Description: The health of rural American communities has diverged from that of suburban and urban communities over the last four decades. This class will help students to understand the causes and consequences of as well as possible solutions for rural health disparities in the United States. The class will provide students with background knowledge regarding the nature of rural life, the unique health challenges facing rural communities, as well as the policies and politics that shape rural health. The class will help prepare students for working in healthcare environments in rural communities as well as working in advocacy and policy environments focused on rural health. Through lectures, class discussions, group exercises, and group on projects on contemporary rural health issues, students develop the skills necessary to work on or in rural health.
Learning Objectives: Course Learning Objectives:
1. Evaluate the social, economic, and place-based factors that shape rural health access and outcomes.
2. Appraise the policy and political landscape as well as relevant stakeholders that are important for rural health.
3. Develop strong written and verbal communication skills related to public policymaking and health communications.
4. Identify and evaluate policy strategies designed to improve rural health.
5. Develop personal and communication skills to effectively navigate rural health policy debates to policymakers, the press and the public.
Description: This class will provide students with skills to advocate for public health policies at all levels of government. Through lectures, class discussions, and group projects on "live" public health issues, students develop the skills to create opportunities to inform policymaking, and become more effective communicating in the policymaking environment.
Learning Objectives: 1. Appraise the political landscape and stakeholders that are important for making policy change on a given public health topic.
2. Apply principles of policy-making, policy change theory, and policy advocacy to real life public health problems.
3. Effectively advocate for public health change at the local, state and federal level.
4. Develop strong written and verbal communication skills.
5. Define and frame public health problems in such a way that inspires policy change.
6. Analyze the legislative, administrative and judicial intervention points for policymaking and identify where to effectively target advocacy efforts.
7. Identify and evaluate advocacy strategies, such as coalition building, grassroots engagement, and paid and earned media outreach, in order to create specific advocacy campaigns.
8. Develop personal and communication skills to effectively translate and advocate for public health improvements to policymakers, the press and the public.
Prerequisites: No enforced prereq. This course is a corequisite to PUBHLTH 410 - students who elect this course must also be enrolled in PUBHLTH 410.
Description: In this course, students will apply knowledge obtained in Professor Wolfson's course to a current state policy issue pending in Lansing. Students will gain strong written and verbal communication skills by developing an advocacy strategy, preparing written materials, and meeting with policymakers in Lansing to advance their policy goal.
Learning Objectives: 1. Appraise the political landscape and stakeholders that are important for making policy change on a given public health topic.
2. Apply principles of policy-making, policy change theory, and policy advocacy to real life public health problems.
3. Effectively advocate for public health change at the local, state and federal level.
4. Develop strong written and verbal communication skills.
5. Define and frame public health problems in such a way that inspires policy change.
6. Analyze the legislative, administrative and judicial intervention points for policymaking and identify where to effectively target advocacy efforts.
7. Identify and evaluate advocacy strategies, such as coalition building, grassroots engagement, and paid and earned media outreach, in order to create specific advocacy campaigns.
8. Develop personal and communication skills to effectively translate and advocate for public health improvements to policymakers, the press and the public.
