Colorado State University, Academic Partner. Pre-requisites: Introductory sociology, psychology, or human development/family studies

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1 Colorado State University, Academic Partner Voyage: Fall 2016 Discipline: Gerontology Course Number and Title: HDFS 201 Perspectives in Gerontology Division: Lower Faculty Name: Diego Vega Semester Credit Hours: 3 Pre-requisites: Introductory sociology, psychology, or human development/family studies COURSE DESCRIPTION This course will introduce the social, psychological, cognitive and biological aspects of aging grounded in aging theory and research. A global perspective on aging will be provided with a special focus placed on the diversity that exists within the older population. Students will be encouraged to explore their own attitudes and beliefs about aging. Additionally, specific topics such as the phenomenon of population aging and changing demographics, aging stereotypes, retirement, grandparenting, caregiving, older adult health promotion, and issues associated with the end of life will be considered within the context of the countries visited on the voyage. Students will have opportunities to observe and interact directly with older adults from diverse cultures during field experiences. Methods of evaluation will include exams, a paper, field reports, and in-class global reflections. LEARNING OBJECTIVES 1. To give students a grasp of basic concepts, controversies, and issues in the field of gerontology, both from academic and applied perspectives. 2. To enhance students understanding of the interdisciplinary nature of gerontology. 3. To inform students about career and service opportunities in the field of gerontology and encourage students to give thoughtful consideration to a career in gerontology. 4. To engage in a real life learning experience through a Service-Learning activity with older adults. 5. To get a deeper understanding of the meanings and experiences of aging around the world through the integration of direct observations at the countries we visit and the theory we study 6. To increase students awareness of the implications of their actions for their own individual aging as well as for the aging of society. 7. To demonstrate an ability to compare and contrast different points of view on basic global political and economic issues of old age, such as euthanasia, healthcare, and changing public policies.

2 REQUIRED TEXTBOOKS AUTHOR: Moody, H. & Sasser, J. TITLE: Aging: Concepts and Controversies PUBLISHER: Sage ISBN #: DATE/EDITION: 2015 (8 th ) AUTHOR: Kunkel, S, Brown, J.S., Whittington, F. & Chahal, J. TITLE: Global Aging: Comparatives perspectives on aging and the life course PUBLISHER: Springer Publishing Company ISBN #: DATE/EDITION: 2014 TOPICAL OUTLINE OF COURSE Depart Southampton September 11 A1 September 13: Overview of the course Expectations and Requirements Discussion of field assignments Activity: Images of Aging Assignment to do: Experiential Assignment #1 Reading: none A2 September 15: A life course perspective on Aging Activity: Applying the Life Course Perspective to Your Own Family Experiential Assignment #1 Due Reading: Moody, H. & Sasser, J. Basis Concepts I: A life course perspective on aging (p. 1-29). A3 September 17: Demographic Perspective on an Aging World Aging in Greece: issues and controversies Reading: Kunkel, S, Brown, J.S., Whittington, F. & Chahal, J. Chapter 4: Demographic Perspective on an Aging World. (p ) Reading: article on Aging in Greece (posted on the ship intranet) Athens September A4 September 24: Demographic Perspective on an Aging World Aging in Italy: issues and controversies Reading: Kunkel, S, Brown, J.S., Whittington, F. & Chahal, J. Chapter 4: Demographic Perspective on an Aging World. (p )

3 Reading: article on Aging in Italy Civitavecchia: September A5 October 1: The Process of Biological Aging Aging in Spain: issues and controversies Reading: Moody, H. & Sasser, J. Controversy 2: Why do our bodies grow old? (p ). Reading: article on Aging in Spain (posted on the ship intranet) Barcelona October 3-7 A6 October 8: Does old age have a meaning? Assignment to do: Experiential Assignment #2 - Self-assessment on feelings and expectations about aging Aging in Morocco: issues and controversies Reading: Moody, H. & Sasser, J. Controversy 1: Does old age have a meaning? (p ). Reading: article on Aging in Morocco (posted on the ship intranet) Casablanca October A7 October 15: Exam 1 A8 October 17: Cognition and Aging Experiential Assignment #2 Due Reading: Moody, H. & Sasser, J. Controversy 3: Do intelligence and creativity decline with age? (p ). A9 October 19: Aging Families: Family Caregiving and Support Systems Aging in Senegal: issues and controversies Reading: Moody, H. & Sasser, J. Controversy 5: Should families provide for their own? (p ). Reading: article on Aging in Senegal (posted on the ship intranet) Dakar October A10 October 25: Aging Families: Family Caregiving and Support Systems Reading: Kunkel, S, Brown, J.S., Whittington, F. & Chahal, J. Chapter 9: Families, Caregiving, and Community support systems. (p ) No Classes October 27

