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.

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. Patient care in hospital settings. 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.
Berry, Dianne (2007) Health Communication: theory and practice. Buckingham: Open University Press.
Crossley M (2000) Rethinking health psychology. Buckingham: Open University Press.
Glanz, K, Rimer, B, Viswanath, K (Eds) Health behaviour and health education: theory, research and practice. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Harcourt, W (2009) Body politics in Development. Zed.
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.
Mody, Bella (1991) Designing messages for development communication. London: Sage.
Nettleton, S (1995) The sociology of health and illness. Oxford: Blackwell.
Petchesky, R (2003) Global prescriptions: gendering health and human rights. Zed.
Peterson, A & Lupton, D (1996) The New Public Health - Health and Self in the Age of Risk, Sage.
Radley, A (2009) Works of illness. Narrative, picturing and the social response to serious disease. InkerMen Press.
Reason, P & Bradbury, H (2007) Handbook of Action Research. London: Sage.
Seale, C, The Media and Health. Sage, 2002. https://catalogue.lse.ac.uk/Record/1115814
Servais, J (Ed) (2008) Communication for development and social change. Los Angeles: Sage.
Turshen, M (2007) Women’s health movements: a global force for change. Basingstoke: Palgrave MacMillan.
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%).