Education at USC Chan
Course Descriptions

Exploration of themes of thriving including well-being, self-care, and connection. Application to university life, building community, developing identity and integrating learned topics into everyday life.

Application of occupational science evidence and occupational therapy principles of lifestyle and self-care behavior change to support self-analysis and integration of healthy habits and routines.

Survey of the impact of public institutions, private interests and cultural practices on health and the delivery of health care.

Foundation of medical terminology and hospital abbreviations useful for practice in health care.

Introduction to theoretical concepts concerning the relationship of engagement in activities (occupations) to health and well being. Application of these perspectives to students’ own lives.

Introduction to concept of occupation and overview of human drive for meaningful activity; impact of occupations on health and wellbeing; analysis of personal occupational patterns; selected therapeutic applications.

Exploration of the transformative power of occupation throughout the lifespan for all individuals.

Lecture and cadaver lab-based, human anatomy course focused on the interaction of anatomical systems relative to functional activity, health and wellness.

Recommended preparation: introductory undergraduate course in biology

Overview of human physiology emphasizing systems that sustain homeostasis and motion with a focus on biological foundations for a healthy lifestyle. Relevant pathophysiologic issues discussed.

Recommended preparation: undergraduate biology course

Examination of challenges associated with the emerging adulthood stage of development through an occupational science lens; strategies to promote health and well-being for this population.

Exploration of the diverse ways occupational practices become central to identity, reify standard social ideologies, and are manipulated to redress conventional standards.

Theories and practice of the creative process in varied media, genres and occupations. Explores creativity in the arts, sciences, professions, evolution, daily life, and culture.

Scientists and policymakers advocate lifestyle changes as crucial to solving the environmental crisis. Investigation into the development of habits that promote environmental sustainability and personal wellbeing.

The complex nature of human occupation is covered from an interdisciplinary perspective. Emphasis is on how occupation contributes to human experience in a lived world.

Exploration of neuroscience as it impacts everyday living, from the fundamentals of neurons and synapses, to the neural basis of language, empathy, and social interaction.

Examines family structures and processes, the occupational dimensions of families, and the meanings embedded in the acts of daily life of contemporary families.

Explores how interactions with companion animals expand human capacity for action and contribute to human health, well-being and participation, in different cultural contexts, across the life-span.

Exploration of the ways in which able bodyism, sexism, racism, classism and homophobia contribute to occupational opportunities or barriers and weave their way into health care.

Exploration of solutions to social problems through collective occupations. Introduces theories and practices of social justice, human rights, occupational justice and occupational reconstructions.

Analysis of life stories, life histories, and testimonies in social interactions, texts, and films. Life stories are an occupation to re-create the “Self” in response to conflict and change.

Introduction to Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) from a neurodevelopmental perspective, with a focus on the daily living experience and occupational participation for individuals with ASD.

Narrative as guide and structure of practical action. Special emphasis on chronic illness and disability and narrative structure of clinical interactions.

Supervised, individual studies. No more than one registration permitted. Enrollment by petition only.

Individual research and readings. Not available for graduate credit.

Course content to be selected in occupational therapy and occupational science.

Specific applications of occupational therapy practice in varied clinical/health settings. Seminar to integrate theory with application of intervention principles for various populations.

Graded: credit/no credit.

Scientific and theoretical underpinnings and knowledge and skills necessary for occupational therapy evaluation and intervention in adult rehabilitation and geriatrics; incorporates related Level I Fieldwork.

Open only to: occupational therapy majors

Scientific and theoretical underpinnings and knowledge and skills necessary for occupational therapy evaluation and intervention in mental health practice; incorporates related Level I Fieldwork.

Open only to: occupational therapy majors

Scientific and theoretical underpinnings and knowledge and skills necessary for occupational therapy evaluation and intervention in pediatrics; incorporates related Level I Fieldwork.

Open only to: occupational therapy majors

Examination of the aging process and introduction to the role of occupational therapy in working with older adults in a variety of settings.

Open only to: occupational therapy students

Foundations of biomechanical and musculoskeletal concepts necessary for the analysis of movement in every day occupation, as they relate to occupational therapy practice.

Open only to: occupational therapy students

Self-reflection focused on awareness and articulation of one’s therapeutic and communication styles, positionality, intersectionality, explicit and implicit biases, and privilege to form strong relationships.

Open only to: occupational therapy majors

pplication of basic neural function to the analysis of daily living tasks and activities; review of pathological conditions that interfere with performance in occupation.

