Professor Catherine Campbell, STC. S387

Optional for MSc Organisational and Social Psychology, MSc Social Research Methods, MSc Social and Cultural Psychology, MSc Social and Public Communication, MSc Population and Development, MSc Gender, Policy and Inequalities, MSc Gender, Development and Globalisation, MSc Media, Communication and Development and MSc Health, Community and Development. Students on degrees without a psychology component may only attend subject to numbers, their own degree regulations and at the discretion of the Teacher responsible.

The application of social psychology to the challenges of health communication in its social context.

Communicating about health and well-being (physical, mental and social), viewing the individual (i) as a bio-psycho-social system, (ii) located within workplaces/communities/local and global cultures/unequal power hierarchies, (iii) often in rapidly changing social settings. Theoretical debates about determinants of health-related behaviours, the nature of health communication, and the processes through which communication impacts on health. Contributions of sociology, anthropology and media studies to social psychological understandings of health and communication. Implications of these debates for health promotion campaigns and policies (information-based campaigns, social development approaches, public health policy). Doctor-patient relations. Mental ill-health and psychotherapy. Patient movements. Mediated health communication (edutainment, citizen journalism, blogging). The internet and health. Communication for social development. Community participation, dialogue and alliances. Communication via visual images. Gender, empowerment and social change. Local and global health advocacy. International social movements and networks.

Ten two-hour combined weekly lecture/seminar, LT.

An essay of not more than 500 words is required.

Atkin C and Wallack L (1990) Mass communication and public health. Newbury Park: Sage; Beckett, C (2008) Supermedia: saving journalism so it can save the world. Oxford: Blackwell; Crossley M (2000) Rethinking health psychology. Buckingham: Open University Press; Fisher, A & Ponniah, T (2003) Another world is possible: popular alternatives to globalisation. London: Zed Books; Hofrichter, R (Ed.) (2003) Health and Social Justice: Politics, Ideology, and Inequality in the Distribution of Disease. Jossey-Bass: San Francisco; Littlejohn S and Foss K (2005) Theories of Communication. Eighth Edition. Belmont CA: Wadsworth; Nettleton, S (1995) The sociology of health and illness. Oxford: Blackwell; Peterson, A & Lupton, D The New Public Health - Health and Self in the Age of Risk, Sage, 1996; Reason, P & Bradbury, H (2007) Handbook of Action Research. London: Sage; Seale, C, The Media and Health. Sage, 2002; Servais, J (Ed) (2008) Communication for development and social change. Los Angeles: Sage; Tones K and Green J (2006) Health promotion: planning and strategies. London: Sage; Windahl, S et al., (2009) Using communication theory: An introduction to planned communication. Second Edition. London: Sage.

A written assignment of not more than 3,000 words (100%).