Course Guide

2024 - Fall

The courses listed with section and instructor information are offered in Fall 2024.

Legacy Name Course Title Course Hours Course Credits Course Professor Building
GRAD 612 Responsible Conduct of Research (Aug 19-Oct 15) M 1:30-3:20 pm 1 James L Mohler SMTH 118
GRAD 612 Responsible Conduct of Research (Aug 19-Oct 15) T 1:30-3:20 pm 1 James L Mohler LYLE 1160
GRAD 612 Responsible Conduct of Research (Oct 16-Dec 7) M 1:30-3:20 pm 1 James L Mohler WALC 3090
GRAD 612 Responsible Conduct of Research (Oct 16-Dec 7) T 1:30-3:20 pm 1 Sean M Courtney ARMS 1021
HDFS 627 Multilevel Modeling in Developmental and Family Research TR 1:30-2:45 pm 3 TBA LILLY G428
HDFS 606 Advanced Human Development W 1:30-4:20 pm 3 Elliot M Friedman FWLR G025
HK 444 Balance Rehab in Older Adults MW 12:30-1:20 pm* 3 Jeffrey M Haddad LAMB 104
HK 590 Physical Activity Across the Life Course MW 4:30-5:45 pm 3 Steve Amireault LAMB 104
HK 668 Seminar in Exercise Physiology TR 3:00-4:15 pm 3 Igor Alexandre Fernandes LAMB 120A
IE 590 Human Factors of Gerontechnology TR 3:00-4:15 pm 3 Brandon J Pitts GRS 134
SLHS 539 Dysphagia W 1:00-3:50 pm 3 Georgia Malaindrakit LYLE 1150
SOC 677 Research Seminar on Aging and the Life Course T 10:30-11:20 am 1 Hui Lu Synchronous Online Learning

* Travel time and laboratory required at different times.

COURSE DESCRIPTIONS

APPROVED: These courses are approved for the Gerontology Program.

ANSC 55500 ‐ Animal Growth & Development
Credit Hours: 3.00.The course will cover concepts, principle and mechanisms of development and regeneration, as well as identification of tissue stem cells and their role in tissue homeostasis and regeneration. Typically offered Spring.
Prerequisites: Cell Biology, Biochemistry.
BIOL 51600 ‐ Molecular Biology of Cancer
Credit Hours: 3.00. A detailed course examining the molecular mechanisms controlling the growth of animal cells. Emphasis will be placed on current experimental approaches to defining the molecular basis of growth regulation in developing systems and the uncontrolled proliferation of cells in metabolic disorders, such as cancer. Typically offered Spring.
GRAD 59000 ‐ Biology of Aging
Credit Hours: 3.00. Provides students with an overview of prevailing theories, experimental data, and human observations pertinent to the biology of aging. Permission of instructor required. Typically offered fall of odd-numbered years.
GRAD 61200 ‐ Responsible Conduct of Research
Credit Hours: 1.00. Overview of values, professional standards, and regulations that define responsible conduct in research. Students learn the values and standards of responsible research through readings and lecture/discussion and practice application of these values and standards to research situations through class discussion of case studies from life sciences research. Students must be registered for M.S. or Ph.D. thesis research in their home department. Typically offered Fall, Spring.
HDFS 60000 ‐Families and Health Across the Life Course
Credit Hours: 3.00. Family ties and family processes in the promotion of individual health and management of disease across the life course are covered. Course topics include: health promotion and disease prevention, disease management, health care, and caregiving in the family context.
HDFS 60600 ‐ Advanced Human Development
Credit Hours: 3.00. This course provides an overview of human development from birth to death and serves as a graduate-level introduction to HDFS. Relevant theories and models will provide the structure for consideration of multiple aspects of development (e.g., biological, cognitive, social). Particular attention will be paid to diversity in developmental influences and trajectories, including atypical development. Students will gain specific knowledge and professional skills through the pursuit of individual research interests, culminating in a written research proposal and a class presentation of the proposal.
HDFS 62700 ‐ Multilevel Modeling In Developmental and Family Research
Credit Hours: 3.00. This course gives students a basic grounding in the class of statistical techniques known as multilevel modeling (MLM), also known as hierarchical linear modeling (HLM), mixed models, or random coefficient models. Primary discussions will be on applications of these models to the study of marriages, relationships, families, aging, and child and adult development, but also will touch on biomedical, educational, and economic examples. The focus is on three types of multilevel models: growth‐curve models, organizational models, and daily experience models. Students will also learn how to use SAS Proc Mixed for conducting MLM analyses. Students are assumed to have taken at least two graduate statistics courses and have a solid understanding of regression analysis. Typically offered Spring of even years.
HDFS 64900 ‐ Multidisciplinary Gerontology
Credit Hours: 3.00. A multidisciplinary overview of aging that provides a background for graduate studies on aging. An examination of sociological, psychological, and biological theory and research in the field of aging. The aging process from cells to social security will be covered. Guest lectures introduce students to experts in gerontology on Purdue's campus. Projects will assist students in developing appropriate professional skills in their field of study. Students are expected to have basic research and writing skills in their field of study. The course serves as a graduate‐level introduction to the field of gerontology. There are several options for course projects. Typically offered Spring of odd years.
HK 44400 ‐ Balance Rehab in Older Adults
Credit Hours: 3.00. Learn about motor function decline techniques to improve motor function in an older population. Enrolled students also participate in an off-campus lab providing hands-on experience working with an older population. Permission of instructor required. Typically offered Fall Spring
NUTR 63400 ‐ Nutrition and Cancer Prevention
Credit Hours: 1.00 or 2.00. An in-depth examination of the role of nutrition in cancer prevention. Typically offered in the spring semester of alternate years.
SLHS 51100 ‐ Seminar in Aging and Communication
Credit Hours: 3.00. This course examines normal age‐related changes to the systems of communication. This includes anatomic and physiologic changes to the respiratory, laryngeal, and supralaryngeal systems and the resulting functional changes to speech production and changes to speech perception, language, cognition, emotional processing, and memory. A background that includes basic anatomy and physiology, neurophysiology, and linguistics is preferred.
SLHS 51900 ‐ Special Topics in Audiology and Speech Pathology ‐ variable topics
Credit Hours: 2.00.
Augmentative and Alternative Communication
Introduction to augmentative and alternative communication. Cognitive, educational, physical, psycho‐social, and linguistic aspects are considered together with symbol characteristics, teaching strategies, and research issues. Typically offered Fall.

