Academic Catalog

D H 352: HEALTH COMMUNICATION & CULTURAL ISSUES

Foothill College Course Outline of Record

Foothill College Course Outline of Record
Heading Value
Effective Term: Fall 2026
Units: 5
Hours: 5 lecture per week (60 total per quarter)
Degree & Credit Status: Degree-Applicable Credit Course
Foothill GE: Non-GE
Transferable: None
Grade Type: Letter Grade Only
Repeatability: Not Repeatable

Student Learning Outcomes

  • Analyze communication, health, and oral health resources related to cultural issues, diverse populations, literacy and health literacy levels, working with English learners, and addressing disparities in health and oral health care. Mastery will be demonstrated through a written report and PowerPoint presentation, evaluated using a standardized rubric assessing depth of analysis, cultural awareness, clarity, and use of evidence, with a score of 75% or higher considered passing.
  • Create an infographic project to apply theories of communication and culture to interpersonal, small group, and electronic contexts in healthcare and dentistry. Mastery will be demonstrated using a standardized rubric that assesses content accuracy, cultural relevance, visual clarity, and application of theory, with a score of 75% or higher considered passing.

Description

Health communication and cultural issues unique to the dental and medical fields. Topics include intercultural communication; health literacy; interpersonal, small group, electronic, and nonverbal communication; listening; persuasion, caring for limited English proficient people; and working with interpreters. Intended for students in the Dental Hygiene Baccalaureate Degree Program; enrollment is limited to students accepted in the completion track.

Course Objectives

The student will be able to:

  1. Explain the importance and value of communication competence in healthcare.
  2. Apply cultural theories in interpersonal and group relationships.
  3. Identify and create health education resources for low health literate people.
  4. Cite key components of non-verbal communication when working with English learners and using interpreters.
  5. Discuss the importance of listening skills in healthcare.
  6. Apply interpersonal communication principles in healthcare with diverse populations.
  7. Describe the principles of small group communication.
  8. Create patient appropriate educational materials.
  9. Demonstrate effective communication techniques for health interviews.

Course Content

  1. Introduction to the course and the health communication field
    1. Communication axioms
    2. Advantages of competent communication in healthcare
    3. Patient-centered care
    4. Therapeutic communication
  2. Intercultural communication
    1. Characteristics of culture
    2. Cultural self-awareness
    3. Cultural principles from the communication field
    4. Cultural principles from the nursing field
    5. Intercultural communication principles in practice
    6. Highlights of health beliefs and practices in specific cultures
    7. Disparities in healthcare
  3. Health literacy
    1. Fundamentals of literacy, health literacy, and oral health literacy
    2. Numeracy
    3. Plain language
    4. Readability of patient education materials
    5. Translation and interpretation in healthcare
    6. Working with interpreters
    7. Caring for low health literate people
    8. Caring for English learners
    9. Using the "teach back" method in patient education
  4. Nonverbal communication
    1. Principles and importance of nonverbal communication in healthcare
    2. Areas of nonverbal communication
      1. Appearance
      2. Olfactics (smell)
      3. Chronemics (use of time)
      4. Paralanguage (vocal expression)
      5. Kinesics (body movements)
      6. Haptics (touch)
    3. Cultural issues in nonverbal communication
  5. Listening
    1. Importance of listening in healthcare
    2. Fundamentals of listening
    3. Listening to diverse people
  6. Persuasion
    1. Ethics of persuasion
    2. Fundamentals of persuasion
    3. Persuasion in healthcare
  7. Interpersonal communication
    1. Models, principles, and elements of interpersonal communication
    2. Relationship development
    3. Clear personal expression
    4. Conflict in interpersonal communication
  8. Small group communication
    1. Fundamentals of group dynamics
    2. Leadership
    3. Followership
    4. Problem solving
    5. Influence of culture on small group communication
  9. Electronic communication in healthcare
    1. Using the internet, email, texting, and social media in healthcare
    2. Patient privacy and security
    3. Disparities in electronic health communication
    4. Teaching patients how to find reliable health information online
  10. Interviewing in healthcare
    1. Patient interviewing
    2. Interviewing difficult people
    3. Overview of motivational interviewing
    4. Cultural issues in interviewing

Lab Content

Not applicable.

Special Facilities and/or Equipment

On-going access to a computer or personal device with internet. This course is taught online.

Method(s) of Evaluation

Methods of Evaluation may include but are not limited to the following:

Weekly homework, including discussion questions that require critical thinking
Class participation in discussions and peer reviews
Two video presentations
Reflections on class topics and personal performance
Descriptive essay

Method(s) of Instruction

Methods of Instruction may include but are not limited to the following:

Video lecture
Discussion groups
Individual and collaborative activities
Research and writing assignments
Peer reviews
Individual responses to homework, discussions, and multiple components of an essay and a presentation

Representative Text(s) and Other Materials

Young, Lance Brendan, Cynthia Rozek O'Toole, and Bianca Wolf. Communication Skills for Dental Health Care Providers. 2015.

Adams, Toni S.. Health Communication and Persuasion in Dentistry: Book 1 of the Dental Communication Brief Book Series. 2011.

Adams, Toni S.. Intercultural Communication in Dentistry: Book 2 of the Dental Communication Brief Book Series. 2011.

Adams, Toni S.. Verbal Communication in Dentistry: Book 3 of the Dental Communication Brief Book Series. 2011.

Adams, Toni S.. Nonverbal Communication in Dentistry: Book 4 of the Dental Communication Brief Book Series. 2011.

Adams, Toni S.. Listening in Dentistry: Book 5 of the Dental Communication Brief Book Series. 2011.

Although these textbooks are over five years old, they are the best resources for the course/content, and the only ones available on these topics. New editions will be used when available.

Electronic textbooks, peer-reviewed articles, websites, periodicals, podcasts, and videos made by the instructor and from commercial sites.

Types and/or Examples of Required Reading, Writing, and Outside of Class Assignments

  1. Read from relevant textbooks, peer-reviewed journals, and current periodicals, approximately 50-75 pages per week
  2. Interview lay people about dental experiences and opinions
  3. Find and evaluate patient education resources appropriate for diverse people
  4. Use Plain Language principles to revise a health education passage so that it is readable by low health literate and diverse people
  5. Summarize highlights of peer-reviewed articles to share with the class
  6. Research academic sources on relevant topics and synthesize information to create an essay and a presentation

Discipline(s)

Dental Technology