Mar 29, 2024  
2024-2025 Catalog 
    
2024-2025 Catalog

Public Health


Professors: Chillag (Chair), N. Snyder, Wessner
Associate Professor: Stutts
Assistant Professors: S. Bullock, Mamoon
Affiliated Faculty: Heyer, Ramirez, Wiemers

 

Public Health Major


The Center-Established Major in Public Health is comprised of ten courses (11 for students pursuing a thesis). These courses fall into five categories: 1) Foundations in Public Health (3); 2) Public Health Methods (1); 3) Structural Inequality (1); 4) Interdisciplinary Electives (4); and 5) Capstone/Thesis (1;2). Successfully completing this course of study will result in a Bachelor of Arts degree.

Foundations


Foundations in Public Health (3 courses): To ensure grounding in foundational theories, concepts, and methods in public health, students must take these courses:

PBH 110 - Introduction to Public Health  
PBH 280 - Introduction to Global Health (=SOC 280)  
PBH 292 - Introduction to Epidemiology  

Methods


Public Health Methods (1 course):

PBH 250 - Public Health Methods  

Interdisciplinary Electives


Interdisciplinary Electives (4 total; at least 1 with PBH prefix; 1 in Humanities; 1 in Natural Sciences; 1 in Social Sciences). Note: At least two of the interdisciplinary elective courses must be 300-level or higher.

Public Health Electives
PBH 130 - Sociobiology of Health and Illness  
PBH 232 - Introduction to Environmental Health with Community-Based Learning (=ENV 232)  
PBH 233 - Introduction to Environmental Health with Laboratory-Based Learning (= ENV 233) 
PBH 234 - Genes, Environment and Health  
PBH 244 - Child Psychopathology (=EDU 234 and PSY 234)  
PBH 251 - Health Disparities in the U.S. and Beyond  
PBH 262 - Antiracist Physiology and Medicine (=BIO 262)  
PBH 280 - Introduction to Global Health (=SOC 280)  
PBH 305 - Public Health and Film  
PBH 306 - Public Health Ethics  
PBH 309 - Water and Health  
PBH 354 - Medical Rehabilitation and Disability (=PSY 354)  
PBH 370 - Nutrition, Bodies, and Health  
PBH 373 - Food and Nutrition Policy  

Humanities Electives
ARB 250 - Gender and Sexuality in the Middle East  
DAN 140 - Movement Lab: Somatic Explorations, Creative Practices, and Experiential Anatomy  
ENG 110 - Course list for Introduction to Literature  
ENG 271 - Disability in Literature and Art  
ENG 374 - Picturing Disability  
ENG 376 - Representing Fat Bodies  
ENV 160 - Environmental Justice  
HIS 228 - Modern Bodies: Gender, Sex, & Race in France  
HIS 243 - Native Women  
HIS 267 - Health and Society in Africa  
HIS 444 - History of Sexuality in the United States  
PHI 120 - Applied Ethics  
PHI 215 - Ethics  
SPA 407 - Medicine and Gender in 20th Century Spain  

Natural Science Electives
BIO 151 - Use and Misuse of Data in Biology  
BIO 209 - Bioinformatics Programming (= CSC 209)  
BIO 217 - Insects and People  
BIO 218 - Human Form and Function  
BIO 229 - Parasites and Pathogens  
BIO 230 - The Host-Pathogen Interaction  
BIO 240 - Biostatistics for Life Scientists  
BIO 261 - Neuroscience of Exercise  
BIO 262 - Antiracist Physiology and Medicine  
BIO 269 - Genetics, Disability, and Gender Identities  
BIO 357 - Biotoxicity of Hookah Tobacco Smoke  
BIO 360 - Biology of HIV/AIDS  
BIO 365 - Biology of Cancer  
BIO 368 - Health Care Issues in Zambia  
BIO 391 - Maternal & Fetal Health  
BIO 392 - Medical Biotechnology  
BIO 397 - Biology of COVID-19  
CHE 351 - Pharmacology  
CHE 374 - Medicinal Chemistry  
CHE 450 - Seminar in Organic Chemistry  
CSC 110 - Data Science and Society  
CSC 210 - Mathematical Modeling (=MAT 210)  
CSC 353 - Database Systems  
CSC 362 - Data Visualization  
MAT 105 - Introduction to Statistics  
MAT 341 - Mathematical Statistics  
PHY 125 - General Physics with Calculus I: Studio (Integrated Laboratory and Lecture)  
PHY 225 - General Physics II: Studio (Integrated Laboratory and Lecture)  