Open only to: occupational therapy students

Foundation for understanding neural functions involved in typical/atypical behaviors; review of neural circuitry, experimental methods, basic behavioral systems, higher order cognitive functions and associated disorders.

Open only to: occupational therapy majors

Engagement in craft experience to develop proficiency in analysis of activity performance and occupation; exploration of creativity and craftsmanship in both historical and contemporary contexts.

Open only to: occupational therapy students

Comprehensive overview of the basic neurobehavioral principles underlying sensory processing and sensory integration theory and their relationship to everyday occupations.

Open only to: occupational therapy students

Traditions and methods of quantitative research; emphasis on formulation of clear clinical questions; finding, evaluating, and applying evidence to a clinical problem; includes journal club.

Open only to: occupational therapy majors

Development of knowledge and critical thinking relative to ongoing, situated discourses about occupation, occupational therapy and occupational science.

Open only to: occupational therapy students

Strengthening therapeutic communication skills to develop collaborative relationships and manage challenging clinical encounters through motivational interviewing and the application of therapeutic modes.

Open only to: occupational therapy majors

Traditions and methods of qualitative research; development of skills for research design, implementation and dissemination; critique of qualitative research for evidence-based practice and occupational science.

Open only to: occupational therapy majors

Introduction to concepts of practice scholarship; emphasis on applying quantitative research evidence to clinical questions and appraising quantitative research evidence.

Open only to: occupational therapy students

Analysis of health systems and social determinants impacting occupational participation of diverse and global populations; leverages international partnerships to discuss and address global health issues.

Open only to: occupational therapy students

Focus on utilizing knowledge about the self and others, in order to partner, collaborate and/or lead others in collective occupation for social change.

Open only to: occupational therapy students

Examination of relationship of occupation to health, wellbeing, participation; critical thinking about lifestyle factors influencing occupational engagement; occupational science and wellness in occupational therapy practice.

Open only to: occupational therapy majors

Development of skills to find, appraise, synthesize and communicate qualitative evidence and the integration of multiple types of evidence to inform practice decisions.

Open only to: occupational therapy students

Development of a proposal for new or extended services; includes trends analysis, needs assessment, literature review, marketing plan, mock funding request, program evaluation and presentation.

Open only to: occupational therapy majors

Exploration of adulthood, aging and occupation; current topics related to aging population and occupational therapy to promote health and participation throughout the lifespan.

Open only to: occupational therapy majors

Examination of the relationship of occupation to health, well-being, participation; critical thinking about lifestyle factors; role of occupational therapy in health promotion and primary care.

Open only to: occupational therapy students

Professional capstone in leadership, advocacy, ethical reasoning, professional behavior, and public policy as it impacts the practice of occupational therapy; independent professional externship.

Open only to: occupational therapy majors

Advanced analysis of occupational science concepts including dimensions of occupation and the impact of occupation on health and wellbeing; factors associated with participation in occupation at the individual, community and global levels.

Open only to: occupational therapy majors

Advanced clinical skills in Lifestyle Redesign interventions for individuals living with chronic pain and headache conditions.

Open only to: occupational therapy majors
Graded: credit/no credit

Advanced clinical skills in Lifestyle Redesign interventions for individuals living with weight-related and metabolic conditions.

Open only to: occupational therapy majors
Graded: credit/no credit

Advanced clinical skills in Lifestyle Redesign® interventions for individuals living with neurological conditions.

Open only to: occupational therapy students
Graded: credit/no credit

Current issues in school-based occupational therapy evaluation, ongoing assessment and intervention. Topics include successful collaboration in inclusive classrooms and on IFSP and IEP teams.

Open only to: OT majors
Graded: credit/no credit

Knowledge and skills for occupational therapy practice in acute care settings using a systems-based approach; includes an experiential learning component at Keck Hospital of USC.

Open only to: occupational science and occupational therapy students
Graded: credit/no credit

Evidence-based and occupation-based practice for hand and upper extremity conditions; application of PAMs as preparatory for occupation. Applicable toward California educational requirements for advanced practice.

Open only to: occupational science and occupational therapy students
Corequisite: OT 573
Graded: credit/no credit

Examines the emerging role of occupational therapy in primary care, including the need occupational therapy can address in primary care.

Open only to: occupational therapy majors
Graded: credit/no credit

Comprehensive overview of the basic neurobehavioral principles underlying sensory processing and sensory integration, patterns of dysfunction, and their relationship to everyday occupations and intervention.

