Syllabus - University of Florida

Course Content

How and why do we age? Is old age necessarily a period of decline? What are the benefits of old age? Why is it important to study aging? How is individual aging related to the structure of society? What are the problems of an aging society? These and other questions are the topic of this course. We will examine aging from the perspectives of sociology, psychology, social demography, history, biology, the medical sciences, and economics. In particular, we will start by studying aging from a developmental or life course perspective. Then we will discuss health care for the elderly and issues of death and dying. We will end the course with a social and economic outlook for an aging society.

Required Reading

Moody, Harry R. 2002. Aging. Concepts and Controversies. 4th Edition. Pine Forge: Thousand Oaks, CA. See also the Online Appendix available through the publisher’s Web site at http://www.pineforge.com/moody.
Course packet (abbreviated as "CP" in the reading list) available at 309 NW 13th Street (directly across from Krispy Kreme Donuts).

Recommended Reading
Egendorf, Laura K. 2002. An Aging Population. Opposing Viewpoints. Greenhaven Press: San Diego, CA.
Silverman, Jay, Elaine Hughes, and Diana Roberts Wienbroer. 2002. Rules of Thumb. A Guide for Writers, with 2002 APA Update and Electronic Tutor CD-ROM. 5th Edition. New York: McGraw-Hill.

Gerontological Studies - Case Western Reserve University
http://socwww.cwru.edu/
The gerontological studies program is a multi-disciplinary program designed to integrate research and theory about aging and old age. Prompted in part by the "graying" of the world's population, humanists, scientists, social scientists, and professionals have become interested in understanding the position of the aged in society, the aging process in various contexts, the meaning of aging to individuals, and the physical changes that accompany aging. The program draws on the most recent thinking and research in a variety of disciplines to provide students with a background that will be helpful after graduation both in work and in graduate or professional school.

In keeping with the interdisciplinary nature of the program, the core courses are drawn from four departments: anthropology, communication sciences, history, and sociology. Students may choose from a variety of courses according to their own interests. Most of the electives are not specifically gerontology courses but cover topics that contribute to the understanding of aging and the aged. The perspectives gained in the core courses will provide the student with the background needed to relate the material in the more general courses to gerontological issues. The program is firmly grounded in the liberal arts and thus provides the student with the challenge to think and communicate effectively and to integrate diverse information, theories, and practice.

Gerontological Studies is an appropriate major or minor for students with a wide variety of career goals. The aging of the population has made available entry-level positions for persons with baccalaureate degrees in organizations that provide services to and formulate policy for the elderly. Many graduate programs now include an emphasis on aging for which a degree in gerontological studies would serve as a useful background. Students planning to pursue professional degrees will find that an increasing number of their clients or patients will be old and that problems with which they must deal will be related to the aged. The perspective provided by participating in the Gerontological Studies Program will provide students with excellent background in working with older populations. This background is particularly important for students who plan to pursue careers in human services, business, law medicine, academics, or the sciences.

Current Areas of Research
Faculty members associated with the program are engaged in a variety of funded research projects which include studies of: Alzheimer's disease; patterns of care for the urban elderly in China; visual perception changes that accompany aging; the impact of high levels of physical activity on the biological aging process; grandparent-grandchild relationships; and stress, coping, and adaptation among urban community and institutionalized elderly.

Program Faculty
Cynthia Beall, Ph.D. (Pennsylvania State University)
Professor, Anthropology
Physical anthropology; human growth and development; human and medical ecology; biology of aging; Andes; Himalayas

Robert Binstock, Ph.D. (Harvard University)
Henry R. Luce Professor, School of Medicine
Public policy and aging; Health care policy

Gary Deimling, Ph.D. (Bowling Green State University)
Professor, Sociology
Sociology of aging; medical sociology; family sociology; sociological theory

Grover C. Gilmore, Ph.D. (Johns Hopkins University)
Professor, Psychology
Perceptual development and aging; visual information processing; memory; psychophysics

Melvyn Goldstein, Ph.D. (University of Washington)
Harkness Professor and Chairperson, Anthropology
Social anthropology; population-medical anthropology; aging; cultural ecology; development; Nepal; Tibet; India