Social Science Electives
AFR 200 - Research Methods in Africana Studies  
AFR 270 - Racial Capitalism and Reproduction  
ANT 305 - Racism  
ANT 219 - Reproduction and Childrearing: Biology and Culture  
ANT 271 - Human Ecology  
ANT 272 - Forensic Anthropology  
ANT 277 - Ancient Diet and Disease  
ANT 235 - Debunking Race  
ANT 340 - Medical Anthropology  
ANT 360 - Anthropology of Development and Environmental Sustainability  
ANT 371 - Ethnographic Research and Writing  
ANT 374 - Methods in Forensic Anthropology  
ANT 381 - Seminar in Anthropology: Traditional Asian Medical Systems  
COM 280 - Intercultural Communication  
EDU 280 - Introduction to Educational Policy  
ENV 380 - Conveying Environmental Science to Diverse Audiences  
GSS 101 - Introduction to Gender and Sexuality Studies  
GSS 201 - Feminist and Queer Theories  
GSS 360 - Transgender Studies  
GSS 440 - Matters of Life and Death: Biopower, Necropolitics, Sex  
POL 180 - Introduction to Policy Analysis  
POL 182 - Introduction to Political Science Research Methods  
POL 207 - Family and Justice  
POL 225 - US Public Policy  
POL 228 - US Environmental Politics and Policy  
POL 241 - Comparative Public Policy  
POL 347 - Politics of Development  
POL 381 - Philanthropy and the Non-Profit Sector  
PSY 220 - Health Psychology  
PSY 231 - Abnormal Psychology  
PSY 234 - Child Psychopathology  
PSY 241 - Child Development (=EDU 241)  
PSY 245 - Psychology of Aging  
PSY 280 - Human Neuropsychology  
PSY 303 - Psychological Research-Behavioral Neuroscience (= BIO 331)  
PSY 314 - Psychological Research-Clinical  
PSY 354 - Medical Rehabilitation and Disability  
SOC 102 - Race, Class, Gender & Sexuality  
SOC 110 - COVID-19 and Society  
SOC 205 - Race and Racism  
SOC 217 - Sociology of Gender and Sexuality  
SOC 232 - Medical Sociology  
SOC 234 - Sociology of Mental Health  
SOC 246 - Modern Families  
SOC 247 - Global Development & Underdevelopment  
SOC 250 - Housing  
SOC 265 - Population & Society  
SOC 382 - Men and Masculinities  

Capstone or Thesis


Capstone or Thesis (1 course for capstone or 2 courses for thesis): Public health majors must complete a major original project during their senior year. This project can be public health policy, program/intervention, or research focused. This project may take the form of a capstone (CIS 495), which is a one-semester project supervised by a single faculty member, or a thesis (CIS 495 and CIS 496), which is a two-semester project supervised by two faculty members. Public health majors must work with their advisor(s) to design a project of appropriate depth, rigor, and originality for either one semester (for a capstone) or two semesters (for a thesis). Only students who complete the thesis are eligible to graduate with honors in the major.

Notes


Transfer credit for no more than two courses may be used without express permission of the advisor and DPH chair.

Introduction to Public Health (PBH110) and the Public Health Interdisciplinary elective must be taken at Davidson College.

Introduction to Global Health (PBH 280) and Introduction to Epidemiology (PBH 292) require permission of the chair to be taken for credit elsewhere.

Courses may only apply towards one requirement.

Additional courses with substantial public health relevant content may count for the Structural Inequality and Interdisciplinary Elective requirements at the discretion of the chair.

Interdisciplinary Minor Requirements


Those planning to declare a public health minor must schedule a meeting with the department chair.

Introduction to Public Health (1 course)

PBH 110 Introduction to Public Health  

Introduction to Epidemiology OR Introduction to Global Health (1 course)

PBH 280 Introduction to Global Health  
PBH 292 Introduction to Epidemiology    

Elective in Department of Public Health (including x-posted & listed courses) (1 course)

PBH 130 Sociobiology of Health and Illness   
PBH 232 - Introduction to Environmental Health with Community-Based Learning (=ENV 232)  
PBH 233 - Introduction to Environmental Health with Laboratory-Based Learning (= ENV 233)  
PBH 234 Genes, Environment, and Health    
PBH 244 - Child Psychopathology (=EDU 234 and PSY 234)  
PBH 250 Public Health Methods 
PBH 251 - Health Disparities in the U.S. and Beyond 
PBH 262 - Antiracist Physiology and Medicine (=BIO 262)    
PBH 305 Public Health and Film 
PBH 306 - Public Health Ethics  
PBH 309 - Water and Health  
PBH 354 - Medical Rehabilitation and Disability (=PSY 354)  
PBH 370 Nutrition, Bodies, and Health  
PBH 373 - Food and Nutrition Policy  
PBH 395-0 Public Health and Film   
PBH 395-A Current Issues in Public Health  
PBH 395-B Public Health Ethics  

Structural Inequalities Elective (1 course)

