University of Pennsylvania
Graduate Program in Public Health
MPH Degree Program
Course Syllabus – Summer 2011
Title: PUBH 527 – Media, Advocacy & Public Health Seminar
Course Units: 1.0 c.u.
Course Description: This course will examine the ways in which the media can be used as a
tool to improve health. It will also investigate the ways in which the media has had a negative
impact on health behaviors in the population. Looking at specific topics like tobacco, food and
nutrition, and HIV/AIDS, we will explore the intersection of media, advocacy, advertising and
entertainment and the impact of media broadly on health behavior and society. The course will
also provide students the opportunity to practice strategically working with the media to address
health problems.
Placement / Room Assignment:
Wednesday, 4:30 PM – 7:30 PM
Weigle Information Commons at Van Pelt Library
1st Floor, Room 124, West
Course Director:
Jasmine Alisé McDonald, PhD
mcjas@mail.med.upenn.edu
Center for the Integration of Genetic Heathcare Technologies
Center for Community-Based Research and Health Disparities
University of Pennsylvania, School of Medicine
3535 Market Street, Room 3090
215-746-7279
Office Hours: By Appointment.
Pre-requisites: None.
Co-requisites: None.
Course Objectives:

Central Objective: To equip students with the tools needed to apply concepts from the
research literature and theory to develop strategies for public health advocacy and/or
health communication campaigns in their professional practice activities.

Overall Course Objectives: Participants completing the course will be able to:
1. Create a planning model to design a communication campaign.
2. Identify and incorporate effective communication strategies into a campaign.
3. Select and justify use of a theoretical framework to support campaign decisions.
4. Identify and examine contemporary and ethical issues in health communication.
Evaluation Methods:
Students are graded according to the following criteria:
15% Class Participation
20% Policy Memo
20% Op-Ed/Blog Piece
15% Response paper - New Media Case Study
30% Final Project & Presentation
Course Requirements:
Each assignment in the course contributes to the final project. Therefore, students should choose
a topic of interest to study throughout the semester.
1. Class/Blackboard Participation
2. Policy memo for the state senator on pressing health issue with recommendations.
3. Opinion-Editorial (Op-Ed) or newspaper/blog submission on a health issue of
importance.
4. Response paper - New Media Case Study: Profile or strategy a way to use new media
to change behavior on a large scale related to “When Media & Health Collide.”
5. Design a theory based public health or advocacy campaign for a real problem locally,
nationally, or globally. This project will be presented orally as well as in a final report.
Required Readings:

Wallack, Lawrence, Dorfman, Lori, Jernigan, David and Themba, Makani, Media
Advocacy and Public Health, 1993, Chaps 1, 2

US Department of Health and Human Services. National Cancer Institute. Pink Book:
Making Health Communication Programs Work. Bethesda, MD: Office of Cancer
Communications, 2002. (order or download from http://cancer.gov/pinkbook):

Other required readings drawn from a variety of sources can be downloaded from
Blackboard (https://courseweb.library.upenn.edu).
Course Policies:

Come to class. That’s important! If you miss class there’s really no way to make it up or
get excused. Of course, if you’re sick, stay home. But otherwise, join us each week.

Punctuality. I expect you to arrive to class on time. This is part of your attendance grade
(this way, I hope to motivate everyone to make the extra effort).

Getting in touch with me. You should feel free to contact me via phone or email.

You must talk. This is a seminar class, we will learn from each other. If you stop talking, I
will start adding quizzes.

Distractions during class. Please do not surf the web, do email, or send text messages
during class.

Stepping up to contribute. If you see a way you can help the course succeed, please step
up and let us know. We’re exploring this new area together, and I welcome your
initiative.

Grading. Assigned grades will not be changed unless clear and significant procedural
errors have occurred.

