Course organization
The course will begin with an Opening Forum focusing on
current perspectives of One Health from the various human, animal, and
environmental health communities. This will be followed by a discussion
highlighting current challenges to integrating these disciplines.
Students and faculty will then be divided into thematic groups and
begin to work their particular topic. Placement into the topical
working groups will be made based partially on student preference, but
the main objective is to form interdisciplinary groups with as much
diversity as possible to explore each subject.
The class will meet weekly in a virtual 3-campus format to discuss
overarching interdisciplinary issues, and then break into their
respective thematic groups to work on their projects. Mini lectures,
video presentations, and exercises will be employed to facilitate
active collaborative learning. Seminar faculty will serve as research
mentors and facilitators, and will also participate in the evaluation
of student performance.
In Part I of the Seminar, which focuses on leveling disciplinary understanding, students in each group will be
asked to examine the assigned problem from their chosen discipline's
perspective and to determine the fundamental principles and challenges
needed for them to make their points understood to the rest of their
group. They will be required to organize appropriate background
knowledge and identify open questions that are not addressed adequately
by their discipline. Students will present their findings to their
group and will be assessed on their ability to effectively communicate
with and teach their fellow group members.
In Part II
of the Seminar, which focuses on what it means to do interdisciplinary work, each group will work together in an integrative process
to re-examine their problem, identify gaps or barriers to understanding
and develop novel ideas that evolve from their deliberations.
At the joint Midterm Assessment Forum, each group will
present their integrated findings and a self assessment of their work,
highlighting unique conclusions that were produced by the
interdisciplinary process, and identifying challenges that were unable
to be met. This joint session will encourage discussion and critical
analysis between groups to determine integrative methods that were most
effective during their small group work. The forum will also begin the
process of developing ways to direct and communicate their findings to
a non-academic setting such as a classroom, a village community, or a
political forum.
In Part III of the Seminar, which focuses on expanding interdisciplinary work to the community, interaction with a
site-specific community will be encouraged during the investigation and
development of proposed solutions to each seminar topic/question.
Students will also be asked to consider community-level stakeholders
and the extent to which those stakeholders can and should be encouraged
to participate in informing the process, and in proposing and
implementing solutions.
Each will then work to complete a final integrative product and presentation.
A Concluding Forum will be held to share the seminar's
findings with the University community. As part of this forum, we will
also discuss how best to facilitate improved collaborative
relationships across the University based on the seminar experience.
The final product(s) of this seminar will also be published on the web
and may be considered for further publication or stand as the basis for
grant submission.
Expectations for Students
Students will be expected to attend every class and actively
participate in the discussions. In the event that a student will be
late to class, or will miss a class altogether, they must notify their
primary instructor before class so that arrangements can be made to
cover their absence. Modest assignments will be made (see next
section), and some outside research will be expected from each
student. Students will be expected to use the technology tools
described below, but support will be provided to assist in learning how
to use these tools.
Student Evaluation and Assessment (Grading)
Students will be assessed based on individual efforts demonstrated
in the small group work, collaborative efforts within their group, and
on preparation and delivery of presentations and reports.
Instructors will conduct a weekly evaluation of each student's
participation (10%); a 250 word written journal assignment on a topic
assigned in class (10%); and their research (10%). Assignments and an
annotated bibliography will be entered on the One Health Course Wiki in
a private site where instructors will also record their comments.
Students will be evaluated by their peers at their disciplinary
presentation (10%) and at the midterm (10%). Instructors will also
evaluate each student at the midterm presentation (25%) and at the
final presentation (25%). Student learning will be assessed against the
learning objectives defined for this course.
Preparatory Reading for Class 1
Virchow, RC: Excerpts from Report on the Typhus Epidemic in Upper Silesia
Starr, P: The Social Origins of Professional Sovereignty, in The Social Transformation of American Medicine
(pages 1-29)
Gittleman, S: Entrepreneurial University: The Transformation of Tufts, 1976-2002, A New View of Health, pages 107-112.