Charlotte Ikels, Ph.D. (University of Hawaii)
Professor, Anthropology
Gerontology; ethnicity; Chinese and overseas Chinese; life cycle; Hong Kong, China, United States

J. Randal Johnson, Ph.D. (University of Washington)
Adjunct Assistant Professor, Sociology
Marriage and the family; sociology of aging; social psychology; medical sociology; quantitative methodology

Eva Kahana, Ph.D. (University of Chicago)
Pierce T. and Elizabeth D. Robson Professor of Humanities and Chairperson, Sociology
Director, Elderly Care Research Center
Sociology of aging; coping and stress in late life; institutionalization

Kyle Kercher, Ph.D. (University of Washington)
Associate Professor, Sociology
Methodology; statistics; sociology of aging; criminology

Danielle Ripich, Ph.D. (Kent State University)
Associate Professor and Chair, Communication Sciences
Clinical processes; speech and language disorders in adults and children; pragmatics

Kurt Stange, M.D., Ph.D. (University of North Carolina School of Public Health)
Adjunct Assistant Professor, School of Medicine
Epidemiology; preventive health care; biostatistics; health services research; disability prevention in the elderly

Eleanor Stoller, Ph.D, (Washington University)
Selah Chamberlain Professor of Sociology
Sociology of aging; medical sociology

David D. Van Tassel, Ph.D. (University of Wisconsin, Madison)
Elbert Jay Benton Professor, History
Aging in historical perspective

May L. Wykle, Ph.D., R.N., FAAN (Case Western Reserve University)
Florence Cellar Professor, Gerontological Nursing and
Chair of Mental Health Nursing;
Director, University Center on Aging and Health
Health and mental health; caregiving in minority populations

Undergraduate Programs
Major The gerontological studies program offers a major that leads to the Bachelor of Arts degree. However, it may be selected only as a second major, the first major being in a traditional academic department. A double major simply replaces the required minor with a second major. The total number of credit hours required for graduation remains the same.

The major consists of a minimum of 30 credits; 15 are in required courses and 15 are in approved elective courses. The required courses are:

ANTH 304, Anthropology of Aging (3)
COSI 345, Communication and Aging (3)
SOCI 369, Aging in American Society (3)
SOCI 396/496, Public Policy and Aging (3)

At least 15 credit hours must be earned in the approved electives listed below. This list changes from time to time as departmental offerings change. Check with the director of the gerontological studies program for current information.

ANTH 215, Health Culture, and Disease: An Introduction to Medical Anthropology (3)
ANTH 301/401, Biological Aging in Humans (3)
ANTH 318, Death and Dying (3)
ENGL 364M, Autobiography and Biography (3)
PSCL 369, Adult Development and Aging (3)
SOCI 311, Health, Illness, and Social Behavior (3)
SOCI 313, Social Factors in Stress and Coping (3)
SOCI 319, Social Factors in Institutional Care (3)

Minor The minor consists of 15 credits, including at least two of the core courses (ANTH 304, COSI 345, and SOCI 369), and any three of the approved electives or remaining core courses.

Sequence A sequence in gerontological studies consists of 12 credits earned in four courses, at least two of which must be chosen from ANTH 304, COSI 345, and SOCI 369. The other two courses may be drawn from the approved electives or from the remaining core courses.

Gerontological Studies (GERO): Undergraduate Courses
GERO 396. Public Policy and Aging (3) (Cross listed as Soci 396). Overview of public policies affecting aging and impact of population aging on public policies. Contemporary policy dilemmas, policy choices for the future, and political contents of such dilemmas and choices.

GERO 397. Special Studies in Gerontology (1-3). Independent Study. Limited to junior and senior majors and minors. Prerequisite: Approval of written prospectus.

Graduate Courses
A certificate program in Gerontological Studies is available through the University Center on Aging and Health. For specific course requirements students should consult the Center: Allen Memorial Library, Room 101. Director: May Wykle, Ph.D. R.N., F.A.A.N.

GERO 496. Public Policy and Aging (3). Overview of public policies affecting aging and impact of population aging on public policies. Contemporary policy dilemmas, policy choices for the future, and political contents of such dilemmas and choices.

