GSS 113 - Women’s Health

3 credit hours - Three hours weekly; one term.
This course meets the Diversity Requirement. This course meets the Wellness Requirement.

Learn the physical and mental health events that confront women in our society. Investigate disease and stress ailments particular to women in our ever-changing world.

Crosslisted: Also offered as HEA 113 ; credit is not given for both GSS 113 and HEA 113

Course Outcomes:

Explain reproductive structure & function of the male/female system
- Identify the major external and internal female and male reproductive structures and function
- Name the various phases of the menstruation cycle
- Explain the mechanism, risk, benefits, side effects and contraindications of hormonal, barrier, permanent, and other methods of contraception
Explain pregnancy health and risk
- Identify how conception occurs and the process of cell division after fertilization
- Cite the recommended nutritional and health guidelines during pregnancy
- Identify the common prenatal tests, potential complications of pregnancy, and the significant issues surrounding childbirth, labor, and delivery
- Summarize the legal types of abortion procedures, and the historical timeline of abortion legislation in the United States
Explain Risky Health Behaviors
- Explain the health consequences of smoking, including the impact of involuntary smoking
- Identify the components of cigarettes and cigarette smoke
- Name the physiological and social consequence of alcohol consumption
- Cite the symptoms, treatment, causes, and prevention tactics associated with sexually transmitted infections in women, including during a pregnancy
- Discuss why good communication is essential with regard to sexually transmitted infections
Describe the importance of Wellness and Physical Fitness
- Explain the interconnected roles of emotional, mental, social, spiritual and physical dimensions of health
- Compute the following heart rates: Resting heart rate, Target heart rate, Exercise heart rate, Maximum heart rate, and Recovery hear rate
- Discuss benefits and principles of cardiovascular endurance training
- Discuss benefits and principles of cardiovascular endurance training
- Interpret results from measurements of body composition
- Identify the 6 classes of essential nutrients and describes their function
- Describe the Food Guide Pyramid and explains its significance
- Evaluate personal food intake using the RDA values for each nutrient and nutrition food labels
- Examine the three stages of the stress response
- Identify common stressors to college students in the U.S. and contrasts them to stressors that exist in other countries.
- Suggest effective ways to manage stress.
Describe Health Conditions specific to Women
- Identify how cultural and societal attitudes influence attitudes about menopause
- Discuss the health risk and benefits associated with HRT
- Identify the basic biological sequence of events associated with menopause
- Explain the risk factors, screening methods, and treatment modalities for breast, cervical, ovarian and uterine cancer
- Identify the purpose of a pap smear and vaccine, and how this relates to the benign cervical conditions as well as cervical cancer
- Identify the prevention methods of cardiovascular disease and cancer through lifestyle changes
- Explain the major modifiable risk factors associated with cardiovascular disease
Describe Personal Safety Issues, Self Esteem, and Body Image
- Describe the forms of battering, including physical, sexual, property, psychological, and social violence
- Identify how rape can affect physical health, mental health, sexual intimacy, and relationships
- Discuss the prevalence of violence toward women by strangers
- Discuss sexual harassment as a form of social control and how it affects women in the workplace
- Identify strategies for effective techniques to deal with relationship violence and sexual harassment
- Explain how body image has changed over time
- Identify causes, symptoms, and treatments for anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa