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HEALTH COMMUNICATION
COMM 5115/6115
Fall 2013
Professor
Dr. Helene A. Shugart
Office: LNCO 2858
Telephone: 581-5686
Office hours: T 10:00 – 11:30; and by appointment
E-mail: h.shugart@utah.edu
Required Text
du Pre, Athena (2010). Communicating about Health: Current Issues and Perspectives (3rd ed.). New York:
Oxford University Press.
Additional readings available on e-reserve at Marriott Library.
Course Description
Health communication is a crucial concern for everyone and a top priority for medical and health institutions
and agencies, as the nature, forms, and functions of health care and health information shift dramatically in
contemporary society. Communication not only affects but inevitably shapes all issues of and encounters with
health and medicine in every context, from the personal, intimate interactions between patients and caregivers in
the examination and hospital room; to organizational healthcare policies and community relations that affect the
way healthcare is provided and the way people feel about the providers; to mediated coverage, campaigns, and
programming that seek to educate people about health. At every level, the significance of health communication
is extraordinary—but so are the barriers.
This course responds to increasing interest and demand for greater awareness and understanding of health
communication: that is, the study of how communication about health is co-created, transmitted, received,
constructed, and circulated in various contexts. This course provides an overview of contemporary issues and
perspectives of interest to and use for providers, patients, consumers, and the public more broadly by exploring
the communication demands of health care and health promotion, examining current communication issues and
problems in the modern health care system, and identifying communication strategies health care consumers and
providers can employ to achieve their health care goals.
Course Goals
 Be aware of the history of medicine and health care
 Knowledgably discuss current issues in health care
 Analyse patient-caregiver communication
 Engage in informed dialogue about ethical issues in health communication
 Describe patients’ and caregivers’ perspectives
 Define the role of social support in maintaining health and coping with illness
 Identify and discuss the types of diversity among patients and caregivers
 Describe cultural viewpoints about health
 Analyse and describe organisational issues in health communication
 Identify media images about health and their influence on communication
 Recognise issues underlying health promotion campaigns
 Analyse news media coverage of health issues
 Understand the complexities of individual attitude and behaviour change in health
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Course Policies
 Exams or quizzes must be taken and papers submitted on scheduled days. Students who do not observe
this policy will not be permitted to make up their exams, and late papers will not be accepted.
Exceptions may be made for those with dire circumstances confronting them, but only if those
circumstances are (a) made known to me in advance, if at all possible; (b) documented; and (c)
verifiable.
 Regular and thoughtful participation is expected and required in this course as part of the grade;
accordingly, attendance is necessary in order to meet that requirement. Students are expected to have
read and reflected on class readings in order to ensure the relevance and thoughtfulness of their
contributions, on which their success in the class depends, in part. In order to ensure further the quality
of class discussions, please be in class on time and remain in class for the entire period; interruptions are
distracting to others. For that same reason and also because it is disrespectful, the use of cellphones,
iPods, MP3 players, and other electronic media are not permitted in the classroom; computers may only
be used for notetaking purposes. See the following link for more information:
http://registrar.utah.edu/handbook/attend.php
 The American with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires that reasonable accommodation be provided for
students with physical, sensory, cognitive, systemic, learning, or psychiatric disabilities. Students
requiring such accommodation should speak with the professor at the beginning of the semester in order
to make appropriate arrangements for this course. The Center for Disabled Student Services (Olpin
Union, 581-5020) will also need to be informed. See the following link for more information:
http://disability.utah.edu/
 The registrar cautions students that withdrawing from a course and other registration matters are the
student’s responsibility. See the following link for more information:
http://registrar.utah.edu/handbook/withdrawal.php
 In accordance with university policy (as articulated in the Student Code), academic misconduct—
including cheating, fabrication of information, and plagiarism—is not tolerated in this course. A student
found engaging in this behaviour will receive a failing grade. If at any time you are unsure whether
your actions constitute academic misconduct, please see the professor in order to clarify the matter. See
the following link for more information: http://www.regulations.utah.edu/academics/6-400.html
 Accommodation policy: Curriculum accommodations take two forms: schedule accommodations and
content accommodations.
o I am able to make schedule accommodations for those who have a conflict that involves
religious/spiritual observances, University sanctioned activities, and personal or medical
exigencies, provided that documentation is furnished. If you anticipate or when you experience
any scheduling conflict with this course, please speak with me as soon as possible. In every
case, it is the student’s responsibility to make these arrangements.
o As we study communication in its various forms and contexts, we will apply the concepts we
engage to a variety of examples, including those that occur in the venue of popular culture.
Some students may find some of the reading materials, presentations, lectures, or audio/visual
materials controversial or in conflict with their values or beliefs. Please be assured that all the
material that I present, assign, or require you to encounter and address has been selected for its
pedagogical value and utility in relation to the concepts we are engaging. I will not make
content accommodations for this material. It is your responsibility to review the syllabus,
readings, assignments, and materials to be sure that this is a course you wish to take. Should
you have questions or concerns, please see me immediately. Details on the university’s
accommodation policy are available at this link:
http://admin.utah.edu/facdev/pdf/accommodations-policy-background.pdf
Course Requirements and Grade Distribution (undergraduate)
Individual research paper:
15%
3
Team project:
Presentation:
Quizzes (4 @ 10% each):
Participation:
25%
5%
40%
15%
100%
Note for graduate students:
Although requirements for graduate students taking this “shadow” course, with one exception (see
“Participation”), vary only slightly in form from those for undergraduate students, my expectations for your
performance are higher in terms of quality and depth. To that end, I am adding some dimension to your
assignments, as explicated in the assignment descriptions below.
Individual Research Paper
 Undergraduate papers will be 6-8 typed, double-spaced pages; graduate student essays should be 8-10
pages in length. Please note that character size for the paper is not to exceed 12 points; another gauge of
appropriate length is that a typewritten page contains about 250 words.
 Papers should be written in accordance with a writing style manual, such as APA or MLA, available at
the library. Particular notes on the format: no cover page is necessary—simply name, course
information (including professor’s name), and date in upper left-hand corner, and staple in left-hand
corner (no folders, please).
 Be sure that your essays are mechanically correct; observe proper spelling and rules of punctuations and
grammar.
 Observe conventions of good writing; clearly state your thesis in the first paragraph and systematically
develop that thesis throughout the essay. Think of your essay as an argument defending a claim, which
is your thesis.
 Papers may be turned in any time prior to the due date, but they must be submitted by the date noted on
the syllabus (see “Course Policies,” above).
For this essay, either recount from your own experience or observe an interaction (mediated is fine, too; can
even be fictional) between a health care provider and a patient. Applying concepts that described and discussed
in class, assess and evaluate this encounter: what aspects of health communication did/do you see “in play,”
ranging from environmental/setting aspects to verbal and nonverbal actions/reactions? Be sure to do more than
simply identify these concepts; rather, describe how they were manifested in this instance and how participants
responded. Undergraduates will need to incorporate three original scholarly research articles for this essay;
graduate students will need to use five.
Team Project
This final project, which is to be 10-12 pages for undergraduate students and 12-15 for graduate students, is
comprised of data collection, analysis, an essay, and a final presentation, to be presented at the end of the
semester. For this project, you are to work in teams of 4-5 individuals (graduate students may collaborate with
only one other person, however; or they may elect to do a solo project), to be assigned early in the semester. For
this project, you will need to identify a contemporary (as in currently significant/attention garnering) health
issue. After describing the issue and its implications (impact, affected populations, specific concerns, e.g.), and
using relevant concepts learned in class, identify and evaluate (1) mainstream representations of the issue—how
is it articulated? If it is controversial, identify and assess any competing mainstream representations. Be sure to
do more than simply describe these representations; evaluate them—what do they suggest regarding, for
example, the nature of this issue, what causes it, how to resolve it, who is responsible? (2) Identify and assess, as
relevant, specific concerns that affect or play out differently for different populations regarding this issue, both
in terms of representations and in terms of practical considerations. Finally, (3), sketch out what you think
would constitute an effective campaign to address the issue you have identified: consider the audience you
would want to reach, where you would place the campaign, and how you would frame the issue and its redress.
