Bachelor of Arts in Health and Human Services

In this foundational course, students explore the principles necessary for achieving personal and career success. GEN 101 serves as a road map, guiding students as they begin their academic journey. Through self-discovery, surveying available resources, connecting with UAGC groups, and engaging with Career Services, students learn the essential skills of planning and goal setting. Students apply their personal strengths, skills, and lifelong learning strategies to develop essential career competencies. By making these meaningful connections students gain a deeper understanding of how their education relates to their desired career path.  Congratulations on embarking on this college journey filled with growth, exploration, and endless possibilities! This course is not available for non-degree seeking students and is not available as an elective.

This course offers an overview of digital fluency as it applies to personal, academic, financial, and professional success. Students will analyze the impact of digital technology on personal, social, and diversity issues and will develop digital skills that will assist in achieving academic, personal, and career goals. An overview of digital media is introduced with practical strategies for application in personal and professional life.

Learn and use key, practical skills that are applicable at home, at work, and in all UAGC courses! As UAGC students progress in their academic journey, strategies for personal, professional, and academic success continue to develop. This introductory course takes a two-pronged approach to setting students on a path to success. It merges fundamental informational literacy concepts with essential resources and skills that prepare students for college and career. Students learn how to identify, locate, evaluate, apply, and acknowledge information obtained through UAGC Library databases and internet search engines. By applying the research process, students sharpen critical thinking skills and learn to use information ethically. The final project is a practical and relevant opportunity for students to apply their learning in personally, professionally, and academically meaningful ways.

ENG 121 is designed to introduce students to the standards of writing in both academic and professional settings. The class will operate by first introducing, and then allowing students to practice, several written communication skills. Throughout, we will work to understand writing as a process, one that is strengthened through critical thinking, deepened by research, and built on a foundation of professional standards. Students will articulate a sense of their own skills and goals, and engage in collaborative conversations with peers and their instructor so as to be able to express their ideas more effectively. During the course, students will use the writing process to scrutinize their own perspectives while challenging them to embrace a wider conversation.

This course is designed to expand students’ appreciation of film and knowledge of how films are made. Through analysis of storytelling in a visual medium, students will examine the ways in which movies are shot, develop characters, evoke emotion, depict physical reality, reflect society, and have the power to influence it. Though the focus of the course is film itself, students will gain deeper intercultural fluency while growing their skills in critical thinking, written communication, and visual analysis.

This course is a study of correct and incorrect reasoning involved in everyday activities. The fundamentals of language and argument, deductive and inductive reasoning and other aspects of practical reasoning are examined. 

This course examines and evaluates theories and arguments concerning ethics and moral reasoning from a philosophical perspective. By engaging with historical and contemporary sources, students will analyze theories about the meaning, nature, and justification of ethical concepts; determine and assess how different forms of moral reasoning apply to contemporary moral issues; become more reflective and informed about their own moral beliefs; and develop their capacity for critical practical reasoning.

In this course, students will develop and hone academic and professional writing skills by employing those skills to communicate with range of audiences across a range of situations and contexts. To do that, students will receive instruction and practice in writing well-structured, logical, and effective academic essays while developing critical thinking skills and effective work habits. Prerequisite: Successful completion of ENG 121 or equivalent with a grade of “C-” or better.

A survey of government at the national level. Emphasis is placed on the constitutional basis of American government, federalism, the sources and forms of political behavior, the operation of the three branches of government, and the making of national policy.

This course focuses on sustainable development from a cross-disciplinary approach, including, economics, management, education, policy, and science. Students discuss sustainability conflicts at the national and international levels, and use online simulations to understand and evaluate sustainability practices.   Topics include zero waste, water management, smart growth, green technology, global change, renewable energy, agriculture, and land management.  

In this course students will explore a wider range of Algebra topics beyond the introductory level. Topics will include polynomials, functions, rational expressions, systems of equations and inequalities, operations with radicals, and quadratic equations. Emphasis will be placed on developing an awareness of the use of mathematics as it exists in the world today.

The capstone serves as an opportunity to reflect upon, integrate, and showcase learning achievement. Through discussions and course-embedded assessments, students will demonstrate a mastery of essential general education competencies as they relate to their personal and professional lives and provide evidence of growth through application of competency related skills to real-world situations. Prerequisite: 75 completed credits or permission of the student’s college or dean.

