Associates Degree in Gerontology

Associate Degree (60 Credits)

With Internship (69 Credits)

https://youtu.be/135uCWSG3N0

https://youtu.be/kJ18whKduFo

https://youtu.be/bpfA9IgRHsY

2 ½ Years with the specialization

12 Weeks Course Per Semester

A minimum of 3 credits per semester

A thesis paper is required to be written along with the final

practicum.

Books are not included in the program cost. Books are at

the discretion of the lecturer and thus will be recommended by

the lead person for the course

All classes will take place online via Zoom

Total Fee: $ 31,000.00 – to be paid in full (no refunds)

Prerequisites: High school Diploma

*N.B.

All degrees of Micheal University are fully accredited with the Cuban Embassy which gives the programs equivalence in the United States.

This course introduces learners to developing knowledge/skills in planning, organizing, writing, editing. Students will also analyze audience/purpose, use elements of research, format documents using standard guidelines, and develop critical reading skills.

Objectives:

Upon successful completion of this course, students should be able to:

• generate effective compositions using various methods for critical thought, for the development of ideas, for the arrangement of those ideas to achieve a specific rhetorical goal, for the application of an appropriate style, and for revision and editing;

• demonstrate understanding of the ways that language and communication shape experience, construct meaning, and foster community;

• produce texts that demonstrate an understanding of how purpose, process, subject matter, form, style, tone, and diction are shaped by particular audiences and by specific communicative constraints and opportunities;

• understand the importance of research to writing, explain the kind of research required by different kinds of writing, and compose effective texts by judiciously using field research, library resources, and sources retrieved from electronic media;

Course Competencies:

1. Establish document purpose

2. Appraise audience

3. Organize document content

4. Differentiate essay parts

5. Construct topic sentences

6. Devise thesis statements

7. Compose paragraph types: Introductory, concluding, topical, and transitional

8. Employ rhetorical strategies

9. Apply revision skills

10. Prepare written documents

11. Establish critical reading skills

12. Investigate information sources

Integrate research techniques

This course survey of theoretical foundations of human behavior such as sensation and perception, motivation, emotions, learning, personality, psychological disorders, therapy, stress, and human diversity in personal, social and vocational settings.

Objectives:

Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:

1.  Define psychology as a discipline and explain its history, and how it is distinct from and related

to other disciplines.

2.  Explore the subject matter of the field of psychology and become familiar with the vocabulary,

major concepts, theories, and research findings of psychology.

3. Understand and apply psychological principles to personal, social, and organization issues.

4.  Become aware & respectful of diversity issues which affect behavior & psychological processes

and recognize that sociocultural contexts may influence the development and application of

psychological principles.

Provides an opportunity for the student to develop greater awareness and appreciation for aging. Topics addressed include demographic, biological, psychological, and social aspects of the aging process as well as careers within the field of aging.

Objectives:

Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:

• To understand "ageism," and to promote successful aging.

• To view aging as a phase of growth and development.

• To differentiate between the "normal" changes that can be expected as we age and the pathological or disease-related changes that may occur.

• To understand chronological aging as a person's years from birth and not necessarily related to a person's health, abilities, or status.

• To understand biological aging as the process in which physical changes reduce the efficiency of organ systems.

• To understand psychological aging as the process of changes that occur in sensory and perceptual processes, mental functioning, adaptive capacity, personality, drives, and motives.

• To understand social aging which includes an individual’s changing roles and relationships in the social structure.

• To help reduce your own fears about aging and to positively affect your personal and/or professional interactions with older people.

• To gain an understanding of the needs of the older person and how those needs can be met with a variety of services, supports, and programs/

Study of normal and pathological changes occurring in the aging human body with special emphasis on age-related chronic diseases. Topics addressed include: analysis of biological theories of aging, cultural and ethnic influence on aging pathologies, and other factors impacting the aging process. (Prerequisites: Intro to Gerontology; Corequisite: English Comp 1)

Objectives:

Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:

• Explain the physical, psychological, mental and social changes that may accompany aging and discuss how to best confront these changes.

• List strategies for healthful aging from behavioral, social, economical and political perspectives.

• Identify practical considerations of older adults, including housing, finances, and health care.

Course Competencies:

1. Synthesize common biological theories of aging

2. Outline the aging changes in the systems of the body

3. Defend the ability to 'optimally' age

4. Interpret the relationship between aging and disease

5. Assess functional health and its impact on quality of life

6. Examine the impact of stress on the aging process

7. Interpret the impact of falls on the older adult population

8. Qualify the concept of frailty and its implications in the older adult

BIOL 1040 - Basic Anatomy (3 credits)

Examines concepts of anatomy and physiology as they relate to health careers. Learners correlate anatomical and physiological terminology to all body systems.

Objective:

Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:

• Use correct terminology to discuss the chemistry, cell structure, and tissues of the human body.

• Use correct terminology to discuss the components and functions of blood, as well as the formation and anatomy of blood cells.

• Identify and explain the structure and functions of each body system.

• Discuss diseases, disorders, and conditions commonly found in healthcare occupations.

• Explain the role of each body system in maintaining homeostasis.

• Describe the physiological effects of aging on the human body.

Students in the beginner ESL classes develop their writing skills by learning to form sentences, paragraphs and eventually essays in English. This includes topics such as topic sentence, thesis, and parts of an essay. Speaking and listening skills are developed simultaneously.

Objectives:

Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:

• Students will be introduced to target grammatical structures including the present and past of the verb ‘be’, imperatives, simple present tense with the use of adverbs of frequency, present progressive verbs, descriptive adjectives, pronouns and possessives, and modals of ability and permission in realistic contexts.

• Students will improve their use of capital letters, past tense time markers, time word connectors, the connectors ‘and’ and ‘but’, and correct usage of punctuation (commas, periods, and question marks) in simple and compound sentences.

• Students will learn practical life-skills information concerning the English alphabet and numbers, the calendar, body, health, and clothing to be able to function in everyday, real-life situations related to their immediate needs.

• Students will learn how to develop their vocabulary skills by using the suffix –er and learning basic synonyms and antonyms that relate to work, school and the community.

• Students will work on developing reading fluency skills by identifying the topic and main idea of paragraphs, scanning for specific information, and summarizing authentic reading passages.

• Students will participate in real-life communicative activities, discussions, and role-plays which focus on demonstrating the ability to follow oral directions, respond accurately to oral cues and open-ended questions, and explaining different cultural celebrations. Students will engage in discussions pertaining to future career paths, job hunting techniques and interview skills, particularly answering questions for a job interview.

Overview of practices to promote healthy aging. This course will address nutrition, physical activity and prevention practices as well as an overview of medications commonly prescribed for the older adult. Emphasis will focus around the "well" elderly population and practices identified to address current aging trends

Objectives:

Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:

• To understand the biological, physiological and socio-economic aspects of aging

• To understand the effects of exercise on aging

• To become familiar with research studies on exercise and aging

• To understand the components of exercise programming for older people

• To be able to assess/evaluate the efficacy of exercise programs for older adults

COMM 1041: - Oral/Interpersonal Comm (3 credits)

This course focuses on developing effective listening techniques and verbal and nonverbal communication skills through oral presentation, group activity, and other projects. The study of self, conflict, and cultural contexts will be explored, as well as their impact on communication.

Objectives:

Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:

• Recognize the characteristics of competent communication in dyadic interactions

• Demonstrate the ability to assess the appropriateness and effectiveness of interpersonal strategies used in various interpersonal situations

• Demonstrate skill in selecting and using a variety of communication strategies and responses based on situational contexts, goals, and human needs

• Differentiate between theories that explain interpersonal interaction

• Recognize the ethical dimensions of interpersonal communication

• Recall how perception affects communication and the importance of perception-checking

• Demonstrate the ability to analyze and critique verbal and nonverbal messages in interpersonal interactions

• Evaluate listening habits and demonstrate effective listening skills

• Demonstrate effective interpersonal conflict management principles

• Recognize communication differences between individuals in cultures that affect interpersonal interactions and recall strategies for adapting to cultural differences

• Recall the nature and role of emotions in interpersonal interaction, and competent strategies for expressing emotions

• Identify distinguishing characteristics of interpersonal relationships including family, friendship, romantic, and work

Course Competencies:

1. Analyze communication situations

2. Assess the impact of nonverbal skills on communication

3. Develop listening skills

4. Develop teamwork and collaboration skills

5. Analyze conflict management strategies

6. Evaluate how perception affects communication

7. Evaluate how self-concept impacts communication

8. Evaluate how culture impacts communication

9. Deliver an oral presentation

PSY 1042: - Developmental Psychology (3 credits)

Defines human development; examines theories; heredity and environmental effects; prenatal development and birth; evaluates biosocial, cognitive psychosocial development through the life span; aging, death, and dying.

Objectives:

Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:

• Be able to demonstrate a broad working knowledge of developmental psychology by providing an overview of basic principles related to biosocial, cognitive and psychosocial changes throughout the entire lifespan.

• Be able to demonstrate an understanding of different stages of development through the lifespan.

• Identify and apply developmental concepts to everyday life.

• Demonstrate improved critical thinking and communication skills. 5 Identify major theorists that contribute to the field of developmental psychology.

View of aging in respect to social roles and processes. Topics include history of aging, demographics, family relationships, social supports, economics, retirement, widowhood, poverty and politics of aging.

Objectives:

Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:

• Describe historical and present attitudes toward aging.

• Describe various aging theories.

• Understand how government policy and historical events can affect the life course.

• Describe how life expectancy has changed over the past century.

• Understand how society cared for frail elderly in the past.

• Understand how aging changes a person's physical appearance and functioning, mental functioning, and sensory organs.

• Describe how aging can change a person's ability to learn and remember.

• Describe various mental disorders that are more common among the aged.

• Understand the changes that take place in relationships as a person ages.

• Describe various housing options for elderly AND Know the types of home and community-based services that are available to for frail elderly.

• Understand how an aged person's need for care affects family relationships.

• Know what life in a nursing home is like for the frail elderly.

• Know what personal factors are associated with an individual's relative satisfaction in retirement.

• Understand how a person's socioeconomic status is connected to his or her health.

• Understand how a person's lifestyle and social support system affects their health in old age.

• Understand how cultural attitudes toward death have changed over time.

• Understand how racial and ethnic groups vary in terms of their economic security in old age.

Basic American values of justice and equality by teaching vocabulary, history of immigration/conquest, transcultural communication, legal liability, multicultural majority/minority relations, ageism, sexism, gender, sexual orientation, the disabled/ADA

Objectives:

Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:

1. Define the characteristics and social patterns of diversity and pluralism.

2. Explain, analyze and apply major perspectives, theories, and concepts in diversity studies.

3. Define how identity is culturally constructed.

4. Demonstrate an understanding of the historical concepts of race, gender, class, power, privilege, and oppression in the United States.

5. Describe cultural identity and the way it shapes the perception of self and others.

6. Identify and assess empirical research findings to critically analyze issues related to diversity.

Course Competencies:

1. Differentiate basic concepts related to diversity and sociodemographic variables

2. Analyze patterns of interaction and adaptations of subordinate groups within a historical context

3. Analyze the effect of various forms of communication among and within groups

4. Examine potential legal, political, social and/or economic outcomes of personal behavior as they relate to diverse populations

5. Assess the importance of global perspectives

6. Explore material and nonmaterial aspects of cultures

7. Trace patterns of migration and immigration of diverse populations

8. Assess how power and privilege impact individuals and groups

9. Examine the impact of bias and behavior on relationships (personal and group)

Explore the concept of social justice

ESL 0025: Elementary - English as a Second Language (0 credits)

This course continues and reinforces content and skills from our first ESL level. Students will focus on four skills in various segments- fundamental grammar, common vocabulary, reading comprehension and conversation practice.

Objectives:

Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:

• Students will be introduced to target grammatical structures including the simple past of regular and irregular verbs, gerunds and infinitives, simple present versus present progressive, the future ‘be going to’ versus ‘will’ for future tenses, quantifiers, count and non-count nouns and article usage, comparative and superlative adjectives, and modals for advice, requests, offers, and necessity.

• Students will use time sequence markers and time clauses for better writing organization. Students will practice expressing and supporting their opinions in various written paragraphs, as well as write a business letter.

• Students will learn practical life-skills information concerning parts of the day, telling time, identifying family members, recognizing items in a classroom and people in school settings, recognizing and using U.S. currency, recognizing different methods of transportation, including traffic signs and signals, using directional terms to follow directions, identifying rooms of a house, and discussing different occupations to be able to function in everyday situations.

• Students will work on developing reading fluency skills by identifying the topic and main idea of paragraphs, interpreting titles of readings, scanning for specific information, demonstrating understanding of explicit and implicit information in readings, and summarizing and retelling events, stories, and articles.

• Students will practice guessing word meanings from context, use guidewords to look up words in a dictionary, and build vocabulary using word families, prefixes, suffixes, synonyms, and antonyms.

• Students will participate in real-life communicative activities, discussions, and role-plays which focus on demonstrating the ability to follow oral directions, respond accurately to oral cues and open-ended questions, and explaining different cultural celebrations. Students will engage in discussions pertaining to future career paths, job hunting techniques and interview skills, particularly answering questions for a job interview.

Semester Three – Fall

GERO 2005: - Alzheimer's & Dementia (3 credits)

Study of Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia. Students will differentiate between stages of dementia and Alzheimer's disease. By analyzing normal brain processes and how these diseases affect brain function, students gain insight on best practices in responding to the needs of this population and their caregivers and loved ones.

Objectives:

Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:

1. Differentiate early, middle, and late findings associated with dementia in assessment of the patient

2. Discuss three causes of reversible dementia

3. Incorporate three non-drug interventions for a dementia patient who develops behavioral problems

4. Discuss the risks and benefits of drugs used to treat behavior disturbances in dementia

5. Discuss the challenges of caregiving of a dementia patient

Course Competencies:

1. Contrast a healthy brain with that of a brain impacted by dementia

2. Differentiate between the various forms of dementia

3. Identify the risk factors of dementia

4. Characterize how an individual's life may be altered by dementia

5. Assess what it means to receive a diagnosis inclusive of a dementia disease

6. Develop strategies to respond to behaviors often displayed by persons with dementia

7. Outline the essential aspects of caregiving for persons with dementia

Examine customer service culture, develop communication and listening skills, explore diversity in the workplace, develop skills for handling challenging customers, and explore the impact of technology on customer service and engagement

Objectives:

Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:

• Adopted a consistent, professional communication style when speaking with customers

• Developed skills in engaging with customers and handling their enquiries effectively

• Listened effectively, asked questions and summarised to respond fully to a customer request

• Identified ways they can add value to customer relationships and exceed expectations

Teaching non-accountants to read, analyze, and interpret financial information for making informed business decisions. This class de-emphasizes the use of debits, credits, journal entries and other accounting procedures.

Objectives:

Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:

• define accounting and describe the role of accounting in making informed decisions to improve the business;

• explain types and uses of various financial records and how to prepare them;

• define “financial position,” state the accounting equation and show how the two are affected by simple transactions;

• identify and prepare basic financial statements;

• apply accounting principles;

• read financial statements, and analyze and

• use them for decision-making

• implement basic internal control to safeguard the assets and maintain the integrity of financial records.

Study of losses across the lifespan associated with death and dying. Societal and personal views of death, dying, and bereavement and recommendations for healthy transitions in coping with loss will be explored.

Objectives:

Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:

• Identify the emotional, physical, spiritual, intellectual, behavioral, social, economic, or cultural issues related to death, dying, bereavement or loss from past to present in Western Civilization.

• Evaluate health care issues, ethical aspects of death and dying, the cost of aging, dying or the cultural implications of loss.

• Create a personal plan for dying and death that incorporates course materials surrounding death planning.

• Compare the national trends with personal cultural, traditional or familial preferences surrounding death and dying.

• Describe various healthy behaviors or resources for coping with dying, death and loss.

• Compare the historical approaches of death and dying trends from past to present in Western Civilization.

• Discuss various cultural traditions and the impact on death, dying and loss experiences.

• Analyze life extending technologies impact on death, dying and loss from past to present in Western Civilization​.

Generational study and how experience and history affect the value and societal expectations of each generation. Also covered will be diversity trends among the older adults including but not limited to race, ethnicity, culture, sexual orientation and physical, cognitive and developmental disabilities. Focus on accommodations and accessibility for elderly. (Prerequisite: Social Gerontology)

Objectives:

Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:

• To realize the importance of communication across generations.

• To address and analyze personal assumptions and stereotypes of aging.

• To apply the different contexts and issues of communication to the aging process.

• To apply theory and course concepts to meet the needs of the community.

• To explore and connect the student's discipline's perspective on aging.

• To reflect on student's experience in the community.

This course is designed to develop students’ English language skills at the low intermediate level, with attention to developing accuracy and fluency in communication. Students will be introduced to paragraph writing, giving speeches and presentations, as well as improving reading comprehension and vocabulary.

Objectives:

Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:

• Students will write comprehensively, demonstrating an organized presentation of ideas using simple and compound sentences with proper spelling, grammar, punctuation, and structure. Emphasis will be on writing paragraphs that employ the four basic writing steps, and consist of time-order, narrative, and descriptive paragraphs with the use of brainstorming and clustering to organize pre-writing ideas.

• Students will develop critical thinking skills to compare and contrast everyday problems, hopes, progress, and fears from readings and their own lives. They will make inferences, determine cause and effect, find clues to meaning, recognize patterns of organization, and match main ideas and supporting details of authentic reading passages.

• Students will learn to guess word meanings from context, use common prefixes and suffixes, expand vocabulary using word families, and define terms using guidewords, compound words, and superscripts in a dictionary.

• Students will develop critical thinking skills to compare and contrast everyday problems, hopes, progress, and fears from readings and their own lives. They will make inferences, determine cause and effect, find clues to meaning, recognize patterns of organization, and match main ideas and supporting details of authentic reading passages.

• Students will participate in communicative activities, discussions, role-plays, and an in-class presentation on real-life situations and their respective cultural importance. Students will focus on demonstrating the ability to use selected high-frequency words and idioms to improve oral language by expressing ideas and feelings, using simple and compound sentences with proper grammar, fluency, and pronunciation.

• Students will understand the main ideas and details on a topic of personal or familiar interest, understand situational dialogs, distinguish between fact and opinion, recognize real and unreal situations, and get main ideas and details from interviews, conversations, and radio reports. Students will also listen to and comprehend face-to-face conversations, routine telephone conversations, and non-contextualized speech (such as announcements and reports over the media), and take notes in a variety of contexts.

Covers concepts and structures involved in the legal and ethical realm of gerontology including Power of Attorney for health care/finance, guardianships, trusts, reallocation of assets, spending down, Medicare/Medicaid benefits, supplemental insurance, Social Security, elder abuse/neglect, financial exploitation, reporting abuse/neglect and relevant governmental policy. Learners will be able to apply knowledge by learning advocacy techniques to benefit senior populations on a community, local, and federal level. (Prerequisite: Social Gerontology)

Objectives:

Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:

• Introduce students to fundamental concepts in ethics and the basics of moral analysis.

• Examine how dominant views about ethics influence definitions and ideas about what counts as an ethical problem.

• Consider the ethical implications of aging and ageism, including age norms, age practices, and longevity.

• Review ethics and aging at clinical, social, cultural, policy, and individual levels.

• Examine ethical issues that arise at various sites (e.g., home, long-term care, assisted living) where care is provided to seniors.

• Develop knowledge and skill development about how to resolve issues in the policy and cultural arena and discover how individual, personal values sometimes conflict with professional and societal values.

• Advance written, presentation, and group collaboration skills, including learning how to work collaboratively and respectfully with others about complex and sensitive issues.

