Public Health: Public Health Advocacy

Explores how students can use their voices and position within public health to promote health and dismantle disparities. Identifies how to use public health advocacy in the different disciplines within public health and evaluate the importance of stakeholders, education, awareness, and community connectedness. Utilizes discussion-based practices to explore a myriad of existing public health campaigns and enhance communication skills and practices when advocating for positive health outcomes. Prerequisites: Junior, Senior, or Graduate student; Honors College Sophomores with Instructor permission.

Open to graduate students, junior and senior undergraduate students, and Honors College sophomores with permission; Asynchronous online

In this course, we will learn to effectively use our voices and positions within public health (both in the qualitative and quantitative fields) to move towards health equity, health promotion, and dismantling the many disparities present in our society through advocacy work. With unique commentary and interactions from various public health advocates spanning across the United States, students will be provided the unique opportunity to strengthen and build upon their skills to effectively make changes in their intended communities.  We will explore the steps required to develop a public health campaign and connect what we learn to major issues in our society. We will evaluate the importance of stakeholders, awareness, education, and community connectedness in the context of public health advocacy. Lastly, we will utilize discussion-based practices to explore existing public health campaigns and enhance communication skills and practices when advocating for positive health outcomes and health equity. Some of the course objectives include: 1) Identify and utilize the steps needed to develop a public health campaign for advocacy work. 2) Identify effective communication skills and strategies when speaking to legislators, stakeholders, and community members about advocacy work. 3) Analyze the role of legislation and government in public health policy, policy reform, and implementation of new bills, policies and laws.

This is a course offered through the Master of Public Health Program. This is a completely online and asynchronous course. Each module will begin on a Monday and end on the following Sunday. Each week, there will be required readings/videos, lecture materials, at least one graded assignment, and a discussion component. Weekly comprehension quizzes will be due at the end of each module and there will be additional assignments due throughout the course, including a final assignment. Per University policy regarding work required for a three-credit hour course, students should expect to spend at least six to eight hours a week outside of class on this course.

Grades will be based on major course criteria including the following: participation on Yellowdig, course quizzes, and various assignments throughout the course, including but not limited to a final assignment.