Courses

This graduate seminar is concerned with how communication scholars have contributed to (and can best contribute to) the study of patient-provider communication and ultimately better patient-provider relationships. What transpires during the clinic visit can have a profound effect on how patients understand their health concerns, make healthcare decisions, and effectively achieve desired health outcomes. This course introduces students to the field and findings of patient-provider communication starting with the historical and social climates influencing patient-provider partnerships.

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

• Evaluate how patient-provider relationship models define roles and shape communication.
• Compare and contrast different methodological approaches to measuring patient-provider communication.
• Explain how specific communicative features of patient-provider interactions (e.g., question designs) impact clinical communication, relationships, and outcomes.
• Explain how observing and analyzing naturalistic clinic interactions enhances understanding of patient-provider communication.

The economic, social, and political forces affecting the introduction and implementation of current information legislation and policy, set within the theoretical context of frame reflection. Emphasis on national and global policy in the design of evolving electronic infrastructures. Particular attention given to issues of access, including universal service, intellectual freedom, intellectual property rights, privacy, security, advocacy, equity, and the role of library and information professionals and organizations in policy formulation.

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

• Understand the complexities of policy making in the United States. 
• Assess the means of addressing information-related problems and processes through legislative, administrative, judicial and/or other government actions. 
• Be equipped to identify key stakeholders and their viewpoints, underlying goals and values, principles, and strategies for promoting information policy changes.
• Demonstrate an understanding of major policy issues important to the information, communication, and technology professions and to the public at large regarding privacy, government information, secrecy, information equity, and copyright.
• Analyze policy issues to recognize the strengths, weaknesses, costs, consequences and tradeoffs of information policies.
• Recognize, evaluate and determine emerging policy issues.

In this seminar you will read works by and about six children's authors, paying special attention to the authors' own statements about the creative process. The authors and illustrators will change semester to semester; in previous years we considered the works of Eric Carle, Leo Lionni, Katherine Paterson, Jane Kurtz, Julius Lester, Philip Pullman, Jane Yolen, to name some. During the semester, three of the authors studied will enter the online discussion with the class for one week each.