Programs
Undergraduate Minor Curriculum
The Holistic Health Minor involves a prerequisite and an 18-credit hour course of study. Students enrolled in the minor must maintain a 2.5 GPA in courses taken for the minor.
Prerequisite
HOL 1000 Choices in Living (3 credits) is
a prerequisite for the minor. See the advisor for equilvalent
courses that can be used to replace HOL 1000.
Required
Courses: 9 credits
There are 3 required courses for the minor (each 3 credits).
HOL 2000 Choices in Global Living
HOL 4400 Issues and Ethics in Holistic
Health (HOL 1000 & HOL 2000 are prerequisites for HOL 4400)
HOL 4700 Relationship-Centered Skills
(or HOL 5360 Counseling Skills for Health Professionals)
Elective
Courses: 9 credits
Choose 9 credits of appropriate electives, with at least one 3-credit
course being an HOL elective class. You may choose from the following
list of HOL courses, which includes applicable 500 level courses,
or see an advisor in the College of Health and Human Services
for approval of non-HOL electives.
Holistic Health Modalities
HOL 3000 Exploring Practices in Integrative Health Care
HOL 5500 Holism and Expressive
Arts
HOL 5510 Healing through Visual
Art
HOL 5520 Healing through Movement
HOL 5370 Health and Humor
Issues in
Holistic Health
HOL 3300 Holism and the Environment
HOL 3960 Learning, Work, and Lifestyles: Holistic Perspectives
HOL 5320 Holistic Approaches
to Relationships
HOL 5340 Holistic Health and
Spirituality
HOL 5350 Holistic Approaches
to Stress
HOL 5550 Successful Aging:
Holistic Approaches
HOL 5980 Independent Study
in Holistic Health
Special Topics Courses (HOL 5300)
HOL 5300: Biofeedback and Neurofeedback, 3 credit hours
HOL 5300: Humor/Fun Brain’s Best Learning Strategies, 3 credit hours
HOL 5300: Experiential/Adventure Education Certification, 3 credit hours
HOL 5300: Meditation to Enhance Living, 1 credit hour
Integrative Holistic Health and Wellness courses are offered weekly on the main Kalamazoo campus, as well as in a weekend format through Extended University Programs at regional locations in Battle Creek, Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, Lansing, Southwest (Benton Harbor), and Traverse City.
Total: 18 credits
Required
Courses (each 3 credits)
HOL 1000 Choices in Living (Prerequisite)
This course will focus on the relationship among individual choices,
social responsibilities and social functioning. Students will
be educated in current theories and techniques of values clarification,
motivation, and behavior change. Health and social issues relevant
to young adults and throughout the life cycle will be examined.
This course is designed for undergraduate students in all majors
and is especially valuable for students interested in health and
human services professions.
HOL
2000 Choices in Global Living
This course considers the concept of “health” at both
the individual and global level by exploring the connection between
an individual’s lifestyle choices and their impact on the
larger world of work and service. The theory of holism, along
with several related theories (multiculturalism, sustainability,
and ecological systems) are considered across a variety of disciplines
in order to examine current initiatives that are occurring in
order to improve the human condition.
HOL
4400 Issues and Ethics in Holistic Health
This course serves as a follow-up to HOL 1000 and HOL 2000. It provides
an in-depth exploration of the key issues and ethics that arise
when considering health at an individual, interpersonal, and global
level. The course provides students with critical-thinking skills
and decision-making skills in order to effectively assess scientific
information in the field of holistic health. The course format
includes lectures, small-group discussions of case examples, experiential
exercises, and a final paper in which students apply the principles
of holistic health to their major field of study.
HOL
4700 Relationship-Centered Skill
This course provides students with a holistic approach to interpersonal
process and communication in order to prepare them to function
effectively in health care and relationship-centered settings.
Students are exposed to theory and practice in the following areas:
key principles of effective communication, holistic approaches
to interpersonal process, and relationship-centered approaches
to providing health and human services. This course is intended
for students pursuing either the minor in holistic health or a
major in health and human services.
Electives: Holistic Health Modalities
HOL 5500: Introduction to Holism and Expressive Arts 3 credits
This course will be a survey of expressive arts therapies used to facilitate the healing process and will deepen the student’s understanding and experience of the role of creative expression in health and healing. The use of arts therapies to promote health, reduce stress, and complement the traditional treatment of physical and mental illness will be discussed. Topics covered will be visual arts, music, movement, poetry, and drama. The course will include experiential activities for each modality. No artistic experience or background required.
HOL 5510: Holistic Approaches to Healing Through Visual Art 3 credits
This course is an introduction to the holistic use of visual art in healing. Topics covered will be: overview of healing through art; how to choose and present appropriate art experiences; resources and materials; focal points for understanding art; and ethics. The course will include experiential activities and techniques. The course is designed to give students and professionals in the counseling, psychology, social work, health care, OT, and art fields some practical tools and considerations for using visual art in healing with others or for personal growth. No artistic talent required.
