Program Requirements

Note: For any academic concerns or help understanding program requirements, contact Academic Advising.

The Honours BA in Community Health consists of 20.0 credits, of which not more than 7.0 may be at the 100 level. The program must include a minimum of 9.0 senior credits, within the honours BA Community Health program.

Requirements

Students must complete all required Community Health courses (3.0 credits) plus all requirements associated with their area of concentration. All students in the program must complete the Foundations curriculum (2.0 credits): BF190, BF199, BF290, BF299.

Students in the program focus their studies in one of the following areas of concentration:

• Health Studies
• Autism and Behavioural Science
• Addictions and Mental Health

Students in the latter two areas of concentration will complete a graduate certificate offered by Conestoga College (Brantford campus) during their third year of study. Students will receive 3.0 senior HS credits and 2.0 senior miscellaneous credits toward the completion of their Laurier degree requirements, providing all requirements are met.

Required Community Health Courses (all concentrations) (3.0 credits)

• HS101: Physical Determinants of Health
• HS200: Social Determinants of Health
• HS201: Canadian Health Care Systems
• HS220: Epidemiology and Public Health
• HS322: Health Policy
• HS408: Health and Social Theory: Health, Illness and Medicine as Culture

Additional Health Studies Concentration Requirements

Required Courses (4.5 credits):

• CT203/HS203: Disease and Society
• CT227/HS227: Aging:  Realities and Myths
• HS102: An Introduction to Public Health
• HS314: Health Promotion
• HS321: Health Care Evaluation
• HS324: Biostatistics
• HS325: Qualitative Methods in Health Research
• HS401*: Current Developments in Health Studies

Plus a minimum of 2.5 credits selected from the following:

• CT204: Social Justice in Practice
• HR219/HS219: Critical Disabilities Studies
• HS312/CC312: Mental Health and Justice
• HR329/HS329: Global Health and Social Justice
• HS208: Autism: Individual and Social Issues across the Spectrum
• HS250: Medicalization
• HS266: Health and Nutrition
• HS300: Infection and Immunity
• HS301: Occupational Health and Safety
• HS302: Issues in Mental Health
• HS303: Environment and Health
• HS305: Development of the Health Professions
• HS307: Child and Youth Health
• HS331: Gerontology
• HS344: Health and Gender
• HS346: An Introduction to Chinese Medicine
• HS347: The Body
• HS402*: Health Studies Practicum
• HS405: Special Topics in Health
• HS410: Death and Dying
• HS411: Critical Perspectives on Sexuality, Health and Society
• HS412: Directed Studies
• PP217: Medical Ethics

Or

Students in the honours Community Health program may choose to specialize though an agreement with Conestoga College. Under this agreement, students who have successfully completed 10.0 credits, including PS101, PS102, PS275 and PS276, or PS280 with honours status in Community Health shall be eligible to enrol in a graduate certificate program through Conestoga College during their third year of study. Completion of the graduate certificate with a minimum average of 70% will allow for the transfer of 5.0 senior credits, including 3.0 senior HS credits and 2.0 senior miscellaneous credits. Students are strongly encouraged to seek academic advising to ensure completion of all prerequisites and requirements.

Additional Autism and Behavioural Science Concentration Requirements

Required Laurier courses (5.0 credits):

• HR219/HS219: Critical Disabilities Studies
• HS208: Autism: Individual and Social Issues across the Spectrum
• HS233: Introduction to Social Science Research Methods
• HS307: Child and Youth Health
• HS401*: Current Developments in Health Studies or HS402*: Health Studies Practicum
• PS101: Introduction to Psychology I
• PS102: Introduction to Psychology II
• PS275: Introduction to Developmental Psychology: Infancy and Childhood
• PS276: Introduction to Developmental Psychology: Adolescence and Young Adulthood

Plus completion of a Conestoga College graduate certificate program (5.0 transfer credits).

Or

Addictions and Mental Health Concentration Requirements

Required Laurier courses (5.0 credits):

• HR219/HS219: Critical Disabilities Studies
• HS233: Introduction to Social Science Research Methods
• HS250: Medicalization
• HS302: Issues in Mental Health
• HS401*: Current Developments in Health Studies, or HS402*: Health Studies Practicum
• PS101: Introduction to Psychology I
• PS102: Introduction to Psychology II
• PS280: Abnormal Psychology
• SK111: Introduction to Social Welfare

Plus completion of a Conestoga College graduate certificate program (5.0 transfer credits).

