Palmer College of Chiropractic

Academic Programs

B.S. Course Descriptions
 

Discipline abbreviations

• BUSI Business
• COMM Communications
• HUMA Humanities
• PSYC Psychology
• POLI Political Science
• SOCI Social Sciences

BUSI305
Principles of Management—3 credits
Prerequisites: Organizational and/or management theory courses or equivalent
This course will examine current management theories. Subjects covered include development of American management, motivation, leadership, effectiveness, diagnosing the environment, power, decision making and change.

BUSI310
Small Business Management—3 credits
Prerequisites: Introduction to Business or
equivalent
This course will cover every aspect of starting, marketing and managing a small business, with emphasis on the chiropractic office. The primary focus will be on creating the business plan and using it as a guideline to run the practice. Some time will be spent on case studies. Outside speakers will be brought in to give additional perspectives.

BUSI315
Advanced Microcomputers—3 credits
Prerequisite: Keyboarding and basic computer skills, emphasizing Microsoft Office Products
This course provides students with an overview of the Windows Environment, including applications in business and Internet applications. This course is intended to give students knowledge of the major microcomputer needs in business and the hardware and software, which meet those needs.

BUSI325
Legal Aspects of Health Services Administration —3 credits
Prerequisite: Junior status
This course is designed to identify and examine those major areas of law which influence the operation of health care facilities. Basic legal relationships, terminology and distinctions between solo, associate, group and partnership practice will be emphasized. The growing importance of risk management in health care organizations will be discussed.

BUSI330
Entrepreneurial Finance—3 credits
Prerequisite: Junior status
Comprehensive finance course covering topics such as: Basic Economic Concepts, Financial Management and Planning, Financial Statement Analysis, Forecasting, Working Capital Management and Profitability Analysis. This course is designed to provide the student with a broad overview of financial concepts while focusing specifically on small business management. The course will be targeted at providing hands-on experience driven by case study analysis.

BUSI335
Practical Economics for Business—3 credits
Prerequisites: Introduction to Business or equivalent
This course is a practical discussion of economics as it relates to businesses in particular and the world economy in general. The course involves discussions and students will learn how to apply the principles of economics in business and personal life.

BUSI340
Business and Society—3 credits
Prerequisite: College-level Introduction to Business or Economics
Other requirements: Regular access to Internet and e-mail
This course explores the subject of change in society and the impact of business and economics on these changes over the course of history. Included are discussions of major social change theorists and current problems in society as it moves into the 21st century. A critical thinking problem solving-based learning approach will be taken in the study.

BUSI341
Business Ethics—3 credits
Prerequisite: Junior status
This course discusses the subject of ethical decision making in business situations.
Course discussion will begin with an overview of ethical principles and a framework for understanding ethical decision making and moves to an overview of organizational culture, relationships and conflicts related to ethical situations. Students will present papers on specific ethical situations, for class review and discussion. The format of the class will be interactive and participatory.

BUSI345
Business Accounting—3 credits
Prerequisite: Junior status
This course teaches a blend of how businesses use spreadsheets and databases in accounting, and a primer on how one might use these tools to solve real accounting problems. The course is taught in a step-by-step approach with a continuing case problem that builds throughout the course in which students apply Excel and Access features. There will be both a lab and lecture component for the course.

COMM301
Interpersonal Communication—3 credits
Prerequisites: English Composition I and II or equivalent
This course will focus on the communication model, theories of communication and the communication process between individuals and among groups. It will also include formal and informal presentations and group activities to develop skills in these areas.

COMM315
Mass Communications—3 credits
Prerequisites: English Composition I and II or equivalent
This course will explore the field of mass media in the age of electronics and includes a history of major mass media and a discussion of legal issues. Presentations and site visits may be included in the course.

COMM320
Business and Professional
Communication—3 credits
Prerequisites: College-level English Composition Other requirements: Regular access to Internet and e-mail
This course focuses on application of an audience-centered approach to the development of effective writing and speaking for use by professionals on a day-to-day basis in organizations, with an emphasis on written communication skills needed in a professional practice. The course places emphasis on providing students with the specific skills necessary to complete each step of the process associated with development and delivery of effective business messages, from initial audience analysis through written and verbal presentation of formal messages.