Be sure in this section to explain your reasons for the choices you make. Undergraduate essays will need to
incorporate a minimum of six primary scholarly research articles; undergraduate essays will need to incorporate
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ten.
Quizzes
Four quizzes will be administered throughout the semester; they will not be announced beforehand, but they will
only cover material that either will have been discussed or was to have been read prior to the quiz. Students
who are late to class or absent will not be given the opportunity to make up a quiz unless they meet the criteria
noted above, in “Course Policies.”
Participation
One of the most effective ways to hone critical analytical skills is to explore the means of doing so in depth as
well as to apply those skills on a regular basis and in informal, spontaneous settings. Because the classroom
affords us an opportunity to do both, participation is weighted fairly heavily in this course. Students are
expected to be prepared for class discussion (i.e., have read assigned material) and, of course, to contribute to it.
While attendance is a necessary component of participation and is expected at all classes, to earn high marks for
participation, students must actively and regularly engage in class discussions. To ensure constructive
discussion, alternative points of view are not only tolerated but encouraged; the only ground rule is that
contributions must be made in the spirit of respectful intellectual inquiry and examination.
NOTE: Graduate students: Because you have greater experience and, likely, comfort in classroom settings by
virtue of your advanced education; because all of you have a passing acquaintance with issues raised in this
class in some capacity or another and thus have relevant and thoughtful insights that you can share regularly;
and because all of you presumably have a strong commitment to academic and intellectual engagement, a grade
based on straightforward participation—that is, attendance in class and contribution to discussion—is something
of a given in your case. In recognition of that fact, your participation grade will assume a different shape.
Although regular attendance is assumed and constructive contribution to discussion remains a substantial
portion of this grade, I will also require each of you to lead a class—in effect, take over the
professor/teacher/facilitator role, however you prefer to frame or understand it. Which class you elect is up to
you to some degree; I may veto some classes or topics in the interest of ensuring that a certain approach or
information is furnished in light of assignment requirements, e.g. Please let me know which one you select by 1
February at the latest. The parametres for this are fairly and deliberately vague; how you lead the class—i.e.,
lecture, discussion, activities—is entirely up to you, as long as you address the key, critical issues that are raised
in the readings and engage the class on those issues. Oh, and that you don’t upstage me. ;) Accordingly, class
participation in your cases will account for 5% of your grade; and facilitation of one class period will account
for 10%.
Grading Scale
A
AB+
B
= 93-100
= 90-92
= 87-89
= 83-86
BC+
C
C-
= 80-82
= 77-79
= 73-76
= 70-72
D+ = 67-69
D = 63-66
D- = 60-62
E = 59 and below
For further information regarding what letter grades signify qualitatively in terms of performance and
quantitatively in terms of GPA, see the following link for more information:
http://registrar.utah.edu/handbook/grading.php
Course Schedule
27 August:
Course Introduction and Overview
29 August:
Medical Models and Current Issues
Readings:
du Pre, Chapter 1
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Crawford, “Healthism”
3 September:
History of Health Care
Reading:
du Pre, Chapter 2
5 September:
Patient-Provider Communication
Readings:
du Pre, Chapter 3
Hobgood et al., “Assessment”
10 September:
Patient-Provider Communication, cont’d
Reading:
Street, “Interpersonal”
Video:
Doctors Diaries
12 September:
Caregivers’ Perspectives
Readings:
du Pre, Chapter 4
Thompson, “Nature of Language”
17 September:
Patients’ Perspectives
Readings:
du Pre, Chapter 5
Fowler & Nussbaum, “Communication”
Solomon, “Deaf”
19 September:
