Please Note: The Master of Arts in Women's Health program is not accepting applications from new students at this time.

See the course schedule for Spring 2011 here.

Required Courses

WH 701 Sociology of Women's Health
This course offers an overview of sociological issues relating to women’s health and illness. The topics include: how social forces construct women’s corporeal experiences, medicalization of women’s bodies, the politics of reproductive agency, economic and racial disparities in health status and access to health care, the valuation of caring work/caregivers, women as patients, and women as health care providers. Attention to diversity among women, in the U.S. and abroad, will be integrated throughout. 3 credits

WH 702 Female Physiology and Gynecology
This course provides students with a solid introductory understanding of female physiology and gynecology. It familiarizes students with basic anatomy and with standard medical terminology. In addition, students receive more substantial information regarding important women’s health issues including heart disease, obesity, breast cancer, the female reproductive system, childbirth, menopause, contraception and reproductive technologies, common gynecological pathologies and common gynecological procedures. 3 credits

WH 703 Women and the U.S. Health Care System
Women use and work in the health care system at higher rates than men, yet men predominate as its leaders and decision-makers. This course introduces students to the U.S. health system, emphasizing components that are most significant for women. Topics include the (gendered) role of professions, institutions, consumers, and government; landmark legislation; and Medicaid and Medicare. Students also learn how to use a gender perspective to analyze health care policies and legislation. 3 credits

WH 704 Research Methods in Women's Health
This required course trains students in practical strategies for women’s health research. Topics to be covered include community mapping, needs assessment and program evaluation. In addition to becoming acquainted with the key literature in these areas, students will learn the rudiments of how epidemiologists work, what commonly used statistical terms and tests mean, and how to read and interpret statistical tables and charts. Students also will be introduced to a range of qualitative research methods. 3 credits

WH 705 Diversity in Women’s Health and Illness
This course delves more deeply into the sociology of women’s health through careful attention to diversity and difference both nationally and internationally. We address health differences among women by race, ethnicity, class, disability, and sexual orientation, as well as by national and immigrant status. In addition, the course explores the health and health care realities of women in developing countries and introduces students to ethnographic approaches to studying women’s health. 3 credits

WH 707 Practicum Planning and Field Experience
Each student will work 16 hours/week with a local organization or agency, under the dual supervision of a Suffolk faculty member and a staff member at the host institution. At the start of the internship, students prepare a document, together with faculty and staff members, detailing goals for the internship period. These goals include specific skills to be acquired or practiced, as well as programmatic contributions. Weekly class meetings encourage students to apply relevant frameworks and skills, as well as providing group support, strategizing, and problem solving. Prerequisite: Students must meet with the practicum instructor during the semester prior to the practicum. Permission of the instructor must be obtained prior to arranging a practicum. Restricted to students in the Master of Arts in Women's Health Program. 3 credits

WH 708 Practicum Assessment and Evaluation
This course may be taken after or together with WH 707. In this course students write a paper assessing both their own experience and the work of the host institution. This paper must have a clear thesis that demonstrates an in-depth understanding of the relationship between the project, learning objectives and women's health theories and knowledge. Students may be asked to present this paper to relevant colleagues in the host institution as well as to a committee of Suffolk University faculty and students. Prerequisite: Students must meet with the practicum instructor during the semester prior to the practicum. Permission of the instructor must be obtained prior to arranging a practicum. Restricted to students in the Master of Arts in Women's Health Program. 3 credits

WH 707 and WH 708 constitute the internship requirement for MAWH students. These courses may be taken sequentially (707 followed by 708) or consecutively. WH 707 and WH 708 are open only to MAWH students who have completed the core sequence of required MAWH courses.

ELECTIVES

WH 695 Special Topics in Women's Health

Women and Aging

This course presents a holistic, cross-cultural look at aging which furthers our understanding of forces shaping the health and lives of women in the United States and internationally. It offers insight into health, economic security and public policy issues, and utilizes a participatory, experiential methodology in which the thinking and experiences of participants are central. The focus is on questioning our learned conceptions about aging and old age, particularly as they influence us as women. The course stresses the advance of practical knowledge and skills, and makes use of a variety of learning approaches involving activity-based methods, interviews, excursions, and the creative arts. By the end of the course, participants will have greater awareness of the challenges, possibilities and achievements of living into old age, and will have knowledge of and ability to access resources about support structures for elders including health, housing, social services, and hospice care.

Leadership in Women's Health

Women’s Health as a field is in desperate need of leadership! Students in the MAWH program at Suffolk University are uniquely placed to meet that need. We will explore the qualities and skills necessary for leaders in women’s health, while each student undertakes a project that will expand her leadership capacities. Our focus will be feminist, transformative, and social-justice oriented. Students will reflect upon, apply, and assess their leadership practices, while learning crucial intrapersonal and interpersonal leadership skills.

Black Women's Health

To effectively address the challenges facing African-American women it is important to understand how race, gender, social class, nationality, and other identities intersect with each other, as well as with social structural forces and policies, to impact on their health and well-being. The goals of this course are to familiarize students with intersectional theories and highlight applications of intersectionality in health, health care and related fields. We will focus on innovative and effective ways to provide services, advocate for, and address policy regarding the health and well-being of African-American women. In this course we will address black women across age, socio-economic status, sexual orientation, and geographic area. We will also acknowledge that although all black women are marginalized they are a diverse group, with all that this entails.

Community-Based Responses to Violence Against Women

There are many different ways that communities have responded to violence against women. Both in the United States and around the world, the most common methods have involved either punishment for offenders, efforts to create safety for victims, or attempts to reform offenders. But many abused women have not been reached by these methods; and many mistrust them. What's more, these methods have not stopped violence against woman, although they may have failed to address the specific needs of racialized and marginalized women and men.

A new set of antiviolence approaches are being developed that go beyond the goals of punishment, safety, and reform. These new approaches, which have been loosely grouped together as "community-based responses" seek to mobilize specific communities against violence; organize women across communities of color; and challenge the theories, practices, and politics of existing antiviolence efforts. Many of these approaches seek to avoid any involvement with the criminal legal system. These new approaches are the focus of this course.

WH 691 Intimate Violence and Sexual Assault
This seminar focuses on two interrelated types of violence, battering and sexual assault. Both of these crimes have been the subject of intense political organizing, cultural controversy, and criminal justice reform over the past 25 years. Together these issues currently account for a significant portion of the work of the police and the courts. The research literature on these topics has increased dramatically in recent years. There are now many studies of women victimized by battering and rape, and of men who commit these crimes. There is a growing body of research on institutional responses to such violence, particularly criminal justice responses. There is new literature on the racial and class dimensions of this violence, on trauma and recovery, and on battering in lesbian and gay relationships. This course examines these crimes from psychological, sociological, and criminal justice perspectives. 3 credits.

WH 694 Critical Victimology
Victimology is the study of crime victims. In the history of criminology and criminal justice, this has been a surprisingly neglected topic. This course investigates the relationship between victims of crime and offenders; the harms suffered by crime victims; recovery from victimization; and the response to crime victims by criminal justice institutions and the “helping professions.” Critical attention will also be given to victimization occurring within criminal justice institutions, as in the case of rape in prisons. Recent changes in criminal justice responses to victims of child abuse, violence against women, and “hate crimes” will also be addressed. Topics will also include the public reaction to crime victims and recent organizing around “victim’s rights.” 3 credits.

WH 706 Advocacy for Women’s Health
This course is structured as a practical introduction to advocacy skills. The skill set students receive includes lobbying, communications, media relations, and community organizing. Students practice writing press releases, contacting media outlets, presenting in public, and leading focus groups. In addition, students learn how to develop outreach strategies, and they will be exposed to a variety of assessment tools that are used to map and measure community needs and evaluate programmatic success. 3 credits

WH 707 Practicum Planning and Field Experience
Each student will work 16 hours/week with a local organization or agency, under the dual supervision of a Suffolk faculty member and a staff member at the host institution. At the start of the internship, students prepare a document, together with faculty and staff members, detailing goals for the internship period. These goals include specific skills to be acquired or practiced, as well as programmatic contributions. Weekly class meetings encourage students to apply relevant frameworks and skills, as well as providing group support, strategizing, and problem solving. Prerequisite: Students must meet with the practicum instructor during the semester prior to the practicum. Permission of the instructor must be obtained prior to arranging a practicum. Restricted to students in the Master of Arts in Women's Health Program. 3 credits 

WH 711 Women’s Health Education
Women’s health professionals may be called upon to educate individuals, community groups, institutions, policy makers, and segments of the public. This course will introduce students to the planning, implementation, and provision of women’s health education appropriate for diverse settings. Students will be introduced to the assessment of setting-specific women’s and community needs for health education as well as approaches to planning and implementation of health education strategies, interventions, and programs. We will address the practical and theoretical foundations of health communication for diverse women. Culturally competent communication will be emphasized.

 

WH 723 Thesis Research and Writing I
Students initiate research on a topic area of women’s health under the supervision of a thesis advisor and committee. Research design, organization, and literature survey are completed as part of the student moves into and through the first stages of the research project. 3 credits

WH 724 Thesis Research and Writing II
Students continue their research with a focus on refining their concepts, analysis and interpretation of findings. Writing is supervised, with special attention to the connections between the established literature in the field and the student’s research. Students present findings and the final written product to their thesis committee. 3 credits

 

WH 725 Alternative and Complementary Medicines: Gender Perspectives
Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) practices and products have become multi-billion dollar industries in the United States and other wealthy countries; women are the largest consumers. This course uses a sociological perspective to explore the dimensions and impact of CAM today. We cover the identities of CAM users and practitioners, the cultural and social forces that contribute to the prevalence of CAM in differing cultural contexts, efforts to license and regulate CAM practitioners, integration of CAM into conventional hospitals, and the belief systems that various CAM modalities build upon. We place this exploration in the context of women’s use of, and access to, various modes of healthcare internationally. 3 credits

