4397Fall03syl

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Health Communication, COMM 3300

Meeting Times 2:30-4:00MW, Spring, 2008

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Associate Professor

Jim L. Query, Jr., Ph.D. Phone: Office (713) 743-8608; Fax (713) 743-2876; primary e-mail is jquery@uh.edu; alternative email (in case of tech probs) profjim90@hotmail.com

Office Location: Communications (COMMS) Bldg 203G, behind the University Satellite area; Hours 10:00-11:00 T; 9:30-11:00 TTH; Other times by appt. Online meetings also possible via password.

Home Page

http://www.homestead.com/profjims/directory.html

This page has lots of useful info and links to several key sites. Be sure to visit it.

Email Requirement and Response Policy Easing Your Access

You will be receiving a variety of class-related materials---such as sample quiz/exam questions, Self-Review Questions (SRQs), and notices of class content changes and grades---in an electronic format (using rich text file [rtf], word [doc], and/or inside the box approaches); hence, it is REQUIRED that you have and regularly peruse an active email account.

Notwithstanding my office hours above, it is not always possible to have a face-face meeting with me (due to my circumstances or yours). In case a face-face meeting is not possible, I thus encourage you to email me about any concerns or questions you may have as the semester unfolds. Barring some difficulty, I generally respond to all emails within 48 hrs beginning Monday morning at 7:00AM until Friday evenings at 3pm. As my bulletin board indicates [go to http://profjims.homestead.com/classemailposts.html], NO class-wide emails are sent out after 3pm on Fridays, except in the cases of technological difficulties or emergencies.

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Course Rationale:

Health is a multidimensional process with at least four primary dimensions: physiological, symbolic, social, and spiritual. This course addresses the interface among the dimensions by examining literature and learning materials from communication, health, psychology, social work, medical sociology, and nursing. As the research will indicate, effective and timely communication plays an integral role in health status, maintenance, and health promotion efforts.

This course is further mandated since non-controllable risk factors leading to diseases such as cholera, TB, etc., have been replaced by health threats resulting from poor lifestyle practices. As Knowles (1977) argues, 99 percent of current health maladies are due to lifestyle, health threatening behaviors. In a similar manner, the Surgeon General's Report (1979) suggests that at least 75 percent of illness is lifestyle-related. More recent support is provided by Mechanic (1983) and DeHart (1993). Since these lifestyle practices are not subject to traditional medical intervention, an impetus is provided for interdisciplinary research which identifies strategies to encourage individuals to become more responsible for their well-being.

This course is also justified because the meanings which individuals assign to their conditions influence health status, assertiveness, and compliance with sound health care regimens. In addition to the physiological stress of a particular illness, individuals often face symbolic crises which can impair their information processing abilities in terms of message creation, interpretation, and exchange. One viable strategy to lessen the intensity of these crises is the development, application, and refinement of a broad knowledge base among key publics. Subse- quently, this course is designed to help you explore, understand, and appreciate pressing health communication issues across a variety of situations.

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Course Objectives:

Upon completion of the course, you should be empowered to:

(1) understand and explain the origins, development, and status of the field of health communication; (2) identify and evaluate health communication research across a variety of contexts; (3) explain and evaluate key forces which shape the quality of health services to help suggest and evaluate key communication strategies targeting the health care crisis. It is reasonable to conclude, then, that this course blends theory with application.

Teaching Strategies:

I try to diligently appeal to a variety of learning styles. I will thus employ lectures, in class simulations, videotapes, audiotapes, at least one online chat, and guest speakers. We will peruse current event articles as well as scholarly research. Please visit my tidbits and teaching philosphy pages to glean a better sense for my teaching preferences and practices. I strongly urge you to also visit and peruse the advice pages on my website. Note also that we will cover some of my research as I believe it

is imperative to illustrate that I talk the talk, and walk the walk *S*

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Required Texts:

Geist-Martin, P., Berlin Ray, E., & Sharf, B. F. (2003). Communicating health: Personal, cultural, and political complexities. Wadsworth/Thomson: Belmont, CA.

Ray, E. B. (Ed.). (2005). Health communication in practice: A case study approach. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum and Associates.

Suggested Documentation Reference:

American Psychological Association (2001). Publication manual of the APA, (5th ed.). Washington, DC: APA.

You need not purchase the APA manual. All written work, however, will follow its standards. Go to the APA StyleWizard at the classes' page of my website. Thanks to Dr. Lyle J. Flint!

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Absence Policy:

Learning is a reciprocal process. Barring illness or an emergency, I expect you to regularly attend and participate in class and your working groups. I do realize though that situations (engagement or relational termination, having to pull a double shift, etc.) also occur. Please communicate with me ASAP and we will work out the difficulty relative to my course. Any work missed during an UNEXCUSED absence, however, is not allowed to be made up. You are responsible for all materials covered, all handouts distributed, and all announcements made in class.

Due Dates of Assignments: The due dates are Risk-Free Prospectus, 2/18/2008, Final Prospectus, 3/12/2008 and Final Sections, 5/07/2008. Please refer to course calendar. PLAN YOUR PREPARATION TIME NOW.

Late Assignments:

Late work may be turned in with the following penalties:(l) If the work is not handed at the beginning of the regularly scheduled class time, a 30 percent penalty will be incurred. (2) For each consecutive day that the work is late, a 10 percent penalty will also be incurred. Hence, if a paper is due during the Monday class period, and it is received the next day, Tuesday, the penalty would be minus 40 percent.

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Plagiarism:

Plagiarism has many forms. At one level, it is defined as using the ideas, organization, supporting sources, and/or words of another, without giving credit to the original author(s). "Giving credit" has two dimensions: (1) for material which is in the exact wording of the source's author(s), quote marks should be used to enclose the verbatim pull, accompanied by author(s)' names, year of piece, and exact page number(s); and (2) for material which is paraphrased, the author(s)' names, year of piece, and exact page number(s) are expected. The APA manual details the appropriate format.

Plagiarism also includes: using another student's paper, using another person's unpublished work, submitting a rewritten or revised version of another person's work, allowing another or paying another to write a paper for one's own benefit, purchasing and using for course credit a pre-written paper, as well as using another's paper available on the Internet.

WARNING: I am aware of a number of web sites, approximately 125, where students can down-load pre-written research papers. As a matter of policy, I regularly browse these sites comparing available papers to my students' papers. SUBMISSION OF A PRE-WRITTEN PAPER, EVEN IN MODIFIED FORM, WILL TRIGGER AN "F" FOR THE ASSIGNMENT, AN "F" FOR THE COURSE AND REFERRAL TO STUDENT JUDICIARIES.

I also bop in on e-bay frequently to peruse ads for ghost writers. And one rarely knows who might be on the other end of such an ad. Hmmmm....

ALL written work must be submitted electronically and will be submitted to TURNITIN.COM.

The grade for any assignment containing plagiarized material will be an "F." The course grade will also be an "F." Group members should ensure that all of the group project material is original or that it has been ACCURATELY DOCUMENTED through appropriate citations.

Plagiarized group projects will result in the entire group receiving failing grades. THESE PENALTIES WILL BE APPLIED AT THE TIME OF DISCOVERY AND ALL PREVIOUS GRADES WILL BE VOIDED.

Academic misconduct on a quiz or examination will also result in course failure. Misconduct includes any unauthorized removal of an exam or quiz from the classroom at all times. Such behavior will trigger an "F" for that exam or quiz, and a course grade of "F." See the current Undergraduate Catalog for an explanation of these policies.

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Required Assignments:

* A midterm exam, multiple choice with a written component selected by the class, will be administered.

* A prospectus, essentially the first half of the paper, (8-10 pp, somewhat flexible).will be completed individually though one collaborates with group members.

