Courses and Seminars
Gun Violence and Related Topics
Gun Violence in the United States: Evidence and Action
Columbia Mailman School of Public Health - Ted Alcorn, MHS, MA
More U.S. residents have been killed with guns since 1968 than died in all the wars since the country’s founding. Addressing this crisis means solving tenacious public health problems in the realms of science and of politics. In this course we will review the epidemiology of gun violence and the empirical foundations of efforts to address it through policy, study design, programmatic interventions, and environmental/physical design. We will consider obstacles to the rigorous study of gun violence as well as the innovative approaches researchers have adopted to overcome them, whether in the fields of epidemiology, health policy, medicine, criminology, or economics. And we will place all of this in the political and legal context that shapes our collective actions. Through lectures and discussion, students will become familiar with the main factors connected with firearm injury, the epidemiologic study of gun violence, the policy actors that have influenced the U.S. response to date, and the underlying beliefs and behaviors that define the U.S. relationship with guns. By reviewing both new and canonical research throughout the course, students will learn to apprise how diverse study designs — including surveys, case control studies, time-series, randomized control trials, social network analyses, and quasi-experimental approaches — are well-suited to shed light on different aspects of this subject. Link to course directory
Current and Emerging Issues in Injury and Violence
Columbia Mailman School of Public Health - Joyce Pressley
This 1.5 credit course will introduce students to current and emerging issues in injury and violence and provide a conceptual approach from which to view injury and violence within a public health framework. The multifaceted, multidisciplinary nature of injury and violence prevention will be illustrated using principles and applications of epidemiology, health policy, behavioral science, law, medicine and engineering. A combination of lecture, discussion and structured interactive group exercises will be used to illustrate key concepts, including common risk factors and injury-related health disparities, across intentional and unintentional injury mechanisms in vulnerable populations. The contribution of injury and violence to the total health burden and a systems approach to prevention will be woven into class sessions covering cutting edge and cross cutting issues related to specific mechanisms of injury such as motor vehicle, poisonings and overdoses, drowning, fire/burns, falls and violence including issues and trends in firearm injuries. Issues in surveillance, measurement and evaluation will be illustrated as the class examines current approaches to translating injury science into effective population-level prevention. Link to course directory.
Political Violence
Barnard College - Marjorie Castle
When is violence used against noncombatants in conflicts and what is the impact of such violence? This course focuses on violence against civilians by armed organizations, whether states or non-state actors. We will examine a variety of explanations for such violence, including rationalist, psychological/emotion-based, and organizational approaches. We will also discuss the impact of political violence. Does it get the job done, so to speak? Does violence move terrorist groups closer to their goals? Does indiscriminate violence by the state spur rebellion or suppress insurgencies? Does insurgent violence against civilians make them more or less effective? While we emphasize violence intentionally causing harm to civilians we will also consider collateral damage. Link to course directory.
Social Work Practice & Gender-Based Violence
School of Social Work - Bushra S Husain, Verena Salvi, Carmen S Fajardo, Aditi Bhattacharya
Students examine the issue of violence against women and families. The demographics of the population, theories of domestic violence, crisis intervention, and short- and long-term clinical issues will be examined, as will service modalities for women victims and survivors, batterers, and their children. Link to course directory.
Adverse Childhood Experiences and Trauma
Columbia Mailman School of Public Health - Bijan Kimiagar
Adverse Childhood Experiences and Trauma Informed Care: An Inter-professional Service Learning Experience Children who experience safe, stable, and nurturing childhoods that foster resilience undoubtedly experience better lifelong health and well-being. The 1998 landmark study, Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), demonstrated that when adults recall negative experiences, they had significantly higher rates of poor lifelong physical and emotional health. It is through the exposure of the developing brain to this constant toxic stress that results in changes to brain infrastructure, ultimately reducing executive function and increasing the risk of poor lifelong health and well-being outcomes. Despite adversity and presence of ACEs, research has shown that positive childhood experiences can have long-lasting protective effects on adult well-being and health. Designed for second-year students, this service learning course will explore (1) the scientific evidence underlying the impact of childhood adversity on health and social functioning across the lifespan, and (2) strategies to address both the causes and consequences of ACEs. Students will integrate the knowledge gained in the classroom by participating in a field service experience by collecting information and/or data from health, human services and social science providers about organizational needs and training related to trauma. Students will receive in-class training and support and will work in teams. This course will be open to students from other CU professional schools, including but not limited to The School of Nursing and the School of Social Work. Link to course directory.
