Nicaragua
This summer, with the support of the Pro Humanitate Center, a Project of the Lilly Endowment, and the Office of International Studies, Wake Forest University will again offer a summer study program in Nicaragua. Dr. Gary Miller will teach HES 384: Special Topics: Health Issues on a Global Scale. Dr. Steve Giles will teach COM 370: Communicating for Health Behavior Change. Each course is 3.0 credit hours.
The first two weeks of the courses will consist of intensive on-campus course work. Dr. Giles will then accompany students to Managua, Nicaragua, where they will engage in service-learning projects in educational and medical settings. Experiences will include volunteering in acute care clinics, physical therapy/rehabilitation, university-based research, and public and private elementary schools. At the end of each day, reflection, analysis, and group discussion will be facilitated by the faculty. Students must possess a proficient level of Spanish to fully benefit from these experiences.
Students who participate in this trip will receive some financial compensation from the Pro Humanitate Center through a grant provided by the Lilly Endowment.
Course Descriptions
COM 370—Special Topics—Communicating for Health Behavior Change (3 hours)
This 3-hour course explores the utility of well-known health behavior change theories to explain health attitudes and behaviors in a developing country. The first two weeks of the course will take place at Wake Forest University, where students will engage in readings and discussion about individual, interpersonal, and community models of health behavior change. The next three weeks will be spent in Managua, Nicaragua, where students will participate in service projects while reflecting on the application of behavior theories within the Nicaraguan cultural context. Frequent excursions to surrounding towns will also afford students the opportunity to explore Nicaragua’s many rich natural resources and aesthetic beauty. Students should be versed in Spanish, although fluency is not required, and must also register for HES 384 (3 hours).
HES 384 – Special Topics – Health Issues on a Global Scale (3 hours)
This 3-hour discussion and experiential designed study abroad course will explore health issues on a global scale, with an emphasis on health problems in developing nations. Topics discussed will include how health behaviors (physical activity and nutrition) affect disease risk, the implication of the environment on these behaviors, and challenges associated with providing health care to underserved communities. Hands-on experiences will be provided to students to participate in service projects at health clinics in the Winston-Salem community and then in clinical and educational settings in Nicaragua. Discussions involving reflection on these experiences will an important component of this course. Students should be versed in Spanish, although fluency not required, and must also register for COM 370 Health Behaviors course (3 hours).
Contact Information
Dr. Steven Giles (gilessm@wfu.edu, 758-4442)
Dr. Gary Miller (millergd@wfu.edu, 758-1901)
Dr. Steven Giles
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Dr. Gary Miller |
