You are probably aware that the number and proportion of people over 65 years of age has grown in recent years, both in the United States and around the world. This trend is expected to continue well into the 21st century. You can imagine that knowledge about aging and the likely impact of large numbers of older people on the society will therefore become increasingly important to businesses, governments and medical institutions. Already, publications such as the occupational outlook Handbook, published every two years by the US Department of Labor, have recommended people seeking careers in health, social services, and business know about trends in personal and population aging.

Gerontology 200 is a gateway course for students considering majors or minors in gerontology, which is the study of adult development an aging. Students will be introduced to a cross section of faculty in the School of Gerontology, and they will have the opportunity to interact with our student services staff. Each week they will be presented with different topics in gerontology written by professors from different disciplines within the field. These disciplines include biodemography, sociology, psychology, housing, and health care. The professors will discuss research findings from their fields, illustrating how they study aging within their own disciplines.

The class employs an ecological approach in order to emphasize intrinsic and extrinsic factors associate with aging. The main themes of the course include universality of aging, its heterogeneity, interactions between society and the individual's ability to influence his/her own aging experience, and ethical issues. In addition, the course facilitates the development of practical skills in assessment, management and communication in order to promote sensitivity to older adults and increase the quality of services.