Fall 2019 - GERO 840 G100
Special Topics in Gerontology (4)
Class Number: 9696
Delivery Method: In Person
Overview
-
Course Times + Location:
Sep 3 – Dec 2, 2019: Wed, 9:30 a.m.–12:20 p.m.
Vancouver
-
Instructor:
Sharon Koehn
skoehn@sfu.ca
1 778 782-9467
Description
CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:
This course offers an opportunity to offer a specialized course in an area germane to the program but on a topic that is outside of the regular courses.
COURSE DETAILS:
This course will explore the health and health care access of minority older adults in Canada and other developed nations similarly grappling with the need to provide inclusive and equitable health services to increasingly diverse and expanding older adult populations. The focus of the course is on immigrant and visible minority populations, but other minority groups will be discussed. Featured prominently in this course is the influence of sociocultural determinants that produce health inequities in vulnerable at-risk populations, and account for 75% of the influences on Canadians’ health. Students will critically examine the available literature on ethnocultural minority older adults and other marginalized minorities with a view to understanding how ethnocultural background intersects with other determinants of health such as age, gender, sexual orientation, time since immigration, country of origin, education and literacy, visible minority status, and socioeconomic status. We critically explore how these intersection influence both their health and healthcare experiences. We will discuss, in a seminar format, specific topics such as health care utilization and accessibility, the incidence and experience of chronic diseases and their management in specific populations, mental health promotion and the incidence and experience of mental illness, the diagnosis and experience of dementia, elder abuse and neglect, the suitability of existing community supports, long-term care options, end-of-life care, family caregiving, and the meaning of cultural competence for this population.
COURSE-LEVEL EDUCATIONAL GOALS:
By the end of this course, students will be able to
1. identify key themes in the literature on health and healthcare access for minority older adults;
2. translate these findings into knowledge that is accessible to minority older adults and/or frontline service providers or advocates who work with them;
3. recognize some methodological limitations of qualitative and quantitative studies on this topic;
4. explain the implications of these limitations for understanding the health care needs of minority older adults and translating the findings into practice; and
5. delineate how an intersectionality framework can be used to avoid some of the shortcomings of the existing literature.
Grading
- o Connecting Lived Experiences of Immigrant Aging to research literature – an outline 15%
- o Summary presentation of above to a knowledge user group, TBD 15%
- o Integration of theoretical thinking: Draft thesis statement and summary of supporting points 15%
- o Critical research paper 30%
- o Contribution to class discussions 20%
- o Seminar lead (initiate discussion of readings with a critical summary and questions for the group) 5%
NOTES:
Evaluation philosophy
Evaluation in this course—especially as reflected in the steps involved in the Focal project—is based on the following premise: “Feedback is a process in which learners make sense of information about their performance and use it to enhance the quality of their work or learning strategies”[1] and aligns with the goal of building students’ capacity to write critical research papers. [1] http://newmediaresearch.educ.monash.edu.au/feedback/framework-of-effective-feedback/definition/
[1] http://newmediaresearch.educ.monash.edu.au/feedback/framework-of-effective-feedback/definition/
Materials
REQUIRED READING:
Torres, S. 2019. Ethnicity and old age: Expanding our imagination. 1st ed. Policy Press, Bristol, U.K. (Available as an e-book from the SFU library).
Journal articles available though Canvas.
Graduate Studies Notes:
Important dates and deadlines for graduate students are found here: http://www.sfu.ca/dean-gradstudies/current/important_dates/guidelines.html. The deadline to drop a course with a 100% refund is the end of week 2. The deadline to drop with no notation on your transcript is the end of week 3.
Registrar Notes:
SFU’s Academic Integrity web site http://www.sfu.ca/students/academicintegrity.html is filled with information on what is meant by academic dishonesty, where you can find resources to help with your studies and the consequences of cheating. Check out the site for more information and videos that help explain the issues in plain English.
Each student is responsible for his or her conduct as it affects the University community. Academic dishonesty, in whatever form, is ultimately destructive of the values of the University. Furthermore, it is unfair and discouraging to the majority of students who pursue their studies honestly. Scholarly integrity is required of all members of the University. http://www.sfu.ca/policies/gazette/student/s10-01.html
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS