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GRAD > GERON GR
Graduate Gerontology
GERON GR 601 Research Methods and Experimental Design
GERON GR 603 Statistical Methods in the Analysis of Social Problems I
Description:
This course introduces students to statistics as a social science tool. It is designed to provide students with a working knowledge of descriptive statistics, the logic of statistical inference, hypothesis testing, analysis of variance, and correlation. In addition to classroom instruction, students are required to attend a statistical lab each week to use a statistical package. Student should expect to use the statistical package outside of class for homework assignments. More Info
Offered in:GERON GR 604 Statistical Methods in the Analysis of Social Problems II
Description:
This course introduces students to advanced statistical procedures as social science tools. This is an application-oriented course covering multiple regression analysis in extensive detail and logistic regression models. It is designed to provide students with a working knowledge of advanced statistical techniques. This is an application-oriented course covering multiple regression, path analysis, simultaneous equation methods, factor analysis, summary measures, and econometrics. Students are required to use a statistical package available in computer labs outside of class for homework assignments. More Info
Offered in:GERON GR 609L Qualitative Methods and Field Research
Description:
This course is designed to introduce students to qualitative research methods; its specific focus is on policy research and aging. Students practice the skills needed to observe the world around them by attending to social phenomena, descriptively and analytically. The course functions as both a seminar and a research workshop, and students learn by engaging in a field work project. GERON GR 609L and PPOL-G 609L and SOCIOL 609L are the same course. More Info
Offered in:GERON GR 611 Health and Physical Changes in Aging
Description:
Those who provide and manage services for the elderly, or are involved in public policy and research concerning the elderly, need knowledge about the physical process of aging. This course describes the physiological changes that accompany the aging process and relates these to social and economic factors that influence health status. Discussion topics include issues of prevention, health promotion and health maintenance, and selected disorders that affect health and independent living. More Info
Offered in:GERON GR 614 Issues Concerning Specialized Target Populations of the Elderly
Description:
This course provides an opportunity for the presentation of current research affecting such specialized target populations of the aged as the disabled, veterans, homeless, abused, minority or ethnic groups, or those in various income categories. More Info
Offered in:- TBA
GERON GR 621 Social Aspects Aging
Description:
This course presents a social perspective on the aging process. It considers social factors that influence aging and the nature of the integration of the aged into society, as well as the way in which population aging affects the society as a whole. The course also looks at social theories of aging, paying special attention to changing social roles, social stratification and aging, and the development of institutions for the aged. Gender, race, ethnicity, and class are discussed as social categories that influence aging and that play a role in the determination of social policy for the aged. Readings on the status, role, and culture of the aged are drawn from the literature of sociology, economics, and anthropology. More Info
Offered in:GERON GR 623 Issues in Aging Policy
Description:
This course introduces students to the development, implementation, and analysis of social policy in the United States on major issues affecting older people. Income security, health care financing, and long-term care receive major attention. Discussions also focus on the programs mandated by the Older Americans Act; and participants examine the major normative, demographic, economic, and political forces that underlie aging policy. More Info
Offered in:GERON GR 626 Economic Issues in Aging Populations
Description:
This course deals with the economic issues raised by aging populations. It begins by introducing population trends and projections, and provides a primer on microeconomic and macroeconomic concepts and analyses. The course then discusses a range of economic issues and some of the major institutions and elements in our society that play important roles in providing people with income and health security: Social Security, private pensions, private savings, public assistance, work, and retirement. Special attention is paid to problems affecting racial and ethnic minorities, women, widows, and the "old old." Emphasis is also given to the potential for productive aging and for economic relationships across generations. More Info
Offered in:- TBA
GERON GR 628 Psychology of Aging
Description:
This course focuses on psychosocial processes throughout the second half of life, from middle age through the "young old" and "old old" years. It addresses both normal aging and psychopathology. Of special concern is the question of whether there are any systematic intrinsic psychological or personality changes associated with development in later life. The course also focuses on the processes used to cope with age-associated transitions ranging from the empty nest to impending death. It explores theoretical models for understanding coping and adaptation, developmental changes, and psychopathology. Other topics include clarification of the causes and nature of the most common psychopathologies, depression, and Alzheimer's disease; and the psychodynamics of institutionalization and family care of the very old. More Info
Offered in:GERON GR 630 Residential Long Term Care Management
Description:
This class will provide a comprehensive overview of the responsibilities of residential care administration for older people. The National Association of Boards of Registration in Nursing Home Administration supports state licensing programs for residential care managers including nursing home administrators. This class will provide a broad understanding of aging issues, and specific elements of administration in residential service settings, while addressing the requirements for licensure. More Info
Offered in:GERON GR 631 Families of Later Life
Description:
This course presents an overview of gerontological research on family relations in later life. Its objective is to provide a summary of the major theories, theoretical concepts, and research findings about later life. The course addresses social policy issues, applications of family theory, and such practical implications as intervention strategies for helping older families and caregivers. Family theory and research are looked at from a multidisciplinary perspective. More Info
Offered in:GERON GR 645 Marketing of Aging Services
Description:
This course examines marketing principles as applied to aging services organizations. Students will learn about marketing concepts, objectives, and brand names. The course will also explore the current structure of aging organizations in Massachusetts and relate these to current marketing principles and strategies. Students will learn to apply marketing concepts to effectively manage and operate an aging services organization. This course provides students with the opportunity to see how marketing principles and practice come together within the context of various types of aging services organizations in Massachusetts. More Info
Offered in:GERON GR 650 Service Delivery Issues in Aging
Description:
This course focuses on the links between consumers and aging services in organizational settings with well-developed formal services. The aim of the course is to provide students with an understanding of the structural problems that underlie the challenges that consumers face in using formal services. The course covers a wide range of services that older people may need, the complementary relationship between formal and informal services, boundary issues among service specialties, boundary issues among service specialties and service professionals, service coordination and integration, and the role of both consumer directional and professional case management in negotiating service systems. More Info
Offered in:GERON GR 660 Organization and Financing of Aging Services
Description:
This course is offered as a core course in the aging service track of the Masters in Gerontology. Students who are interested in pursuing career opportunities in management of long term care organizations will benefit from this course content. The influences of organizational and financial forces upon aging service are analyzed in this course. Three sources of public financing --Medicare, Medicaid, and the Older Americans Act--are examined in depth. The relative strengths of public and private financing are examined with attention to both access and quality issues. It is assumed that the student do not have any background knowledge of accounting and finance. Therefore, foundational elements in accounting and finance will be covered in this course. The student will acquire an understanding of accounting principles, economic decision-making and industry factors as they pertain to aging service agencies. More Info
Offered in:GERON GR 670 Human Resources & Personnel Management in Aging Services
Description:
This course is designed to familiarize students with the concepts of human resources management as they are applied tin primarily public, non-profit settings. In particular, the course will focus on human resources and personnel management as applied to the aging services field. The examples used in the course will come from organizations such as nursing homes, assisted living facilities, home health agencies, senior centers and councils on aging. Issues to be addressed will include hiring and supervision, performance appraisal, mentoring, career planning, equal employment opportunity, diversity and collective bargaining. Students will examine job design and pay systems, methods of personnel selection and training, issues of productivity and work hours, team building, effects of government regulations on working conditions and personnel administration. More Info
Offered in:GERON GR 675 Organizational Change and Aging Services
Description:
Organizations play a critical role in both professional and personal realms. This course examines the structure of organizations including internal and external forces, and approaches to changing the way that organizations operate. Students will explore the current structure of aging organizations at the federal, state and local level including government, advocacy and service organizations. Students will also review emerging trends in the long term care system which may impact the mission, vision and structure of organizations. More Info
Offered in:GERON GR 680 Financial Management in Aging Services
Description:
