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Communication theory can be challenging to teach in an engaging manner. The following original teaching activity suggests a way to incorporate the phenomenon of escape rooms into your theory classroom. Courses: Communication Theory, Introduction to Communication. Objectives: In this activity, students will apply the basic tenets of several communication theories--emotional contagion, cultivation theory, exemplification theory, and politeness theory--in solving a puzzle. Students will also apply theory by examining their own group processes during the activity through the lens of the functional perspective on group decision making.

Literature reviews are often used as part of teaching undergraduates about secondary research. The assignment, however, presents challenges for inexperienced researchers and writers and can be difficult for instructors to read and grade. This "quick fix" piece offers an alternative assignment to begin students in gaining secondary research gathering and synthesis skills.

The subject of research methods is often unknown, foreboding, and unappealing to undergraduate communication majors. Thus, in the research methods course, two ways to overcome such issues and achieve learning are by: (1) making the unfamiliar more familiar and accessible; and (2) placing abstract knowledge in its useful real-world context. Making topics in the beginning research methods course accessible, less intimidating, and most of all memorable and enjoyable is imperative. The activity described in this article attempts to make research methods, specifically research design, an appealing and relatable set of concepts through an in-class activity surrounding experiments. The activity involves: (1) simulating an experiment in class to bridge abstract knowledge in the classroom to the more realistic application of knowledge through experiencing an experiment firsthand; and (2) viewing and discussing an excerpt of the Food Network/Cooking Channel series "Food Detectives" to illustrate and apply basic conceptual aspects of experiments through the familiar medium of television. This single-class activity is a memorable, engaging way to learn key concepts and skills for this extremely useful research design strategy.

A key concept in health communication is the difference between disease and illness: disease refers to the physical manifestations of a condition, while illness encompasses the physical, emotional, social, communicative, and psychological experience of living with a condition. The individual illness experience takes into account the full story of patients with particular conditions, a biopsychosocial approach, and allows for the focus to be on patients rather than pathologies. Education in the college classroom about the full experience of illness and health is needed for numerous purposes. This article presents an assignment which addresses various issues by randomly assigning each student in a course to a particular illness. Random assignment is meant to simulate the existential nature of illness, a state placed before a patient who did not choose it and may feel a loss of control but must still cope with it. Each student will learn about the physical aspects of a condition, as well as its social, psychological, emotional, and communicative impacts, including daily stressors and experiences and interactions with healthcare providers. The research will culminate in five- to seven-minute oral illness reports, allowing students to grasp the multiple facets of an individual illness experience through their preparation and research. The students also will be exposed to information on multiple conditions through the other student presentations. A discussion following the presentations will debrief the students and allow exploration of various concepts surrounding the illness experience.

The article analyzes the breast cancer narrative portrayed in the television series 'Sex and the City' from the perspective of the central character's interpersonal relationships. It also examines the realism in the depiction of the illness and the storyline's potential to convey a health message,

Though pediculosis, more commonly known as lice, is extremely common and has nothing to do with hygiene, misconceptions persist. Lice, constructed as a highly contagious illness, is more of a nuisance, with most contagion resulting from head-to-head contact, and 3% resulting from environmental causes; still, the condition tends to be associated with negative behavior like uncleanliness and neglect. There is very little study of it in the U.S. save for some "no nit policy" studies and almost none on the psychological or communicative impact on those affected. Through the analysis of pediculosis in my children, I detail an autoethnography of lice illness experience. Analysis suggests implications for the condition's relationship to stigma, shame, misconceptions, victim blaming, and secrecy, as well as issues related to seeking social support, finding contradictory health information, special services costs, and giving over to health experts, particularly regarding framing. Stories thoughtfully examined and shared may aid in mitigating harmful frames and misconceptions as well as provide directions for helpful research. An examination of experience is a start in exploring this context from a communication perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the oldest goals of the medical profession is to benefit, and do no harm to, the patient. The role of the physician was once a paternal one, with total physician control, and little value given to patient knowledge of their own illness experiences. With changing patient expectations and medical education reform, patient-centeredness has emerged as a dominant ideal in doctor-patient communication. Patient autonomy is increasingly valued. In this changing time of increased patient involvement in medical decision making, how do physicians describe their professional roles/identities? Self-described professional identity is often quite reflective of professional beliefs and practice. The present study offers a qualitative perspective on self-perceived physician professional roles from primary care physicians of three age groups, in their 50s, 40s, and 30s. Younger physicians in the sample expect patients to have the most autonomy and most control over their decision making, while older physicians still expect to have the most control. It is possible that these age-based patterns of physician professional identity reflect an increasingly autonomous patient role and a decreasing role for physician beneficence. Implications and practical applications of these results for the medical interview will be discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Television is the most pervasive part of the American media landscape, and health campaigns with such items as public service announcements (PSAs,) and other direct forms of health information have become commonplace. Health education in the form of media programming seeks to both entertain and inform. This strategy, edutainmeni, or entertainment-education, is promising for health campaigns. It has been used with success in other countries, but has been limited as a systematic, preplanned campaign strategy in the US. This paper will define edutainment, and explore evidence for the success of this approach in the US. and beyond. It will then address theoretical mechanisms for success as well as the ethical issues surrounding this strategy Finally, the future ofthis approach in the US. health communication campaign will be explored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hispanics have been described as the "missing persons" in the health professions at a time when a lack of cultural diversity in the workforce has been linked to health disparities. The shortage of Hispanic nurses cannot be addressed effectively without understanding their perspectives on nursing and nursing education. The adapted Model of Institutional Support served as a framework to describe perceived barriers and supports to retention among Hispanic students in baccalaureate nursing pro- grams. Focus groups were used to allow the voices of Hispanic students to emerge; 14 Mexican American nursing students from two liberal arts universities participated. Theory-guided content analysis of focus group transcripts revealed themes congruent with the model components of finances, emotional and moral support, professional socialization, mentoring, academic advising, and technical support. Personal determination emerged as a theme not identified in the model. The prominence of the personal determination theme among these students warrants further study, but suggests that success may be enhanced by helping students capitalize on their personal determination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]