SLHS 53100 ‐ Language Disorders in Adults
Credit Hours: 3.00. Study of the causes, assessment, and treatment of acquired language disorders in adults, including aphasia, right hemisphere syndromes, and dementia. Typically offered Spring.
SLHS 53800 ‐ Motor Disorders of Speech
Credit Hours: 2.00. A study of the neuropathologies that affect the speech production system. Emphasizes the differential diagnosis and management of acquired motor speech disorders. Typically offered Fall of even years.
SOC 57600 ‐ Health and Aging in Social Context
Credit Hours: 3.00. Analysis of the social and cultural influences on health in adulthood and later life. Considers distribution of illness among older adults, health behavior, and health services use, including long‐term care. Typically offered every other year.
SOC 67700 ‐ Research Seminar on Aging and the Life Course
Credit Hours: 1.00. An interdisciplinary seminar examining recent research on aging and the responsible conduct of research. Emphasis is given to professional development in gerontology and related fields. Typically offered Fall.

CONTINGENT APPROVAL: The following courses are approved for the Gerontology Program, contingent on instruction by a CALC Faculty Associate and/or substantive aging content or flexibility to individualize major project/paper on a topic in gerontology.

ANTH 60900 ‐ Anthropological Seminar in Aging
Credit Hours: 3.00. Although aging is a human experience that occurs worldwide, perceptions of aging, the life course and what constitutes "a good old age" vary greatly across cultures. We will seek to understand the contributions of an anthropological perspective to the study of age and aging. We will also apply the concerns and methods of anthropological research to the experience of aging in our society.
BIOL 56200 / PSY 51200 ‐ Neural Systems
Credit Hours: 3.00. Overview of the structure and function of neural systems including those involved with motor, somatosensory, visual, auditory, learning, memory, and higher cortical processes. Molecular and cellular aspects of neural function are integrated with discussion of relevant neuroanatomy. Background in cell biology, psychobiology, physiology or anatomy is recommended. Typically offered Spring.
HDFS 59000 ‐ Health in Social Context
Credit Hours: 3.00. Social ties and interactions with close social partners and association with individual health, management of disease, and psychological well-being are covered. Course reviews research on social ties and health from a multidisciplinary perspective.
HK 53200 ‐ Musculoskeletal Adaptations
Credit Hours: 3.00. This course will utilize traditional lecture combined with small group, student-led learning to study the impact of acute and chronic exercise on skeletal muscle and tendon. Topics covered will include muscle growth, muscle metabolism, structural and functional changes in skeletal muscle and tendon, the impact of age and sex on exercise adaptations, and the impact of exogenous agents on skeletal muscle and tendon adaptations to exercise. Other topics that will be covered may include the impact of unloading, e.g. bedrest, spinal injury on skeletal muscle and tendon. Students are expected to actively participate in the course. This course will be relevant to those interested in exercise physiology, athletic training, physical therapy, occupational therapy, medical school, and similar programs of study
HK 59000 ‐ Computational Methods in Biomechanics and Motor Control
Credit Hours: 3.00. The goal of the course is to obtain (1) a critical understanding and (2) facility in working with major approaches in the study of variability in human movements. Students will analyze their own data, or participate in class projects. The course will cover basic descriptive algebraic geometry, variability in human movement data, and computational techniques for variability analysis and data handling. *To obtain CALC credit, students must complete the class project on a gerontology/life course perspective topic and submit final copy to CALC for review.
HK 59000 ‐ Mobility Across the Lifespan
Credit Hours: 3.00. This course examines the control of mobility using a lifespan perspective. Mobility refers to the ability to move oneself, and relates to the basic human need of physical movement. The major motor functions during gait will be examined, including prevention of upper body collapse, maintenance of upright posture and balance of the total body, control of the foot trajectory, and the generation and absorption of mechanical energy.
HK 59000 ‐ Physical Activity Across the Life Course
Credit Hours: 3.00. Students will be exposed to epidemiological, behavioral, and public health issues related to the promotion of physical activity across the life course. Major topic areas will include physical activity epidemiology, correlates and determinants of physical activity, behavioral models and theories, and current evidence for physical activity interventions, ranging from individual behavioral strategies to environmental and policy approaches.
HK 66800 – Seminar in Exercise Physiology
Credit Hours: 3.00. Review of literature; design and conduct of research in an area of current interest in exercise physiology. Permission of instructor required.
IE 59000 ‐ Human Factors of Gerontechnology