Open only to: OT majors
Graded: credit/no credit

Foundations and application of sensory integration principles in clinical practice, schools and community. Includes critique and integration of evidence, effective communication with parents, and documentation.

Open only to: occupational science and occupational therapy students
Corequisite: OT 564
Graded: credit/no credit

Development of communicative proficiency and accuracy in Spanish within a therapeutic context.  Introduction to Spanish language, adaptive communication strategies, and ethics in language-discordant communication.

Open only to: occupational science and occupational therapy students
Graded: credit/no credit

Exploration of occupational therapy in early intervention settings including; relevant legislation, family-centered care, cultural context, documentation, ethics, and neuroscientific foundations of infant mental health.

Open only to: occupational science and occupational therapy students
Graded: credit/no credit

Applications of sensory integration theory and intervention principles in diverse therapeutic contexts, including school-based settings, early intervention, autism spectrum disorders, and feeding and eating.

Open only to: OT students
Graded: credit/no credit

Comprehensive overview of the basic neurobehavioral principles underlying sensory processing and sensory integration, patterns of dysfunction and their relationship to everyday occupations and intervention.

Open only to: occupational therapy majors
Graded: credit/no credit

Application of sensory integration principles in the clinical reasoning process and evaluation of sensory processing disorders. Includes integration of different methods of data collection.

Open only to: occupational therapy majors
Prerequisites: OT 517 and OT 569
Graded: credit/no credit

Principles of assessment, selection, training, and follow-up with clients in the use of assistive technologies to enable and enhance participation in a meaningful occupation.

Open only to: OT majors
Graded: credit/no credit

Focus on the effects of physical design in the workplace on users’ injury rate, behavior, performance and stress levels. Intervention for repetitive motion included.

Open only to: OT majors
Graded: credit/no credit

Occupation-based evaluation and intervention for individuals with acute and chronic hand disorders. Topics include scar management, splinting, peripheral nerve injury, wound healing and physical agent modalities.

Open only to: occupational therapy majors
Graded: credit/no credit

Laboratory examining approaches to assessment and remediation of motor control following upper motor neuron lesions. An occupation-based approach to Neurodevelopmental Treatment (NDT) will be emphasized.

Open only to: occupational therapy majors
Graded: credit/no credit

A comprehensive investigation of the anatomy and physiology of normal and abnormal swallowing. Didactic and hands-on study of assessment and treatment interventions will be addressed.

Open only to: occupational therapy majors
Graded: credit/no credit

Occupational therapy and the health care system.

Open only to: occupational therapy majors
Graded: credit/no credit

Exploration of selected therapeutic communication styles intended to facilitate change including motivational interviewing, mindfulness practices, and cognitive approaches to therapeutic intervention.

Open only to: graduate students in Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy
Graded: credit/no credit

Comprehensive overview of occupational therapy evaluation and intervention in adult neurorehabilitation addressing motor, visual, cognitive, emotion, and language systems. Emphasizes evidence-based interventions with hands-on application.

Open only to: graduate and professional students in occupational therapy
Graded: credit/no credit

Interactive practicum exploring the Lifestyle Redesign® approach to preventing and managing chronic health conditions. Topics include therapeutic process, lifestyle module design and service delivery models.

Open only to: graduate students in occupational science and occupational therapy
Graded: credit/no credit

Interactive course exploring the history of telehealth technologies; includes definitions, care models, remote services, applications, activity monitoring devices, technology enabled therapy, legislation, reimbursement.

Open only to: Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy graduate students
Graded: credit/no credit

Fieldwork is mandatory to qualify for professional certification/licensure. Seminar facilitates reflective discussion and integration of class concepts to clinical practice.

Open only to: occupational therapy majors
Duplicates Credit in: former OT 486
Graded: credit/no credit

Research leading to the master’s degree. Maximum units which may be applied to the degree to be determined by the department.

Graded: credit/no credit

Credit on acceptance of thesis.

Open only to: occupational therapy majors
Graded: In-progress to credit/no credit

Recent developments in occupational therapy and occupational science.

This course offers students the opportunity to apply sensory integration theory in exemplary family-oriented, occupational-centered, evidence based clinical practices. Expert mentors help students develop specialized intervention and consultation skills as they work directly with children, their families and teachers. This course fulfills requirements for certification in sensory integration. A special application is required for this limited enrollment course, which is usually taken after completing all degree requirements. Please note that tuition for OT 610 (Summer) is not included in fall or spring semester. Students who wish to take OT 610 in the summer must pay a separate 4 units of tuition for the summer session.