Degree Program Electives

An additional 10.0 credits toward the degree total of 20.0 credits. All students in the program must complete the Foundations curriculum (2.0 credits): BF190, BF199, BF290, BF299.

Notes

• Refer to the university regulations chapter of the academic calendar for progression and course regulations and the section regarding regulations for all honours programs.
• Students completing the honours Community Health program are excluded from completing the honours Health Administration program.

Note: For any academic concerns or help understanding program requirements, contact Academic Advising.

Requirements

Students must complete all required courses (6.5 credits).

Students who are required to take research methods and statistics courses in their second honours program should seek academic advice to avoid duplication.

Required Courses (6.5 credits)

HS101, HS102, HS200, HS201, CT203/HS203, HS220, CT227/HS227, HS314, HS321, HS322, HS324, HS325, HS408.

Degree Program Electives

An additional 13.5 credits toward the degree total of 20.0 credits, which includes the second honours BA major. All students must complete the Foundations curriculum (2.0 credits): BF190, BF199, BF290, BF299.

Note

Students completing the honours Community Health program are excluded from completing the honours Health Administration program.

Notes

• BSW students may also count SK432 as 0.5 of the additional credits.
• Students in Honours Health Administration and Honours Bachelor of Arts and Science in Public Health are excluded from completing this minor.
• Refer also to the Regulations Governing Minors in the Academic Calendar.

BI110 Unifying Life Processes (0.5 credit)

The unity underlying all life forms is explored through examination of the cell, and the biological chemicals, structures, and processes that govern cell organization, metabolism, communication, integration and reproduction. Major topics include respiration and photosynthesis; regulation of the cell cycle; features of multicellularity; DNA structure, function, and repair; gene expression and regulation; mitosis and meiosis; patterns of inheritance; microbial genetics.

BI111 Biological Diversity and Evolution (0.5 credit)

Interactions of organisms with each other and with the environment in the ongoing process of evolution by natural selection are examined in the context of the interplay of form with function – for bacteria and fungi, for plants and animals, for individuals and populations, and for communities and ecosystems. Major topics include regulation, homeostasis, growth and development, reproduction, and adaptation.

CH110 Fundamentals of Chemistry I (0.5 credit)

This course is designed to be a first university-level course in chemistry. This course, followed by CH111, prepares students for further studies in all subdisciplines of chemistry as well as laying the chemical foundations for studies in related disciplines such as biology, physics, geography, anthropology and psychology. Topics covered include stoichiometry, gas laws, thermochemistry, models of the atom, trends in the periodic table, chemical bonding, 3-D structure of molecules, introduction to organic chemistry and reactions.

CH111 Fundamentals of Chemistry II (0.5 credit)

This course follows and builds on the concepts from CH110 and prepares students for higher-level studies in the various subdisciplines of chemistry as well other university disciplines. Topics covered include properties of solutions, rates of chemical reactions, equilibria, entropy, free energy and electrochemistry.

Foundations Courses

Refer to the Foundations section below for more information.

• BF190
• BF199

HS102 An Introduction to Public Health (0.5 credit)

This course introduces public heath theory and practise. Consideration will be given to the history and development of public health movements in Canada and globally; the integration of health knowledge into institutional policy and professional practise; and the methodological, scientific, social, professional, and organizational bases of public health.

HS200 Social Determinants of Health (0.5 credit)

This course explores the nexus between social justice and health. How do various social, economic and environmental influences impact health? How can addressing inequities relating to issues such as socioeconomic status, race, gender, social support, food security and living and working conditions, improve population health?

HS201 Canadian Health Care Systems (0.5 credit)

This course is an introduction to the structure and inter-relationships between the many federal and provincial initiatives and institutions that comprise health care in Canada. Topics will include: federal and provincial jurisdictions in health, funding arrangements, and public and private health care, among others.

HS202 Human Anatomy and Physiology I (0.5 credit)

This course is an introduction to the structure and function of the human body. Attention will be paid to the integumentary, muscular, skeletal, nervous, and endocrine systems, and their integration with other organ systems.

HS204 Human Anatomy and Physiology II (0.5 credit)

This course is a continuation of HS202. Attention will be paid to the cardiovascular, lymphatic, respiratory, digestive, urinary, and reproductive systems, and their integration with other organ systems.

HS220 Epidemiology and Public Health (0.5 credit)

This course is an introduction to epidemiology and its application to public health. Consideration is given to the ways in which variations in morbidity and mortality in human populations are studied, and how they can provide insight into the causes of disease.

