Ph.D. in Urban Systems, Urban Health Specialization Courses

Ph.D. in Urban Systems, Urban Health Specialization
 
Please contact the school for the current curriculum plan and available courses. For further information about the Ph.D. in urban systems please visit the program webpage and the catalog of the Graduate School-Newark. 

Urban Systems Curriculum

Core Courses

The urban systems core curriculum consists of 18 credits and provides a strong background in the history and social organization of U.S. cities.

URBU 6002 Urban Health Systems: History, Structure, and Challenges (3) This course focuses on social and political forces in the development of urban health systems across the first world, focusing primarily on the United States. It is organized into three major sectors: the development of health care systems, a critique of health care systems, and key issues in urban health.  Beginning with a survey of historical forces leading to the creation of the current system, the course focuses on concepts derived from sociology, political science, and economics that facilitate the analysis of current issues in the organization, structure, and functioning of the current system as well as outlooks for the future. Such concepts include, but are not limited to, professionalization and deprofessionalization, social stratification, power, professional dominance, deviance, and social control. Current issues such as inequality in access to health care, distribution of health manpower, quality and funding of health care institutions, and the impact of changes in population size, distribution, and structure will be used to illustrate and test basic theoretical understandings and approaches.

URBU 6201 Social and Cultural Construction of Health and Illness (3) This seminar describes the social and cultural factors that influence how individuals in the United States organize, define, and experience illness; engage in illness prevention; seek treatment; and engage with formal and informal medical systems. The course will (a) provide an introduction to anthropological and sociological perspectives on health and illness; (b) describe the social and cultural production of health; (c) describe how people conceptualize illnesses and make decisions concerning treatment; (d) describe major and minor folk traditions concerning the diagnosis and treatment of illness; (e) describe the nature of interactions between "patients" and formal and informal medical systems focusing on health care practitioners; (f) describe the information sources that people use when confronting illness; and (g) describe the nature of individual perceptions of risk.

URBU 6203 Program and Policy Evaluation (3) This course is designed to provide students with a framework for understanding program evaluation.  It will introduce them to principles and practices that will facilitate the integration of evaluation into health services programs. Course content will address the science of evaluation, and topics will include common evaluation goals, methodologies, and standards while also addressing misconceptions regarding the evaluation process. Emphasis will be placed on practical, ongoing evaluation strategies that involve all program stakeholders, not just evaluation experts. Students are expected to: (a) describe the social and cultural context of health program development; (b) describe common components of and usual steps taken in program development; (c) discuss appropriate theories/models guiding program development as well as implementation and evaluation; (d) describe how program implementation and evaluation address macrosocial and microsocial processes and effects; (e) identify various program evaluation methods; (f) analyze appropriateness of evaluation design and methods while monitoring both the evaluation process and program outcomes; and (g) interpret evaluation data to determine program impact, cost, and subsequent program decisions. Prerequisite: URBU 6103.

URBU 6005 Statistics I (3) Presents the basics of probability theory and statistical inference, with an emphasis on calculation and interpretation of point and interval estimates and statistical tests often presented in quantitative research papers.  Major emphasis will be on application of concepts and interpretation of estimates. Students will be engaged in using statistical software for data analysis. This course is a prerequisite for the urban health program, but can be taken upon admission to the program by arrangement with the program director if necessary. Please note that the credits associated with this course are not counted toward the 72 credits required for graduation from the urban health program.

URBU 6006 Statistics II (3) This course is designed for urban population health researchers, with the goal of offering a broad overview of biostatistics, including topics such as statistical inference, descriptive statistics, elementary probability, probability distributions, one- and two-sample normal inference (point estimation, hypothesis testing, and confidence intervals), power and sample size calculations, one- and two-sample binomial inference, underlying assumptions, and diagnostic work. Special emphasis will be placed on the practical use of biostatistics to address important public health issues by including an overview of basic statistical tools used in epidemiological research, such as generalized linear models, including multiple linear regression, binary logistic regression, and multivariate logistic analysis. Prerequisite: URBU 6005.

URBU 6007 Epidemiology and Population Health (3) Employs a web-based format to introduce students to a range of basic epidemiologic concepts and methods. Alows students to explore epidemiology's core research methodologies while focusing on the measurement of population health. Topics include common summary measures as well as observational and experimental research designs. The aim of the course is to link methodology to inferential goals. Students will be encouraged to apply their knowledge by critiquing published epidemiological studies This course is a prerequisite for the urban health program, but can be taken upon admission to the program by arrangement with the program director if necessary. Please note that the credits associated with this course are not counted toward the 72 credits required for graduation from the urban health program.

URBU 6103 Quantitative Methods (3) Advanced course in quantitative social science research methods. Together, the students and instructor will critically examine a large number of peer-reviewed journal articles with the goal of enhancing each student's understanding of the logic and application of quantitative research methods. Prerequisite: URBU 6006.

URBU 725 Independent Study (3) This course is designed to introduce students to the basic skills and practices necessary for a successful scholarly career. It covers scholarly planning, the development of a daily writing practice, and the creation of course completion and research timelines as well as the development of a successful dissertation proposal. In addition, students are guided through the dissertation process and the fundamentals of assembling a committee. Finally, students are instructed in how to turn a course paper or dissertation chapter into a published article and build a community of practice as they prepare to become research scholars. The course utilizes a hybrid format: face-to-face meetings alternate with virtual meetings or conference calls.

URBU 790 Dissertation Research (1-6)

URBU 792 Independent Study: Foundations of Scholarship (3) This course is designed to introduce students to the basic skills and practices necessary for a successful scholarly career. It covers scholarly planning, the development of a daily writing practice, and the creation of course completion and research timelines as well as the development of a successful dissertation proposal. In addition, students are guided through the dissertation process and the fundamentals of assembling a committee. Finally, students are instructed in how to turn a course paper or dissertation chapter into a published article and build a community of practice as they prepare to become research scholars. The course utilizes a hybrid format: face-to-face meetings alternate with virtual meetings or conference calls.