Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences

Through interactive approaches and real-world examples, students will explore various perspectives of health and well-being. Students will examine leading health indicators in the U.S. and around the world and will learn basic terminology and other health-related data concepts in order to have a deeper understanding of a range of health data and information. Students will apply health knowledge and skills to support health and well-being. As part of the Professional Core in the B.A. in Applied Arts and Sciences program, this course emphasizes effective communication (oral and written), critical thinking, ethical teamwork, the ability to work independently, initiative and proactive planning, and real-world applications. Credits: 4

Modern living is complex due to competing desires and obligations: family, career, community and personal needs. Learning how to balance these competing claims on our attention and affections often involves making choices based on core values. This course explores answers to a variety of timeless questions so students can come to a better understanding of themselves, their desires and their obligations. Questions that will be explored may include: What does it mean to live a good life? What is the meaning of life? Does life have a meaning? What does it mean to be ethical and how does one know right from wrong? What makes work meaningful? What does it mean to be happy? What does it mean to be successful? What is the relationship between work, success and happiness? To whom in my life am I responsible, and what do I owe them? Drawing on religion, philosophy and literature, students will examine and critique a diversity of responses to these kinds of questions, reflect on the relevance of these responses in their lives and formulate their own responses to these questions. In keeping with Merrimack College’s Catholic and Augustinian mission, special attention is paid to the Christian tradition and the life and thought of Augustine of Hippo.

As part of the Professional Core in the B.A. in Applied Arts and Sciences program, this course emphasizes effective communication (oral and written), critical thinking, ethical judgment and decision-making, effective teamwork, the ability to work independently, initiative, proactive planning, and real-world applications. Credits: 4

Examination of the major issues, theories and findings in the psychological study of positive emotions and experience (Positive Psychology). Emphasis is on the scientific investigation of such topics as the nature of happiness and well-being, psychological flow, savoring, love, optimism, resilience, character strengths and virtues and the meaningful life. Credits: 4

Basic methods of statistical inference, including the organization and analysis of data, sampling theory, point and interval estimation, hypothesis testing, correlation and regression analysis and analysis of variance. Statistical software will be used throughout this course. Credits: 4

An introduction to biological principles of cell and molecular biology. This course is for science majors. Key topics include cell structure and function, energy transduction, the flow of genetic information, cellular reproduction and intracellular and intercellular communication. Laboratory investigations are integrated with the lecture material and introduce students to the theory and practice of the scientific method and the application of basic techniques in cell and molecular biology. Credits: 4

This chemistry course is for science majors. Topics include the composition of matter, the mole, stoichiometry, atomic structure, molecular bonding and structure, thermochemistry and gases. Emphasis is placed on problem-solving techniques. The laboratory offers experiments to supplement the lecture material. Credits: 4

An introduction to the structure and function of the human body. This course focuses on the basic principles of cells and tissues, muscular, skeletal, central and peripheral nervous systems. We take a regional approach to anatomy and physiology this semester in an effort to enhance your learning and understanding of the human body. This course combines lecture and lab material as a method to provide the opportunity for the student to understand, acquire and develop the practical skills necessary to comprehend the structure and function of the human body. Credits: 4

This course continues the human anatomy and physiology topics and includes the circulatory, respiratory, digestive, urinary and reproductive systems. The laboratory is a required component that provides an opportunity for the student to further develop and apply the practical skills necessary to comprehend the structure and function of the human body. Credits: 4

Public health aims to understand the occurrence and causes of disease within populations with the goal of prevention and health promotion, through changes in individual behavior, control of infectious disease and environmental health factors, and social and political organization for health improvement. The aim is to describe the patterns of selected diseases in populations, to explain the causation of disease at the cell/physiological to social levels, to predict disease occurrence and to control disease through prevention strategies aimed at individuals, communities and governments. Credits: 4

This course focuses on health behavior theories and strategies to promote individuals’ healthy lifestyles. In addition, students explore and apply theoretically based principles and strategies to real-life cases. Emphasis is placed on improving students’ competency in understanding health behaviors in the modern world and the design of theory-based interventions to improve health behaviors. 3 credit hours are devoted to didactic lecture; 1 credit hour is devoted to activity-based experiential learning. Credits: 4