Foundations Courses

Refer to the Foundations section below for more information.

• BF290
• BF299

HS300 Infection and Immunity (0.5 credit)

This course examines the anatomical and physiological basis of human immunity. Mechanisms involved in the immune response are examined from the perspective of defence against infectious agents. As well, autoimmunity, hypersensitivity, immunodeficiency, and the control of infectious disease from a public health perspective are considered.

HS301 Occupational Health and Safety (0.5 credit)

On-the-job hazards are of significance for both the short- and long-term health and well-being of workers and, in some cases, their families. This course examines both historical and contemporary hazards to health and well-being in the workplace, as well as efforts made to protect workers through health and safety legislation.

HS314 Health Promotion (0.5 credit)

This course considers the theory and practice of health promotion in Canada. Topics may include health promotion models, program planning, implementation, and evaluation, community outreach, marketing techniques, strategies for reaching at-risk populations, and health needs assessment.

HS321 Health Program Evaluation (0.5 credit)

Health programs rely extensively on evaluation for the purposes of program development, monitoring, and accountability. This course introduces primary theories and methodologies that are used to conduct program evaluations in community and public health settings. Topics may include evaluation theory, needs assessment, stakeholder roles, ethics, and quantitative and qualitative research.

HS322 Health Policy (0.5 credit)

This course explores the policies and politics of health-related issues in Canada with relevant international comparisons. Throughout the course, the impact of the Canadian political process on health policy and historical milestones in Canadian health care will be examined to demonstrate how health policy is shaped by social, political and economic forces.

HS409 Infection Control and Prevention (0.5 credit)

This course considers fundamental microbiological and epidemiological concepts as they relate to infection control and prevention, outbreak surveillance techniques, and the investigation and management of outbreaks. Attention will be given to a selection of institutional and community contexts, such as hospitals and long term care facilities, and a variety of populations, selected from children, older adults, first-responders, primary care-providers, and support-workers. 

HS401 Current Development in Health Studies (1.0 credit)

This course is an opportunity for students to explore some of the most recent developments in health-related research. Students will be expected to conduct research on a health-related topic as part of the course.

OR

HS402 Health Studies Practicum (1.0 credit)

This course will expose students to actual health care settings. Through lectures, professional mentorship and on-site workshops, students will integrate academic learning and the observation of ongoing health care activities.

CH202 Organic Chemistry I: Fundamentals (0.5 credit)

This course deals with the fundamentals of organic chemistry. The topics considered include carbon compounds and chemical bonds, introduction to functional groups, acids and bases in organic chemistry, nomenclature in organic chemistry, stereochemistry of carbon compounds, ionic reactions: nucleophilic substitutions and elimination, radical reactions, reactions and synthesis of alkanes, alkenes, alkynes, alkyl halides.

HS206 Genetics and the Human Genome (0.5 credit)

This course will introduce Mendelian and population genetics, with an emphasis on the inheritance of genetic diseases. The human genome project and natural selection will also be considered.

HS303 Environment and Health (0.5 credit)

This course considers the link between a variety of environmental hazards, both natural and human-made, and their links to ill-health in the population. As well, consideration is given to environmental change, and its potential impact on both infectious and non-infectious disease.

HS304 Nutrition and Metabolism (0.5 credit)

This course examines the fundamental principles of nutrition and metabolism, including a review of the digestion and absorption of carbohydrates, lipids, proteins and nucleic acids, and how these macronutrients are utilized as substrates in human metabolic pathways. Topics may include differences in substrate metabolism with aging, gender, exercise, and hormone regulation. Current research will be used to critically evaluate contemporary perspectives on nutrition.

HS308 Parasitology for Public Health (0.5 credit)

This course examines the impact of parasites on human health. The pathophysiology of parasitic diseases, as well as methods of their control, treatment and prevention will be considered. 

HS315 Pathophysiology (0.5 credit)

This course examines the pathophysiology of selected health challenges. The prevalence, causes, and alterations in function associated with common diseases will be examined. Consideration may also be given to the medical management of selected illnesses.

HS326 Human Pharmacology (0.5 credit)

This course will examine how pharmaceuticals are used to treat common conditions such as high blood pressure, hyperlipidemia, inflammation, depression, pain, cancer, and bacterial/viral infections. Mechanisms of drug action, contraindications and adverse drug effects, and evidence-based alternatives to the use of some drugs will be considered.

