hsci: 537 syllabus

Course Descripton

The purpose of this course is to facilitate the graduate student’s understanding and utilization of communication concepts and methodologies spanning intrapersonal, interpersonal, group, organizational, and mass media domains commonly associated with public health education practice. This is, to some extent, a survey course in that it will cover a wide range of communication issues. As such, a variety of approaches will be utilized during the semester. These will include lecture, discussion, readings, class exercises, and group project work. Students will be challenged to work in teams to produce a final class project and presentation at the end of the semester.

Course Objectives

Following participation in HSCI 537, the student will be able to:

Discuss and relate current comminucation theory to health education practice issues.
Disucss the uses, potential, and limitations of public health media campaigns and media advocacy for public health.
Discuss the implications of health-related messages in advertising and television programming.
Write press releases and public service announcements for mass media distribution which focus on specific health issues and target groups.
Discuss and relate current communication theory to health education practice issues.
Discuss the uses, potential, and limitations of public health media campaigns and media advocacy for public health.
Conceptualize, design, produce, and evaluate written educational materials including pamphlets, fliers, and posters.
Conduct a class presentation using the skills acquired and materials developed as participants in HSCI 537.

Class Requirements

Students will be expected to complete the following course assignments:

Each memeber of the Project Team will have their performance in the group evaluated by all other members of the group. This will occur at the end of the semester using the form (pleaser retrieve via link). This evaluation will be worth 50 points.

4.. Class Participation:

Students are expected to come to class prepared to actively participate in seminar discussions and classroom experiential activities. Participation is documented each week by the course instructor and is worth three (3) points per week for a total of 42 points.

Final Grades

Final grades will be based on the total number of points accumulated by the student in the individual project, class presentation, group written report, and class participation. The total point value for this course is 242 and the grade spread is as follows:

A	= 230 - 242	B -	= 193 - 200
A -	= 217 - 229	C +	= 185 - 192
B +	= 209 - 216	C	= 177 - 184
B	= 201 - 208	< C	= F

Required Texts

Dainton, M.; and Zelley, E.D. (2005). Applying Communication Theory for Professional Life: A Practical Introduction. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications, Inc.

National Cancer Institute. Making Health Communication Programs Work. NIH Publication No. 89-1493, April 1989. [Download from NCI website: http://pinkbook.cancer.gov or call

1-800-4-CANCER and order the book]

In addition to the required texts, the course instructor in the first class session will provide other selected materials as necessary.