ClassInfo

Class Participation (10%): Class participation includes physical attendance and active participation in classroom discussion. You are required to read the assigned readings before each class to have active and informed participation in classroom discussion.

In-Class Quizzes (15%): There will be two in-class quizzes: one on foundational knowledge in Week 4 and another on tools and approaches in Week 8. The first quiz will account for 10% of the final grade and the second one will be shorter and account for 5% of the final grade. Both quizzes mostly contain multiple-choice and sentence completion questions.

Individual Activity and Well-Being Diary Project (30%): This individual project involves using the Daynamica^TM Smartphone App (see daynamica.umn.edu) to keep a week-long activity and well-being diary. This is to increase awareness of how the built environment offers activity opportunities and constrains activity options at the same time, and how these opportunities and constraints shape individual travel behavior, physical activity, leisure time use, and emotional well-being on a daily basis. Students will be asked to analyze the location- and time-stamped activity and well-being data, and write a reflection paper with critique of how the built environment affects activity-travel patterns, emotional well-being, and health outcomes.

Large-Group Photovoice Project (15%): This group project involves using the photovoice approach developed by Caroline Wang in 1994 to identify important community health issues and facilitate effective communication. Students will be assigned into groups and each group will assigned to work on a specific neighborhood in the Twin Cities region. Each group is required to present six photos reflecting the most critical health equity issues in the assigned neighborhood. Short narratives should be provided for each photo describing when and where the photo was taken and why the photo was selected for presentation.

Final Small-Group Paper Project (30%): In small groups, students are required to integrate the knowledge and skills learned throughout the semester, apply current evidence and best practices out there, and complete a healthy communities plan on a neighborhood of particular interest in the Twin Cities region. The plan is expected to guide a planning and/or public health agency on ways to create, retrofit or maintain a healthy community in the selected neighborhood. The plan should at least include: (1) a critique of the current state of the area's built environment and health disadvantages with relevant data, and (2) recommended solutions for reducing health disadvantages in the area.