The University of Natal, Durban’s Graduate Programme in Cultural and Media Studies (CMS) offers a new graduate model from February 2002 titled Health Promotion Through Entertainment Education.

What is the relationship between entertainment and education? Can people change the way they think and live simply by watching a television series? A study in the United States of America has shown that serial dramas are the number one source of health information. This new graduate model offers skills in creating entertainment education programmes.

The aim of this Honours/MA module is to acquaint students with broad approaches to communicating for health promotion, focusing specifically on the role of entertainment education. The module can also be taken on its own for certificate rather than degree purposes.

Students will obtain a clear understanding of key theories of health promotion communication, entertainment education interventions and how to apply theoretical understanding in the development of framework for entertainment education activities. They will also develop an ability to create criteria for the research of entertainment education activities. The module includes an introduction to public health and health communication; theories of health behaviour, behavioural and social change; communication research and conceptual frameworks for strategic health communication.

CMS will work with academics and professionals from three partner organisations: the Johns Hopkins University Center for Communications Programs, Baltimore, USA; the Centre for AIDS Development, Research and Evaluation (CADRE - Johannesburg, Cape Town, Grahamstown and Durban); and Drama in Aids (DramAidE), a CMS partner.

More details from CMS on (031) 260-2505 or fax (031) 260-1519, or visit http://www.und.ac.za/und/ccms/ or e-mail Govends@nu.ac.za