An overview of social policy as it relates to aging and available federal funding for the senior consumer. Students will learn the resources available in the community, eligibility criteria, and how to access and coordinate services for seniors. Supplementing social networking and enhancing mental health functioning for the aging population will also be discussed. Students will explore different career fields within gerontology. (Prerequisites: GERO: Legal and Ethical Issues of Aging; GERO: Generations & Diversity Aging)

Objectives:

Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:

• Increase knowledge and awareness of retirement planning, aging and caregiving issues targeted to Human Resources and Employee Assistance Programs in corporations.

• Create a comprehensive marketing strategy to inform older adults and caregivers about the programs and services offered by the Area Agency.

• Promote a Healthy Aging Initiative by offering educational series at non-traditional locations and by seeking new and innovative programs.

Marketing management, market segmentation, market research, consumer behavior, product decisions and management of distribution, pricing, promotional decisions for strategy planning.

Objectives:

Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:

• To understand the role of marketing within society and within an economic system.

• To learn the vital role of marketing within a firm and the necessary relationships between marketing and the other functional areas of business.

• To consider the various decision areas within marketing and the tools and methods used by marketing managers for making decisions.

• To learn key marketing principles and terminology. Because this is a survey course, there is an emphasis on basic terminology and concepts.

• To appreciate how a marketing perspective is important in your own personal and professional development.

Front-line supervisory functions including planning, controlling, delegating, organizing, effective meetings, decision-making, conflict resolution, and managing a diverse workforce.

Objective:

Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:

• Describe the supervisor's job and explain the supervisory planning process.

• Make sound and creative decisions and Lead employees. (

• Develop communication skills and Develop ways to manage your time

• Organize and delegate and build work teams

• Discuss productivity and methods improvement

• Develop staffing and training skills

• Evaluate appraisal and rewards and Identify methods for motivating employees.

• Discuss equal employment opportunity and Explain the function of unions

• Analyze methods for handing conflict and stress

• Describe supervisory control and quality

• Discuss safety and accident prevention.

Course Competencies:

1. Analyze the role of a supervisor in the 21st century.

2. Analyze components of effective teams and productive meetings

3. Evaluate the supervisor's role in managing diversity

4. Examine the common functions of the supervisor

5. Apply creativity and decision-making skills to obtain desired results

6. Use effective communication to obtain high-quality work

7. Apply techniques for a motivating environment

8. Identify techniques for conflict resolution

9. Analyze own supervisory ability

GERO 2008: - Developing Gerontology (3 credits)

Exploration of effective communication styles and interview techniques for developing rapport and relationships with aging populations. Other topics include ethics and boundaries, self-determination, case plan development and implementation, documentation skills, research and grant funding, and compassion fatigue. (Prerequisites: GERO: Legal & Ethical Issues Aging; GERO: Generations and Diversity in Aging)

Objectives:

Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:

• Make older people feel comfortable.

• Create a rapport with older persons.

• Learn to address the elderly properly.

• Demonstrate empathy.

Employ strategies to prevent empathy fatigue

Course Competencies:

1. Apply the concepts involved in the helping process

2. Explain how the problem-management model may be applied to professional practice in gerontology

3. Adhere to professional boundaries

4. Demonstrate effective relationship building skills and communication strategies to be used with older adults

5. Exhibit support for the concepts of elder autonomy, consumer-directed care, and self-determination

6. Demonstrate job seeking skills and document explorations of career fields within gerontology

7. Perform accurate documentation

8. Assess the needs of older adults

9. Formulate a case plan based upon the assessed needs of older adults

10. Apply evidence-based research as it relates to gerontology

11. Outline the essential components to securing grant funds

ESL 0045: - Intermediate - English as a Second Language (0 credits)

This course builds on the foundation of the previous level. It is designed to help students refine their accuracy and fluency and build effective communication skills. Students will also continue reading more complex texts as well as building speaking and oral (including persuasive) presentation skills. Students will move beyond writing at the paragraph level into longer compositions.

