methods; trains them to understand and use social science research literature; and provides an overview of monitoring and reporting program performance. Students will learn about the scientific method and the basics of research, including sampling, measurement, basic statistics, and research design options. The course also trains them to be critical consumers of scientific research, teaching them to locate, evaluate, and summarize published research.
3 Credit(s)
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GERON GR 611 Health and Physical Changes in Aging
Those who provide and manage services for the elderly, or are involved in public policy and research concerning the elderly, need knowledge about the physical process of aging. This course describes the physiological changes that accompany the aging process and relates these to social and economic factors that influence health status. Discussion topics include issues of prevention, health promotion and health maintenance, and selected disorders that affect health and independent living.
3 Credit(s)
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GERON GR 612 Healthy Aging Perspectives
This course examines the physical process of aging and the effects on physical health, mental health, social and economic factors and relationships from an applied gerontology perspective. These topics are applied to disease prevention, health promotion, health maintenance, and selected disorders that effect health and independent living. Public policy and program development issues will be addressed and incorporated into management and administration of aging services.
3 Credit(s)
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GERON GR 621 Social Aspects Aging
This course presents a social perspective on the aging process. It considers social factors that influence aging and the nature of the integration of the aged into society, as well as the way in which population aging affects the society as a whole. The course also looks at social theories of aging, paying special attention to changing social roles, social stratification and aging, and the development of institutions for the aged. Gender, race, ethnicity, and class are discussed as social categories that influence aging and that play a role in the determination of social policy for the aged. Readings on the status, role, and culture of the aged are drawn from the literature of sociology, economics, and anthropology.
3 Credit(s)
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GERON GR 622 Aging in Society
This course provides an in-depth look at the sociological aspects of aging from an applied perspective useful to administrators and managers. The course focuses on how social arrangements impact aging individuals and their families and how aging individuals impact society. We will also discuss emerging trends in the long-term care systems, such as technological advances, consumer directed care, aging in place, and alternatives to nursing home placement.
3 Credit(s)
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GERON GR 623 Issues in Aging Policy
This course introduces students to the development, implementation, and analysis of social policy in the United States on major issues affecting older people. Income security, health care financing, and long-term care receive major attention. Discussions also focus on the programs mandated by the Older Americans Act; and participants examine the major normative, demographic, economic, and political forces that underlie aging policy.
3 Credit(s)
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GERON GR 624 Aging Policy and Programming
The course provides a general framework for understanding and analyzing social policy, employing an applied perspective relevant to administrators and managers in organizations such as nursing homes, assisted living facilities, home health care, and state and local government agencies. In addition, the course offers an overview of aging policy at the federal and state levels, with attention to financial security, access to health care, long-term care, and the Older Americans Act. Students gain experience in both policy analysis and policy advocacy.
3 Credit(s)
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GERON GR 626 Economic Issues in Aging
This course deals with the economic issues raised by aging populations. It begins by introducing population trends and projections, and provides a primer on microeconomic and macroeconomic concepts and analyses. The course then discusses a range of economic issues and some of the major institutions and elements in our society that play important roles in providing people with income and health security: Social Security, private pensions, private savings, public assistance, work, and retirement. Special attention is paid to problems affecting racial and ethnic minorities, women, widows, and the “old old.” Emphasis is also given to the potential for productive aging and for economic relationships across generations.
3 Credit(s)
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GERON GR 627 Aging and the Economy (A Dynamic Relationship)
The course takes the perspective of administrators of a variety of aging service organizations and examines the most pertinent and pressing economic policy issues in the United States as related to older persons, their families, the local community and states. Economic status of the elderly population is influenced by rapidly changing demographics, evolving policy in Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid, housing constraints and options, and social support options for elders, the principle topics covered in this course. The course takes a pragmatic perspective on why and how programs have economic benefits or consequences for older persons.
3 Credit(s)
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GERON GR 628 Psychology of Aging
This course focuses on psychosocial processes throughout the second half of life, from middle age through the “young old” and “old old” years. It addresses both normal aging and psychopathology. Of special concern is the question of whether there are any systematic intrinsic psychological or personality changes associated with development in later life. The course also focuses on the processes used to cope with age-associated transitions ranging from the empty nest to impending death. It explores theoretical models for understanding coping and adaptation, developmental changes, and psychopathology. Other topics include clarification of the causes and nature of the most common psychopathologies, depression, and Alzheimer’s disease; and the psychodynamics of institutionalization and family care of the very old.