The objective of this course is to introduce principles and applications of healthcare/long-term care financial management based on theory and practices in Accounting and Finance. The course is user oriented and focuses on issues that are important to managers for planning and decision making in the eldercare industry. Given the increased emphasis on financial viability, it is felt that all aspiring managers in any organization, be it for profit or not-for-profit, should have a basic understanding of factors that help improve the financial well being of an organization. For any organization, the three critical elements of financial management are (1) basic knowledge about accounting information, (2) relevant industry factors and (3) principles of economics upon which many types of business decisions are made. Although the user is not aspiring to become a CPA, in order to make informed decisions it is essential to have an understanding of the terminology and techniques of generating and reporting financial information. Also, all organizations work within specific industries and fields and they have to work within the competitive and regulatory environment surrounding that industry that impacts all managerial decisions. This course provides students with the tools to operate within these contexts. More Info
Offered in:- TBA
GERON GR 688 Multidisciplinary Seminar in Aging
GERON GR 691 Capstone Project Seminar
Description:
The course guides each master's student through the production to completion of a research project and report. Topics include a critique of unresolved issues in analyses of age, cohort, and period effects; an exposition of theoretical developments in social gerontological theory and their application to the issue of social policy and aging; explication of a research project, including interview training; research problem development, implementation of appropriate research methods for specific problems, and how to prepare a written document that describes the design of the project, the results of the analysis, and conclusions. More Info
Offered in:GERON GR 692 Capstone Project Seminar in Managment of Aging Services
Description:
This capstone offers each student the opportunity to develop a special project in his or her specific area of interest. This includes researching the topic, identifying an issue, developing strategy and a work plan, and establishing a timeline and implementation schedule. The course is intended to assist students in implementing their knowledge and skills developed during their course of study. Projects undertaken should evidence an understanding and mastery of areas such as policy development an analysis, program management, administration, and finance. The course is also intended to show student mastery of self-direction and task management. Students are expected to take this class at or near the end of their course of study in the Management of Aging Services Masters Program. More Info
Offered in:GERON GR 697 Special Topics in Aging Policy
Description:
This course provides an opportunity for presentation of current topics in aging policy that do not fall under the purview of any other course. More Info
Offered in:- TBA
GERON GR 701 Advanced Statistical Methods in Gerontology
Description:
This course instructs students in advanced statistical topics and provides training in the use of corresponding computer methods. The course builds upon the statistical foundations established in GERON 601, 603, 604, and 605, providing technical skills for use in the complex and specialized statistical research found in the social sciences. In addition to class time, this course requires independent work at the computer. More Info
Offered in:- TBA
GERON GR 721 History and Political Economy of Social Policy Toward the Elderly
Description:
In the United States public policy toward the elderly is a relatively recent phenomenon, first articulated in the 1935 landmark Social Security legislation. Participants study the history that led up to the development of Social Security and go on to use it as a context in which to examine other significant federal legislation for the aged such as Medicare and Medicaid. Particular emphasis is placed on the competing political forces that influenced the development of aging policy in the past and continue to do so. Economic, social, and health-related benefits for the aged in the United States are analyzed in comparison to those existing for other age groups in this country, and for the elderly in other industrialized nations. More Info
Offered in:- TBA
GERON GR 723L Cost Effectiveness: Theory, Methods & Applications
Description:
This course introduces students to the theoretical underpinnings of cost-effectiveness analysis and the alternative methods for measuring costs and outcomes of health interventions. Through many practical applications, students gain a familiarity with how to apply cost effectiveness, cost benefit, and cost utility methods to actual research situations. GERON GR 723L and NURSNG 723L and PPOL-G 723L are the same course. More Info
Offered in:GERON GR 724 Race & Culture
GERON GR 726 Current National Data Bases in Gerontological Policy Research
Description:
This course introduces students to the use of large national databases for gerontological social policy research. It provides a brief survey of the scope and content of various public-use national databases used in gerontological research, as well as an in-depth examination of one of these major databases. Students are introduced to the fundamentals of statistical programming; to the use of such standard statistical packages as Statistical Analysis System (SAS); and to methods and strategies for basic analytic data file construction. These programming skills are applied to actual gerontological databases through examples presented by the instructor, as well as through a series of take-home student assignments completed by the students. In addition to class time, this course requires independent work at a computer. More Info