WH 728 Gender and HIV/AIDS
This course follows the spread of the AIDS pandemic, investigating how women internationally have become infected, affected, and vulnerable to HIV infection. Through readings and films we explore relevant issues including violence against women, prostitution, substance abuse, stigma, access to education and treatment, women’s negotiating power in sexual relationships, and the impact of poverty. We also investigate the successes and failures of a range of prevention and treatment approaches. 3 credits

WH 731 Reproductive Health and Rights
This course explores relationships between women’s reproductive health and women’s rights both nationally and internationally. We address contraception and abortion, access to pre-natal care and trained childbirth professionals, the sociology of breast feeding, and the politics of women’s sexual and reproductive autonomy. Students study the medical and epidemiological significance of reproductive rights in enabling women to maintain reproductive health. 3 credits

WH 732: Adolescent Girls’ Health
This seminar addresses the lives of girls from early adolescence through early adulthood focusing on:  (1) sexual and reproductive behaviors, (2) mental health issues and the role of peers in the lives of adolescent girls, and (3) a variety of vulnerabilities that can interfere with the development of healthy women, including court involvement, teen-pregnancy, and relationship violence. A special emphasis on cross-cultural comparisons of the health of girls will be included in this course. 3 credits

WH 734 Sexuality, Medicine, and Social Control
Throughout much of history powerful institutions have sought to control women’s autonomy through the control of their sexuality. Over the course of the past one hundred and fifty years, biomedical science has become increasingly influential in the lives of women around the world. This course looks at the role of medicine in women’s private and public sexual lives. We explore questions including: How has medical authority helped to define and control acceptable sexual behavior? What do medical interventions reveal about social and cultural ideas of sex, sexuality, and gender? How do campaigns against sexual disease and sexual “deviance” illuminate issues of power and of social status? And how have women, lesbians, HIV-positive people, and/or others challenged medical social control? 3 credits

WH 737 Women, Population, and the Environment
Who sets the international agendas, policies and goals regarding population and the environment? What are the health concerns for women? How are women’s status and reproductive rights limited or enhanced by various policies? In recent decades, feminist activists have challenged the “overpopulation” paradigm as sexist and harmful to the global poor, instead championing women’s rights and environmental sustainability. Issues that exist at these intersections and that may be addressed in this course include: family planning versus population control, environmental racism, nuclear proliferation, global warming, militarism and war, and agribusiness. Case studies are drawn from Africa, Asia, and the Americas. 3 credits

WH 740 Women, Substance Abuse, and the Criminal Justice System
The majority of incarcerated women are substance abusers. Many of these women have also been diagnosed with major mental illness. Many of these women have been victims of violence and continue to experience symptoms of PTSD. This course explores the life and legal trajectories, as well as the policies that result in the incarceration of women suffering from addiction or mental illness. We also explore alternatives to both authoritarian “treatment” and incarceration. 3 credits

WH 743 Women’s Health and Human Rights
How do violations of women’s human rights affect their health? What are the physical and psychological consequences of human rights abuses? Global human rights standards assert that not only is health a human right, but that health care must be available, accessible, and acceptable. This course explores cases that demonstrate the inseparability of health and rights for women, whether regarding HIV/AIDS, violence against women, maternal health care, or health insurance. Among topics to be covered are the ethical obligations of health professionals to respect, protect, and fulfill human rights, and the centrality of health and human rights education for women and girls. 3 credits

WH 746  Women’s Health, Wealth and Poverty
The global feminization of poverty has profoundly disturbing impacts on women’s health. Around the world, poverty is associated with higher rates of illness and with lower life expectancies. How does poverty create ill health, and how can its alleviation improve health? This course looks at how global, national and local economic institutions and policies affect the health status of women and their families. Students also learn the gendered effects of how economic policies affect the organization, financing and delivery of health care services. 3 credits

WH 749 Indigenous Women's Wellbeing: From Colonialism to Self-Determination
The world's indigenous women experience many threats to their wellbeing: polluted environments, war, violence, and the continuation of colonial practices mean that their lives are at risk. Dominant political, economic, and cultural norms do little to protect indigenous women. Yet indigenous women can--and do--assert their right to wellbeing as they choose to define it, achieving health and self-determination. Examples include access to traditional medicines, traditional birth practices, and rights to subsistence living. This course will explore the threats to indigenous women's wellbeing along with the distinctive forms of protection insulating this population. 3 credits

Courses in other departments that may be taken to fulfill MAWH elective requirements

CJ 688    Restorative Justice
CJN 703    Presentation Skills
CJN 737    Intercultural Communication  
CJN 769    Introduction to Marketing Communication
EHS 729    Human Sexuality Seminar
GVT 606    Women and Public Policy
GVT 707    Gender and Globalization
GVT 634    Social Welfare Policy
HLTH 702    Healthcare Systems II
HLTH 832    Health Policy
HLTH 860    Leadership and Ethics in Health
P. AD 815    Non-Profit Organizations in Communities