Health Communications
- Course Number
- CHL5114H
- Series
- 5100 (Social and Behavioural Health Science)
- Format
- Lecture
- Course Syllabus
- View Syllabus
- Course Instructor(s)
- Francisco Ibáñez-Carrasco
Course Description
In this dynamic, interdisciplinary graduate course, students explore the powerful role of communication in public health and health promotion—from community campaigns and clinical encounters to TikTok trends and AI-generated misinformation. Designed for future health leaders, researchers, and practitioners, the course equips students to craft, decode, and evaluate health messages in ways that are inclusive, anti-oppressive, and evidence-informed.
Each week combines theory with practice, emphasizing real-world application through critical readings, multimedia content, and interactive assignments. Students will learn how communication intersects with culture, behavior, power, and systems—and how it can be used to promote health equity, resist harm, and mobilize change.
Topics include digital storytelling, visual design, evaluation frameworks, communication within institutions and across cultures, misinformation, advocacy, AI tools, and the unique dynamics of working with communities often excluded from traditional health narratives—such as people who use drugs, neurodiverse persons, or those navigating structural racism or ableism.
Throughout the course, students work in small teams with real-world health organizations—ranging from HIV prevention and disability justice to youth settlement and mental health—supported by mentors with deep professional expertise. Together, they will design and critique communication strategies using both classic media and emerging tools, including artificial intelligence.
Whether you’re passionate about health promotion, social change, or public policy, this course offers the tools—and critical lens—to transform how we think, talk, and act on health.
Course Objectives
By the end of the course, students will be able to:
- Apply foundational and critical theories of health communication to analyze and design ethical, inclusive, and evidence-informed strategies for diverse populations and platforms.
- Evaluate and create health communication materials—written, visual, digital, and AI-supported—using principles of framing, audience engagement, media analysis, and community collaboration.
- Critically assess the impact of health communication practices across individual, institutional, and societal levels, including their role in shaping policy, promoting equity, and addressing misinformation.
Methods of Assessment
| Individual Health Communication Analysis | 20% |
| Midterm Group Presentation: Concept Pitch | 25% |
| Final Client Presentation: Communication Product | 35% |
| Participation and Team Collaboration | 20% |