Offered in:GERON GR 727 Research Practicum in Gerontology
Description:
This course provides students with a guided experience in writing an empirical research paper of publishable quality. Participants address a research question through secondary statistical analysis of a large survey data set supplied by the instructor. They critically examine published papers to learn how to write empirical papers for refereed gerontology journals. The statistical analysis involves application of multiple regression techniques. Students receive guidance from the instructor in all aspects of writing the paper: introduction, literature review, methodology, findings, and discussion. They also learn how to construct complex statistical tables. The course requires independent work conducting analysis of statistical data at a computer. More Info
Offered in:GERON GR 732 Demographic Methods in Aging
Description:
This course provides a foundation in basic demographic methods for gerontology doctoral students. Its underlying assumption is that population aging will be the major demographic phenomenon affecting this nation's institutions over the next half century. Students develop an understanding of how demographic trends and characteristics of populations are measured and examine the social and policy implications of major demographic trends for the United States and other countries. More Info
Offered in:- TBA
GERON GR 734 Law and Health Policy for the Elderly
Description:
This course examines the use of law in creating health policy that affects older Americans. It presents students with a brief introduction to the sources of law, to legal reasoning, and to the structure of the legal system. Cases are used to explore the impact of our legal system on issues of access, quality, and the cost of health care for older citizens. Other issues to be discussed include consent to and withdrawal of treatment. More Info
Offered in:- TBA
GERON GR 760 Policy Analysis Techniques
Description:
The course introduces students to a variety of formal methods used in policy analysis in gerontology. Topics include methods of legal research; projection techniques; factorial survey designs to determine the normative underpinnings of policy; measurement of inequality; measurement of efficiency in targeting; use of matrices for analysis of goals and alternatives; benefit-cost analysis; assessment of political feasibility; assessment of feasibility of implementation; and evaluation research. Students learn how to apply the various techniques through a series of assignments. More Info
Offered in:GERON GR 761 Advanced Policy Analysis in Aging
Description:
This course is concerned with the formation, justification, and implementation of aging policy in the United States. Designed for students with a background in the history, economics, and political economy of aging policy, the course provides an opportunity to apply this knowledge to the shaping of current public policy. The course explores agenda setting, the dynamics of the political process, and the variety of ways in which political power can be used. Students write a paper designed to inform decision makers on a current policy issue in aging. More Info
Offered in:GERON GR 771 Directed Study
Description:
Students may conduct independent research under the supervision and guidance of members of the faculty. More Info
Offered in:- TBA
GERON GR 772L Seminar in Health Care Financing
Description:
This course analyzes historical, current, and proposed policy options in health care financing, including Medicare, health insurance, and issues of provider reimbursement. GERON GR 772L and NURSNG 772L are the same course. More Info
Offered in:GERON GR 774 Seminar in Economic Security of the Aged
Description:
Through lectures and discussion, this course focuses on contemporary issues in economic security for the elderly. More Info
Offered in:- TBA
GERON GR 779 Seminar in Productive Aging
Description:
This course provides advanced doctoral students with an opportunity to examine and critique research and scholarly discourse on the economic and social roles of older people in contemporary society. Students analyze the major positions and debates about productive aging and review the most recent research concerning productive activities of older people. Though the primary focus is on the United States, there are also readings and discussion about other industrialized nations. More Info
Offered in:- TBA
GERON GR 796 Independent Study in Aging Policy
Description:
This course provides students the opportunity for independent research under the direction of a faculty member. More Info
Offered in:GERON GR 797 Special Topics
Description:
This course offers study of selected topics within this subject. Course content and credits vary according to topic and are announced prior to the registration period. More Info
Offered in:- TBA
GERON GR 798 Internship in Gerontology
Description:
Students participate in policy research or policy analysis of aging-related issues in various settings, including but not limited to government agencies, research institutes at other universities, and nonprofit organizations. Each internship is supervised by a faculty member. Students receive credit on the basis of a paper that reflects the substantive work accomplished through the internship and/or the general knowledge gained through the internship about policy research or policy analysis. Students may register for this course as often as they like but may apply no more than 3 credits toward their degree. More Info
Offered in:GERON GR 899 Dissertation Research
Description:
This course focuses on research conducted under faculty supervision, leading to the presentation of a doctoral dissertation. More Info
Offered in:
