PUBHLTH411: Making Change: Experiential Learning in Effective Public Health Policy Advocacy
Undergraduate level
Residential
Winter term(s) for residential students;
1 credit hour(s) for residential students;
Instructor(s): Staff (Residential);
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.