HS340 Advanced Human Anatomy and Physiology (0.5 credit)

Advanced Human Anatomy & Physiology will provide an in-depth understanding of human anatomy and the integration of body systems. Both systemic and regional approaches will be considered while students learn to analyze movement, integrate and expand their knowledge of anatomy and physiology, and research an area of clinical interest.

HS203 Disease and Society (0.5 credit)

This course examines human health and disease from antiquity to the present. Relevant studies in epidemiology, bioarchaeology, anthropology, and history will be used to build a long-term picture of trends in health and disease and the role of epidemic disease in the transformation of human societies on a global scale. (Cross-listed with CT203)

HS208 Autism: Individual and Social Issues Across the Spectrum (0.5 credit)

This course examines the complex challenges and opportunities facing people with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and their families. Material will explore social, political, policy and economic issues and controversies surrounding autism.

HS219 Critical Disabilities Studies (0.5 credit)

This course takes disability as both the subject and object of inquiry. In order to critically examine the meaning of impairment and disability in contemporary culture, this course will draw from multiple disciplinary perspectives, including critical social theory, legal studies, human rights and biomedicine. Topics may include the history of disability studies, disability rights, advocacy and activism, biomedical and bioethical dilemmas regarding disability and impairment, and an exploration of disability as a social, rather than physical, construction. (Cross-listed with HR219)

HS227 Aging: Realities and Myths (0.5 credit)

Physical and cognitive changes can be part of the aging process. How we understand, describe and respond to these changes has evolved over recent generations. This course examines social understandings and ideologies in relation to the biological changes associated with aging. (Cross-listed with CT227)

HS250 Medicalization (0.5 credit)

Medicalization is the process by which everyday experiences become labelled and treated as medical issues. Since the 20th century, Western societies have become increasingly medicalized, and this change has led to shifts in how we define what it means to be healthy, and how we respond to disease. This course will explore different examples of medicalization, such as the increasing use of pharmaceuticals to treat anxiety and depression, and the re-introduction of midwifery into the Canadian health care system. Students will develop a nuanced understanding of the concept of medicalization while also critically examining the impact of medicine on our society and culture.

HS266 Health and Nutrition (0.5 credit)

This course explores basic nutrition concepts, including metabolism, food sources, and optimal choices for the promotion and maintenance of health throughout the human life cycle, and how these are communicated. Emphasis is given to special needs during pregnancy, lactation, athletics and weight control. Food safety, additives, biotechnology, labelling and other public health measures designed to protect the public are also explored.

HS302 Issues in Mental Health (0.5 credit)

Mental health problems are amongst the most prevalent and costly sources of disability in the Canadian population. This course examines the prevalence of mental health problems in various populations, considers mental illness as a social, cultural, and biomedical construct, and reviews a variety of treatment and policy-related responses to this significant health issue.

HS305 Development of the Health Professions (0.5 credit)

The focus of this course is the study of health care occupations, and the professional and semi-professional status of health care workers such as physicians, nurses and others. Topics may include: the socialization of health care workers, struggles for professionalization, feminization of health care occupations, health care work performed outside of large organizations, and challenges to health care occupations' expertise and professional status.

HS307 Child and Youth Health (0.5 credit)

This course will explore the unique health problems and health care needs of children and youth. The importance of early life as a determinant of adult health status will be considered, as will the opportunities and challenges associated with promoting healthy living amongst children and youth.

HS312 Mental Health and Justice (0.5 credit)

Students will identify what constitutes a mental disorder and understand the prevalence of various mental illnesses in Canada. Students will focus on legal issues related to mental health including NCRMD and fitness to stand trial procedures, provincial mental health legislation, risk assessment and management techniques, violence risk and victimization, dangerousness and stigma, and criminal justice policy. (Cross-listed with CC312 and PD312)

HS325 Qualitative Methods in Health Research (0.5 credit)

This course details qualitative research methods that are used to collect, analyze and interpret the individual and cultural experiences of health and health care. Topics include qualitative research processes and designs, research ethics, interviews, ethnographies, focus groups, content analysis, discourse analysis and narrative analysis.

HS329 Global Health and Social Justice (0.5 credit)

This course focuses on the social determinants that influence the health of individuals, communities and countries and the social justice issues to which they give rise as an example of social and economic human rights in practice. Topics may include: economic, social and political dimensions of global emergency services; humanitarian aid; world health systems and development; international disease transmission; and population health and social justice. (Cross-listed with HR329)

HS331 Gerontology (0.5 credit)

The multidisciplinary study of aging is examined in order to provide students with an introduction to gerontology. Aspects of biology, sociology, psychology and the demographics of aging from both a local and global perspective are considered.