COMM330
Organizational Communication—3 credits
Prerequisite: Oral Communications and/or Written Communications at 100 or 200 level
This course studies organization theory, group communication, work relationships, team building, leadership theory, ethics and gender, as well as the impact of technology. Students will study the theoretical background for organizational communication and apply these theoretical concepts to practical applications, using case studies, interactive exercises and presentations.

COMM335
Adult Health Education—3 credits
Prerequisites: College level English composition
This course will acquaint students with the various approaches to Adult Education. Means and systems that can be used to communicate educational concepts to the adult audience will be discussed. Specifically, persuasive efforts to convey a message via print, video, the Internet and slides will be evaluated.

HUMA301
Nutrition, Health and Wellness—3 credits
Prerequisites: Basic Nutrition or equivalent
This course is designed to study the relationship of nutrition with health fitness. Nutritional quackery in health and sports along with Ergogenic aides will be discussed. The importance of water, electrolytes and other nutrients in wellness programs will be elaborated. Weight maintenance, weight loss and weight gain through proper nutrition will be emphasized.

HUMA310
History of Health Sciences—3 credits
Prerequisites: Junior status
An overview of the history of healing arts from ancient to modern times will be covered. A
special emphasis is placed on proliferation of the healing professions in the United States
and Europe between 1865 and 1920.

HUMA320
Care and Prevention of Athletic Injuries—3 credits
Prerequisites: Anatomy and Physiology I or equivalent
This course will introduce students to the basics of athletic injuries and care, including prevention, recognition and evaluation, management/treatment and disposition, with an introduction to rehabilitation, emergency care, protective devices and decision making for referrals.

HUMA330
Health Issues and Environment—3 credits
Prerequisites: Personal Wellness or equivalent
This course looks at the relationship between human beings and their environment, the impact that relationship has on one’s health and individual and community roles in promotion of environmental health.

HUMA335
Political Issues and Human Health—3 credits
Prerequisite: 200 level: Biology, Ecology, History or Sociology course or equivalent
This course presents a study of selected basic political systems and processes throughout the world (America in particular) and examines the relationship these systems and processes bring
to bear on current, worldwide human health. Emphasis is placed on the consequences of a country or country’s political actions and human health outcomes. The concepts and implication of knowledge, power and responsibility are evaluated in the context of contemporary political and environmental health problems. Possible solutions to identified problems and issues are explored.

PSYC304
Psychology of Personality—3 credits
Prerequisite: General Psychology
This course is an in-depth study of concepts related to personality development, description, assessment and special problems. It will cover such topics as: methods in the study of personality; types, traits and interactions; needs and motives; inheritance, evolution and personality; biological process and personality; psychoanalytic structure and process; anxiety, defense and self-protection; ego psychology; psychosocial theories; conditioning theories; social-cognitive learning theories; humanistic psychology; personal constructs; and contemporary cognitive views.

PSYC305
Introductory to Marriage and Family—3 credits
Prerequisite: General Psychology
This course prepares students to look systemically at family functioning. The course will outline ways to approach the diversity of family dynamics, family levels of functioning and lifestyles and the many common threads shared by family members through the life cycle. This course will stress strengths within the various levels of family functioning rather than on levels of pathology.

PSYC306
Psychology of Human Sexuality—3 credits
Prerequisite: General Psychology
This course will study the dynamics of human sexuality. Emphasis is given to the physiological, psychological and social aspects of sexuality, including various problems associated with the interpersonal role of sexuality.

PSYC308
Learning and Memory—3 credits
Prerequisite: General Psychology
This course in learning theories explains principles and theories of human learning in a lucid and engaging fashion and lays out the application of those theories and principles to daily experience and chiropractic practice. Designed for students with an introductory background in psychology, the course explores strategies and exercises for enhancing learning and memory, provides numerous examples and emphasizes meaningful learning. The course provides an overview of social learning theory, cognitivism, information processing and social constructivism. Embedded within theories of learning are models of human memory. The course will explore memory function and dysfunction.