Objectives:

Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:

• Students will write comprehensively, demonstrating organization and development of a minimum of a three-paragraph essay (narrative and descriptive), using clear topic sentences, specific, descriptive details to support main ideas, and a strong conclusion with an emphasis on paragraph unity. Students will engage in significant practice of combining sentences with conjunctions to form compound and complex sentences, recognizing run-on sentences and sentence fragments, using listing-order transition signals, and expressing a written opinion effectively using proper grammar, punctuation, spelling, and sentence structure.

• Students will read more advanced written English and develop the ability to infer, judge, or speculate the answer to specific questions. Students will continue to strengthen comprehension and critical thinking skills in order to distinguish between quoting and paraphrasing and facts versus opinions, complete a main idea statement, understand reference words, determine cause and effect, and understand the writer’s point of view and purpose of a reading.

• Students will expand vocabulary using word families, antonyms and adjectives, understand and use reference words, and exhibit the ability to correctly use phrasal verbs with multiple meanings.

• Students will strengthen oral skills by participating in a variety of discussions and role-plays on popular topics. Students will prepare, develop, and perform speeches and presentations on authentic topics, constructing and defending arguments. The emphasis will be on appropriate fluency and pronunciation, proper grammar, authentic language use, comprehensibility, and improved confidence when speaking in front of a group. Students will also practice and improve speaking tasks specific to the TOEFL and IELTS exams.

• Students will understand the main ideas and details on a wide variety of topics, will distinguish between fact and opinion, and develop active listening strategies. Students will also learn to infer meaning from context, understand most questions, statements, and conversations at normal speaking speed, and take notes in a variety of contexts.

Semester Five - Spring

GERO 2010: - Gerontology Internship (9 credits)

Students integrate concepts from all previous courses through supervised training in an appropriate setting and actual work experience and observation. Learners will further develop their critical thinking skills through communications and counseling experience, client assessment and case plan development and implementation. Learners will also share experiences and provide feedback online throughout the course. (Prerequisites: Legal and Ethical Issues of Aging; Gero: Generations and Diversity in Aging; Corequisites: Gero: Developing the Gerontology Professional; Gero: Programs and Services in Aging.)

Objectives:

Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:

1. The Internship includes a minimum of 120 hours of experience – approximately 8 hours per week.

2. The Internship class does not meet weekly, but meets for a limited number of sessions throughout the semester.

3. The internship course requires collaborative development of learning objectives among the student, a gerontology faculty, and the agency supervisor.

4. The agency supervisor must have a minimum of a master’s degree.

5. Internship sites for graduate and undergraduate students are developed on an individual basis. Each student’s internship is tailored to their program goals. No student is arbitrarily placed in an internship.

6. An internship should be arranged with the Program Director or another Faculty Member.

7. All internship sites must have an official contract with the University. Contracts can be obtained through the Program Director and should be initiated in a timely manner, prior to the semester in which the internship is planned.

8. The internship course is usually taken later rather than earlier in the program. This will allow the student to build on previous coursework.

9. Select an internship that a) lets you explore a new avenue in aging; and/or b) positions you for employment; and/or c) provides you with an opportunity to develop a thesis or project.

*N.B.

Curriculum Note: No final grade lower than a "C" is acceptable in any of the (10-544-xxx) courses. A student who withdraws or receives a grade lower than a "C" in a program course may apply for re-entry into the program.

The entire Gerontology program is offered online WITH THE EXCEPTION of the internship in 5th semester. The program may be completed in a part-time or full-time format.

The program is designed to increase students’ reading, writing, listening and speaking skills to a level equivalent to that of their native speaking peers and those needed to succeed in life in the United States. These skills will be developed through the use of authentic reading materials, content area concepts, as well as materials similar to those used in the ELA classes. ESL standards are based on ELA standards; hence, students will be required to read literary and informational texts (both authentic and based on concepts from content area classes), write for multiple audiences, tasks and purposes, and listen and speak in collaborative discussions with their peers. All ESL students must pass all of the required Regents examinations in order to earn a diploma, this includes the English Regents or Common Core exam in English Language Arts.