CHSC 543: Maternal and Child Health Policy and Advocacy
Fall 2016 – Blended Course
Credits:3 credits
Meeting Days:Tuesday
Meeting Time:10-12:45 (in-class time)
Meeting Place:SPHPI Room 636
Instructor:Arden Handler, DrPH
Office Address:1603 W. Taylor, Room 655
Office Phone: 312-996-5954
Office Fax: 312-996-3551
Instructor email:
Format:Faculty and guest lectures, in-class and on-line exercises, policy/advocacy projects, blogging and use of a class Blackboard for interactive communication/exercises. Blackboard Collaborate will be used to allow for class participation by any registered student from any location.
Prerequisites: CHSC 510 or CHSC 511,orConsent of the Instructor
Student Evaluation:Grading will be based on the following:
Major Assignment #I:
1) Documentation of interview with Policy Organization and Draft Policy Brief to be posted in the Assignments section of BB (15%).
2) Final Policy Brief to be posted in the Assignments section of BB (20%).
3) Written Advocacy Testimony to be posted in the Assignments section of BB (15%). 4) Infographic based on Policy brief in the Assignments section of BB (15%)
Major Assignment #II:
5) Posting of three “news” updates on one or more of the CHSC 543 Blogs (Reproductive Rights, Social/Economic Justice, RacialJustice, The 2016 Election) and a five- minute oral blast about the blog posts at least twice during the semester (10%).
6) Participation injoint development of an Ignite Presentation. Ignite Presentation to be presented in class and posted in the Assignments section of BB (15%).
Attendance and Participation:
Attendance in and participation in class discussions demonstrating familiarity with assigned materials and successful completion of all ungraded assignments either in class or virtually (10%).
Class Blackboard:
The course site is located in Blackboard (BB) and contains the syllabus..
For detailed information on Blackboard, see the section on “Using Blackboard” below.
Class Reading Materials:
Class readings will be available through the BB site and will be posted by class date. All readings are required although because the volume of readings is high you are expected to read at least some of the articles in depth while just getting a sense of the others.
Course Learner Outcomes and Assessment Methods:
Studentscompletingthiscoursewillbeable to:
1. Critically analyze the majorsocial,political,psychologicaland economicvaluesandassumptionsthatinfluencethe developmentandimplementationofhealth and health–related policies-- Ungraded Group Exercises.
2. Describe and critically analyze the stepsandparticipantsin the policyformationprocess- Ungraded Group Exercises and Class Blogs.
3. Differentiateamong thefollowingtypesofpolicyanalysis:socialpolicyanalysis,historicalanalysis,andpolicyanalysistoselectalternatives- Ungraded Group Exercises.
4. Applyanevaluativepolicyanalysisframeworktoanalyzeapolicy- Unhealthy City Case Study.
5. Collectandsummarizedatarelevanttoanissue,statepolicyoptions,articulatethehealth,fiscal,administrative,legal,social,andpoliticalimplicationsofeachpolicyoption-Unhealthy City Case Study and preparation of a Letter to the Editor, an Infographic, an Ignite Presentation, a Policy Brief, and Advocacy Testimony.
6.Be knowledgeable about the benefits and challenges of legal,administrative,andlegislativestrategiesforadvocacy- Ungraded GroupExercises and Class Blogs.
7. Communicate in a variety of ways to policy makers and other stakeholders about a policy problem and potential policy solutions- Preparation of a Letter to the Editor, an Infographic, an Ignite Presentation, a Policy Brief, and Advocacy Testimony.
Course Requirements:
This course focuses on the policy-making process, the role of advocacy in the policy-making process, and policy analysis. There will betwo major graded assignments; one assignment has four parts and one assignment has two parts) as well as several ungraded assignments;the latter are completed in-class. Blackboard Collaborate participants will complete these assignments virtually or participate with their classmates via telephone.