This course introduces students to the profession of health and human services beginning with the historical evolution of the field and continuing up to modern day. A broad-based view of the purpose, preparation, and theoretical orientation of the profession is stressed including the many types and career settings of human service professions, scope of work, and duties and functions. Basic skills required by health and human service workers are reviewed, in addition to the roles of human service workers in both clinical and non-clinical settings. An introductory examination of orientations, ethics, and skills related to health and human service delivery in diverse practice settings is included.

This course emphasizes theories and practice of professional communication skills within the context of health and human services. Students will examine classical approaches and new theories and research in interpersonal, and group communication. Active listening, empathy interviewing, nonverbal communication, and presentation skills are stressed. The impact of family, culture, and gender on communication is integrated through communication exercises and class projects. In this class, students will also have an opportunity to examine the practical implications of these concepts in developing their own communication skills through application of selected communication techniques and strategies.

This course examines the role and function of “helping,” and helping processes as applied within the context of the health and human service profession. Helper characteristics are considered, relative to optimizing service delivery in diverse health and human service settings serving a multitude of constituents/client groups. Helping strategies and interventions, with attention to principles, methodology, practitioner skills and knowledge are overviewed. Interpretive strategies such as case study analysis, and vignette analysis are used to simulate health and human service settings.

This is an introductory course that explores the historical evolution of health care in the United States, its financing sources, technology, delivery of care and the stakeholders who comprise the health care system. The structure of the health care system, including the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, better known as Obamacare, will be discussed along with the various components that influence health care such as legal, ethical, regulatory, and fiscal forces. Students will also explore other health care systems and examine the potential future of health care in the United States. 

An introductory course that provides learners with a basic foundation of human biology applicable to human service and health and human services providers. The course explores basic human biology and its relationship to selected socio-cultural domains that are grounded in Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Model of Human Development.

Community and public health is an introductory course exploring community and public health services in the well-being of a population. Regulatory mandates promoting public and community health are explored. The interface among community and public health services and the overall health care industry is explored. Legal and ethical imperatives emergent in public health services are discussed. Financing options are explored recognizing the role of categorical fiscal resources. Health care promotion and prevention strategies are explored in concert with the role of health care institutions and the public sector. Health information data is utilized in the planning of a community and/or public health project. Prerequisite: Successful completion of the majority of major coursework.

This course prepares students to understand cultural systems, and the nature of cultural identity defined by gender, ethnicity, race, national origin, sexual orientation, income, physical and mental ability, age, and religion. Emphasis is placed on defining and developing skills for the culturally competent delivery of health and human services.

This class looks at contemporary issues and trends in the practice of health and human services through a social policy and ethical lens. Health laws, ethics, the decision making process, and professional conduct standards including boundary-setting and confidentiality are covered.

This foundational course details the history and factors driving the emergence of health informatics. In addition to emphasizing the concepts, terminologies and scope of health informatics, the course delves into health information exchanges, data standards, health informatics ethics, online resources and E-research. The course includes an overview of basic database architecture, design and file structure, and data warehousing and data mining in health care.

This course is a survey course encompassing the application of research methodology. It prepares students to critically evaluate published research. The nature and history of the scientific method, research tools, data collection and analysis will be reviewed. Although key statistical concepts are covered, the focus of the course is helping students gain a conceptual understanding of the components of sound research, and to understand the steps and procedures involved in ethical research of the content area.

This course examines the major theoretical and conceptual explanations for social problems in modern society. Students will be introduced to a variety of current social problems in the United States and around the world, and will consider and suggest potential social action through the use of foundational sociological tools such as research, social theory and understanding of inequality and identity groups. The focus of the course is twofold: the critical analysis of the causes and consequences of these social problems from a sociological framework; and the considered social action through community action, using sociological tools.

In this final course, students will reflect upon and synthesize the major insights gained in their study of Health and Human Services. A substantive paper is developed which requires students to critically analyze their experiences and integrate knowledge gained throughout their program. The focus is on a strategic health and human services topic that is directly related to access and delivery of services to a selected client group. Prerequisite: Successful completion of the General Education Capstone course.