Credit Hours: 3.00. This course will highlight the human factors aspects of interdisciplinary efforts to develop technology for use by older adults. Topics covered will include perceptual and cognitive aspects of aging, user-sensitive inclusive design, assistive technology, aging and driving, telehealth initiatives, social contexts of technology use in older adult individuals, and technology acceptance.
NURS 59900 ‐ Exploring Aging in the Blue Zone
Credit Hours: 1.00 or 2.00. Blue Zones are areas where a high proportion of older adults live to be over 100 years of age. There is little physical and cognitive impairment in the older adults in these areas. The purpose of this study abroad program is to explore factors that may contribute to their longevity and to identify concepts, customs, or behaviors that can be incorporated into the U.S. health care system. During the program, students will interact with the local elders, physicians, pharmacists, social services, and other individuals in order to obtain information on factors that contribute to both the longevity and wellness of older adults in the area.
PUBH 54300 ‐ Physical Activity and Public Health
Credit Hours: 3.00. This course is designed to examine physical activity behavior, its antecedents and consequences, with emphasis on three time-based components: trajectories, transitions, and turning points. Students will be exposed to the breadth of empirical literature on physical activity psychology, health promotion, and gerontology. Specifically, students will draw connections across these fields by explaining, relating, and contrasting three concepts that are central to the study of the life course. Major topic areas will include physical activity behavioral trajectories and patterns (including play, sport, exercise adherence, and maintenance), healthy aging, health behavior theories and frameworks, social and physical environments, choices architecture, and implications for physical activity promotion.
SLHS 53900 ‐ Dysphagia
Credit Hours: 3.00. A study of the normal and disordered anatomy and physiology of the swallowing process. Principles of evaluation and treatment of dysphagia are discussed.
SLHS 61900 ‐ Advanced Topics in Aging and Communication
Credit Hours: 2.00. An examination of normal age-related changes to the systems of communication. Specifically, the focus will be age-related changes on language, cognition, and social communication. Neurological cognitive-communicative disorders (e.g. aphasia, dementia) which are often associated with aging will also be discussed.
SOC 60900 ‐ Aging and the Family
Credit Hours: 3.00. This course will focus on understanding the relationships among social structural factors, family relationships, and psychological well-being in the later years. Many of the substantive issues that we will be studying are central to sociology of the family across the life course (for example, explaining the quality of interpersonal relationships in the family and the effects of family relationships on well-being); we will be addressing them with emphasis on the later years. We will also be exploring topics that are specific to later-life families, such as family caregiving, widowhood, and grandparenting.
SOC 60900 ‐ Aging and the Life Course
Credit Hours: 3.00. In this course, you will learn about and apply life course concepts, critically discuss research on aging and life course with an emphasis on social relationships and health, and produce a research project utilizing these concepts. Note that although this is an 8-week course, it is 3 units, so there will be extensive independent work outside of our class times within this compressed timeline.
SOC 67400 – Seminar in Medical Sociology – variable topics
Credit Hours: 2.00 or 3.00. Typically offered Spring.
Seminar in Medical Sociology: Early Origins of Adult Health
This seminar examines how the early life experiences shape health status in adulthood. Readings for this emerging area of inquiry are drawn from medical sociology, sociology of aging, and life course epidemiology.

Seminar in Medical Sociology: Minority Health
This seminar examines the health status and health behavior of minority Americans. A life course perspective is emphasized, from birth to later life, in examining disparities between African, Asian, Hispanic, Native, and White Americans. Readings for this emerging area of inquiry are drawn from medical sociology, life course epidemiology, and health services research.
SOC 68100 ‐ Selected Problems of Social Research: Multilevel Longitudinal Modeling
Credit Hours: 3.00. Working with already available data, each student will conduct one or more research projects, including conceptualization, operational procedures, analysis of the data, and report writing. The data to be used may be from surveys, small group studies, organizational studies, or written documents. Permission of instructor required.

CALC students are permitted to take one approved 400-level course of up to 3 credit hours.

Whereas new courses are developed or taught with variable topics, students may request approval for additional courses with significant content related to gerontology. To request approval, submit course description, syllabus, and brief rationale to calc@purdue.edu.