Current Work in Injury Control and Prevention
Columbia Mailman School of Public Health - Thelma Mielenz
The primary objectives in this course are to gain knowledge about and to critically engage with current topics in the field of injury control and prevention, to develop research and scientific inquiry skills, and to make meaningful connections with experts in this field. In this course, we will learn from experts on four topics in the field of injury control and prevention. By the end of the semester, students will have improved their ability to interpret peer-reviewed research on current topics in injury control and prevention and will be prepared to go forward asking important scientific questions in this field, with a solid sense of what is already known and what is worthy of further inquiry and investigation. Readings will be determined by the four guest speakers based on what is relevant to their field of research. Link to course directory.
Seminar in Social and Legal Regulation of Firearms
Columbia Law School -Jeffrey Fagan, JD
Firearms are an enduring part of American history and culture. In recent years, firearms also have become a contentious domain of law, legal and social regulation, and public health and criminal justice policy. Litigation on both access to firearms and liability of the industry and private citizens for deaths caused by firearms has occupied a highly contentious space in legal culture and case law. The regulatory design for firearms is a complex set of rules that concerns criminal justice, mental health, interstate commerce, privacy, product liability, and financial regulation. This course examines current designs for firearm regulation and control.
Social Policy and Prevention
Teachers College, Columbia - John Allegrante, PhD
This course is intended to acquaint students with the scientific, social, economic, historical, and political influences that have shaped the development of selected aspects of U.S. health policy, with special attention to health promotion and disease prevention. It is organized around three topic modules: a) scope of and issues in U.S. health policy, b) advocacy for health policy change, with a focus on gun violence, and c) economic and behavioral science perspectives on policy.
Spatial Epidemiology
Columbia Mailman School of Public Health - Christopher Morrison, PhD
Spatial epidemiology is the study of geographic distributions and determinants of health in populations. The course emphasizes spatial epidemiology as a sub-discipline of epidemiology while acknowledging the many scientific disciplines that shape it, including biostatistics, cartography, criminology, demography, economics, geography, psychology, and sociology. It begins by defining spatial epidemiology and exploring these multi-disciplinary roots, with particular regard to the theoretical causal mechanisms that provide a bridge between social and physical environmental conditions and population health.
Science of Firearm Injury Prevention Among Children & Teens Online Course
University of Michigan
Firearm injuries are a leading cause of death among children and teens. However, there are many ways that these injuries and deaths can be prevented using evidence-based practices and policies. Presented by the University of Michigan Institute for Firearm Injury Prevention and the Firearm Safety among Children and Teens (FACTS) Consortium, the Science of Firearm Safety Among Children & Teens Massive Open Online Course covers a range of firearm injury topics including: firearm-related suicide; unintentional firearm injury; community and youth violence; intimate partner violence; school and mass shootings; and officer-involved shootings.
The course also covers important gaps in existing research and future directions for expanding the knowledge base of the field. This course is designed for multiple fields and levels of training, including students and researchers from public health, medicine, public policy, social work, nursing, criminology, sociology and psychology fields. It is appropriate for practitioners, educators and parents. As a learner, you will have the ability to select all modules or individual topics that interest you most. Composed of seven modules, this course may be taken from the comfort of your home or office, and you can learn at your own pace. Access the course for Free.