[icon name=”calendar” class=”” unprefixed_class=””] Date: Thursday, March 10, 2016
[icon name=”clock-o” class=”” unprefixed_class=””] Time: 1:00pm – 2:30pm
[icon name=”map-marker” class=”” unprefixed_class=””] Location: A631
Globalization, migration, extreme weather events and multilingual populations present a need for better Health Communication. Public health campaigns are always trying new ways to reach target populations but these days people are bombarded with a cacophony of health related messages and it’s harder to break through the clutter. Understanding health promotion campaigns involves surfacing assumptions about what it is that communication can do beyond information transfer. Messages can state facts but also contain implicit instructions to the audience. This brisk introduction to communication pragmatics covers modal verbs (should or must), enthymemes (logical proofs missing a conclusion) and “indirect directives,” which are forms of advice stated as propositions. Examples from health campaign ads and science center exhibits are used to illustrate.
Faculty and students are invited.