Principles of Epidemiology (PH 211)
Fall 2014
Buttrick Hall rm 204
Tuesday and Thursday 8:30 – 9:45am
Credits: 4 CEUs
Course Syllabus
Instructor: Amy Krueger
Email: Akrueger@agnesscott.edu
Office: Campbell 227
Office hours: 8:00am – 8:30am Tues. & Thurs. – make appointment
Prerequisites: PH 101 and MAT 115 or PSY 206
Course skills: basic knowledge of biology/microbiology and basic understanding of statistics.
Course Description and format:
The course covers the scope of epidemiology; designing, planning and analysis in epidemiologic research, design strategies, measurement of exposure, measuring disease occurrence, statistical association and causality, and epidemiological study designs. Principles of Epidemiology 211 will meet twice a week. Classes will include lectures, group discussions, and applied activities such as case studies.
Active participation is expected of students during class. Assignment types will vary, including individual and group assignments and calculation-based problems.
Credit and workload: PH 211 is a 4-credit course. In addition to 2.5 hours of in-class time, you will be spending a minimum of 2-3 hours per week in preparation for our class sessions, including viewing lecture material posted on Moodle, completing reading assignments and working on problem sets. An additional time of 2-3 hours per week will be required for group projects and studying for exams for this course. Learning Objectives:
By the end of the course, students will be able to:
1. Describe, interpret, and calculate basic epidemiologic measures of disease occurrence and disease associations. 2. Describe and/or identify the essential features of basic epidemiologic study designs and recognize the advantages and limitations of each.
3. Demonstrate understanding of the contributions of epidemiology to the field of public health.
4. Understand key assumptions, limitations, and methods of assessing causality.
5. Understand how scientific research methods are employed to create and test epidemiologic hypotheses. 6. Use analytic reasoning and quantitative methods to address questions in public health and population-based research.
Text:
Most of the required readings for PH 211 are from the Gordis text. Additional required readings such as chapters and articles will be made available as handouts, online, or at the library.
1. (Required) Gordis, Leon. Epidemiology. 5th Edition. Philadelphia: Saunders Elsevier, 2013.
2. Articles will also be assigned and uploaded to Moodle.
Websites that may be of help:
Moodle website: http://courses2.agnesscott.edu/course/view.php?id=4347
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/asc.publichealth/permalink/645243358826745/#!/groups/asc.publi chealth/
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Assignments and grading:
1. Participation Grade—Quizzes, short homework, attendance (15%):
In-class quizzes may be announced or unannounced.
Short homework assignments will be given at the end of class and may cover concepts from the lecture.
Attendance will be taken (unannounced) periodically through the semester and count toward your grade. 2. Problem sets (25%): Longer and more difficult homework problem sets will be assigned that require calculations and short answers. Students may work together on problem sets.
3. Midterm (15%): October 15th, the format for the exam will be multiple choice, short answers, and calculations. 4. Group project (20%): Students will work together in groups of 2-3 to conduct a literature review on an epidemiologic topic and critique an article on the topic. The group will give a presentation during the last week of class to summarize the literature review and critique. Written critique due November 26th,
Oral presentations will be December 3rd or 5th. Detailed instructions for the Group Project will be posted on Moodle.
5. Final (25%): The format for the exam will be similar to the Midterm. Self-scheduled.
Assignments should