3 Credit(s)
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GERON GR 629 Psychological Impact of Aging
This course focuses on psychological processes in the second half of life. Administrators and managers will benefit from a foundation in the psychological issues that accompany the aging process. The course addresses both normal aging and psychopathology. The course analyzes normal age-related psychological changes, common psychopathologies, dementia, and the psychodynamics of caregiving for older adults. The policy implications of psychological changes in later life are presented with attention to the delivery of effective and efficient interventions.
3 Credit(s)
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GERON GR 630 Residential Long Term Care Management
This class will provide a comprehensive overview of the responsibilities of residential care administration for older people. The National Association of Boards of Registration in Nursing Home Administration supports state licensing programs for residential care managers including nursing home administrators. This class will provide a broad understanding of aging issues, and specific elements of administration in residential service settings, while addressing the requirements for licensure.
3 Credit(s)
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GERON GR 631 Families of Later Life
This course presents an overview of gerontological research on family relations in later life. Its objective is to provide a summary of the major theories, theoretical concepts, and research findings about later life. The course addresses social policy issues, applications of family theory, and such practical implications as intervention strategies for helping older families and caregivers. Family theory and research are looked at from a multidisciplinary perspective.
3 Credit(s)
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GERON GR 635 Leadership and Ethics in Aging Services
Increasing numbers of baby boomers will enter the services offered by the aging network. This growing population will require the leaders in the network to manage with limited resources. Decisions about programs and services will need to be made with innovation, forethought and deliberation, decisions that need to be based on law and ethics. How should limited resources be offered to this growing elder population? Will they be allocated, and how? Is allocation ethical? And, as society moves forward, how will other changes impact elders? This course prepares students for the decisions they will need to make as they become leaders in the field of aging.
3 Credit(s)
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GERON GR 638 An Overview of Environmental Gerontology: The Micro-to-Macro Continuum
This course provides a comprehensive overview of design interventions for older adults. Important related theories and frameworks, details of home modifications, components of age-friendly communities (urban, suburban, and rural - both public and private), and important policies that inform this work are covered. Students have the opportunity to conduct environmental micro-and macro-level audits and to interview allied professionals. Readings provide details that students can immediately apply to their current aging services work.
3 Credit(s)
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GERON GR 640 Introduction to Senior Transportation
As the baby boomers come of age, transportation will become a major challenge. This course is designed for emerging and seasoned professionals in the field of aging services and transportation services who are interested in learning more about senior transportation challenges. It also discusses strategies for addressing those challenges and how we can plan to meet the mobility needs of an aging population. While the course will emphasize the concept and practice of Supplemental Transportation Programs for seniors (STPs), it also will discuss the wants and needs of older adult passengers.
3 Credit(s)
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GERON GR 645 Marketing of Aging Services
This course examines marketing principles as applied to aging services organizations. Students will learn about marketing concepts, objectives, and brand names. The course will also explore the current structure of aging organizations in Massachusetts and relate these to current marketing principles and strategies. Students will learn to apply marketing concepts to effectively manage and operate an aging services organization. This course provides students with the opportunity to see how marketing principles and practice come together within the context of various types of aging services organizations in Massachusetts.
3 Credit(s)
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GERON GR 650 Service Delivery Issues in Aging
This course focuses on the links between consumers and aging services in organizational settings with well-developed formal services. The aim of the course is to provide students with an understanding of the structural problems that underlie the challenges that consumers face in using formal services. The course covers a wide range of services that older people may need, the complementary relationship between formal and informal services, boundary issues among service specialties, boundary issues among service specialties and service professionals, service coordination and integration, and the role of both consumer directional and professional case management in negotiating service systems.
