Programs

Undergraduate Minor in Gerontology

The minor in Gerontology is interdisciplinary and consists of 18 credit hours, as outlined below. Students may combine a minor in Gerontology with coursework from any department; some combinations in the past have been with Communication Sciences and Disorders, Social Work, Psychology, Nursing, and Physical Therapy, and also specialized Nazareth programs including Music Therapy.

Required Courses (9 Credit Hours)

PSY 321 Developmental II: Middle Age & Aging (3 credits)

Psychological, biological and social changes and transitions occurring during the mature development phases. Attention will be given to new networks of relationships, new behaviors and new self perceptions taking place as a person moves through life.

RES/SOC 349 Meaning of Death (3 credits)

Sociological, psychological, cross-cultural perspectives on death and dying in American society today. Attention to the world's religions' responses to the needs of the dying and the bereaved; end-of-life decision making; post-death rituals; beliefs concerning death and after death.

Choose one of the following:

PSY 324 Issues in Aging (3 credits)

In-depth investigation of the theoretical and experimental findings related to psychological, environmental, social and physical aspects of development in the middle-aged and older adult.

PSY 340 Aging & Community Service (3 credits)

This course integrates community placement in an elder care setting with some of the major theories and facts related to the biological, psychological, and social aspects of the older person, as well as with research on various ways in which older persons influence and are influenced by their surroundings.

Elective Courses (9 Credit Hours)

To insure wider exposure and inc

rease the scope of understanding, the nine remaining credit hours are to be chosen from the following areas, with one course to be elected from each of the three areas:

Area I (choose one)

BIO 235 Fundamentals of Human Anatomy & Physiology
BIO 109 Human Biology

Area II (choose one)

ANT 101N Introduction to Social & Cultural Anthropology
SOC 314 Marriages & Families

Area III (choose one)

PHL 101 Logic & Inquiry
RES 233 Ethics in Christianity
RES 335 Biomedical Ethics

Internship

A one-semester internship program (three credit hours) at a local agency/institution is available and recommended.

Classroom instruction is reinforced and supplemented by an opportunity to apply learning achieved in a work setting. In such a quality experience, students are provided with:

Contacts with professionals in the milieu of their work activities.
Direct contact with genuine problems and issues in the field of aging.
Knowledge of ways in which society responds to various problems and issues of aging raised in the classroom.
An opportunity to evaluate their personal responses to working with or for older persons.
A "learning lab" in which to test theoretical concepts and to define or refine clinical experiences.

Related Studies

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