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PAST TEACHING
PAST TEACHING
City University of New York (CUNY)
School of Public Health, Community Health Program, Hunter College
Addictions and Dependencies (COMHE 321)
The purpose of this course is to provide students with an understanding of the complex nature of addiction and dependency and to link this knowledge to the field of health education. Specifically, the course is designed to: provide students with basic knowledge and understanding of the history, theory and various approaches to addiction and dependency; cultivate an appreciation of the social, biophysical, structural, political, and cultural forces that play a role in addiction (behavior and perceptions); develop an awareness of programs, policies and social marketing campaigns that seek to address the ‘problem’ of addiction and how to apply this knowledge to evaluate existing programs, initiatives, and policies. The assignments in this course follow these goals and are designed to encourage students to critically analyze the underlying assumptions related to addiction and dependency; to consider ways to address the complexity of substance misuse and addictive behaviors; and to consider the role of health educators in the development and implementation of addiction education, prevention, treatment and policy.
Current Teaching
Past Courses
Paula has taught at several institutions. Click here to see a list of courses she has taught in the past. Some course descriptions and syllabi are included.
Brock University Award for Excellence in Teaching for Early Career Faculty
"Whether it’s bringing in a guest speaker or going into the community for research projects, the Department of Health Sciences professor brings experiential learning into the classroom as much as possible."
Community Organizing and Development for Health (COMHE 752)
Community organizing is a means of bringing people together to address problematic social conditions and health inequalities. As a purposeful collective effort, organizing requires sound analytical, political, and interactional skills. The purpose of this course is to introduce students to the theory and practice of community organizing in the United States and prepare them to organize communities in ways that promote social justice and optimize the health of whole communities. To this end, students will examine the history, theory and practice of organizing for social justice, investigate the skills necessary for promoting leadership development within communities, and explore the tools to create and sustain healthy organizations towards the goal of optimizing health.
Healthy Aspects of Aging (COMHE 323)
The purpose of this course is to provide students with an overview of the aging population and its increasing relevance in public health. Course readings, assignments, class discussions, documentary films, field trips and guest speakers will highlight the multi-dimensional–physical, psychological, cultural, and social–factors of aging and health, and to link this knowledge to the field of community health education.
Community Health Interventions (COMHE 302/303)
This course considers the fundamentals of community health, including the social, cultural, political, environmental and economic factors that affect individual health. It focuses upon developing community-level interventions. Course assignments are designed to encourage students to understand the basics of program development and to apply theories of health promotion and community organization to developing health promotion programs.
Women, Health and Society (COMHE 400.08)
This course examines the broad range of health issues confronting women. Using basic information on the health status of women in the US, the focus is on how this health status is influenced by gender, race, and class. Careful attention is paid to political and economic factors influencing the health of women in our society and to the impact of health policy and social policy on health status. Models of care including the Western medical model as well as some of the new and emerging models are explored. Finally, we examine the latest thinking on specific health issues women face including reproductive health, mental health, peri- to postmenopause, sexually transmitted diseases, and aging.