This course studies the effects, benefits and sources of macronutrients and micronutrients as they are utilized in sports performance and physical activity. It includes an overview of nutritional concepts and nutritional needs for an active population. Special focus is placed on nutrition timing, development of dietary plans based on activity-specific needs, and energy expenditure during different stages in life. Credits: 4

This work-study experience is co-supervised by the internship coordinator and a mentor in the workplace. Students are placed according to interest and career path in a clinical, academic, community or industrial setting for the purpose of gaining hands-on experience in the healthcare field. Students who volunteer for an internship in clinical, academic, and community settings provide a public service to the facility or program. Credit: 4

This course is part of the Bachelor Degree Completion Program. It is an introduction to physical activity and its benefits on health and wellness. As part of the course, students develop an understanding of the basic principles of fitness across the lifespan and how physical activity can improve an individual’s health and wellness. The course allows students to engage in different technologies and activities designed to improve their knowledge and abilities in the promotion of physical activity and wellness. Credits: 4

This course analyzes the sources of stress, physical and psychological effects, and explores how a positive stress mindset contributes to stress resilience in challenging times. This course delves into and applies the rich insights of the new science of stress and explores how the mind/body connection influences the effects of stress, physically and psychologically. Concepts covered include stress mindset for peak performance and inner strengths and social supports to promote resilience to anxiety and stress. Credits: 4

Designed to examine the various issues, policies and procedures involved with the administration of a health care facility, this course allows students to expand their cultural literacy through an exploration of varied theories and models of cultural competence through the lens of health care. Students examine and analyze through oral and written assignments the roles of cultural differences, including cultural attitudes, beliefs and expectations as they pertain to effective health care in diverse settings. An emphasis is placed on creating culturally competent health care providers, who understand the importance of delivering health care to all individuals regardless of race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion, class and ability both physically and cognitively. Credits: 4

The purpose of this course is to provide an introduction to health policy, which is the ways in which the government plays a role in overall health and health care. This course provides an overall understanding and analysis of a range of health policy issues and the U.S. health care system, including health insurance, health economics, individual rights in health care and health care quality and access. Credits: 4

This class is an introduction to basic concepts in epidemiology, the science of public health. Epidemiology is concerned with the distribution and determinants of health and disease, injury, disability, morbidity and mortality in populations. Topics include history, epidemiological measurements of disease occurrence, descriptive epidemiology and patterns of disease, establishing association and causality, types of study designs, disease outbreak investigation, public policy and social and behavioral epidemiology. Credits: 4

This is the study of human physiology altered by pathological conditions, injury and disease. The individual organ systems, their diseases, diagnosis and treatments are considered in a systemic manner with an emphasis on conditions important to community health. This seminar/laboratory course builds upon the principles and foundations of prerequisite courses and enhances the knowledge of general medical conditions and the ability to perform a more thorough investigation and patient evaluation, and execute basic clinical examination and laboratory science diagnostic procedures. Credit: 4

The purpose of this course is to provide students with an introduction to abnormal psychology. Students study psychological dysfunction that is associated with distress or impairment. Topics covered include serious mental illness as well as anxiety, stress and personality disorders. Content is organized in accordance with the DSM-5 as part of an integrative approach that includes the interaction of biological, developmental and social factors on the description, etiology, course and treatment of mental disorders. Credits: 4

This course explores the development of a typical human being from conception to death. It investigates patterns of change in biology, cognition, personality, social interaction and relationships that take place throughout the lifespan. It also considers several conceptual issues, including progression and regression, health and illness and normality and abnormality. Note that students who have already received credit for PSY 2300 cannot receive credit for PSY 2310. Credits: 4

This course provides an overview of how health care and public health are organized and how their services are delivered in the United States. Topics covered include public policy (including U.S. health reform initiatives), organization of healthcare systems, components and operation of healthcare organizations (including e-health delivery), professional roles and accreditation and legal and regulatory issues (including licensure requirements). Credits: 4

This is a broad survey course, providing a comprehensive overview of several human resource functions, including recruitment and selection, compensation, training, performance evaluation and labor and employee relations. Students consider HRM topics as they relate to all employees with different roles and perspectives for supervisors and subordinates, and how these topics apply to creating strategic directions for an organization. Using an applied setting focus, instruction methods combine interactive lectures, experiential exercises, current events, case review and external project analysis and presentation. Credits: 4