4 A11 October 28: Health and Health Care Systems Reading: Moody, H. & Sasser, J. Basis Concepts II: Aging, health care, and society (p ). A12 October 30: Health and Health Care Systems Aging in Brazil: issues and controversies Reading: Kunkel, S, Brown, J.S., Whittington, F. & Chahal, J. Chapter 6: Health and Health Care Systems. (p ) Reading: article on Aging in Brazil (posted on the ship intranet) Salvador November 1-6 A13 November 7: Should People Have the Choice to End Their Lives? Reading: Moody, H. & Sasser, J. Controversy 7: Should People Have the Choice to End Their Lives? (p ). A14 November 9: Long-Term Care Reading: Moody, H. & Sasser, J. Controversy 4: Should We Ration Health Care for Older People? (p ). No Classes November 11 A15 November 12: Exam 2 A16 November 14: Social and Economic Outlook for an Aging Society Reading: Moody, H. & Sasser, J. Basis Concepts III: Social and Economic Outlook for an Aging Society (p ). A17 November 16: Aging in Cuba: issues and controversies Reading: Kunkel, S, Brown, J.S., Whittington, F. & Chahal, J. An American in Havana: Observations about Aging in Cuba. (p ) Havana November A18 November 22: Work and Retirement Reading: Kunkel, S, Brown, J.S., Whittington, F. & Chahal, J. Chapter 8: Work and Retirement. (p ) A19 November 24:

5 Work and Retirement Activity: Savings and Pension Calculator Reading: none A20 November 26: Aging and Public Policy Reading: Moody, H. & Sasser, J. Controversy 9: What is the Future for Social Security? (p ). Aging in Peru: issues and controversies Reading: article on Aging in Peru (posted on the ship intranet) Callao November A21 December 2: Careers in Aging Reading: Grabinski, C.J. 101 Careers in Gerontology A22 December 4: Aging in Ecuador: issues and controversies Reading: article on Aging in Ecuador (posted on the ship intranet) Guayaquil December 6-9 A23 December 10: Aging in Costa Rica: issues and controversies Conclusions Experiential Assignment #3 Due Reading: article on Aging in Costa Rica (posted on the ship intranet) Puntarenas December A24 December 16: Summing up and what we have learned from our voyage No Classes December 18 A25 December 19: Exam 3 San Diego December 22 Attendance and Participation: Students are expected to attend class on a regular basis, complete assigned readings, and actively participate in class discussions. Evaluation will be based on the quality of contributions of each student. In order to be a full and active participant, students must come to class with the material read (10% of grade).

6 Exams: Three exams will be given during the voyage to assess understanding, integration, and application of material from the text and research articles assigned. Exams could include a combination of multiple-choice, True/False, short answer, and essay questions. The first exam (A7) is 15% of your grade, the second one (A15) is 20% and the third one (A25) is 15% of your grade. Experiential Assignments: Students will complete two experiential assignments. Experiential Assignment #1 will help to introduce many of the different topics we will discuss this semester. Before the second class, students will write and submit a one or two page typed biographical profile. This will include a brief description of the thing you most fear about growing old, the thing(s) you feel will be the most positive about growing old, and a brief description of an older person (age 65 or older) you admire because of their ability to age successfully. Experiential Assignment #2 relates to feelings and expectations about aging. Students will complete two assessments on this topic in class. Students will then write a short reflection paper on their results and try to relate these with their personal history, gender, age, and cultural background. Field Class and Assignment Field Class attendance is mandatory for all students enrolled in this course. Do not book individual travel plans or a Semester at Sea sponsored trip on the day of your field class. Idea 1: Discovering Costa Rica s Blue Zone Our field class will allow us to explore one of the five blue zones of the world: the Nicoya Peninsula in Costa Rica. A blue zone (BZ) is defined as a rather limited and homogenous geographical area where the population shares the same lifestyle and environment and its longevity has been proved to be exceptionally high (Poulain, Herm & Pes, 2013). Researcher Luis Rosero-Bixby (Centro Centroamericano de Población, UCR) will join us to we explore this area. Luis is a demographer who directly contributed to identify this blue zone. Interview and share with people over 90 to get a feeling of their life style. In our way to small town of Hojancha, we will stop at the Tawian Friendship Bridge to observe the alligators that lived in the Tempispe River. Discover characteristics of this region/population that could explain their longevity: diet, life style, life history.