AFR 270 - Racial Capitalism and Reproduction  
ANT 305 Racism  
ANT 235 Debunking Race 
BIO 262 - Antiracist Physiology and Medicine   
GSS 101 Introduction to Gender and Sexuality Studies  
GSS 360 Transgender Studies  
ENG 271  /ENG 494 Disability in Literature and Art  
ENG 374 - Picturing Disability  
PBH 251 Health Disparities in the US and Beyond  
PBH 354 - Medical Rehabilitation and Disability (=PSY 354)   
PBH 370 - Nutrition, Bodies, and Health  
SOC 102 Race, Class, Gender & Sexuality 
SOC 205 Race and Ethnic Relations  
SOC 217 Sociology of Gender and Sexuality  
SOC 234 - Sociology of Mental Health  
SOC 236 - Sociology of Disability  
SOC 247 Global Development and Underdevelopment  
SOC 250 Housing  
SOC 382 Men and Masculinities  

Interdisciplinary electives (2 courses, in 2 categories)

Category A: Humanities

ARB 250 Gender and Sexuality in the Middle East  
ART 320 Art and Compassionate Care  
CLA 224 Medical Etymology  
DAN 140 Movement Lab 
ENG 110 Graphic Medicine: Drawing Disability   
ENG 110 Literature and Medicine   
ENG 271  /ENG 494 Disability in Literature and Art  
ENV 160 Environmental Justice  
HIS 228 - Modern Bodies: Gender, Sex, & Race in France  
HIS 243 Native Women  
HIS 267 Health & Society in Africa 
PHI 120 Applied Ethics  
PHI 215 Ethics  
SPA 407 - Medicine and Gender in 20th Century Spain  

Category B: Natural Sciences

BIO 151 - Use and Misuse of Data in Biology  
BIO 209/CSC 209 Bioinformatics Programming  
BIO 217 - Insects and People  
BIO 218 Human Form and Function  
BIO 230 The Host-Pathogen Interaction  
BIO 240 Biostatistics  
BIO 261 Neuroscience of Exercise   
BIO 262 - Antiracist Physiology and Medicine  
BIO 269 - Genetics, Disability, and Gender Identities  
BIO 360 Biology HIV/AIDS   
BIO 365 Biology of Cancer  
BIO 368 Health Care Issues in Zambia  
BIO 391 Maternal and Fetal Health  
BIO 392 Medical Biotechnology   
BIO 397 - Biology of COVID-19  
CHE 351 Pharmacology   
CHE 374 Medicinal Chemistry  
CHE 450 Seminar in Organic Chemistry (Chemistry of Drugs and Abuse)  
CSC 110 Data Science and Society 
CSC 210/MAT 210 Mathematical Modeling  
CSC 353 Database Systems  
CSC 362 Data Visualization  
MAT 105 Introduction to Statistics  
MAT 341 Mathematical Statistics  
PHY 125 - General Physics with Calculus I: Studio (Integrated Laboratory and Lecture)  
PHY 225 - General Physics II: Studio (Integrated Laboratory and Lecture)   

Category C: Social Science Elective

AFR 270 Racial Capitalism and Reproduction  
AFR 200 Research Methods in Africana Studies  
ANT 219 Reproduction and Childrearing  
ANT 305 Racism 
ANT 271 Human Ecology  
ANT 272 Forensic Anthropology    
ANT 277 Ancient Food and Foodways   
ANT 235 Debunking Race  
ANT 340 Medical Anthropology     
ANT 360 Anthropology of Development and Environmental Sustainability  
ANT 371 Ethnographic Writing        
ANT 374 Methods in Forensic Anthropology   
ANT 381 Traditional Asian Medical Systems   
COM 280 Intercultural Communication  
EDU 280 Introduction to Educational Policy  
EDU 290 Oral History: Problems, Perspectives, & Possibilities 
EDU 320 Growing up Jim Crow  
EDU 340 Education in African American Society   
EDU 371 Critical Race Theory  
GSS 101 Introduction to Gender and Sexuality Studies    
GSS 201 Feminist and Queer Theories   
GSS 360 Transgender Studies  
GSS 440 Matters of Life and Death: Biopower and Necropolitics  
POL 180 - Introduction to Policy Analysis  
POL 182 - Introduction to Political Science Research Methods  
POL 207 - Family and Justice  
POL 225 - US Public Policy  
POL 228 - US Environmental Politics and Policy  
POL 241 - Comparative Public Policy  
POL 347 - Politics of Development  
POL 381 - Philanthropy and the Non-Profit Sector  
PSY 220 Health Psychology  
PSY 231 Abnormal Psychology  
PSY 234 Child Psychopathology  
PSY 241 - Child Development (=EDU 241)  
PSY 245 - Psychology of Aging  
PSY 280 Human Neuropsychology      
PSY 314 Clinical Psychology Methods      
PSY 303/BIO 331 Behavioral Neuroscience   
PSY 354 Medical Rehabilitation and Disability Seminar          
SOC 102 Race, Class, Gender & Sexuality 
SOC 110 - COVID-19 and Society  
SOC 205 Race and Ethnic Relations  
SOC 217 Sociology of Gender and Sexuality  
SOC 232 - Medical Sociology  
SOC 234 - Sociology of Mental Health  
SOC 246 Modern Families  
SOC 247 Global Development and Underdevelopment  
SOC 250 Housing  
SOC 265 Population and Society  
SOC 382 Men and Masculinities