HS344 Health and Gender (0.5 credit)

This course will explore the gendered nature of health and illness by examining how the construction of masculinity and femininity contribute to different experiences of health, illness and the healthcare system. The course will cover a range of health-related issues for which gender has been of special importance. Topics may include: mental health, reproductive health, sexual health and sexuality, occupational health and work, and health policy.

HS347 The Body (0.5 credit)

This course works to understand the body's social and cultural role. Departing from a physiological, or biomedical, explanation of the body, this course understands bodies as residing at the intersection between the "private" (individual) and "public" (social). Course material will draw from a number of perspectives, including those from sociology, anthropology, geography, philosophy, theatre and performance studies, in order to critically explore dynamics of the body and embodiment.

HS405 Special Topics in Health (0.5 credit)

This course will address selected topics in health. (Offered by Health Administration)

HS408 Health and Social Theory: Health, Illness and Medicine as Culture (0.5 credit)

Knowledge about health, illness and medicine are central to the definition of self in Western society. This course uses contemporary theories to explore a variety of health issues in order to develop a socio-cultural understanding of the role of medicine and the healthcare system in the Western world. Topics may include: power relations and the medical encounter, representations of medicine and illness in popular culture, lay perspectives on illness and health, and the connection between health theory and health care service delivery.

HS410 Death and Dying (0.5 credit)

What are the biological and social processes associated with death and dying? What roles do institutions play in this process? This course considers the individual as well as the institutional factors that shape the experiences of death and dying in historical and contemporary perspective.

HS411 Critical Perspectives on Sexuality, Health and Society (0.5 credit)

This seminar course will explore current debates and issues in the area of human sexuality and sexual health. Areas for discussion will include labelling and categorizing sex, sexuality and sexual identities, historical and empirical research on human sexuality, social control of sexuality, social norms related to sex including pornography, sexual and gendered violence, and sexual health and disease. Please note that students enrolled in this course should be comfortable discussing matters of sexuality in a classroom setting.

HS412 Directed Studies (0.5 credit)

Students may explore selected topics in health studies. The content of the course will be
negotiated between student and instructor.

PP217 Medical Ethics (0.5 credit)

A study of some of the fundamental social and ethical issues brought about by the biomedical revolution: behaviour control (by drugs, psychosurgery and psychotherapy), experimentation, informed consent, genetic screening and genetic control, transplantation, truth-telling, death and dying, new concepts of health and illness, allocation of scarce medical resources.

• For progression and graduation, a minimum cumulative overall GPA of 6.0 is required.
• Students who successfully completed all credits of the program (20.0), but who cannot graduate because their GPA is insufficient, have the option of receiving a General Bachelor of Arts and Science degree if they have achieved a minimum cumulative overall GPA of 4.00.
• Students in Honours Bachelor of Arts and Science in Public Health are excluded from completing the Community Health minor.

If you are in a Health Studies program at Laurier Brantford, Foundations courses are part of your degree requirements. You cannot graduate without finishing the four Foundations courses.

Because the following two courses will probably help you most with your second-year Health Studies courses, we strongly recommend that you complete them in your first year. Senior-level Heath Studies courses may hold you accountable for the material covered in these courses.

• BF290: Academic Literacy: Social Sciences: This course will give you a basic introduction to how research is conducted in the social sciences, and Health Studies methods courses build upon the foundation offered in BF290. You will learn how to find, critically assess, and discuss social science research. This will be helpful in your senior-level Health Studies courses as you engage more with primary research and write your own research summaries.
• BF190: Modernity and the Contemporary World: This course will introduce you to some of the key concepts that have shaped political debate in the “Western” and global world since the 19th century. With a solid grounding in the history of modern thought, you will be better equipped to understand critical concepts in health studies, particularly as they relate to the social determinants of health and the organization of health care systems.

The following two courses, to be taken in your second year, will make you a better scholar, and can help you better engage in any course you take.

• BF299: Academic Literacy: Humanities: This course will help you read more carefully, discern and form better arguments, and write clearer, sharper, better-organized essays. Being a strong writer and communicator will help you with the assignments in all your senior-level courses, and it is an important life skill.
• BF199: Modernity: Critique and Resistance: This course, the successor to BF190, will introduce you to some of the concepts and issues that face the contemporary world. Much health studies research comes from a desire to better understand how individuals’ health status is influenced by social processes, and this course will provide context for some of the issues that those employed in the health and social services sector are concerned with.