No paper deadline extensions. All assignments are due in class at the beginning of the
session. Any paper submitted late, will receive a one ½ letter grade penalty each day
thereafter (B+ drops to B-).
Academic Integrity: Students are expected to adhere to the University’s Code of Academic
Integrity. Care should be taken to avoid academic integrity violations, including: plagiarism,
fabrication of information, and multiple submissions. Students who engage in any of these
actions will be referred to the Office of Academic Integrity, which investigates and decides on
sanctions in cases of academic dishonesty.
See link for more information: http://www.upenn.edu/academicintegrity/index.html
MPH Academic Standing Policy/Academic Probation: According to University policy, a
graduate student must maintain a ‘B’ average or better to be considered in good academic
standing. A student who does not meet the University policy of a ‘B’ /3.0 average will be
reviewed by the MPH Program Director, the Associate Director and the Academic Progressions
Committee. A student may be put on academic probation for a period of 1 semester to improve
his/her overall average may be put on academic probation for a period of 1 semester to improve
his/her overall average.
Any course in which the student receives a grade below a B- will not be applied toward
the Master of Public Health degree. The record of any student who receives an unsatisfactory
grade (less than a ‘B-‘) in a course or who does not meet the University policy of a ‘B’ /3.0
average will be reviewed by the MPH Program Director, the Associate Director and the
Academic Progressions Committee. A student may be put on academic probation for a period of
1 semester to improve his/her overall average
Students may continue to take other courses during the probation period and the student
must make arrangements with the course director to remediate any grades lower than a B-. These
arrangements must be approved by the MPH Program Director with input from the Academic
Progressions Committee as needed. Any student who is on academic probation for a period
greater than 1 semester will be referred to the Academic Progressions Committee for review and
recommendation. This committee is authorized to dismiss the student or allow the student to
remain in the program on a probationary basis. A return to good academic standing is contingent
on receiving an acceptable grade (B or higher) in all remaining courses.
The MPH grading policy is at the discretion of the individual course instructors.
Please find below the generally used grading scale for the MPH Program.
A+ 97-100
B+ 87-89
C+ 77-79
A
93-96
B
83-86
C
73-76
A- 90-92
B- 80-82
C- 70-72
F
Please note that an A+ carries the same weight (4.0) as an A.
0-69
Incomplete Grade: It is expected that a matriculated Master of Public Health student shall
complete the work of a course during the semester in which that course is taken. A student who
fails to complete a course within the prescribed period shall receive at the instructor’s discretion
either a grade of I (incomplete) or F (failure). If the incomplete is given, the instructor may
permit an extension of time up to one year for the completion of the course. In such cases, any
course which is still incomplete after one calendar year from its official ending must remain as
incomplete on the student’s record and shall not be credited toward the MPH degree. Students
who receive two or more incompletes within a semester may not register for the subsequent
semester(s) without the permission of the Department.
For additional information on academic policies, please refer to the corresponding sections in the
Student Handbook.
Course Outline / Assignments:
Date Topic
5/25 Course Introduction
Assignment
Readings/Web
Part 1: The "Media"
6/1
1. The Role of the Media
2. Traditional Health
Campaigns
3. Natural Coverage of
Health Topics
3.1 News
3.2 Entertainment Media
3.3 Advertising
3.4 Case Study:
Representing Race
4. Beyond Campaigns
Arvind Singhal and
Everett M. Rogers
(2002). "A Theoretical
Agenda for
EntertainmentEducation",
Communication Theory,
12(2): 117-135
4.1 Entertainment
Education
4.2 Media Advocacy
6/6
Introduce Policy Brief
Assignment
Part 2: How the Media
Wallack, Dorfman et al
“Media Advocacy and
Public Health: Power for
Prevention,” CH 1 & 2
(PDF available on BB)
Mon., June 6, 4:30 – 7:30 pm
Influences Behavior
6/15
5. Direct Effect Theories
5.1 TRA/ TPB/ Stages of
Change
5.2 Agenda Setting
5.3 Framing & Priming
6. Indirect Effects
Location WIC Rm 124
(Class will take place on the
date above in place of Wed
class)
Theory at a Glance, Part
2
Policy Brief Due
Screening: Rx Health
video
6.1 Diffusion Theory
Rogers, E. M. (1994).
Elements of diffusion. In
Diffusion of innovations,
(pp. 1-37). New York:
Free Press. (optional)
6.2 Persuasive elements
McGuire
Part 3: Moving from theory to
practice
7. Designing a health
communication . . .
Pink Book: Overview
and Stage 1, pg 11-50
7.1 Case Study: Genetic
Literacy
R Hornik, KD Woolf
(1999) Using crosssectional surveys to plan
message strategies.
Social Marketing
Quarterly
Kreuter and McClure,
(2004) The Role of
Culture in Health
Communication
6/22
6/29
Introduce OpEd/Blog
Assignment
Part 4: Race, Genetics, and
Ethics
Part 5: When Media & Health
Collide: Three Case Studies
Invited Guest Lecturer
Dr. Diana Harris
OpEd/Blog Due
Readings TBD
Glantz, Stanton A.
(2003), “Smoking in
Movies: A Major
Problem and a Real
Solution,” The Lancet
362(9380): 258-259.
7/6
8. Tobacco & Alcohol
8.1 Targeted Marketing,
Advertising &
Entertainment
8.2 Research to Action
9. HIV/AIDS, STIs &
Sexual Behavior
Invited Guest Lecturer
Dr. Robin Stevens
Wisdom of Whores,
Chapter 1
9.1 HIV/AIDS Policy
9.2 Media Response to
HIV/AIDS
9.3 Sexual
Responsibility
Campaigns
9.4 Entertainment Media
& Sexual Content
9.5 Research to Action
7/13
Boundaries of Blackness
Invited Guest Lecturer
Kamila Alexander
Introduce Response Paper
10. Food & Obesity
10.1 Food Marketing
Food Politics Readings,
TBD
10.2. Industry &
Lobbying
10.3. Healthy Eating
Campaigns
7/20
10.4. The Role of
Taxation
10.5 Research to Action
11. Research to Action
11.1 Case Study: Breast
Cancer Prevention
Introduce Final Project and
Presentation: Health
Communication Strategic Plan
Invited Guest Lecturer
Allison Karpyn, The
Food Trust
Response paper due
Rebbeck, Halbert, and
Sankar (2006).
“Genetics, Epi, and
Cancer Disparities: Is it
Black and White?”
Braveman, Egerter, and
Williams (2011). “The
Social Determinants of
Health: Coming of
Age.”
Lovasi, Hutson, et al.
(2009). “Built
Environments and
Obesity in
Disadvantaged
Populations.” (optional)
7/27
8/3
8/10
NO CLASS
13. Presentations & Final
Class
FINAL PAPER DUE
Health Comm Strategic Plan
(Bring food)
Send via email