Undergraduate Course Descriptions

Introduction to common safety principles, predisposing factors and common causes of accidents, injuries, and illnesses. Includes American Red Cross Professional Rescuer and Automated External Defibrillator certification. Laboratory fee, $25.

Addresses stress management from a holistic point of view, which includes: Mind, body, spirit, and emotions. Through self-assessment and other consciousness-raising activities students will become aware of their dominant stressor and how these stressors affect health and wellness. As an experiential course students will practice a variety of stress management techniques and strategies.

Addresses relevant topics as they pertain to issues in men's health. Examines issues in men's health throughout the lifespan (i.e. from birth until death) and will incorporate various aspects of health ranging from physical and emotional to spiritual and occupational.

A conceptual and experiential introduction to outdoor education, environmental education, wilderness travel and outdoor leadership with emphasis on the Virginia context.

Surveys the martial system of East Asia and examines development through the lenses of history, philosophy, education, warfare, politics, and sports. Fall, spring, summer

Provides students with an understanding of the historical teachings that have contributed to the physical, psychological and spiritual practices of yoga. The class is designed to help students adopt these teachings to benefit their own lives.

Topic announced in the Schedule of Classes. May be repeated for credit provided the topic differs.

Introduction to the profession of athletic training. Exploration of topics related to athletic training and sports medicine.

Nature, scope, and scientific basis of exercise science: orientation to professional competencies and opportunities.

Analysis of the complex role drugs play in contemporary society and the ethical, legal, socioeconomic and health issues that surround their therapeutic and recreational use.

Surveys the various components involved in personal health and wellness, such as personal fitness, sexuality, mental health, and environmental health. Emphasis is on application of knowledge through the use of decision-making and behavior modification skills.

The adaptations of human physiological systems to various methods of aerobic exercise. Cardiorespiratory adaptations to endurance exercise training, and how these adaptations provide a prophylaxis to cardiovascular and metabolic disease. Prerequisite: EXSC 50 and EXSC 152

The adaptations of human physiological systems to various methods of anaerobic training. Neuromuscular adaptations to strength and power training, with a primary focus on athletic populations. Design of training program. Laboratory fee $40. Prerequisite: EXSC 50 and EXSC 152

The six classes of nutrients, their chemical basis, physiological functions and conversion into useable energy. Nutrient needs across the lifespan.

Background and concepts of body dissatisfaction, disordered eating, food preoccupation, and exercise obsession.

Basic nutritional concepts and their relation to health and disease. Prerequisite: EXSC 119

Biological and developmental aspects of human sexuality; psychological and emotional aspects of sexual behavior; sexual identity; social forces affecting sexual issues; and research trends in the area of human sexuality.

For Athletic Training majors only. General medical issues and pharmacology as they relate to the profession of athletic training. Laboratory fee, $40.

Various modalities of alternative/complementary/integrative therapy. Critical analysis and evaluation of the many dimensions of these approaches.

The nutrition needs for recreational exercise and sports; skills in assessing nutritional needs; development of individual nutrition programs that are sport/activity-specific; and identification and correction of nutrition problems affecting sports performance.

Basic principles of the law as they apply to amateur and professional sports. Legal issues and their ramifications.

Introduces health promotion and disease prevention pertaining especially to diseases, disorders, and conditions that are more prevalent among or unique to women or for which risk factors or interventions may differ for women and men. Topics are covered from epidemiological, socio-cultural, historical, and behavioral perspectives.

Standards, policies, and practices of organization, supervision, and administration of athletic training programs.

Basic principles related to the administration of programs in the fitness, exercise, and sport and sports medicine fields.

Study of coach/athlete behavioral patterns and interactions, coaching methods, and interdisciplinary principles applicable to sport coaching.

Study of the psychological aspects of sport participants, athletes, teams, and competition in sport situations, including personality, motivation, performance level, achievement, and behavioral change strategies, social factors, training events, and measurement techniques. Prerequisite: Psych 001

For Athletic Training Majors only. A study of various areas within the behavioral sciences related to the rehabilitation and prevention of injuries and the injured physically active individual. (Writing in the Discipline - WID Course)

The relation of behavioral factors to health and disease. The role of physical activity in the prevention of chronic disease and disability. Health behavior theories and cognitive behavioral approaches to health behavior change.

Recognition, prevention, and control of stress and the burnout syndrome. A humanistic inquiry into values, attitudes, and stressors associated with various professions. Admission by permission of the instructor.

The nature, prevention, and control of the stress and burnout syndrome. Students will design an overall stress management strategy that incorporates achievement of life goal and human potential in a stress-efficient manner. Admission by permission of the instructor.

Analysis of human movement with emphasis on the biomechanics of exercise and sport movement patterns. Prerequisite: EXSC 154 or equivalent, an approved course in anatomy.

The physiological functions of the body and the effect of exercise on these functions. Prerequisite: EXSC 154 and EXSC 155

Fundamentals of human anatomy and physiology for students preparing for health sciences professions. Emphasis on bones, joints, muscles, innervation, and blood supply. Laboratory fee: $40 per semester. EXSC 154 is the prerequisite for EXSC 155.

Information and practical experience in preventing, recognizing, and treating injuries that occur in physically active individuals. Prerequisite: EXSC 050, 154-155 or equivalent.

Information and practical experience in the evaluation and assessment of orthopedic and other injuries. Prerequisite: EXSC 158. Laboratory fee: $40.

Laboratory complement to EXSC 158 required for Athletic Training majors only. Laboratory fee, $40.

For Athletic Training majors only. Practical clinical experience and application of athletic training skills. Laboratory fee: for EXSC 161, $25; for EXSC 163, $10; for EXSC 164, $35.

Explanation and demonstration of the use of therapeutic modalities on the healing process including discussion of the use of therapeutic modalities to enhance the rehabilitation process after athletic injury. Prerequisite: EXSC 159 or permission of instructor. Laboratory fee:$40.

Discussion and application of general rehabilitation techniques to specific athletic injuries, including evaluation, implementation, and follow-up after specific joint injuries, Prerequisite: EXSC 159 or permission of instructor.

Study of current literature with implications for exercise and sport science specializations; use of library resources and retrieval systems; evaluation of professional competencies. Senior Exercise Science majors only.

For departmental majors only. Provides the student with an opportunity to gain or enhance public health knowledge and to explore an area of interest related to public health research or the delivery and/or administration of health services. Prerequisite: outline of project must be approved prior to registration by project supervisor, program director, and dean's office prior to registration.

For departmental majors. Admission by permission of advisor. Prerequisite: EXSC 154-155 and EXSC 152.

Topic to be announced in Schedule of Classes. May be repeated for credit with advisor's permission.

Introduces aspects of public health and health services, including health services administration and policy, maternal and child health, environmental health, and health promotion. Fall, Spring

Overview of basic scientific mechanisms, concepts, and principles in health and in the pathogenesis of disease; the clinical scientific foundation for applications to the practice of public health. Prerequisite: BISC 004 or BISC 011 or equivalent. Fall, Spring

Introduction to the clinical science basis of preventive medicine, including nutrition, infectious diseases, immunology, and human growth and development. Overview of the goals and methods used for disease prevention. Fall, Spring

Historical and philosophical development of public health and its contributions to understanding, preventing, and controlling disease and disabilities. Fall, Spring

Basics of management theory, finance, and economics as applied to managing in the health services and public health fields. Management theory considers the functions of planning, organizing, staffing, directing, and controlling. Attention to quality and performance improvement, problem solving and decision-making ethics. Economic theory includes macro- and micro-economics, supply and demand, and economic and pricing incentives as they affect physicians and institutional providers. Financial theory includes sources of revenue, financial statements, ratios, and managing cash. This is a first-level course. Each student will do both an individual and participate in a group project. Fall and Spring

Introduction to principles and concepts of health education and the role of the health educator in public health practice settings. Foundations of health promotion; communicating health concepts to the public, with a focus on strategies for developing health messages for specific populations. Pre- or co-requisite: PubH 101. Fall

Principles of epidemiology applied to disease surveillance, control of infectious and chronic diseases, and health services/health policy. Understanding the basic research designs and their relationship to establishing cause and effect and effectiveness of interventions to prevent and cure disease. Prerequisite: PubH 101. Fall, Spring

Introduction to environmental and occupational health and implications for individual and population health. Issues of clean water, environmental toxins, air pollution, and the environmental impact on infectious diseases. WID option available. Pre-or co-requisite: PubH 102. Spring

Basic concepts of development theory, international health policy, demographic trends, and health promotion; how the relationships between socioeconomic development and global health can be observed, measured, and used for the management of health programs. Fall, Spring

Survey of the relationship between health and development and environmental trends. Topics include deforestation, urban contamination, and desertification. Fall

Concepts of health as a human right, ethics, and the participation of the international community in moving toward health for all. Civil and international conflict in the generation of displaced populations.

Introduction to health systems and the basic concepts of health systems administration and financing and health care reform with examples from advanced, middle income, and poor countries. Spring

Global challenges of new and re-emerging infectious diseases and the health of travelers. Use of health information in the context of globalization and public health practice. International aspects of medical and public health training.

Relationships between cultural values and the development of modern health systems based on Western models of health care practice. Reliance upon traditional forms of health care. Examples of successful incorporation of traditional practices into evolving health care systems.

Topics announced in the Schedule of Classes. May be repeated for credit provided the topic differs. Various offerings each semester.

Introduction to the fundamentals of the health care system in the United States and strategies available to policymakers when addressing problems relating to access, financing, and delivery of health care. Pre- or co-requisite: PubH 101. Fall and Spring

Legal concepts related to individual health care and public health systems in the United States. Includes health care law, public health law, and bioethics. Spring

Experiential learning though classroom activities and off-site professional work experiences rooted in public health and its aims. Builds essential skills of service, learning, and reflection through discussion, journal writing, and research. Prerequisites: PubH 101.

An interdisciplinary approach to understanding the complexities inherent in improving public health. Case studies examine the multiplicity of social factors that affect health and working models of approaches to alter them favorably. Prerequisites: PubH 101, 102, 103. 105. 106, 121, 132, 172, 180, and 191. Spring

For majors only. Provides the student with an opportunity to gain or enhance public health knowledge and to explore an area of interest related to public health research or the delivery and/or administration of health services. Prerequisite: outline of project must be approved prior to registration by project supervisor, program director, and dean's office.