380.635.01
Urban Health in Contemporary America

Location
East Baltimore
Term
4th Term
Department
Population, Family and Reproductive Health
Credit(s)
4
Academic Year
2018 - 2019
Instruction Method
TBD
Class Time(s)
Thursday, 3:30 - 5:20pm
Lab Times
Thursday, 5:00 - 7:00pm (01)
Lab Note
Labs held Thursdays from 5:15 - 7:00pm
Auditors Allowed
No
Available to Undergraduate
Yes
Grading Restriction
Letter Grade or Pass/Fail
Course Instructor(s)
Robert Blum
Contact Name
Robert Blum
Frequency Schedule
Every Year
Description
Introduces students to the historical forces associated with the rise of the modern city and the fundamental characteristics of urban living in the U.S. Discusses the impact of the increase in urban settings on population health. Examines contexts of the urban environment that shape health including: the physical environment, housing, education, discrimination and racism, policing, and safety. Explores the complexity and diversity of the determinants of health among domestic urban populations.
Learning Objectives
Upon successfully completing this course, students will be able to:
  1. Describe the historical forces that led to the rise of cities in the U.S. and the social and economic factors shaping contemporary urban crises
  2. Develop and apply a framework for conceptualizing urban health, its components, and their interrelationships
  3. Assess the relative importance of the characteristics of contemporary U.S. cities in shaping the health of their populations
  4. Articulate the structural factors that lead to advantaged and disadvantaged populations in major urban centers in the U.S.
  5. Explain and discuss controversies in urban health from multiple perspectives
Enrollment Restriction
No auditors
Instructor Consent
No consent required
Special Comments

There will be 6 lab sessions and while most will take place between 5:15 and 7 PM on Thursdays there will be a couple exceptions. The April 5 lab will take place from 3:30 to 5:15 (and class that day will be at noon to 1:30 in E9519). On April 26, the tour of housing segregation in Baltimore will take place from 3:30 to 5:15 (to take advantage of daylight) and class will follow. The same is true for the tour of Turner Station tour on May 3 (for the same reasons). These is no class May 3; however, on April 30 there is a special symposium all day and students will be expected to come to half of the sessions as their schedules allow.