This course explores theories of leadership, leadership philosophies and styles, as well as how leaders achieve institutional goals in an increasingly complex and challenging world. It addresses questions such as who can be a leader, society’s biases and norms about what constitutes leadership, the differences between leadership styles (i.e. collaborative, cooperative, problem-solver, and hierarchical), concepts such as mentorship and sponsorship, as well as the challenges, opportunities and obstacles faced by marginalized groups who seek leadership positions. Students have an opportunity to address their relationship to leadership and strengthen their capabilities through interactive and engaging assignments and activities, including Harvard’s Implicit Association Test, Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and Leadership Style Self-Assessment and Optional Thinking Leadership Assessment, among others. Credits: 4

Evaluating and transferring knowledge in team-based environments with diverse groups of employees can be challenging. Leaders need to adapt their practices for working across multicultural, multi-gendered, multi-racial and multi-abled employees and collaborators, as well as across national borders. This course exposes students to theories of team leadership and helps them develop tools for sharing knowledge in an effective way. Measuring team effectiveness is difficult for team-based leadership because a majority of team tasks within organizations are not quantifiable. Some of the criteria that can be used to measure teams’ tasks are: output from teams should meet or exceed expectations; collaborative efforts among team members should enhance the capabilities of other team members; and the team experience should satisfy the personal needs of team members. Credits: 4

This course is designed around the assumption that conflict in its various forms is an integral and unavoidable component in human affairs. The course approaches the study of conflict from a communication-centered perspective. As such, students explore how communication theory and research can add to our understanding of conflict. Wide ranges of conflict contexts are examined (e.g., interpersonal, intercultural small group and organizational) along with contemporary models and theories of effective conflict management. Credit: 4

This course explores cultural perspectives on what it means to be a leader and how notions of leadership are both socially constructed and reinforced in ways that reify gender norms, as well as gender, racial, and other biases. Using the lenses of feminist theory, critical race theory, queer theory and intersectionality, students examine how racialized notions of masculinity and femininity, along with heteronormativity and ability, function to determine culturally valued standards of leadership. We look at historical and contemporary contexts, locally and globally, in which leaders emerge and the ways in which leadership has been/is defined and represented. In effect, then, this is a course that examines power and the ways in which norms and biases are deployed to grant or limit access to leadership. The course studies leadership in times of crisis and across a range of categories and fields such as political leadership (Congress/presidency), social movement leadership and business/corporate/workplace leadership. This course also explores the ways in which leadership is represented in media, as well as the language and symbols associated with leadership. Finally, our study focuses on both those who seek leadership roles and “unintentional leaders” — people who find themselves thrust into leadership positions by circumstances (i.e. Malala Yousafzai or Greta Thunberg). This course culminates by examining whether (and how) leadership as a concept can be reimagined and reinvented to allow for greater diversity. Credit: 4

This course, which may include a service learning component, explores the workplace dynamics related to people’s similarities and differences in characteristics such as race, ethnicity, gender, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion and physical and mental ability. Topics include perception and attribution, the social construction of identity, privilege, power relations, discrimination, prejudice, stereotypes and approaches businesses and other organizations take to address issues of workplace diversity. Credit: 4

This course explores theories of leadership, leadership philosophies and styles, as well as how leaders achieve institutional goals in an increasingly complex and challenging world. It addresses questions such as who can be a leader, society’s biases and norms about what constitutes leadership, the differences between leadership styles (i.e., collaborative, cooperative, problem-solver and hierarchical), concepts such as mentorship and sponsorship and the challenges, opportunities and obstacles faced by marginalized groups who seek leadership positions. Students examine their relationship to leadership and strengthen their capabilities through interactive and engaging assignments and activities, including Harvard’s Implicit Association Test, Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, Leadership Style Self-Assessment and Optional Thinking Leadership Assessment, among others. Credits: 4

Leaders as change agents necessarily drive change in an ever-evolving ecosystem. Navigation of organizational change requires leadership competencies in change management, new approaches and tools to increase leaders’ understanding of transformation and formal organizational strategies, such as structure, business processes, management systems, technology, products, services, culture and the like. This course explores change in the context of people and processes. “People” refers to the human dynamics that either influence the change or are triggered by it. These dynamics include dealing with people’s emotional reactions, turning resistance into commitment, motivation, engaging people in shaping the change, learning new behaviors or skills, changing mindsets, dealing with politics and relationships and addressing cultural implications of the change. “Process” refers to how the organization will transform and the decisions and action steps it will take along the way.

