COM 401 Syllabus Communication : Special Topics Health Communication Spring 2012 MW 1:00-2:15 pm; Ferguson 373

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1 Communication : Special Topics Health Communication Spring 2012 MW 1:00-2:15 pm; Ferguson 373 Instructor: E. Spradley; Office: Liberal Arts North 416 Phone: Office Hours: MWF 9:50-11 am; MW 2:15-4:00 pm; T 8:30-11:30 am Teaching Hours: MWF 9:00-9:50; 11:00-11:50 am; MW 1:00-2:15 pm; M 4:00-6:30 pm Department: Communication Studies Program Appointments: Appointment times are encouraged to discuss grades. Please to schedule an appointment. COM 401 Health Communication Course Materials: Du Pre, A. (2009). Communicating about health: Current issues and perspectives. Oxford University Press. *The textbook will be supplemented by book chapters and journal articles in order to address issues such as telemedicine, health narratives, healthcare teams, health literacy, and health information seeking. Health Communication focuses on patient- provider communication, healthcare systems, culture of medicine, caregiving, end of life communication, medical decision making, health promotion and behavior change campaigns, worksite health promotion, health narratives, telemedicine, computer- mediated social support, health information seeking, and health entertainment and popular culture. The focus is on understanding how a constitutive model of communication informs the study and understanding of the aforementioned health issues. Course Objectives/Student Learning Outcomes: 1. Understand how health is socially constructed. 2. Understand and critically evaluate the culture of medicine and the biomedical model in comparison to biopsychosocial and cultural models. 3. Understand and critically evaluate how technology, culture, and body politics (i.e. gendered bodies, stigma, etc ) affect such issues as doctor-patient relationships, health information seeking, social support, and health promotion. 4. Understand how to design and evaluate effective health promotion materials in terms of campaigns and worksite health promotion. 5. Understand how to design communication competency interventions for healthcare providers and patients differently to promote collaborative care. 6. Understand how health narratives function for teller and audience. Communication Studies Program Learning Outcomes: (No program learning outcomes are directly assessed in this course at this time.) Objective 1 Theory Knowledge: Students majoring in Communication Studies should display comprehension of major communication theories. Objective 2 Theory Application: Students majoring in Communication Studies will apply the major theories in the field to communicate effectively in a variety of settings.

2 Objective 3 Research Methods: Students majoring in Communication Studies will be able to use and demonstrate understanding of appropriate methodology in critical, humanistic, or social scientific paradigms in examining research questions in communication. Objective 4 Diversity and Freedom of Expression: Students majoring in Communication Studies will be able to recognize the central role of diversity and freedom of expression in a global community. Objective 5 Constitutive Nature of Communication: Students majoring in Communication Studies will be able to demonstrate knowledge of the constitutive nature of communication, which includes forces that enable and constrain communication such as technology, ethics, and organizational life. Objective 6 Higher Order Thinking: Students majoring in Communication Studies will be able to demonstrate oral and written competence in logical and critical thinking. Course Adaptations To obtain disability related accommodations, alternate formats and/or auxiliary aids, students with disabilities must contact the Office of Disability Services (ODS), Human Services Building, and Room 325, / (TDD) as early as possible in the semester. Once verified, ODS will notify the course instructor and outline the accommodation and/or auxiliary aids to be provided. Failure to request services in a timely manner may delay your accommodations. For additional information, go to Grade Withheld Policy (Semester Grades A-54) II. Withheld Grades Ordinarily, at the discretion of the instructor of record and with the approval of the academic chair/director, a grade of WH will be assigned only if the student cannot complete the course work because of unavoidable circumstances. Students must complete the work within one calendar year from the end of the semester in which they receive a WH, or the grade automatically becomes an F. If students register for the same course in future terms the WH will automatically become an F and will be counted as a repeated course for the purpose of computing the grade point average. Attendance Policy Students are expected to: Attend and participate in each class meeting, Arrive to class prior to class beginning, Sign the roll sheet at the front of the classroom prior to class beginning (no signature = absence), Be physically and intellectually prepared to listen to the lecture/speech (read assigned chapters from the textbook), Demonstrate respect for the instructor and classmates, Take notes, and Turn in all coursework either early or on time. Absence An absence is indicated by a lack of signature by the student s name on a roll sheet, or a lack of an instructor s mark by the student s name on a roll sheet that signifies the student was present

3 for class. If a student misses more than 15 minutes of a class, the student is marked absent. If a student falsifies the attendance record, the student receives an absence for the day in which the record was falsified and possible disciplinary action. Examples of falsifying records include: signing in and leaving class or having a friend sign in for you. If a student is texting, surfing the web, or sleeping during class, the student is marked absent. Overall Absences If a student misses 25% of the class (lecture and lab combined) regardless of excused/unexcused absence status, the result will be an F in the course. On the 7 th absence a student automatically fails. Absence Penalties On the 4 th absence (excused or unexcused), students will be penalized by having 5% deducted from their final course average. On the 5 th absence, 10% is deducted from their final course average. On the 6 th absence, 15% is deducted from their final course average and so on. An absence is an absence. Make Up Work No late work is acceptable. Deadlines for coursework are posted in advance, and it is the responsibility of each student to complete his/her work and submit it either early or on time. The University recognizes three types of documented excuses that may permit a student to make up work: 1) University Sponsored Event, 2) unavoidable emergency, and 3) personal illness. Your instructor will not hear or recognize oral excuses for missed course material. Your instructor is the exclusive decision maker on approving or denying an excused absence request in order to make up work in the class. Acceptable documentation includes: doctor/medical paperwork, written acknowledgement of participation in a university sponsored event, notification disseminated from the Judicial Office, and family emergency records. Acceptable documentation of an absence to make up coursework must be turned into the professor within one week of returning to class. No exceptions will be made. Governing Policies The following policies will apply toward decorum in online posts. 1. ACCEPTABLE STUDENT BEHAVIOR: Classroom behavior should not interfere with the instructor s ability to conduct the class or the ability of other students to learn from the instructional program (see the Student Conduct Code, policy D-34.1). Unacceptable or disruptive behavior will not be tolerated. Students who disrupt the learning environment may be asked to leave class and may be subject to judicial, academic or other penalties. This prohibition applies to all instructional forums, including electronic, classroom, labs, discussion groups, field trips, etc. The instructor shall have full discretion over what behavior is appropriate/inappropriate in the classroom. Students who do not attend class regularly or who perform poorly on class projects/exams may be referred to the Early Alert Program. This program provides students with recommendations for resources or other assistance that is available to help SFA students succeed. *Unprofessional behavior includes but is not limited to talking while instructor/speaker is presenting, texting during presentations, sleeping during class, and using abusive, profane language/gestures. 2. Electronic devices: If a student text during class or attend to anything other than COM 401 course materials on an electronic device, the student in question will receive an absence for the day. If the behavior persists, the student will be asked to leave the class for the day. If the behavior continues to persist after this point, the student will be referred for disciplinary action.

4 3. Academic Integrity: Academic integrity is a responsibility of all university faculty and students. Faculty members promote academic integrity in multiple ways including instruction on the components of academic honesty, as well as abiding by university policy on penalties for cheating and plagiarism. Definition of Academic Dishonesty Academic dishonesty includes both cheating and plagiarism. Cheating includes but is not limited to (1) using or attempting to use unauthorized materials to aid in achieving a better grade on a component of a class; (2) the falsification or invention of any information, including citations, on an assigned exercise; and/or (3) helping or attempting to help another in an act of cheating or plagiarism. Plagiarism is presenting the words or ideas of another person as if they were your own. Examples of plagiarism are (1) submitting an assignment as if it were one's own work when, in fact, it is at least partly the work of another; (2) submitting a work that has been purchased or otherwise obtained from an Internet source or another source; and (3) incorporating the words or ideas of an author into one's paper without giving the author due credit. Please read the complete policy at Grade Distribution: Grades will be determined by: Tests, Assignments, Literature Review, and Attendance. COURSE POINTS: You may earn up to 1000 points total. Your chance to earn your grade ends when the semester ends. No grades will be bumped up at the end of the semester regardless of how borderline the grade is perceived to be. There are no opportunities for extra credit outside of that which is offered to every student enrolled in the course. To calculate your grade at any time in the course, add up your earned course points and divide them by the possible course points at that point in the semester. That gives you an average. The following indicates which letter grades correspond to earned points: points A points B points C points D 599 and less F Tests: Tests are available for 24 hours (12 am 11:59 pm) on the specified day. Tests are multiple choice. You must answer a question to go to the next question. You may NOT go back to questions or change answers. Once beginning the test, you must finish the test. You may only take the test once. All students must take the exam on the specified day and time, NO EXCEPTIONS. Test points Test points Test points Studying for tests: Read the assigned chapter(s) and readings for each class carefully. Take notes in lecture. Use the study guides located on Blackboard. TOTAL: 600 points Health Communication Project: Students have a choice as to what they want to do for their semester project. Each student needs to visit with the instructor to be approved prior to mid-semester. Ideas for the semester project are:

5 Propose a health communication skills intervention specifying the target audience, the focal communication competencies, the communication context, strategies for skill building, and evaluation. Remember that skills interventions should be theoretically driven; therefore, behavior change and interpersonal theories should be used to rationalize choices. Course readings and additional readings must be used to justify the skills intervention, the selected context, and the skill building exercises. Write an autoethnographic health narrative using theory and health communication literature to provide insights through the health narrative on topics such as social support, the culture of medicine, healthcare relationships, health disparities, stigma, etc The health narrative should be no more than 40% of the typed semester project. This is an application of crystallization, and you will need to work with your instructor to layer in analysis of the health narrative. Course readings and additional readings must be cited in analysis of narrative. Analyze popular culture entertainment such as a primetime health drama or a movie about a health issue using course concepts and theories to explain themes, analyze and critique the work in terms of gender/culture/other, and draw conclusions about its contributions to public discourse on health. Propose a health communication campaign specifying how formative research, audience segmentation, message construction, media, strategy, and evaluation will be conducted/selected. This may be in the context of a worksite, state campaign, or national campaign. Remember that campaigns should be theoretically driven; therefore, behavior change theories should be used to explain choices. Course readings and additional readings must be used to justify choices. Sample copy of messages must be provided in the project. Analyze a health communication campaign based on theory and effective strategies learned in the course through assigned readings and additional research. Other ideas for the semester project may be presented in person to your instructor. Your instructor has full discretion to approve or disapprove a semester project. Annotated Bibliography (100 points): Submit an APA style reference page with summaries of each journal article, book, and/or book chapter. Paper (300 points): The approved semester project will be typed in a 10 page document (formatting: 12 point font, 1 inch margins, no headings, APA style cover sheet and reference page not counting toward 10 required pages). Course readings should be cited in the paper, but students should include research that they have individually conducted. A total of 8 sources including books, journal articles, and chapters from an edited volume should be cited. Grading will be comprised of: 20% grammar, sentence structure, vocabulary, clarity, and writing style; 20% use of course content cited and used appropriately; 20% additional health communication research cited and used appropriately; 40% clarity and support of arguments and use of terms and scholars work accurately. TOTAL: 400 points Attendance: See the attendance policy. Attendance has a real affect on your course grade.

6 Course Calendar: Use the course calendar to see when daily readings, speeches, assignments, and exams are scheduled. Calendars are subject to change based on student learning progress and unforeseen occurrences. In the event the calendar changes, announcements will be posted on Blackboard. Week T-white R-grey Daily Discussion, Lectures, Readings, and/or Assignments 1 1/16 MLK Holiday 1/18 Course Introduction 2 1/23 Read du Pre chapter 1. Be able to define communication and health. 1/25 Read du Pre chapter 2 on the history of health and current issues. 3 1/30 Read du Pre chapter 3 on patient-caregiver communication. 2/1 Discussion will center on communication competency interventions to develop empowering skills for patients and caregivers. Read Street s article in the additional readings folder on Blackboard. We will also discuss health information seeking behaviors. A supplemental reading on health information seeking is in the additional readings folder on Blackboard. 4 2/6 Read du Pre chapter 4 on the caregiver perspective. 2/8 Discussion will center on caregiving relationships like parent-child and adult child-elderly parent. We will discuss gender and emotion in caregiving. 5 2/13 Read du Pre chapter 5 on the patient perspective. 2/15 Read narrative readings in the additional readings folder on Blackboard by Sharf and Frank. We will discuss narratives, their function, and patient identity. 6 2/20 Read du Pre chapter 6 on diversity among patients. We will discuss race, socio-economic status, disparities, gender, sexual orientation, and disabilities. 2/22 Read the health literacy readings in the additional readings folder on Blackboard by Cameron, Wolf and Baker. 7 2/27 Test 1: Exam (Timed Online) 2/29 Read du Pre chapter 7 on social support. 8 3/5 Read Sharf s article on social support online. Come prepared to class to discuss a particular website that provides social support for patients and/or caregivers with a particular health issue. 3/7 Read du Pre chapter 8 on cultural conceptions of health and illness. We will discuss Complimentary and Alternative Medicine practices, culture, and other related issues. 9 3/19 Read the article on stigma in the additional readings folder on Blackboard. 3/21 Read du Pre chapter 9 on culture and diversity in healthcare organizations.

7 10 3/26 Read du Pre chapter 10 on leadership and teamwork in healthcare organizations. 3/28 Continue discussion. 11 4/2 Read chapter on crisis management in the additional readings folder on Blackboard. 4/4 Test 2: Exam (Timed Online) 12 4/9 Easter Holiday 4/11 Read du Pre chapter 11 on health images in the media. We will discuss entertainment health education. 13 4/16 Read du Pre chapter 13 on planning a health campaign. 4/18 Read du Pre chapter 14 on designing and implementing health campaigns. 14 4/23 Read du Pre chapter 12 on public health crises and health care reform. We will discuss H1N1 and AIDS in depth. 4/25 Read Telemedicine reading on Blackboard. 15 4/30 Presentations 5/2 Presentations 16 5/7 Test 3: Final Exam (Timed Online) Last Day to Register: 1/23 Twelfth Class Day: 2/14 Mid-semester: 3/7 Last Day to Drop or Withdraw without WP or WF: 3/21 Last Day to Withdraw from the University: 4/24 Dead Week: 4/30-5/4 Finals Week: 5/7-11