DeCal Home
Spring 2023 | Advocates for Public Health
Course Background
“This DeCal was very informative and really introduced me to the beautiful intersection of public health and journalism.”
You have a voice. We want to hear it.
By taking our two-unit DeCal course, Advocates for Public Health, you can have a direct impact on communities around the world. The main goal for this course is to help you develop and apply effective communication skills towards a variety of public health topics. As you engage with material presented during class and listen to occasional guest lectures featuring individuals from a variety of different careers, we strive to provide you with deeper insight into ways you can effectively advocate and educate communities on pressing public health issues.
All of our DeCal students have the opportunity to publish their written works on our website — and even in our semesterly print issue. Ultimately, you can expect to utilize your written and spoken communication skills in your own articles as you learn the processes of researching, writing, and editing. By completing this course, you will:
- Develop further awareness, understanding, and passion for public health issues;
- Better engage with UC Berkeley’s research initiatives at various levels through researching, interviewing, and writing;
- Understand the basic style and structure of journalistic writing; and
- Learn and apply effective communication skills within the public health field.
Class Schedule
If you are viewing this on a mobile device, you can scroll right to view additional columns.
| Week | Date | Topic | Assignments | Readings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 02/05 | Introductions and Pitches | Cycle 1: Pitches Due 02/12 | "Reading Analytically," "How to Read a Scientific Article" |
| 2 | 02/12 | Sentence Outlines | Cycle 1: First Draft Due 02/19 | "Conversing with Sources: Writing the Researched Paper," "How to Write a Sentence Outline" |
| 3 | 02/19 | Writing Basics and Storytelling | Cycle 1: First Draft Edits Due 02/26 | "Nine Basic Writing Errors and How to Fix Them" |
| 4 | 02/26 | Conducting Interviews | Cycle 1: Second Draft Due 03/15 | "The Impact of Media Bias: How Editorial Slant Affects Voters" |
| 5 | 03/05 | Researching and Formatting Articles | Cycle 1: Second Draft Edits Due 03/12 | "From Media Hype to Twitter Storm" |
| 6 | 03/12 | Guest Speaker | Cycle 1: Final Drafts Due 03/19 | "Professors, We Need You!," "Academic Journalism" |
| 7 | 03/19 | Presentations and Mid-Semester Evaluations | Cycle 2: Pitches Due 04/02 | "Better Presentations" |
| 8 | 04/02 | Article Analysis: Dos and Don'ts | Cycle 2: First Draft Due 04/09 | "The Future of Investigative Journalism" |
| 9 | 04/09 | Guest Speaker | Cycle 2: First Draft Edits Due 04/16 | "Studying the New on Public Health: How Content Analysis Supports Media Advocacy" |
| 10 | 04/16 | Guest Speaker | Cycle 2: Second Drafts Due 04/23 | "Emphasizing 'Communication' in Health Communication" |
| 11 | 04/23 | Guest Speaker | Cycle 2: Second Draft Edits Due 04/30 | "Public Speaking: Reducing Student Apprehension and Improving Oral Skills," "Better By the Dozen: 12 Quick Tips for Being a Smarter Reporter" |
| 12 | 04/30 | Celebration Dinner | Cycle 2: Final Drafts Due 05/07 | N/A |
Course Workload
All enrolled students in our DeCal will be considered staff writers for The Public Health Advocate’s online platform. Through the semester, you will be guided through the process of writing and editing articles that effectively educate communities about public health issues. By the completion of this course, you will be able share your work published on our website at https://pha.studentorg.berkeley.edu/.
Students’ grades for this class will be determined on a pass or no pass (P/NP) scale. To pass the course, students must earn a grade higher than 70%. Grades will be determined based on attendance, participation, and assignments turned in.
| Attendance | 20% | |
| Participation | 20% | |
| Assignments | Reading responses | 15% |
| Pitches | 5% | |
| First drafts | 10% | |
| Second drafts | 10% | |
| Final drafts | 20% | |
| Total | 100% | |
|---|---|---|