PSYC310
The Psychology of Wellness: Living in Balance—3 credits
Prerequisite: General Psychology
This course will examine integrative and intercultural concepts of wellness. Through the process of studying various perspectives and components of wellness, students will construct a wellness model that can be the framework of their daily experience and chiropractic practices. This course will include social and psychological perspectives on why individuals may choose lifestyle practices and behaviors that support being ill as opposed to well. Designed for students with an introductory background in psychology, the course explores and emphasizes meaningful learning. Students will gain a better understanding of their own wellness choices and practices.

PSYC325
Attitudes Towards Death and Dying—3 credits
Prerequisite: General Psychology
This course will examine the many different aspects, attitudes and experiences associated with the process of death and dying. We will study what is death, what are the current attitudes concerning death in different cultures and the practices surrounding death and mourning. We will identify personal and professional resources necessary for coping with the loss of a significant person. We will also examine the grief process in children, and how age affects grief and the subsequent experiences, suicide and self-destructive behaviors and the commercial death market. Our final goal will be to view death as a part of living and to realize its power as a stimulus for living.

PSYC330
Psychological and Relational Assessment—
3 credits
Prerequisite: General Psychology
This course will address major, cognitive, affective and personality disorders as described and diagnosed by the DSM-IV classification system. It will point out the DSM-IV applications as well as its limitations and controversies. It will strongly emphasize the relational considerations and diagnoses in the analysis of what professionals often consider individual distress and mental disorder. The individual’s mind-body connection will be examined in an ecosystems, holistic approach. Further, the influence of complex interactions among the individual, couple, family and culture on mental health will be explored.

PSYC340
Abnormal Psychology—3 credits
Prerequisite: General Psychology
This course will take a look at abnormal psychology or psychopathology. Through lecture, individual projects, class discussion, and videotapes the student will learn to recognize the symptoms of the major mental illnesses. In addition, the course will also explore different approaches to psychotherapy, with a critical discussion concerning the different therapies. The student will leave this course with a firm understanding of what characterizes a mental illness and the best approach to take in helping the person overcome the maladaptive behavior. Exams will focus on both the diagnostic characteristics of the various disorders and on using knowledge obtained in the course
in a practical and applied way. The case study assignments will allow students to use the knowledge obtained in the course and through the DSM-IV to make an actual diagnosis of an individual.

PSYC345
Social Psychology—3 credits
Prerequisite: General Psychology
Social psychology is the scientific study of how people’s thoughts, feelings and behaviors are influenced by other people. This course will explore important social influences that impact all of us in ways we may not be aware of. Through relevant practical application, students will better understand their own behavior and the behavior of others. The course also offers interactive computer instruction and a variety of learning methods.

SOCI320
Human Evolution—3 credits
Prerequisite: Junior Status
This course will survey the biological and behavioral adaptations and evolution of the hominid clade that occurred over the past five million years. In addition to a thorough review of the fossil materials, this course will develop the evolutionary framework necessary to provide a context for the understanding of these materials

SOCI325
Political, Cultural, Social and Scientific Aspects of Epidemics—3 credits
Prerequisite: General Biology, Sociology & English Composition
Through reading accounts of epidemics the student will try to understand the historical setting in which a given epidemic disease occurred, the social responses to the epidemics, the demographic and long-term consequences of the epidemics and the possible relevance of events connected with one epidemic to those of subsequent epidemics. The notion of major epidemics as one of the key contingencies of history will be examined. The changing responses of
societies and governments to epidemics will
be considered.

SOCI330
Social Implication of Understanding Our
Genes—3 credits
Prerequisite: Junior Status
We are in the century of biotechnology. Scientists have determined the sequences of the three
billion chemical base pairs that are our building blocks. Some speculate that before the first decade is over we will all have a chip in our possession with our complete genetic code. We will be faced by a world of new choices: will we have genetic tests, will we use gene therapy and will we be able to select the child we want? Animal cloning has already been accomplished, how do we feel about human cloning? What type of gene manipulations should be off-limits? Before we can examine the social and ethical issues that may be facing us in the near future, we need to understand the potential and limitations of our genes.

SOCI335
Communication and Health Problems in Diverse Populations—3 credits
Prerequisite: Freshman English, Junior Status
Initially, the course will acquaint the student with the more common health problems facing African Americans, American Indians, Asians and Hispanics as well as several other smaller and underserved ethnic populations in the United States. Then, means and systems that can be effectively used to communicate.

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