Social Support
Reading:
du Pre, Chapter 7
24 September:
Social Support cont’d
Discuss Team Project
26 September:
Health Literacy
1 October:
Diversity among Patients
Reading:
du Pre, Chapter 6
Individual Papers Due
3 October:
Diversity among Patients cont’d
Video:
Unnatural Causes
8 October:
Cultural Conceptions of Health and Illness
Readings:
du Pre, Chapter 8
Goode, “Cultures”
Pachter, “Culture”
10 October:
Cultural Conceptions cont’d
Readings:
Beagan, “Teaching”
Wear, “Insurgent”
13-20 October:
Fall Break
22 October:
Culture and Diversity in Health Organisations
Reading:
du Pre, Chapter 9
24 October:
Work on Team Project (facilitated, in class)
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29 October:
Leadership and Teamwork
Readings:
du Pre, Chapter 10
Lammers et al., “Organisational Forms”
31 October:
Health Images in the Media
Readings:
du Pre, Chapter 11
Dutta, “Health Information”
5 November:
Health Images cont’d
Reading:
Zoller & Worrell, “Television Illness”
7 November:
Public Health Crises
Reading:
du Pre, Chapter 12
12 November:
Public Health Crises, cont’d
Film:
Sicko
14 November:
Health Promotion Campaigns
Reading:
du Pre, Chapter 13
19 November:
Health Campaigns, cont’d
Reading:
Guttman & Ressler, “On Being Responsible”
Video:
Supersize Me
21 November:
Work on Team Project (independent)
26 November:
Designing and Implementing Health Campaigns
Reading:
du Pre, Chapter 14
28 November:
Thanksgiving Holiday
3 December:
Designing Campaigns, cont’d
Reading:
Mechanic, “Disadvantage”
5 December:
Course summary and debrief
10 December:
Team Project Presentations
12 December:
Team Project Presentations
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Bibliography of Additional Readings
Beagan, B.L. (2003). Teaching social and cultural awareness to medical students. Academic Medicine, 78(6),
605-614.
Crawford, R. (1980). Healthism and the medicalisation of everyday life. International Journal of
Health Services: Planning, Administration, Evaluation, 10 (3), 365-388.
Dutta, M.J. (2007). Health information processing from television: The role of health orientation.
Health Communication, 21(1): 1-9.
Fowler, C. & Nussbaum, J. F. (2008). Communication with the aging patient. In K. B. Wright & S.D. Moore
(Eds.) Applied health communication (pp. 159-178). Cresskill, NJ: Hampton Press.
Goode, E.E. (1993, 15 Feb). The cultures of illness. U.S. News & World Report, 114(6): 74-77.
Guttman, N. & Ressler, W. H. (2001). On being responsible: Ethical issues in appeals to personal
responsibility in health campaigns. Journal of Health Communication, 6, 117–136.
Hobgood, C. D., Riviello, R. J., Jouriles, N., & Hamilton, G. (2002). Assessment of communication and
interpersonal skills competencies. Academic Emergency Medicine, 9 (11), 1257-1269.
Lammers, J. C., Duggan, A. P., & Barbour, J. B. (2003). Organizational forms and the provision of health care. In T.
Thompson, A. Dorsey, K. Miller, & R. Parrott (Eds.), Handbook of health communication (pp. 319-346). Mahwah,
NJ: Erlbaum.
Mechanic, D. (2002). Disadvantage, inequality, and social policy: Major initiatives intended to improve
population health may also increase health disparities. Health Affairs, 21, 48–59.
Pachter, L.M. (1994). Culture and clinical care: Folk illness beliefs and behaviours and their implications for
health care delivery. Journal of the American Medical Association, 271, 690-694.
Solomon, A. (2012). “Deaf.” Far from the Tree (pp. 49-114). New York: Scribner.
Street, R. L., Jr. (2003). Interpersonal communication skills in health care contexts. In J. O. Greene & B. R.
Burleson (Eds.), Handbook of communication and social interaction skills (pp. 909-933). Mahwah, NJ:
Lawrence Erlbaum.
Thompson, T. L. (2000). The nature of language of illness explanations. In B. B. Whaley (Ed.), Explaining
illness: Research, theory, and strategies (pp. 3-38). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
Wear, D. (2003). Insurgent multiculturalism: Rethinking how and why we teach culture in medical education.
Academic Medicine, 78(6), 549-554
Zoller, H. M., & Worrell, T. (2006). Television illness depictions, identity, and social experience: Responses to
multiple sclerosis in The West Wing among people with MS. Health Communication, 20(1), 69-79.