As adult learners you are expected to keep up with reading assignments, attend class and participate in class discussions. All written work is expected to meet the basic standards of writing proficiency and must conform to accepted standards for citing other individuals’ work through proper referencing. The format found in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, Sixth edition is to be used for all papers. Visit:
Major Assignment #I: Graded Assignments #1-#4- The Policy-making process: Writing a Policy Brief, Advocacy Testimony,and Preparing an Infographic
Assignment # 1 – DRAFT Policy Brief
The purpose of this assignment is to prepare a policy brief on a current public health policy issue/problem. In order to ensure that you are working on a current public health policy issue, you will need to identify a local, regional or national advocacy organization and identify an issue for which this organization is engaged in making a policy change. To initially find out what issues organizations are working on, you can view organizational websites. You need to follow this activity by setting up an organizational interview with the policy/advocacy organization you have selected. This interview can be with a member of the policy staff, or if there is no policy staff, someone in the organization who is aware of the policy issues that the organization is working on or following. This should be no more than a fifteen-minute interview:
1)Ask the individual to briefly describe the main focus of their policy and advocacy work.
2)Ask them to briefly describe their key partners in this work.
3)Ask them to briefly discuss their organization’s overall and current policy interests/focus.
4)Mention your particular issue interest and find out if a policy brief on this topic would be useful to them. If not, ask if they can suggest another topic that would be of use.
5)You can let them know that you have been asked to prepare a policy brief for class but that it is not a requirement that you share the policy brief with the organization. You can also tell them that you are developing an Infographic related to this topic and will be happy to share this with them at the end of the semester.
Please provide me with the name of the advocacy organization and your proposed policy brief topicby September 13, 2016. This can be done via e-mail to me at . As some revisions may be necessary, your policy brief topic should be finalized bySept. 27, 2016.
Your policy brief should be a document that can be used (in theory) by the advocacy organization to advocate for a policy change (legislative, administrative or legal). The policy brief should provide:
1)A statement of the public health policy issue/problem that the policy change/intervention is designed to address.
2)Presentation of data describing the issue/problem to be addressed by the policy change. You can include graphs, tables, figures, etc.
3)A description of the policy option you have selected, what is known about the policy option from the peer review literature (if available) and the health, fiscal, administrative, legal, social, and political implications of the policy option. You may want to include a description of what other locales are doing in response to the problem (if available).
4)A rationale for the policy option(s) you are advocating and/or that is (are) preferred by the advocacy organization.
5)Recommendations focused on how to enact the policy option (s) you are advocating and/or is (are) preferred by the advocacy organization.
6)At least five references should be included at the end. These should include peer-reviewed literature, published policy reports, and/or information obtained from websites. Information from reports and websites should be referenced as such.
Note: Depending on the exact focus of the policy brief, some of these components may not be required/relevant. The exact nature of the policy brief is dependent on the issue that is the focus of the brief.
If you need help gathering resources for your policy brief or any other class assignments, you can look at the Finding Government Documents tab on the CHSC 543 BB site.
A draft of your policy brief for Assignment #1 is due on October 11, 2016 by 10 am.In addition, please attach theresults of your interview (with responses to the questions in the template above). Please provide a hard copy of the policy brief + interview responses to Dr. Handler (in mailbox on 6th floor) and also post your Draft PolicyBrief in the Assignments section of BB under Draft Policy Brief.
Advocacy Organizations in Chicago/Illinois
AIDS Foundation of Chicago
African-American Family Commission
Alzheimer's Association, Illinois Chapter Network
Asian Health Coalition of Illinois
Campaign for Better Health Care
Chicago Coalition for the Homeless
Chicago Area Immunization Campaign
Covering Kids and Families Coalition
Day Care Action Council
Everthrive Illinois/Illinois Maternal and Child Health Coalition
Heartland Alliance
Health and Medicine Policy Research Group
Salud Latina
Illinois Caucus on Adolescent Health
Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights
Illinois Dietetic Association
Illinois Health and Disability Advocates Coalition
Illinois Hunger Coalition
Illinois Coalition for School Health Centers
Illinois Public Health Association
KIDS-PEPP
Legal Council for Health Justice
Planned Parenthood Action Illinois
Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law
Voices for Illinois Children
Work, Welfare and Families Coalition
Assignment #2: Final Version of Policy Brief
The final version of the policy brief is due Thursday December 1, 2016by 10 amand is expected to be about five pages. You should provide a hard copy to Dr. Handler (in class or in mailbox) as well as post your policy brief in the Assignments section of BB under Final Policy Brief. When you turn in your hard copy, please also turn in yourdraft with my comments on it.
