Public Health 191PUBH14 - FYS - Debates/Health Advocacy

The line between truth and fiction is often blurred in the world of health advocacy. With advancing knowledge and an increasingly complex social and political landscape, it is vital that public health professionals can not only effectively communicate their viewpoint, but also to recognize truth and misinformation. This seminar will use a series of structured, student-led debates about current controversial topics in public health to learn commonly used tactics in media and health communication. Experience is the greatest teacher and students will take on the role of advocates in this class by working in pairs to develop their own arguments for a topic. Through this, the students will not only gain knowledge in current public health concerns, but also practical experience in advocacy, health communication techniques, and public speaking. Students will be able to contextualize the information and tactics used and observed in the debates to real life public health debates.

Open to students in the Public Health Exploratory Track and first-year Public Health, Kinesiology, Nutrition, and Communication Disorders majors.