3 Credit(s)
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GERON GR 660 Organization and Financing of Aging Services
This course is offered as a core course in the aging service track of the Masters in Gerontology. Students who are interested in pursuing career opportunities in management of long term care organizations will benefit from this course content. The influences of organizational and financial forces upon aging service are analyzed in this course. Three sources of public financing –Medicare, Medicaid, and the Older Americans Act–are examined in depth. The relative strengths of public and private financing are examined with attention to both access and quality issues. It is assumed that the student do not have any background knowledge of accounting and finance. Therefore, foundational elements in accounting and finance will be covered in this course. The student will acquire an understanding of accounting principles, economic decision-making and industry factors as they pertain to aging service agencies.
3 Credit(s)
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GERON GR 670 Human Resources & Personnel Management in Aging Services
This course is designed to familiarize students with the concepts of human resources management as they are applied tin primarily public, non-profit settings. In particular, the course will focus on human resources and personnel management as applied to the aging services field. The examples used in the course will come from organizations such as nursing homes, assisted living facilities, home health agencies, senior centers and councils on aging. Issues to be addressed will include hiring and supervision, performance appraisal, mentoring, career planning, equal employment opportunity, diversity and collective bargaining. Students will examine job design and pay systems, methods of personnel selection and training, issues of productivity and work hours, team building, effects of government regulations on working conditions and personnel administration.
3 Credit(s)
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GERON GR 675 Organizational Change and Aging Services
Organizations play a critical role in both professional and personal realms. This course examines the structure of organizations including internal and external forces, and approaches to changing the way that organizations operate. Students will explore the current structure of aging organizations at the federal, state and local level including government, advocacy and service organizations. Students will also review emerging trends in the long term care system which may impact the mission, vision and structure of organizations.
3 Credit(s)
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GERON GR 688 Multidisciplinary Seminar in Aging
A multidisciplinary colloquium series highlights current research and theory in gerontology. Presentations by students, faculty, and other scholars. Must be taken three times for credit by students enrolled in the PhD program.
1 Credit(s)
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GERON GR 691 Capstone Project Seminar
The course guides each master’s student through the production to completion of a research project and report. Topics include a critique of unresolved issues in analyses of age, cohort, and period effects; an exposition of theoretical developments in social gerontological theory and their application to the issue of social policy and aging; explication of a research project, including interview training; research problem development, implementation of appropriate research methods for specific problems, and how to prepare a written document that describes the design of the project, the results of the analysis, and conclusions.
Prerequisite(s): GERON 601 and 603 Graduate student in Gerontology
3 Credit(s)
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GERON GR 692 Capstone Project Seminar in Managment of Aging Services
This capstone offers each student the opportunity to develop a special project in his or her specific area of interest. This includes researching the topic, identifying an issue, developing strategy and a work plan, and establishing a timeline and implementation schedule. The course is intended to assist students in implementing their knowledge and skills developed during their course of study. Projects undertaken should evidence an understanding and mastery of areas such as policy development an analysis, program management, administration, and finance. The course is also intended to show student mastery of self-direction and task management. Students are expected to take this class at or near the end of their course of study in the Management of Aging Services Master¿s Program.
3 Credit(s)
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GERON GR 697 Special Topics in Aging Policy
This course provides an opportunity for presentation of current topics in aging policy that do not fall under the purview of any other course.
1 - 6 Credit(s)
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GERON GR 701 Advanced Statistical Methods in Gerontology
This course instructs students in advanced statistical topics and provides training in the use of corresponding computer methods. The course builds upon the statistical foundations established in GERON 601, 603, 604, and 605, providing technical skills for use in the complex and specialized statistical research found in the social sciences. In addition to class time, this course requires independent work at the computer.
Prerequisite(s): GERON 604
3 Credit(s)
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GERON GR 721 History and Political Economy of Social Policy Toward the Elderly
In the United States public policy toward the elderly is a relatively recent phenomenon, first articulated in the 1935 landmark Social Security legislation. Participants study the history that led up to the development of Social Security and go on to use it as a context in which to examine other significant federal legislation for the aged such as Medicare and Medicaid. Particular emphasis is placed on the competing political forces that influenced the development of aging policy in the past and continue to do so. Economic, social, and health-related benefits for the aged in the United States are analyzed in comparison to those existing for other age groups in this country, and for the elderly in other industrialized nations.
