52713 Communicating Health and Science

Warning: The information on this page is indicative. The subject outline for a particular session, location and mode of offering is the authoritative source of all information about the subject for that offering. Required texts, recommended texts and references in particular are likely to change. Students will be provided with a subject outline once they enrol in the subject.

Subject handbook information prior to 2025 is available in the Archives.

Description

Media messages about health and science are powerful forces in society. They can generate panic, fight or deny disease, sway markets, and move us to search for life beyond our sun. But who sets the agenda? What makes information go viral, what messages make us change, and how powerful are influencers? In this subject, students use concepts such as risk, health promotion, health communication, diversity, ethics, social construction, narrative, numbers and emotion to inform their professional practice and reflections. Drawing on these concepts, online resources, and expert and public discussion, they work in teams to discover community views, identify 'champions' (experts and celebrities), evaluate health and science information and develop practical communication responses tailored for target audiences.

Subject learning objectives (SLOs)

Course intended learning outcomes (CILOs)

This subject engages with the following Course Intended Learning Outcomes (CILOs), which are tailored to the Graduate Attributes set for all graduates of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences:

• Act in a professional manner appropriate to communication industries (1.1)
• Apply theoretically informed understandings of communication industries to independent and collaborative projects across a range of media (1.2)
• Employ appropriate research and inquiry skills to independently gather, organise and analyse information across diverse platforms (2.1)
• Act as reflexive critical thinkers and innovative creative practitioners who evaluate their own and others' work (2.2)
• Analyse and act ethically in the personal, political and professional contexts of civil society (5.1)
• Exemplify effective and appropriate communication in different communication industry contexts (6.1)
• Utilise digital literacy and production skills across a range of media (6.2)

Teaching and learning strategies

Students learn via synchronous, self-directed and collaborative learning activities including expert lectures, quiz sheets, video resources and live workshops on key concepts and topics. Students are expected to participate in online, live, and in-class activities to critique communication and to design and develop original works of individual science or health communication. Synchronous tutorials employ strategies such as team research tasks, skills development, formative feedback, seeking and critiquing examples of science and health communication and critiquing high-quality recent health or science evidence. Students are expected to engage with required readings by reading independently as well as using research skills to identify lay and scientific communication and evidence relevant to their chosen topic. Resources may include open education videos, concept readings, websites, research papers, conceptual texts, and tailored video lectures. Students engage with active learning to develop and produce original works of health or science communication. Classes and resources are provided to support students' developing skills in identifying community understandings of and attitudes to key issues in health and science and presenting their work in written form. Opportunities for formative feedback include feedback before the census date on the first part of A1 and peer feedback on a draft of A2.

Content (topics)

This subject builds understanding of the value of health and science communication to the public including how it enhances public understanding of science, scientific understanding of the public, and how the media influences behaviour in ways which can contribute to health and wellbeing.

Students are introduced to key concepts and develop skill sets that enhance their capacity to critique and participate in health and science communication – fields of expertise which exist in a contested space between two cultures: science and communication. Key concepts to be covered include: risk communication, moral panic, influencers, narrative, numbers, framing, agenda setting, the emotional turn, scepticism, social construction and health promotion.

Skills building is focused on the following: responding to expert communication, identifying and employing evidence, critical appraisal, considering diverse communities, stakeholder analysis, strategic communication, communicating statistics, ethics and professionalism.

Students develop their capacity to balance the responsibility to embed high quality evidence in their work with the drive to create compelling narratives which attract and inform target stakeholders .

Assessment

Assessment task 1: Report and reflect

Assessment task 2: Collaborative issue brief

Assessment task 3: Communication and reflection

Minimum requirements

Attendance at classes is essential in this subject. Classes are based on a collaborative approach that involves essential workshopping and interchange of ideas with other students and the tutor to build capacities towards meeting the subject learning objectives. A roll will be taken at each class (whether on campus or online). Students who have more than two absences from class will be refused marking of their final assessment (see Rule 3.8).

Required texts

Required readings will be provided via Canvas and the library.

References

Angler, M. W. (2020). Chapter 5 Story Formulas. In M. W. Angler (Ed.), Telling Science Stories: Reporting, Crafting and Editing for Journalists and Scientists (pp. 105-132): Routledge, London.
Battersby, M. (2013). "Evaluating scientific claims: looking at the context (chapter 10)", In Battersby, M. Is that a fact?: a field guide to statistical and scientific information. Broadview Press.
Doherty, P. (2015). "Scepticism and denial - power and responsibility", In Doherty, P. The Knowledge Wars, Melbourne University Press, Carlton, Vic. Pages: 114-136
Dunwoody, S. (2020). Science journalism and pandemic uncertainty. Media and Communication, 8(2), 471-474.
Germov, J. and Freij, M. (2014). "Media and Health: Moral panics, Miracles, and Medicalisation (excerpt from chapter 18)" In John Germov (ed.) Second opinion: an introduction to health sociology. Oxford University Press.
Krishna, A., & Thompson, TL (2021). Misinformation about health: A review of health communication and misinformation scholarship. American Behav. Scientist, 65(2), 316-332.
McKay, B. (2021). The power of influencers. In B. McKay (Ed.), Fake Medicine: Exposing the wellness crazes, cons and quacks costing us our health (pp. 51-66): Hachette Australia.
Nguyen, A., & Catalan, D. (2020). Digital mis/disinformation and public engagement with health and science controversies: fresh perspectives from Covid-19. Media and Communication, 8(2), 323-328.
Slater, M. H., Scholfield, E. R., & Moore, J. C. (2021). Reporting on Science as an Ongoing Process (or Not). Frontiers in Communication, 5, 125.
Spinner, J. (2020). Covering COVID-19: A health check for science journalism. Gateway Journalism Review, 49(357), 4-6.
Wahl-Jorgensen, K. (2016). "Emotion and Journalism", In Witschge, T. Anderson, C.W. Domingo, D & Hermida, A. (Eds), 2016, The Sage handbook of digital journalism, Sage, London: Pp. 128-143.