Assignment #3: Advocacy Testimony
Each student will prepare written testimony focused on the issue addressed by the policy brief in assignment #1. Your testimony should be written as a speech to be given before a state or national legislative committee advocating for the policy option from the point of view of your advocacy organization. Please state the name of the advocacy organization in your testimony. This testimony may include figures and graphs as well as appendices. It may also include references but this is not required. It should be 3–5 pages in length (excluding appendices). Your Advocacy Testimony should be posted in the Assignments section of BB under Advocacy Testimony by Dec. 1, 2016 at 10 am. You should also provide a hard copy to Dr. Handler (in mailbox on 6th floor).
Assignment #4: Infographic based on Policy Brief for class InfographicBook
Each student will prepare an infographic based on their policy brief. We will learn how to develop infographics from Cristina Turino (former MPH student). Your Infographic should be posted in the Assignments section of BB under Advocacy Testimony by Dec. 1, 2016 at 10 am.
Major Assignment #II: Graded Assignments #5- 6 Policy News Blogging and Ignite Presentation
Assignment #5: Policy News Blog
CHSC 543 will host four class blogs: Reproductive Rights, Social/Economic Justice, Racial Justice, and the 2016 Election. During the first part of the semester, you are expected to post at least three news items– all postings should be made byOctober 28, 2016. The news items must be current and can come from any news source ranging from the New York Times to the Huffington Post, from other blogs,or from YouTube, etc. In addition to text, you can post images, videos, as well as audio. The Blogs can be found in the Tools section of BB under Blogs.
Finally, because this is a class that is about public health policy and advocacy, I will expect that each week approximately two of you will share something about what you have posted on the Blogswith the rest of the class. We will decide each week who will present a FIVE MINUTE POLICY BLAST the following week: Why is this topic a hot policy topic? Why is it important? What are the stakes if the issue does/doesn’t get resolved? What are the implications for public health/maternal and child health?
Assignment # 6 (Group Graded Assignment): Ignite Presentation
Because there is a lot of information that will be generated on the Policy News Blogs and not everyone will be equally involved in each News Blog, students will develop Ignite presentations (Information on Ignite presentations and sample Ignite presentations are posted on BB in the Assignments section with the Blog assignment).Prior to Nov. 15, Dr. Handler will consolidate the Blog postings into topic areas and share these with the class. On Nov. 15, 2016, students should come prepared with their ideas for anIgnite Presentation based on the summarized topics. On that day, students will engage in a speed-dating exercise to help match them to students with similar interests; based on this exercise, groups of three or fourwill be formed to prepare the Ignite presentations.At the end of class on Nov. 15, each student will provide Dr. Handler with their first and second choice of topics and the partner they would like to work with on each topic. Dr. Handler will create the Ignite presentation groups by Nov. 22, 2016.
Students will meet outside of class to prepare their Ignite presentations. Ignite Presentations will be presented on Dec.6, 2016 during finals week. One member of your group should post your Ignite Presentations in the Assignments Section of BB by 4 pm on Dec. 6, 2016. (This will be after your group’s presentation).
Posting Graded Assignments
When you upload to the Graded Assignments section of Blackboard your assignment is not viewed by the rest of the class and is directly available to Dr. Handler. Dr. Handler typically also expects a hard copy to be delivered in class or placed in her mailbox.
Class Attendance, Participation and Discussion
Class attendance is very important. Please let me know 24 hours before class if you do not intend to attend. It will also be very helpful to the class discussion, if you come prepared with your own thoughts about issues raised in the articles, chapters, and reports.