HOL 5520: Holistic Approaches to Healing Through Movement 3 credits
This course is a survey of the use of movement for health and healing. Several movement and dance speciality areas are covered, exploring movement for personal expression, health promotion, stress reduction, and healing. Body awareness, breathing, and creativity will be emphasized throughout the exploration of movement modalities, such as Authentic Movement, Contact Improvisation, Gabrielle Roth movement, Dance Therapy, Laban Movement Analysis, Universal Dances of Peace, and other forms of movement. Students enrolled in social work, counseling psychology, occupational therapy, nursing, physical education, and dance will especially benefit from this course. No movement or dance experience required.
HOL 5370: Health and Humor 3 credits
This course will focus on the physical, intellectual, emotional and spiritual dimensions of laughter and humor. We will explore recent discoveries and research regarding their role in human physical and mental health. Students will learn about the social significance of humor, what makes people laugh and why, the role of happiness and “good humours”, and will learn ways to increase happiness and use laughter and humor as a stress management technique.
Electives: Issues in Holistic Health
HOL 5320: Holistic Approaches to Relationships 3 credits
The purpose of this course is to provide an understanding of relationship development. In order to do this, students will acquire knowledge in self-concept formation, social systems theory, values development, and communication models. A major emphasis in the course will be on how to assist people in establishing and maintaining healthy relationships.
HOL 5340: Holistic Health and Spirituality 3 credits
This course helps students better understand the spiritual dimensions of each individual and the relationship of spirituality to the meaning of health. Various spiritual traditions, philosophies, and practices will be explored, with the primary emphasis on the implications of these teachings for everyday living. The course will address the role of spirituality in the therapeutic process for health care professionals and resources available for practitioners and educators.
HOL 5350: Holistic Approaches to Stress 3 credits
This course will focus on the nature, sources, and symptoms of stress, and provide a holistic approach for the management of stress. The relationship between stress and personality, lifestyle, health, illness, work, and academic performance will be explored. In addition, the reasons for and management of professional and organizational “burnout” will be presented.
HOL 5550: Successful Aging: Holistic Perspectives 3 credits
This course will focus on holistic factors of aging and lifestyle choices that enable people to preserve and even enhance wellness and vitality in later life. Current images and myths of aging will be explored and research studies that outline holistic ways to delay, prevent, or positively treat common chronic diseases will be presented along with programs and policies that enable older people to practice positive aging strategies. This course will highlight the qualities of older people who remain physically active, intellectually engaged, emotionally involved, spiritually connected and vital throughout their years.
HOL 5980: Readings in Holistic Health, 1-4 credits. Must be approved by advisor
This course provides individualized, independent study and reading under guidance of a faculty member. Initiative for planning topic for investigation and seeking the appropriate faculty member comes from the student, with consultation from the advisor.
Electives: Special Topics Courses
HOL 5300: Biofeedback and Neurofeedback 3 credits
Biofeedback addresses the self-regulation of one’s own physiological processes (i.e. muscle and circulatory systems). Neurofeedback concerns the self-regulation of processes directly associated with brain electrical activity. Participants in this class will become familiar with the history of self-regulation and its theoretical basis. They will learn how assessments of psychophysical dysfunctions are conducted and how clinical protocols are designed to assist in remediation. This will include the use of 19 channel EEG data and the use of “brain mapping” methodologies. There will be opportunities for personal experience with these methods. This course may be useful for students interested in health-related disciplines.
HOL 5300: Experiential/Adventure Education Certification
This course is for students interested in learning how to envision, create, develop, implement and evaluate experiential/adventure education programs and/or activities as well as those wishing to work toward certification as an experiential education facilitator at the Adventure Centre. Students will learn tools for facilitation, risk management, group process and dynamics, presenting ropes activities, climbing tower and trust fall activities.
HOL 5300: Humor/Fun Brain’s Best Learning Strategies
Teachers have always known that having fun is the brain’s favorite way of learning at all ages. When play and humor are used appropriately, attention is focused and brain building occurs. This class will
report on the latest research regarding teaching with the brain in mind and explore specific learning
activities designed to channel humor and play in positive and constructive ways that open our students’
minds and keep our teacher wits about us.
HOL 5300: Meditation to Enhance Living
The purpose of Meditation to Enhance Living is to introduce you, through
direct experience, to the practical application of meditation in your
daily life. We will discuss and experience various forms of meditation
from different cultural and religious perspectives yet the basic
meditation practice is secular in nature. The latest scientific research
on meditation will be reviewed; research that clearly supports the
efficacy of meditation in reducing stress and in producing a sense of
inner calm or peace. Participants who apply this practice to their daily
lives will achieve a significant reduction in stress as well as an
increase in their performance and perceived ease of performance.