Overview - PH 414: Law, Government, and Public Health

After completing PH 414, learners will be proficient in describing the role of law and government in promoting and protecting the health of the public and identifying specific functions and roles of governmental public health agencies in assuring population health. Key aspects of this competency expectation include:

• identifying strategies used by governments to influence the health status of their citizens
• describing how various forms of law contribute to government's ability to influence health
• describing the basic administrative law processes carried out by public health agencies
• identifying the various federal health agencies and describing their general purpose and major activities
• identifying different approaches to organizing health responsibilities within state government
• describing common features of local health departments in the United States
• discussing implications of different approaches among states to carrying out public health's roles
  

This course involves several learning activities; see the PH 414 Exercises document for detailed instructions.

• Content: the content for this course is provided in the specific readings and other resources identified in the PH 414 Exercises document.
• Office Hours: This messaging system was created to handle questions and announcements. Visit this site to introduce yourself to the course as well as to help you get familiar with the workings of the system.
• Exercises:
  1. Individual Exercise: submit the completed individual exercise under the link "Submit Assignments". Your instructor will provide feedback by replying to your posting.
  2. Conferencing Exercise: add your contribution to this multi-learner conferencing exercise.
  3. Assessment Quiz: complete and submit the multiple choice assessment quiz for PH 414.

The instructor will evaluate your responses to the various exercises and indicate when you have successfully completed PH 414. For learners interested in going beyond the basics, a list of additional resources, including readings and other materials, is available through the Additional Resources link. This list emphasizes the most up-to-date materials. Information on related courses is provided in the PH 410 Course Series Syllabus. PH 415 (or any other course) can begin whenever you wish, so feel free to begin the readings that are identified for the course that you plan to take next.

PH 414 Overview last revised July 1, 2004 (bturnock)