Anurag Garnaik, 4th Semester, BCJ
During the third semester, we were introduced to the course Health Communication, taken by Prof Ruby Nanda. We were confused as to its role in Journalism and mass communication. Some even wondered, are we following the correct syllabus? Well, starting off from being a question mark to being something very personal to all of the students, the journey was indeed an experience.
Health Communication is both the study and practice of using communication to influence and improve health. This can happen on a personal level, between a doctor and patient, or on a larger scale, through public health campaigns. The ultimate goal of Health Communication is to empower people to make informed decisions about their health. This involves making sure health information is clear, accessible, and tailored to the audience. It is a very lucrative and an upcoming prospect in the field of communication studies, but many students might not be aware of it.
One thing that I can vouch for is that the theory part, which ultimately led us all to write long answers in the exams, certainly was not loved by everyone. But, there was this one assignment, which not only helped us really understand the course thoroughly but also brought the entire campus together.Yes, you read it right. This one assignment, which required the entire class to come together and form a club really did wonders, not only in the class but had a reverberating effect in the entire School, and that was the formation of the KSMC Health Club.
The KSMC Health Club came up with two challenges which helped many students bring about a change in their lifestyle. The challenges were simple, one was a thirty day healthy eating challenge and the other being a thirty day 10k steps challenge. The main driving force of the challenge was having small, motivating incentives like having the stories being re-shared on the KSMC Health Club page. All of us did have a gut feeling that this would be a success, but no one in their dreams had thought that so many students would turn up and part-take in it. It was indeed an experience with students from other schools and also family members joining in. A perfect example of learning by doing and also enjoying the experience!