This course is a study of successful change processes and the leader’s role in creating a culture conducive to change; establishing a vision, buy-in and purpose among the influencers; and implementing sustainable, transformative change within an organization. Through the examination and discussion of change theory, case studies and change agents, this course considers effective approaches to confronting resistance and to leading change both vertically and horizontally

The COVID-19 pandemic made visible on a global scale the importance of leadership in times of crisis. Whether leaders serve in the political, business, nonprofit or social realms, crises pose new and often unanticipated challenges — and sometimes opportunities — for those in positions of leadership. This course explores how leaders proactively or reactively respond to crises, effectively communicate through their actions and behaviors, make decisions and maintain self and organizational engagement. The course also addresses the opportunities for women and people of color who may emerge as leaders during crisis moments and examines the concept of the “glass cliff” that many may face. Through case studies, the course evaluates how leaders respond to crises while simultaneously attempting to maintain trust among employees, investors, consumers, government and other stakeholders. It also considers the role of leadership style in successfully responding to and managing crises, as well as cases where leaders acknowledge their inability to act in times of crisis. Credits: 4

This course focuses on the enactment of leadership through communication. Students explore the relationship between leadership and communication. Traditional and contemporary approaches to leadership within various social contexts are examined. Special emphasis is given to how communication theory can enhance our understanding of leadership. Students engage in course-curriculum activities, including personal interviews, aimed at uncovering leadership as a product of human communication, as well as refining individual leadership potential and skills. Credits: 4

This course explores leadership in relation to principles, power and persuasion. These three elements aid leaders in navigating various leadership challenges, styles and access to positions of power and influence. Defining successful leadership is not done in isolation — it requires an understanding and close examination of what guides a leader’s assumptions, beliefs and actions in concert with their pursuit of power and their ability to persuade others, including those who are different from themselves. Learning how to maintain one’s principles, even while reaching a compromise, is a necessary leadership skill. Holding position, power and influence, and using them ethically and for the greater good, are also ideals and aspects of leadership. Persuading others to embrace workplace change, adapting an organization’s mission in an agile environment and commanding and holding attention are essential skills for leaders. Credits: 4

Evaluating and transferring knowledge in team-based environments with diverse groups of employees can be challenging. Leaders need to adapt their practices for working across multicultural, multi-gendered, multi-racial and multi-abled employees and collaborators, as well as across national borders. This course exposes students to theories of team leadership and helps them develop tools for sharing knowledge in an effective manner. Measuring team effectiveness is difficult for team-based leadership because a majority of team tasks within organizations are not quantifiable. Some of the criteria that can be used to measure team performance include: the team’s output meeting or exceeding expectations; collaboration among members enhancing each other’s capabilities; and the team experience fulfilling the personal needs of its members. Credits: 4

The world has changed immensely since the “Great Man Theory” of leadership first emerged in the late 1800s. This course addresses the theory and its persistence, the changes that have emerged since and alternative models of leadership, such as those that focus on diversity, equity and inclusion in recruiting and developing leaders. Understanding the complex social symbiosis and the interdependent relationship between leaders and followers is often overlooked. This course examines various theories, such as Leader-Follower Theory, Leader Member Exchange Theory (LMX) and the Vertical Dyad Linkage Theory, among others. The course uses relevant case studies to inform how leaders effectively embrace, engage and support followers and team members to achieve organizational success. Credits: 4

This course explores ethical dilemmas and contemporary problems that can arise when leaders consider the ways important and proper decision-making intersects with the needs and goals of organizations, society or the wider world. What happens when an individual’s ethics are counter to the organization’s practices or society’s values? The course includes a historical review of various leaders’ actions and the resulting consequences when confronted with an ethical dilemma. Students use case studies, their own experiences and current events to examine ethical tensions within the framework of personal goals and social outcomes. Students study popular ethical theories, strategies and solutions with a refined understanding of various perspectives and reasoning essential to good ethical leadership. From theory evaluation to ethical models, exercises and discussions, students enhance their critical thinking skills and deepen their understanding of the perspectives of others. In addition, students assess their ethical framework in the context of an effective leadership model. Credits: 4