For Week 1 of the course there is no case study given to you by the faculty. Instead you will be assigned to diseases to compare and contrastbased on the first letter of your last name. This information will be posted in the course announcements under Week 1 Welcome as well as the “Assignment” portion of the Week 1 module.

A comparison and contrast assignment’s focus is to identify and explore similarities and differences between two similar topics. The goal of this exploration is to bring about a better understanding of both topics.

Week 1- Part 1: You will research the two areas of content assigned to you and compare and contrast them in discussion post in a discussion post.

NOTE: A comparison and contrast assignment is not about  listing the info regarding each disease separately but rather looking at each disease side by side and discussing the similarities and differences given the categories in the categories below. Evaluation of mastery is focused on the student’s ability to demonstrate specific understanding of how to diagnoses differ and relate to one another.

Address the following topics below:

• Presentation
• Pathophysiology
• Assessment
• Diagnosis
• Treatment

Throughout the Week: Participate in interactive dialogue with faculty and students responding to their Part 1 post moving the discussion forward.