About This Course
Course Description
The course provides an overview to health communication research. Its primary goal is to discuss how communication can change health risk behaviors. It has a theoretical and a practical focus. Theoretically, it employs a psychological perspective by focusing on the psychological processes underlying the formation and change of health-related attitudes and behaviors. Theories are conceived as the essential tools we use to implement successful communication campaigns. Practically, the course employs an empirical approach to evaluation of health communication: students will design an empirical study, collect and analyze data, and write up a paper on a health communication issue, which, unavoidably this year, will be the COVID-19 pandemic.
Course Objectives
- Understand the concepts and theories of health communication.
- Understand the processes through which media affect health behaviors
- Understand the design of health campaigns
- Understand the obstacles that health campaigns face
Learning Outcomes
- Define core concepts and theories of health communication.
- Identify different kinds of health communication effects.
- Explain the processes underlying health communication effects.
- Analyze and synthesize relevant research
- Write about health communication campaigns.
Class/Learning activities
Lectures, group work, in-class presentations, independent study, written assignments.
Workload
Type of work | Description | Hours |
Lectures | Thirteen 3-hours lectures | 39 |
Independent study | Study of class materials and readings | 40-50 |
Readings presentation | Presenting and leading a discussion on three relative topics | 45-60 |
In-class presentation | Conference type presentation of final paper | 10-20 |
Final paper | Design of a health communication campaign (3.000-3.500 words) | 110-120 |
Total workload | 244-289 |
Assessment
Type of assessment | Learning outcome | Impact on final grade | Date of assessment |
Participation in group discussion | 1-2 | 10% | On a regular basis |
Reading presentation | 1-3 | 30% (3X10%) | On a regular basis |
Presentation | 1-4 | 10% | 12th week |
Written assignment (final paper) | 3-5 | 50% | 13th week |
Required Reading
- Hornik, R. (Ed.). (2002). Public health communication: Evidence for behavior change. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
- Rice, R. E., & Atkin, C. K. (Eds.). (2013). Public communication campaigns (4th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
- National Cancer Institute. (2001). Making health communication programs work. Available online at: http://www.cancer.gov/pinkbook
Suggested Reading
- Crano, W. D., & Burgoon, M. (Eds.) (2002). Mass media and drug prevention: Classic and contemporary theories and research. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
- Glanz, K., Rimer, B. K., & Viswanath, K. (Eds.). (2004). Health behavior and health education: Theory, research, and practice (4th ed.). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
- McKenzie, J. F., Neiger, B. L., & Smeltzer, J. L. (2005). Planning, implementing & evaluating health promotion programs (4th Ed.). San Francisco, CA: Pearson.
- Thompson, T. L., Parrott, R., & Nussbaum, J.F. (Eds.) (2011). The Routledge handbook of health communication. Mahwah, NJ: Routledge.
- Witte, K., Meyer, G., & Martell, D. P. (2001). Effective health risk messages: A step-by-step guide. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.