* A final section (6-10 pp., somewhat flexible), individually authored but in conjunction with one's small group addresses the final sections of the assignment.

* Four quizzes will be given with the lowest score dropping, as long as all quizzes are completed.

*Class participation which involves MORE than merely being there. Quality of comments, bringing in handouts relevant to the content, identifying and sharing websites relative to the course, as well as communicating with me and NOT merely during emergencies all comprise one's class interaction (IA) grades..

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Course Method:

This course will use a lecture and discussion format, in class presentations, case study analysis, videotapes, working groups, and guest lectures. Although my lectures are drawn from the readings, there will be material additions and deletions. Additional material will be presented by guest lecturers.

To enhance your class performance, it is helpful to first skim the assigned readings, peruse the material atlength, take good lecture notes, and then review the material in conjunction with your notes. This information lays the foundation for our class discussions and your papers.

Make-Ups:

Make-ups for missed quizzes/midterm exam will be considered ONLY IF: you call me at my office, (713) 743-8608, BEFORE the time of the deadline; AND your excuse is valid, legitimate, and documented. Note that I reserve the right to alter the format of any quiz/exam.

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Course Assignments and Weights: Weight

Quizzes 21%

Prospectus

17%

Final Paper Sections 17%

Midterm 35%

Participation

10%

Total

100.00%

* Pop quizzes are possible, but NOT my preference.

Grading Scale and Transformation:

Although there is NO standard grading scale at either undergrad/grad levels, I employ the following: 90% or higher = A; 89% = A-- ; 85-88.4% = B+ ; 80-84.4% = B; 79% = B-- ; 75-78.4% = C+ ; 70- 74.4% = C; 69% = C-- ; 65-68.4% = D+ ; 60-64.4% = D; 59% = D-- ; 58.4% or below = F. ALL grade levels are possible.

Grading Transformation Scale:

A twelve transformation point scale is used, with 1 representing an "A" and 12 representing an "F," is employed. The cut-offs follow: 1-2.49 = A; 2.50-2.99 = A-- ; 3.0-3.5 = B+; 3.51-4.99 = B; 5.00-5.50 = B--; 5.51-6.50 = C+; 6.51-7.99 = C; 8.00-8.50 = C-- 8.51-9.99 = D+ ; 10.00-10.50 = D; 10.51-11.99 = D--; 12.00 or greater = F. All grades are possible.

The following example illustrates the scale.

Assignment

Weight

Grade

Calculation

Quizzes

21% C (7) 7 x 21 = 147

Prospectus 17% B+ (3) 17 x 20 = 51

Final Paper Sections 17% A-- (2) 2 x 17 = 34

Midterm 35% C-- (8) 8 x 35 = 280

Participation

10% B+ (3) 3 x 10= 30

Totals

100%

542

Take the total and divide by the total percentage: 542/100%=

5.42, or 5.40, which equals a final grade of "B--."

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Writing Considerations:

All written work is to be typed, double-spaced, and documented according to APA. Please refer to the APA handout. HANDWRITTEN, UNDOCUMENTED, AND/OR POORLY DOCUMENTED WORK WILL NOT RECEIVE A PASSING GRADE. The writing style will be in the third person and correspond to university level standards. Specific guidelines are set forth in the writing standard guide, and ALL WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS SHOULD FOLLOW THESE SPECIFICATIONS. See Classes' page.

The following working course schedule may be modified to accommodate time constraints or class size. Any changes will be announced in class. Please note that I work with those who work with me.

GERS---Geist, Ray, & Sharf (main text)

RCS--Ray Case Study Book

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Working Course Calendar

Week 1

Course Overview; Kreps, Query, Bonaguro (2008) to be distributed (tbd); GERS

CH1; RCS CH1.

Week 2

GERS CH2; RCS CH2

Week 3 Quiz 1; GERS CH3; Bonaventure House Video/Adelman video; Living with Diabetes DVD

Week 4 GERS CH4; GERS CH5 (health literacy CD)

Week 5