Ungraded Assignments
There will be sevenungraded exercises which will be completed in-class or virtually (or by phone)if you are participating via Blackboard Collaborate. Typically, materials or readings related to these exercises will be handed out at least one week prior to the relevant class or are already included in the readings.Sometimes, you will be asked to gather your own reading materials and resources.In order to participate in the class exercises,you need to complete the assigned readings or review the materials distributed prior to the class. The Ungraded Class Exercises have their own “button” on the BB site.
For students participating in the class through Blackboard Collaborate (and are not participating with a group in class via phone),please post your ungraded assignment responses within 24 hours after class in the Ungraded Class Exercises section of the Discussion Board(Note: this is not the same place where the exercises are located). Each of theseven ungraded exercises has its own location for posting responses in the Discussion Board within the Ungraded Exercises forum.
TheSeven Ungraded Assignments are associated with the following class sessions:
August 23: Health Care Priorities and Values Exercise. This assignment is for all students. This assignment will be an in-class exercise. If students are participating via BB Collaborate, the assignment which is located in the Ungraded Exercises section of BB, will be completed virtually (or via phone). Please post your response within 24 hours after class in the Ungraded Exercises section of the Discussion Board of BB.
Aug.30- Sept. 27: Advocating for Reductions in Disparities in Infant Mortality/Prematurity/SIDS/SUIDS during Infant Mortality/SIDS/Prematurity Awareness Months
The class will take advantage of the fact that September is Infant Mortality Awareness Month, October is SIDS Awareness Month. and November is Prematurity Awareness Month. We willjump right in and get involved in advocacy related to reducing the disparities in preterm delivery and infant mortality/SIDS rates between African-Americans and European- Americans. Over fiveclass periods, you will work in groups to review data, literature, websites, fact sheets and policy briefs on the determinants of the racial/ethnic differences in preterm delivery and infant mortality including SIDS/SUID rates in Chicago and Illinois.
A variety of resources are posted on BB in the Ungraded Class Exercises Tab related to preterm delivery and Infant Mortality/SIDS.
Based on your research and understanding of the issue your group selects, you will write a brief (one page) Letter to the Editor for submission to the Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun Times, In these Times, Huffington Post etc. or for posting on any social media outlet that will accept your letter. This letter can be on any aspect(s) or issue related to the disparity (e.g., access to health care, access to family planning and reproductive health services, LARC, women’s health, poverty, unintended pregnancy, adolescent pregnancy, breastfeeding, Back to Sleep/Safe Sleep issues etc.).
You will have a chance to have the letter peer reviewed by students in other groups and also reviewed by Dr. Handler. Your group will be responsible for researching guidelines for submission to the venue you select. Your final letter should be submitted/posted to your news outlet by:
Friday Sept. 23, 2016 – Infant Mortality Awareness Month
Friday October 14, 2016 - SIDS Awareness Month
Friday November 4, 2016 – Prematurity Awareness Month
Please copy me on your submission or send me a receipt that indicates your letter was transmitted. In addition, please post the letter in the Ungraded Exercises section of the Discussion Board of BB. (The place to post the letters within the Discussion Board is not the same place as where the exercises are located.)
If you are participating via BB Collaborate, you will be able to participate with a group via telephone (cell phone to cell phone).
Sept. 6: Unhealthy City Exercise Part I. This assignment is for all students. This assignment will be an in-class exercise.If students are participating via BB Collaborate, the assignment which is located in the Ungraded Exercises section of BB,will be completed virtually(or by phone with a group). Please post your response within 24 hours after class in the Ungraded Exercises section of the Discussion Board of BB.
Sept. 13: Unhealthy City Exercise Part II. This assignment is for all students. This assignment will be an in-class exercise. If students are participating via BB Collaborate, the assignment which is located in the Ungraded Exercises section of BB,will be completed virtually (or by phone with a group). Please post your response within 24 hours after class in the Ungraded Exercises section of the Discussion Board of BB.