Gerontology (PhD, MS, Graduate Certificate) — Courses

Graduate courses in gerontology are open to regularly matriculated PhD and master’s students in the program, to certificate students, and to other graduate students with the permission of individual course instructors and the Graduate Program Director.

GERON 601
Research Methods and Experimental Design

This course provides the conceptual and practical foundations for policy research on aging. It covers the methodological skills necessary for empirical dissertation research.
Prerequisites: Upper-level undergraduate statistics and one laboratory or field course in the natural or social sciences.
Corequisite (required only for doctoral and master’s students): GERON 603.
3 Lect Hrs, 2 Lab Hrs, 3 Credits
Mr Burr

GERON 603
Statistical Methods in the Analysis of Social Problems I

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.
Corequisite (required only for doctoral and master’s students): GERON 601.
4 Lect Hrs, 2 Lab Hrs, 3 Credits
Mr Porell

GERON 604
Statistical Methods in the Analysis of Social Problems II

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.
Prerequisite: GERON 603.
4 Lect Hrs, 2 Lab Hrs, 3 Credits
Mr Porell

GERON L609 (PPOL L609)
Qualitative Methods and Field Research

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 us, 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.
Prerequisites: GERON 601, 603.
3 Lect Hrs, 3 Credits

GERON 611
Health and Physical Changes in Aging

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.
3 Lect Hrs, 3 Credits

GERON 614
Issues Concerning Specialized Target Populations of the Elderly

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.
3 Lect Hrs, 3 Credits

GERON 621
Social Aspects of Aging

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.
3 Lect Hrs, 3 Credits
Ms Mutchler

GERON 623
Issues in Aging Policy

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.
3 Lect Hrs, 3 Credits

GERON 626
Economic Issues in Aging Populations

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.
3 Lect Hrs, 3 Credits
Mr Chen

GERON 628
Psychology of Aging

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.
3 Lect Hrs, 3 Credits
Ms Turner

GERON 631
Families of Later Life

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.
3 Lect Hrs, 3 Credits
Ms Turner

GERON 641
Historical and Theoretical Foundations of Gerontology

This course examines the development of science as an evolving and changing concept. Participants study the philosophy of science and the pertinent literature relevant to the structure of the social sciences. The course explores various concepts of theory building, as a way of providing students with a framework showing how theory is developed and influenced by research, and how research is subsequently influenced by theory. The course seeks to provide students with a perspective from which they can critique gerontological theory and develop new research agendas to assist in the development of theory in this evolving field.
3 Lect Hrs, 3 Credits

GERON 650
Service Delivery Issues in Aging

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 will cover a wide range of services that older people may need, the complementary relationship between formal and informal services, boundary issues among service specialties and service professionals, service coordination and integration, and the role of both consumer direction and professional case management in negotiating service systems.
3 Lect Hrs, 3 Credits

GERON 660
Organization and Financing of Aging Services

The influences of organizational and financial forces upon aging services are analyzed in this course. Various public (federal and state) and private sources of funding are considered. Three sources of public financing—Medicare, Medicaid, and the Older Americans Act—are examined in depth. The relative strengths of public and private funding are examined with attention to both access and quality issues. The implications of both the financing and organizational forces are considered for several major service modalities, including nursing homes, assisted living, home care, and adult day care.
3 Lect Hrs, 3 Credits

GERON 688
Multidisciplinary Seminar in Aging

A multidisciplinary colloquium series highlights current research and theory in gerontology. Presentations by students, faculty, and other scholars. Must be taken three times for credit by students enrolled in the PhD program.
Hrs by arrangement, 1 Credit

GERON 691
Capstone Project Seminar

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.
3 Credits

GERON 697
Special Topics in Aging Policy

This course provides an opportunity for presentation of current topics in aging policy that do not fall under the purview of any other course.
Hrs by arrangement, 1-3 Credits

