Health Communication and Advocacy – HLTH 634

CG • Section 8WK • 11/08/2019 to 04/16/2020 • Modified 09/05/2023

Course Description

This course examines the principles and practices of effective interpersonal, organizational, and community-based communication to shape attitudes and actions about health and healthcare. Students will explore the use of counseling, public campaigns, social media, and political processes to advocate for health among diverse populations.

For information regarding prerequisites for this course, please refer to the Academic Course Catalog.

Rationale

This course is required in the Health Promotion concentration of the Master of Public Health curriculum at Liberty University. It prepares students to serve as competent communicators of health information across multiple media and to serve in advocacy roles to advance the profession and to promote the public’s health.

Course Assignment

Each Module: Week will be introduced by a video presentation overviewing the content to be covered. Textbook readings provide the core content necessary for mastery of the subject area and prepare the student for the related assessments and activities. Completion of the required readings is necessary to successfully complete the quizzes. The syllabus must be followed carefully, as textbook readings are not always in consecutive chapter order. To find examples of forms and products being discussed, the student must be sure to refer to appendices of the texts when asked to do so.

After reading the Syllabus and Student Expectations, the student will complete the related checklist found in the Course Overview.

The student will complete 4 Discussions which progressively build components of the Program Plan. The student will post one thread of at least 300 words by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on Thursday of the assigned Module: Week. The student must then post 2 replies of at least 250 words by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on Sunday of the assigned Module: Week. For each thread, students must support their assertions with at least 1 scholarly citations in AMA format. Each reply must incorporate at least 1 scholarly citation(s) in AMA format. Any sources cited must have been published within the last five years. Acceptable sources include the textbook, the Bible, websites, and peer-reviewed resources.

The Communication Artifacts are a collection of documents that represents creative work products and activities demonstrating the knowledge and skills the student has gained throughout the course. The collection may also serve as a tool for future professional use and possible career advancement. Each Communication Artifact assignment in every Module: Week will be worth 20 points. In Module 8: Week 8, the Communication Artifact will also be evaluated comprehensively and 30 points will be awarded for overall look, consistency, accuracy, and completion of the collection throughout the course.

There will be 8 open-book/open-notes quizzes given during this course. The student will have 1 hour to complete each quiz.