Prerequisite: admission by advance application and instructor’s approval only; must be certified as an occupational or physical therapist.

Exploration of the development, assessment, selection, and use of technologies to enable and enhance participation in a meaningful occupation in clinical, educational and research contexts.

Open only to: occupational therapy students

Building capacity for advocacy; professional behavior; public policy implications for occupational therapy; promotion of the distinct nature of occupation; effective intra- and interprofessional collaboration.

Open only to: occupational therapy students

Interactive exploration of Lifestyle Redesign framework and applications for health promotion, wellness and disease management. Emphasis on preventing/managing chronic health conditions, intervention design and implementation.

Open only to: occupational therapy students

Review of current occupational science research as it is applied to practice; examination of leadership opportunities; development of proposal focusing on chosen area of study.

Open only to: occupational therapy doctoral students.

Examination of themes in occupational therapy related to power, confidence, and identity; development of leadership skills; analysis of the impact of policy and advocacy on occupational therapy.

Open only to: occupational therapy doctoral students.

In-depth exploration of foundational knowledge pertaining to both the nature of cognitive capacities and issues surrounding potential compromise in daily living contexts.

Open only to: occupational therapy students

Exploration of human physiology, pathophysiology, and occupational performance across the lifespan; Integration of a medical systems perspective applicable to various practice settings.

Open only to: occupational therapy students

Clinical rotation with client/patient responsibilities under the supervision of an occupational therapist to achieve entry-level competence in specific practice area.

Open only to: entry-level occupational therapy students

Hands-on practice in providing Lifestyle Redesign interventions; prepares students to successfully utilize the Lifestyle Redesign intervention approach in real-world settings.

Open only to: occupational therapy majors
Graded: credit/no credit

Analysis of the conceptual foundations and methodological orientations for occupational science, understandings of disciplinary perspectives, formulation of theoretical arguments, and the interpretation of research data.

Theoretical and historical foundations for the study of occupation, engagement in living and learning in everyday life.

Analysis of research methodologies for the study of occupation.

Recommended preparation: OT 640 and OT 660

Approaches to studying health and wellbeing in everyday living from biological to population levels, including prevention, wellness, chronic illness, disability, and rehabilitation, emphasizing quantitative methods.

Experiential learning through immersion in one or more externally funded research groups in the Division, enabling intense participation in multi-skilled research groups.

Graded: credit/no credit

Integration of theory, research design, and methods to develop competitive grant applications for the study of occupation, with a focus on federal granting agencies.

Recommended preparation: OT 640, OT 641, OT 648, OT 649 and OT 660. At least one advanced course in qualitative, quantitative, or mixed-methods research design or statistical analysis is strongly recommended
Graded: credit/no credit

Residency involving development, administration, evaluation, or policy formulation for occupation-centered programs in clinical or community settings. Development of portfolio for professional doctorate.

Open only to: OT majors
Graded: credit/no credit

Current professional issues related to fieldwork education; examination of best practices for teaching, learning and supervision; development of an envisioned future as a fieldwork educator.

Open only to: occupational therapy students

Seminar organized through Communities of Practice and facilitated by faculty mentors to further the knowledge and experience of students in a specific area of practice.

Open only to: occupational therapy students
Graded: credit/no credit

Synthesis of evidence to design occupation-based programs and interventions that are effective, meaningful, appropriate and feasible in a particular practice context.

Open only to: occupational therapy students

Fundamentals of teaching and learning in higher education in preparation for work in an academic setting; experiential learning in methods of course development and delivery.

Open only to: occupational therapy students

Collaboration with peers, Level II fieldwork and doctoral capstone experience site and faculty mentors to enhance the development of an evidence-based doctoral capstone program.

Open only to: occupational therapy students

Principles and practices of evaluation and knowledge mobilization skills to optimize outcomes, ensure stakeholder engagement and generate meaningful impact.

Open only to: occupational therapy students

Full-time immersion in practice area; implementation and evaluation of doctoral capstone project; monthly seminar and self-reflection on envisioned future in relation to student learning outcomes.

Open only to: occupational therapy students

Research leading to the doctorate. Maximum units which may be applied to the degree to be determined by the department.

Graded: credit/no credit

USC Chan Division

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