First Year Seminar 191PHHS14 - FYS-U-Thrive: SPHHS

This seminar will support your transition to college and introduce you to a topic in public health and health sciences. The first six weeks will provide foundational skills for students to thrive at UMass. The last seven weeks will focus on exploring a public health and health sciences topic.

First-year (R1ST) Course subtitle: Community Power for Health and Social Change

Course description: This course will explore the power that comes from within communities to drive meaningful change in public health. Students will engage with foundational concepts such as health equity, social determinants of health, intersectionality, and community-building while learning about community-based approaches to public health across a range of topics and marginalized communities. Throughout the course, students will explore participatory action research, community-driven initiatives, and the importance of building partnerships rooted in genuine connection and radical love. We will also discuss strategies for sustaining programs and initiatives over time. The seminar also introduces storytelling and arts-based approaches as powerful tools within public health. These methods can serve as forms of activist inquiry that foster joy, build community, and challenge systems of inequity. Through discussion, hands-on activities, and creative methods, students will critically examine different approaches and ethical considerations while exploring how public health practitioners can help bridge the gaps that often exist between academia, policy, and community.

See the SPHHS FYS Course Guide for a complete list of section subtitles and descriptions:
https://www.umass.edu/public-health-sciences/academics/first-year-semin…