3 Credit(s)
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GERON GR 723L Cost Effectiveness: Theory, Methods & Applications
This course introduces students to the theoretical underpinnings of cost-effectiveness analysis and the alternative methods for measuring costs and outcomes of health interventions. Through many practical applications, students gain a familiarity with how to apply cost effectiveness, cost benefit, and cost utility methods to actual research situations. GERON GR 723L and NURSNG 723L and PPOL-G 723L are the same course.
Prerequisite(s): NU 703 Health Economics or equivalent
3 Credit(s)
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GERON GR 724 Race & Culture
Race & Culture
3 Credit(s)
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GERON GR 726 Current National Data Bases in Gerontological Policy Research
This course introduces students to the use of large national databases for gerontological social policy research. It provides a brief survey of the scope and content of various public-use national databases used in gerontological research, as well as an in-depth examination of one of these major databases. Students are introduced to the fundamentals of statistical programming; to the use of such standard statistical packages as Statistical Analysis System (SAS); and to methods and strategies for basic analytic data file construction. These programming skills are applied to actual gerontological databases through examples presented by the instructor, as well as through a series of take-home student assignments completed by the students. In addition to class time, this course requires independent work at a computer.
3 Credit(s)
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GERON GR 727 Research Practicum in Gerontology
This course provides students with a guided experience in writing an empirical research paper of publishable quality. Participants address a research question through secondary statistical analysis of a large survey data set supplied by the instructor. They critically examine published papers to learn how to write empirical papers for refereed gerontology journals. The statistical analysis involves application of multiple regression techniques. Students receive guidance from the instructor in all aspects of writing the paper: introduction, literature review, methodology, findings, and discussion. They also learn how to construct complex statistical tables. The course requires independent work conducting analysis of statistical data at a computer.
Prerequisite(s): GERON 604 and 726
3 Credit(s)
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GERON GR 732 Demographic Methods in Aging
This course provides a foundation in basic demographic methods for gerontology doctoral students. Its underlying assumption is that population aging will be the major demographic phenomenon affecting this nation’s institutions over the next half century. Students develop an understanding of how demographic trends and characteristics of populations are measured and examine the social and policy implications of major demographic trends for the United States and other countries.
3 Credit(s)
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GERON GR 748L Contemporary Issues in Health Politics and Policy
The course studies the determinants of health policy in the US, including the decisions and non-decisions made by the institutional and political actors at all levels of government and by private sector actors. The course covers the failure of health care reform in the US; the marketing, corporatization, and commodification of health care; comparisons with Western European nations; and topics in the assessment of health care quality.
3 Credit(s)
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GERON GR 760 Policy Analysis Techniques
The course introduces students to a variety of formal methods used in policy analysis in gerontology. Topics include methods of legal research; projection techniques; factorial survey designs to determine the normative underpinnings of policy; measurement of inequality; measurement of efficiency in targeting; use of matrices for analysis of goals and alternatives; benefit-cost analysis; assessment of political feasibility; assessment of feasibility of implementation; and evaluation research. Students learn how to apply the various techniques through a series of assignments.
Prerequisite(s): GERON 623
3 Credit(s)
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GERON GR 761 Advanced Policy Analysis in Aging
This course is concerned with the formation, justification, and implementation of aging policy in the United States. Designed for students with a background in the history, economics, and political economy of aging policy, the course provides an opportunity to apply this knowledge to the shaping of current public policy. The course explores agenda setting, the dynamics of the political process, and the variety of ways in which political power can be used. Students write a paper designed to inform decision makers on a current policy issue in aging.
Prerequisite(s): GERON 623 and 760
3 Credit(s)
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GERON GR 771 Directed Study
Students may conduct independent research under the supervision and guidance of members of the faculty.
3 Credit(s)
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GERON GR 772L Seminar in Health Care Financing
This course analyzes historical, current, and proposed policy options in health care financing, including Medicare, health insurance, and issues of provider reimbursement. GERON GR 772L and NURSNG 772L are the same course.
Prerequisite(s): NURSNG 703 or permission of instructor
3 Credit(s)
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GERON GR 796 Independent Study in Aging Policy
This course provides students the opportunity for independent research under the direction of a faculty member.
1 - 6 Credit(s)
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