GERON 701
Advanced Statistical Methods in Gerontology

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.
Prerequisites: GERON 604.
3 Lect Hrs, 3 Credits
Mr Porell

GERON 721
History and Political Economy of Social Policy Toward the Elderly

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.
3 Lect Hrs, 3 Credits

GERON 722
Social and Health Service Delivery Systems for the Elderly

This course provides an overview of the various delivery systems that provide social and medical services to the elderly. Students examine the highly fragmented delivery systems that presently exist and explore alternative models for service delivery. The course involves a technical analysis of recent research on health care and social service reimbursement systems which consider cost containment as part of the optimal service delivery mechanism. The course seeks to acquaint graduate students with the planning models used in developing reimbursement and service delivery systems and to explore new models that can achieve high-quality service goals in a political environment.
3 Lect Hrs, 3 Credits

GERON 724
Ethnic and Racial Diversity in Aging Societies

This course examines the implications of race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and social class for the experiences of people in later life. Major attention is given to the cumulative consequences for life in old age of the life-long adversity experienced by many members of disadvantaged groups. Discussions also focus on the supports provided through families and ethnic associations for older people who are members of low-income racial and ethnic groups and on the implications for aging of migration patterns among members of these groups. The course also examines programs and policies designed to address the special needs of racially disadvantaged elders in the United States. While emphasis is on the United States, some consideration is given to cross-national comparisons of the role of culture in establishing normative expectations for the aging experience and in providing the context for the development of aging policy.
Prerequisites: GERON 621 and GERON 626.
3 Lect Hrs, 3 Credits
Ms Mutchler

GERON 726
Current National Data Bases in Gerontological Policy Research

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.
3 Lect Hrs, 3 Credits
Mr Porell

GERON 727
Research Practicum in Gerontology

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.
Prerequisites: GERON 604 and 726.
3 Lect Hrs, 3 Credits
Mr Porell

GERON 732
Demographic Methods in Aging

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.
Prerequisite: GERON 603 or equivalent.
3 Lect Hrs, 3 Credits

GERON 734
Law and Health Policy for the Elderly

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.
Prerequisite: Graduate standing.
3 Lect Hrs, 3 Credits
Ms Bruce

GERON 760
Policy Analysis Techniques

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.
Prerequisites: GERON 623 and 2 graduate statistics courses.
3 Lect Hrs, 3 Credits

GERON 761
Advanced Policy Analysis in Aging

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.
Prerequisites: GERON 623 and 626.
3 Lect Hrs, 3 Credits
Mr Caro

GERON 771
Seminar in Long-Term Care

This course analyzes major public policy issues in the organization and financing of long-term-care services in the United States. It examines the full spectrum of long-term- care services, including both institutional and non-institutional long-term care. The course also includes systematic descriptions of the characteristics of existing interventions, reviews of policy research findings, and critical analyses of policy options.
3 Lect Hrs, 3 Credits

GERON 772
Seminar in Health Care Financing

This course analyzes historical, current, and proposed policy options in health care financing, including Medicare, health insurance, and issues of provider reimbursement.
Prerequisites: GERON 623, 626.
3 Lect/Disc Hrs, 3 Credits
Mr Porell

GERON 774
Seminar in Economic Security of the Aged

Lectures and discussion on contemporary issues in economic security for the elderly.
3 Lect/Disc Hrs, 3 Credits

GERON 779
Seminar in Productive Aging

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.
3 Lect/Disc Hrs, 3 Credits

GERON 796
Independent Study in Aging Policy

Independent research under the direction of a faculty member.
Hrs by arrangement, 1-6 Credits

GERON 798
Internship in Gerontology

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.
1-3 Credits

GERON 891
Dissertation Seminar

This course assists students in preparing the dissertation proposal and in the design and data collection phases of the dissertation process.
3 Disc Hrs, 3 Credits

GERON 899
Dissertation Research

Research conducted under faculty supervision that leads to the presentation of a doctoral dissertation.
Hrs by arrangement, 1-9 Credits