Courses
Spring 2025 Offerings Course Info on SIS Archives
Course Descriptions
The list below includes descriptions of all undergraduate and graduate courses offered by the Department of Community Health, though some courses may be taught more often than others.
Visit the undergraduate page for course requirements for specific programs. For up-to-date information on course offerings, schedules, room locations and registration, please visit the Student Information System (SIS).
CH 0001 Introduction to Community Health. Examines the relationship between health, health care, and community. Considers the determinants of health and illness in contemporary society. Major emphasis on how communities define and try to resolve health-related problems explored through case studies.
CH 0002 US Healthcare Systems. This course provides an overview of the organization, policies, politics, and practices that have shaped health care services in the US. Students will learn about the forces that influence the substance and process of health care delivery. Students will be challenged to think about the ways in which various stakeholders—clinical professionals, commercial interests, governmental officials, and the public—have come to interact in the evolution of our health care delivery system. We will look at the goals of a health care system, often termed the three-legged stool: increasing access, improving quality, and controlling costs. We will consider issues of social justice and explore pervasive health disparities that exist today. Also, we will examine the various roles of government and the private sector in health care services delivery and policy. Lastly, we will touch on international health care systems and compare to features of US system, with attention to applicable lessons for the US.
CH 0010 Public Health Engineering. (Cross-listed as ENV 0027 and CEE 0052). An introduction to public health engineering. Elements of waterborne disease control, hazardous materials management, occupational health and safety, and environmental interventions. Applications to environmental engineering and environmental engineering science.
CH 0011 Introduction to Global Health. Introductory course in global health. Focus on health in low- and middle-income countries. Principles of global health along with additional topics such as health determinants and disparities, socioeconomic status and health, human rights, culture and health, maternal and child health, water and sanitation, parasitic diseases and the Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs).
CH 0030 Community Health Methods. Community health frameworks used to identify community health priorities and resources, as well as to develop and evaluate sustainable interventions in collaboration with community leaders. Emphasis on community health skills including assessment strategies; finding, analyzing and presenting public health data; and identifying and critically evaluating evidence-based interventions and assessing their potential fit with identified community priorities.
CH 0034 Principles of Epidemiology. (Cross-listed as NUTR 204 and CEE 154.) Methods that quantify disease processes in human populations. Topics include study design, sources of inaccuracy in experimental and observational studies, the methodology of data collection, and an introduction to the statistical evaluation of epidemiological data.
CH 0036 Fundamentals of Biostatistics.(Cross listed as CEE 6) Examination of statistical methods used in biomedical and public health studies. Descriptive statistics, probability, basic hypothesis testing, ANOVA, linear regression, logistic regression, and an introduction to survival analysis. Instruction in the use of statistical software will be provided throughout the course. CEE 6 and CEE 156 cannot both be taken for credit.
CH 0099 Special Topics In Community Health. Introduction to selected contemporary problems in community health.
CH 103 Health Policy Analysis. Introduction to the field of health policy analysis and the basic theories, concepts, and methods for conducting policy analysis in the fields of community health and health care. Examples from a variety of community health and health care policy areas to learn about different analysis techniques.
CH 104 Reproductive Policy & Rights. Explores the interplay between health policy and reproductive rights. Policies and metrics as a lens to study reproductive care and outcomes in the US and globally. Focus on contraception and birth. Topics ma include foreign aid and population control, facility-based delivery, maternal mortality, coercive sterilization, and access to abortion care. Examinin status quo approaches with a focus on quality of care and patient autonomy.
CH 0105 Race, Ethnicity, And Health. Examination of racial and health disparities. The nature of racial and ethnic categories, data issues, current health status of various populations, and approaches to resolving disparities including the concept and practice of cultural competence.
CH 0106 Health, Ethics, And Policy. Critical exploration of the ethical dimensions of public health policy and practice. Ethical analyses of health promotion, epidemiological research, surveillance, and health care services in dealing with particular health concerns (e.g., smoking, violence, HIV/AIDS, and managed care).
CH 0108 Epidemics: Plagues, Peoples and Politics. (Cross-listed as SOC 108 and STS 108) Origins and evolution of epidemics, rooted in biology, social organization, culture, and political economy. Societies' efforts to contain diseases with a global reach, their effects on world history, their record in literature and art. Cases from early plagues (syphilis, smallpox, bubonic plague), the recurrent threats of influenza, malaria, and tuberculosis, 19th century famines and cholera, to AIDS, emergent diseases like SARS, Ebola and the "epidemics" of globalization spawned by changes in work, living conditions, and the environment.
CH 112 Health Economics. (Cross-listed w/ EC 48) An examination of major topics in the economics of health and health care, both in the United States and abroad, using the basic theoretical and empirical tools of economics. Covers the medical and nonmedical determinants of health, markets for medical care services and health insurance, and proposed ideas for health care reform.
CH 0120 Exceptional Child. (Cross-listed as CSHD 0090) Overview of some of the special needs of preschool and elementary-age children who show a variation in typical development, such as variations in orthopedic, sensory, emotional, social, and cognitive development. The more recently designated special needs, such as childhood diseases, autism, fetal alcohol syndrome, HIV, and drug addiction are also presented. Distinguishing characteristics and developmental challenges are presented in each diagnostic category. Special focus is placed on families, school, community, and students. Includes observations and field trips. Recommendation: CSHD1 or permission of instructor. Restrictions: Students who have taken CSHD 190 cannot take CSHD 90.
CH 0121 Disability and Differences in Children. (Cross-listed as CSHD 190) Overview of some of the special needs of preschool and elementary-age children who show a variation in physical, sensory, emotional, cognitive, and social development, through the lens of a positive model of identity. Focus on educational implications, family support, and adaptations to promote inclusive environments. Class lectures, observations of children, media portrayals, hands-on adaptations of materials, and visiting speakers.
CH 0124 Health in the Spanish-Speaking World. (Cross-listed as LAS 148) Examination of the determinants of health in Latin American countries and among Latino communities in the United States. Focus on disease, drugs, maternal and child health, nutrition, poverty, and health. Texts include scholarly articles, narrative, poetry, and film. Conducted in Spanish. Recommendations: Two courses above Spanish 22 or consent of the instructor.
CH 0130 Applied Qualitative Research Methods. Qualitative research methods including frameworks for research; data collection methods such as focus groups, interviews, and direct observation; key data analysis techniques; data organization software; results dissemination; and story-telling in qualitative research. Emphasis on acquisition of qualitative research skills. Topics include language, logic, theory, and ethics; study design and common data collection techniques; basics of qualitative analysis and interpretation; writing and presenting.
CH 0131 Analysis of Medical and Health Data. Programming in Stata (statistical software) and guidance on data management strategies for health-related research. Command-based programming for modifying/managing data and statistical analyses. Navigating software, creating datasets, and accessing and using existing datasets for research projects.
CH 0140 Internship. Supervised fieldwork with a cooperating agency. Provides an opportunity for students to work in a health organization, agency, or community group, to apply community health concepts and principles learned in course work, and to become acquainted with related career possibilities. Placements, handled through the Internship Coordinator, can be chosen in the public or private sector, at the local, state, or federal level, but must be located in the Boston area. The internship may not be completed until the spring or summer of junior year or the fall of the senior year. Open only to CH majors.
CH 0141 Research in Community Health. Student participation in an ongoing research program led by a Community Health faculty member. Emphasis on faculty mentoring of students to promote acquisition of research skills. Skills taught may include conducting literature reviews, participant outreach and recruitment, measurement tool development, qualitative and quantitative data collection, data analysis, and development of written products and presentations. Weekly lab meetings instead of class sessions. Students produce a tangible product (e.g., presentation to the lab group on their work, academic poster, literature review).
CH 0182 Community-Based Participatory Research. Theoretical orientation to and training in community-based participatory research with the intent of nurturing student-community partnerships and promoting ongoing collaborative research, evaluation, and needs assessment work in Tufts host communities. Practical experience in interpersonal communication, partnership development, group facilitation, qualitative and quantitative research methods, teamwork, grant-writing, and community and academic dissemination.
CH 0183 Promise & Peril of New Technology in Healthcare. Scientific and technological advances in genomics, synthetic biology, big data, and artificial intelligence show promise in health care. Discussion of ethical issues pertaining to safety, appropriateness, and impact. Topics related to the ethical, legal and social issues of technology may include xenotransplantation; algorithmic bias and fairness in clinical prediction models; telehealth, and biomedical devices. Prerequisites: CH 1, CH 2, CH 11, CH 30, CH 34, & CH 36 or instructor permission.
CH 0186 Seminar in International Health Policy. (Cross-listed as SOC 186.) Health-related dilemmas faced by nations in a global era. How political economy, social structure, international organizations, and cultural practices regarding health, disease and illness affect policy responses. Focus on health threats perceived to cross borders in products (eg. beef and blood) and bodies (migrants and travelers).
CH 187 Disability & Public Health Policy. (Cross-listed as OTS 110 & CVS 113) Examination of the interactions between individual, community, and policy-level factors among populations with potentially disabling health conditions. Develop and evaluate a policy-level intervention proposal to improve the lives of individuals or communities faced with potentially disabling health conditions. Topics may include the changing demographics and dynamics of disability, political levers in public health and social policy, the measurement of disability, and potential determinants of disability.
CH 0191 Biology of Water & Health. (Cross-listed as CEE 251)
CH 0196 Water Sanitation and Hygiene in Global Health. Senior seminar on water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) in tropical public health. Covers drinking water quality and quantity; water sources and treatment; sanitation technologies, construction, and use; behavior change; and essential hygiene practices in rural, urban, and peri-urban settings. Additional topics include demand creation and assessment of current practices.
CH 0197 Senior Thesis In Community Health A. Guided research on a topic that has been approved as a suitable subject for an honors thesis. This is a yearlong course. Each semester counts as 4 credits towards a student’s credit load. Students will earn 8 credits at the end of the second semester.
CH 0198 Senior Thesis Community Health B. Guided research on a topic that has been approved as a suitable subject for an honors thesis. This is a yearlong course. Each semester counts as 4 credits towards a student’s credit load. Students will earn 8 credits at the end of the second semester.
CH 0199 Special Topics. Selected contemporary problems in community health. Emphasis on group discussion and student reports and projects.