Regardless of their career aspirations, our students will likely encounter traumatized individuals. Despite renewed awareness and concern about trauma in the public, systematic training about trauma is lacking. The goal of this course is to contribute to a better informed public and better informed healthcare professionals by exposing students to accurate information about trauma.
Course Description: This course will examine the psychological and public health impact of a variety of traumatic experiences (e.g., sexual and physical assault, domestic violence, war and torture, community violence, and natural disasters) on diverse populations, including racial and ethnic minorities, veterans, women, children, aging populations, and individuals who identify as LGBTQIA. Students will be able to articulate the prevalence, incidence, and developmental impact of post-traumatic stress across the lifespan. Students will become familiar with the major risk factors for trauma-related dysfunction and cultural factors that exacerbate or ameliorate dysfunction. During course discussions, we will emphasize the influence of culture and history on how individuals and society responds to trauma. Students will begin to think critically about a person’s group memberships and identifications, and the effect of these memberships and identities on the way that an individual experiences and recovers from a traumatic experience. Students will discover how positive change can transpire following trauma exposure. We will investigate evidence-based intervention strategies. Students will have the opportunity to gain exposure to traumatized populations through service learning projects. Case accounts of traumatized individuals, original professional journal articles, classic texts written by trauma experts, service learning opportunities, and documentaries about trauma will enhance learning.