GERO 498. Seminar in Gerontological Studies (3). Major themes in gerontology. Seminar members choose a problem area, explore the relevant literature from a multi-disciplinary perspective, and develop a research project using knowledge gained through community observation and library exploration. Prerequisite: Completion of certificate hours or consent of instructor.

SOCI 416. Practicum in Gerontological Research (3). The practicum in Gerontological research will allow students to have first hand experiences in fieldwork and data analyses working under supervision in Sociological research settings such as the Alzheimer's Center on Benjamin Rose Institute or the Elderly Care Research Center. Supervising faculty will meet regularly with students to provide a didactic component to the research practicum. Prerequisite: consent of instructor.

Gerontology 500 Perspectives on Aging: An Introduction to Gerontology
Andrus Gerontology Center - University of Southern California - Professor Carl Renold
Course Description - Syllabus / Outline
This course introduces USC students to the field of gerontology and focuses on all aspects of aging. Four major areas are being covered: the biology, psychology, sociology, and policy of aging. Career paths for gerontologists are explored, as well as the future of countries based on the aging of their population. This course provides knowledge of physical, mental, and social age-related changes; it will show the interactions of these types of aging; and describe the pathological developments that affect many older people. The course focuses on diversity in the older population that results from differing behaviors, traditions, and attitudes towards aging.
Course Objectives:

This course will provide interested persons with knowledge of physical, mental, and social age-related changes; it will show the interactions of these types of aging; and will describe the pathological developments that affect many older people. The course focuses on diversity in the older population that results from differing behaviors, traditions, and attitudes towards aging. The class will also emphasize that society is changed when the aging portion of the population increases rapidly. It is the instructors' aim to present material and encourage self-study so that useful knowledge, skill, and attitudes are developed that may be of use in the family, neighborhood, community, job, or religious institution. Aging will be one of the great influences on society in the twenty-first century.

Specifically, this course will assist individuals to:

Identify four areas of change (biological, psychological, sociological, and economic) experienced by older people and the implications of those changes in older individuals.
Increase their sensitivity to the heterogeneity of older adults.
Identify community resources and programs for older persons.
Identify and discuss issues and influences affecting the aged.
Develop skills in assessing indicators of normal aging and recognition of pathology as well as skills in assessing social and cultural differences in the elderly.
Understand that gerontology is multi- and interdisciplinary.
Understand and discuss how different disciplines interact to plan for and serve the older population.

Overview
This course is unique and innovative in that it is delivered via computer and is entirely web based. The material covered will be the same as that delivered in the traditional, on campus course. An additional, significant difference is that students will also be required to utilize the immense resources available on the World Wide Web (WWW). The Internet and the WWW are changing not only how courses are taught but also transforming the volume, structure and content of the information delivered. Because this class will not meet in the traditional fashion (but will, in the virtual sense), additional student responsibilities are required. Each class period will consist of the following components:

· Readings from the Required Text
· Readings from the Electronic Reserve
· A Web Lecture
· Virtual Professor Questions
· Web Navigation Exercises
· Discussion in a Cyber Classroom
· A weekly Critical Thinking E-mail Exercise
· Access to an outstanding Glossary

Required Texts
Hooyman, N., and Kiyak, A. (2001). Social Gerontology: A Multidisciplinary Perspective 6th edition. Allyn and Bacon: Boston.
Albom, M. (1997). Tuesdays with Morrie: An Old Man, a Young Man, and the Last Great Lesson. Doubleday.

Course Objectives
This course will provide interested persons with knowledge of physical, mental, and social age-related changes; it will show the interactions of these types of aging; and will describe the pathological developments that affect many older people. The course focuses on diversity in the older population that results from differing behaviors, traditions, and attitudes towards aging. The class will also emphasize that society is changed when the aging portion of the population increases rapidly. It is the instructors' aim to present material and encourage self-study so that useful knowledge, skill, and attitudes are developed that may be of use in the family, neighborhood, community, job, or religious institution. Aging will be one of the great influences on society in the twenty-first century.

Specifically, this course will assist individuals to:

1. Identify four areas of change (biological, psychological, sociological, and economic) experienced by older people and the implications of those changes in older individuals.
2. Increase their sensitivity to the heterogeneity of older adults.
3. Identify community resources and programs for older persons.
4. Identify and discuss issues and influences affecting the aged.
5. Develop skills in assessing indicators of normal aging and recognition of pathology as well as skills in assessing social and cultural differences in the elderly.
6. Understand that gerontology is multi- and interdisciplinary.
7. Understand and discuss how different disciplines interact to plan for and serve the older population.

Semester Schedule at a Glance

Week 1: (8/26/2004) Introduction and Why Study Aging?

Assignment: Cyberclass Discussion #1
Text Readings: H&K - 1
Supplemental Readings: AARP Global Aging Report
Week 2: (9/02/2004) Demography of an Aging Population

Assignment: Email Assignment #1
Text Readings: H&K - 2,3
Supplemental Readings: AoA Profile of Older Americans
Week 3: (9/9/2004) Promoting Successful Aging

Assignment: Quiz #1
Text Readings: H&K - 4
Supplemental Readings: NIA on Disability
Week 4: (9/16/2004) Social Psychology

Assignment: Cyberclass Discussion #2
Text Readings: H&K - 8
Supplemental Readings: Want a Longer Life? Connect
Week 5: (9/23/2004) The Aging Family

Assignment: Email Assignment #2, Cyberclass Discussion #3
Text Readings: H&K - 9, 10
Supplemental Readings: For Good Health, It Helps to be Rich and Important
Week 6: (9/30/2004) Cardiovascular, Respiratory and Urinary Systems

Assignment: Quiz #2
Text Readings:
Supplemental Readings: Activity Matters
Week 7: (10/07/2004) Immune, Nervous, and Reproductive Systems

Assignment: Cyberclass Discussion #4
Text Readings:
Supplemental Readings: Women's Sexuality as They Age

Week 8: (10/14/2004) Psychology of Aging

Assignment: Email Assignment #3 and Cyberclass Discussion #5
Text Readings: H&K - 5, 6, 7
Supplemental Readings: Successful Aging: The Second 50
Week 9: (10/21/2004) The Economics of Retirement in Old Age

Assignment: Email Assignment #4 and Cyberclass Discussion #6
Text Readings: H&K - 12
Supplemental Readings: "Separate Views: Ask the Experts"
Week 10: (10/28/2004) Housing

Assignment: Quiz #3
Text Readings: H&K - 11
Supplemental Readings: Growing Old in a Good Home
Week 11: (11/04/2004) Legal Issues

Assignment: Cyberclass Discussion #7
Text Readings: H&K - 15
Supplemental Readings: Lawmakers Troubled About Nursing Home Abuse
Week 12: (11/11/2004) Professionals in Aging

Assignment: Email Assignment #5
Text Readings:
Supplemental Readings: Older Americans Living Longer
Week 13: (11/18/2004) Death, Dying and Medical Ethics

Assignment: Quiz #4 , Email Assignment #6, and CyberClass Discussion #8
Text Readings: H&K - 13
Supplemental Readings: Euthansia and Religion
Week 14: (11/25/2004) Thankgiving - NO CLASS

Week 15: (12/2/2004)Aging and the Future

Adulthood and Aging
SOCIOLOGY AT DUKE SOC 161 SYLLABUS FALL 1996
Deborah T. Gold, Ph.D.

Course Objectives
This course focuses on the adult life course--from entry to adulthood in late adolescence through old age. Issues of mortality are touched on only in the context of the aging process. This is NOT a course in death and dying. The amount of material relevant to the adult life course is extensive. Therefore, we will concentrate more on the breadth than the depth. It is my hope that, at the conclusion of the course, you will have a good overview of the adult life course and that you will be able to think about the life course using basic sociological and social psychological concepts. You will not, have been exposed, however, to all of the relevant issues in great depth. For those of you who develop an interest in the details of adulthood and aging, advanced courses on this topic are available in the Department of Sociology.

I have divided the course into three basic sections. The first section (9/3-9/24) examines the adult life course in broad structural and social psychological terms. The purpose here is to master some basic concepts and to develop a rationale for using sociological theory and research to better understand the patterns of adulthood. The second section of the course (from 9/26-11/7) focuses upon early and middle adulthood. We will examine the major social and social psychological issues confronted during those life stages and the ways that the social structure affects the course of early and middle adulthood. The third section of the course (from 11/12-12/12) addresses later life and includes a reintegration of our view of adulthood as a whole. The emphasis is on patterns of behavior and emotions as well as on the social and personal factors that generate those patterns.

Assigned Readings
You will read three books during the course. The first is a textbook on adulthood and aging. The second is a report of a single research project written in journalistic style rather than as a research report per se. The third book is a novel that will serve as the basis for you to analyze the life course and to apply the principles conveyed in class and in your other readings. (This novel was also made into a mini-series for television and shown last year. I have the tapes of it and would be happy to lend them to anyone who is interested.)

The books are:
Kimmel, Douglas C. Adulthood and Aging (Third Edition). New York: John Wiley and Sons, 1980.

Hochschild, Arlie R. The Unexpected Community. Berkeley, CA: The University of California Press, 1973.

Hailey, Elizabeth Forsythe. A Woman of Independent Means. New York:Avon, 1978.
All three books are available at both the Duke University Bookstore in the Bryan Center and at the Book Exchange.

SYLLABUS
9/3 Introduction to Course Objectives
9/5 Aging as a Demographic Phenomenon
Kimmel,Chapter 1
9/10 Age Stratification
Kimmel, Chapter 2
9/12 Age Stratification, continued
Start Hailey
9/17 Cohort Effects, Historical Events: Children of the Great Depression
Continue Hailey
9/19 Children of the Great Depression continued
Continue Hailey
9/24 No class
9/26 Cohort Effects, Compositional Factors: The Baby Boom Cohort
Continue Hailey
10/1 Cohort Effects, Compositional Factors: The Sex Ratio Question
Continue Hailey
10/3 Developmental Theories
Finish Hailey
10/8 Developmental Theories, continued
TAKE-HOME EXAM 1 DUE
10/10 Transition to Adulthood: Structural Perspectives
Kimmel, Chapter 3
10/12 Transition to Adulthood: Social-Psychological Perspectives
10/14 Transition to Adulthood: Social-Psychological Perspectives, continued

Interlude: George, Age 27
10/22 FALL BREAK
10/24 Family Formation

Kimmel, Chapter 4
10/29 Middle Age: The Life Cycle Squeeze
Interlude: Theresa, Age 34
10/31 Middle Age: Social-Psychological Perspectives
Kimmel, Chapter 5

Note: Plan to attend the George L. Maddox Lecture on 10/31 at the Searle Center from 5:00-6:00 p.m.
11/5 Middle Age: Social-Psychological Perspectives, continued
Interlude: Murray, Age 48
11/7 Marriage in the Middle Years
Kimmel, Chapter 6
11/12 Occupation in the Middle Years
Interlude: Murray, Age 54
TAKE-HOME EXAM 2 DUE
11/14 Old Age: Developmental Issues and Adaptive Tasks
Kimmel, Chapter 8
11/19 No class: GSA
11/21 Economics of Later Life

Interludes: Joan age 67; Henry, Age 75; Mrs. K., Age 89
11/26 Work and Retirement
Start Hochschild
11/28 No class: THANKSGIVING
12/3 Health and Institutionalization

Finish Hochschild
12/5 Family and Friends in Later Life
Kimmel, Chapter 7
12/10 Social Support: Effects on Mortality
Kimmel, Chapter 9
12/12 Terminal Illness: Effects on Family Caregivers

SOCIOCULTURAL ASPECTS OF AGING
Syllabus - GEY 3625 – 003/004 - Spring 2004
Martin Lee, MS, OTR/L - email: mklee2@helios.acomp.usf.edu
This course qualifies as a General Education Social Sciences course

Course Description and Objectives:

Consideration of human aging in a broad socio-cultural context. Course emphasis will be on historical, philosophic, and demographic aspects of aging, theories of social gerontology, attitudes toward aging and the aged, cross-cultural perspectives on aging, the sociology of retirement, and aging and the community.

This class is designed as an interdisciplinary overview of the major issues of aging in society. At the conclusion of this course, the student will be able to:

Describe the condition of the elderly in contemporary American society, noting both attitudes toward the elderly and the objective state of the elderly, and assess the manner in which these conditions are affected by variables such as race, class, and gender.