7 Each student will write a reflection paper about the journey to this blue zone. The paper will be 3 pages double spaced and follow an outline given in class. This reflection paper will be due on A24. Idea 2: Our field class will occur in Guayaquil, Ecuador and will be a service learning opportunity. We will visit a youth center and learn about the aging issues facing older people in that area. We will have an opportunity to discuss how these issues are similar and different from the issues in the home country of the students in the class. While we are at the center, we will engage in a service project of the Centers choice. Each student will write a reflection paper about their time at the center. The paper will be 3 pages double spaced and follow an outline given in class. This reflection paper will be due on A23. INDEPENDENT FIELD ASSIGNMENTS Throughout their port visits, students will search and find real-world examples (through observations, interviews, newspapers, exploring ads or social messages, looking for products in stores, etc.) on a major theme related with the course (e.g., attitudes toward older people, meaning of life in aging, family life and family caregiving, anti-aging products, health system, retirement and work, pension, gender differences in aging, etc.). The real-world examples should come from 3 ports (ideally one from each larger area we will visit: Europe, Africa, Central-South America, and Caribbean). For each of the three selected ports, students will write about what they learned regarding their theme in a two page double spaced paper and include sources photographed. Each port exploration and paper is worth 5% of the total class grade. Students will have time in class following each port to share what they discovered. We will compare and contrast ports as we move along on the voyage METHODS OF EVALUATION / GRADING SCALE Final grades in this course will be calculated based on the following components: 10% Attendance and Participation 50% Exams (three) 10% Experiential Assignments 15% Field Class and Reflection paper 15% Independent Field Assignment Grade Distribution A Excellent B Good C Satisfactory D Poor, but passing E Failure % 80-89% 70-79% 60-69% 59 and below

8 ENGAGEMENT IN THE ACADEMIC PROGRAM Attendance in all Semester at Sea classes is mandatory. Students must inform their instructors prior to any unanticipated absence and take the initiative to make up missed work in a timely fashion. UNION SEMINARS Faculty members on the Fall 2016 Voyage will present on various academic topics during the evening Union Seminars, held during sea days. These topics will present relevant cultural information in various disciplines, depending on the location on the itinerary. Students are encouraged to attend at least one of these sessions, relevant to the academic topic of this course. LEARNING ACCOMMODATIONS Semester at Sea provides academic accommodations for students with diagnosed learning disabilities, in accordance with ADA guidelines. Students who will need accommodations in a class, should contact ISE to discuss their individual needs. Any accommodation must be discussed in a timely manner prior to implementation. A memo from the student s home institution verifying the accommodations received on their home campus is required before any accommodation is provided on the ship. Students must submit this verification of accommodations pre-voyage as soon as possible, but no later than August 15, 2016 to academic@isevoyages.org. STUDENT CONDUCT CODE The foundation of a university is truth and knowledge, each of which relies in a fundamental manner upon academic integrity and is diminished significantly by academic misconduct. Academic integrity is conceptualized as doing and taking credit for one s own work. A pervasive attitude promoting academic integrity enhances the sense of community and adds value to the educational process. All within the University are affected by the cooperative commitment to academic integrity. All Semester at Sea courses adhere to this Academic Integrity Policy and Student Conduct Code. I will request students to write out and sign the following honor pledge on exams and papers: I pledge on my honor that I have not given or received any unauthorized assistance on this exam/assignment. Please see me early in the semester if you have questions or concerns regarding the student conduct code. RESERVE BOOKS AND FILMS FOR THE LIBRARY AUTHOR: Grabinski, C.J. TITLE: 101 Careers in Gerontology PUBLISHER: Springer Publishing Company ISBN #: , , DATE/EDITION: 2015 (2ed)