Discuss the social implications of population aging for American society.

Identify the roles and importance of the elderly within the basic social institutions of the family, the economy, and the political system, and discuss the ways in which these institutions have adapted to the elderly and population aging.

Explain how social factors that affect successful aging are modified by such variables as social class and health status.

Describe the ways in which American society organizes behavior around caregiving and chronic illness, and discuss the implications that this has for the elderly and their families.

Apply in-class knowledge to case studies and other “real life” situations.

Texts:
Aging: The Social Context (2nd Edition), L. Morgan & S. Kunkel, Pine Forge Press, 2001.
The Notebook, N. Sparks, Warner Books, 1996 (optional)

Part I: Introduction to Gerontology / Research Design / Demographics of Aging

Week 1 Readings: Morgan & Kunkel, Ch. 1
January 6 Overview of course and syllabus
January 8 Aging & Society (Word/PowerPoint)

Week 2 Readings: Morgan & Kunkel, Ch. 2, 6
January 13 Research Approaches to Aging (Word/PowerPoint)
January 15 The Life Course (Word/PowerPoint)

Week 3 Readings: Morgan & Kunkel, Ch. 3
January 20 Demographic Trends and Societal Implications (PowerPoint)
January 22 How to do the interview project/Review for the Quiz (Word1/Word2)

Part II: Stereotypes / Physical and Cognitive Changes / Political Activism in the Elderly
Week 4
January 27 Quiz #1 – Chapters covered will include 1,2,3, and 6
January 29 Stereotypes and Myths Related to the Elderly (Word/PowerPoint)

Weeks 5 Readings: Morgan & Kunkel, Ch. 4
February 3 Age-Related Changes (Word/PowerPoint)
February 5 Age-Related Changes

Weeks 6 Readings: Morgan & Kunkel, Ch. 5
February 10 Alzheimer’s Disease/Dementia (Word/PowerPoint)
February 12 Human Adaptation/Cognition (Word/PowerPoint)

Weeks 7 Readings: Readings: Morgan & Kunkel, Ch. 11
February 17 Political Activism and the Elderly (Word/ PowerPoint)

Part III: Family Relationships / Economics of Aging
Week 8 Morgan & Kunkel, Ch. 7
February 24 Quiz #2
February 26 Aging and the Family: Marital, Parent-Child, and Grandparent-Grandchild Relationships

Week 9 Readings: Morgan & Kunkel, Ch. 9
March 2 The Economics of Aging (Word/PowerPoint)
March 4 The Economics of Aging

Week 11 Readings: Morgan & Kunkel, Ch. 8
March 16 Work, Unpaid Work, Retirement, and Productivity(Word/PowerPoint)
March 18 Review for Quiz 3 (Chap. 7, 8, 9)

Part IV: Healthcare Issues and the Elderly / Long-term Care
Week 12 Readings: Morgan & Kunkel, Ch. 10
March 23 Quiz #3
March 25 Health Care Status and Health Care Policy (Word/PowerPoint)

Week 13 Readings: Morgan & Kunkel, Ch. 10
March 30 Health Care Status and Health Care Policy (Word/PowerPoint)
April 1 Class cancelled (no foolin’)

Week 14
April 6 Long-Term Care Issues and End-of-Life Care/Bereavement (Word/Powerpoint)
April 8 Falls and the Elderly
ORAL HISTORY PROJECT DUE

Week 15
April 13 Frailty and the Elderly (Word/Powerpoint)

Curriculum Module on The Aging Process http://garnet.berkeley.edu/~aging/ ModuleProcess.html#anchor165915

Sociology of Aging - Rutgers - http://crab.rutgers.edu/~deppen/syllabusF98.htm

Sociology of Aging Fall Semester, 2000 - Rutgers - http://crab.rutgers.edu/~deppen/agingF00.htm

SOCIOLOGY OF AGING (INTRODUCTION TO GERONTOLOGY) Syllabus Course Requirements Lecture Handouts Assignments - http://rvcc2.raritanval.edu/bseater/aging.htm

SOCIOLOGY OF AGING. James Trela. University of Maryland Baltimore County ... See last page of syllabus for more detail regarding grading. ... http://research.umbc.edu/~trela/jtrela/430syl.html