Western University

Faculty of Health Sciences

School of Health Studies

HA 4120B: Social Media & Health

Winter 2025

Instructor: Eric Collins Lectures:

Office:
Email: [email protected] Winter 2025
Phone: TBA Instruction Mode: In-person
Office Hrs: TBA

TAs: TBA

NOTE: All course information including grades, assignment outlines, deadlines, etc. are available
via OWL. Check the website regularly for course announcements.

Calendar Course Description (including prerequisites/anti-requisites): Social

media and its associated technologies have become ubiquitous in all aspects of our
lives. This course integrates an understanding of social media with research in health
and medicine. The course explores social media uses in health to address
methodological, conceptual, ethical and design issues pertinent to these emergent
technologies. Antirequisite(s): Health Sciences 4091B (if taken in 2015-2017). Extra
Information: 3 lecture hours.

You are responsible for ensuring that you have successfully completed all course pre-requisites, and
that you have not taken an anti-requisite course.

Statement on Prerequisite Checking

Unless you have either the requisites for this course or written special permission from
your Dean to enroll in it, you may be removed from this course and it will be deleted
from your record. This decision may not be appealed. You will receive no adjustment to
your fees in the event that you are dropped from a course for failing to have the
necessary prerequisites

NOTE: If you wish to enroll in this course without the stated pre-requisite(s), you must obtain
written approval from the course instructor. The approval should then be forwarded to your
academic counsellor.

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My Course Description

In this course, we will explore the relationship between social media and several areas
of health. We will begin our exploration by unpacking the history of social media and the
development of digital health technologies. Then, we will examine how social media
impacts and influences our mental health, sexual health, as well as our interpersonal
relationships. We will also investigate how and why social media is used as a tool in
medicine, public health, and health promotion. Lastly, we will evaluate how social media
has influenced our parenting beliefs and behaviours.

Learning Outcomes/Schedule:

Learning Outcome Learning Activity Learning Assessment

Depth and Breadth of Knowledge
• Understand how and why
social media has become a Forums
Lectures
significant tool in our society
Essay
and examine its overall impact Readings
on our health beliefs, health Exams
behaviours, and provision of
health care.
Application of Knowledge
• Assess real-world scenarios
and situations to predict how Forums
Lectures
people will use digital health
Essay
technologies and interpret the Readings
health information found on Exams
social media.
Application of Methodologies
• Explain the scientific models, Forums
concepts, and theories that Lectures
Essay
have been used to
Readings
understand the relationship Exams
between social media and
health.

Required Course Material:

Haidt, J. (2024). The anxious generation. How the great rewiring of childhood is causing
an epidemic of mental illness. Penguin Publishing Group.

OR

Kardaras, N. (2022). Digital madness. How social media is driving our mental health
crisis – and how to restore our sanity. St. Martin’s Press.

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Course Evaluation:

Forum (10%): Ten questions will be posted to Brightspace throughout the term.
Questions will be generated from weekly lectures and readings. Each student is
required to provide an original response to each week’s posting and comment on a
fellow student’s original response. Each week’s original response and comment are
worth a total of 1%. There are no part marks. “I agree” or “I disagree” are insufficient
responses/comments and will not be awarded marks. Students are expected to provide
thoughtful responses and comments that demonstrate critical thinking and an
understanding of constructs and theorems. Each post must include a minimum of 80
words (160 words in total). Examples of original responses can be found on
Brightspace.

Midterm Exam (25%). The midterm exam covers all assigned readings and PowerPoint
materials presented from lectures 1-5. This assessment consists of 60 questions and is
formatted as multiple-choice, true or false, matching, as well as fill-in-the-blanks. This
exam takes place on March 1. The exact time and location will be posted after the term
begins. This exam is synchronous and in-person.

Group presentation (25%). At the beginning of the term, students will be randomly
assigned to a group and are expected to prepare a PowerPoint style presentation with a
companion audio recording. Presentations are based on any topic from the course.
Group presentations will be submitted through Brightspace. Group sizes and
presentation lengths will be determined based on the final enrollment of this course. A
presentation rubric will be posted. Presentations are due on April 3.

Final Exam (40%). The final exam is cumulative and covers all the assigned readings,
PowerPoint materials, and the documentary. The final exam consists of 75 questions
and is formatted as multiple-choice, true or false, matching, as well as fill-in-the-blanks.
The exact date, time, and locations will be posted once the exam schedule is released.
This exam is synchronous and in-person.

Component Value %
Forum 10
Midterm Exam 25
Group Presentation 25
Final Exam 40
Total 100

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 Lecture Day Topic Assessment
1 Jan 16 A History of Social Media Forum 1
2 Jan 23 Digital Health Technologies Forum 2
(eHealth)
3 Jan 30 Social Media and Mental Health Forum 3
4 Feb 6 Social Media and Sexual Health Forum 4
5 Feb 13 Social Media and Interpersonal Forum 5
Relationships
6 Feb 27 Social Media and Public Health Forum 6
Mar 1 Lectures 1-5 Midterm Exam
7 Mar 6 Social Media and Health Promotion Forum 7
8 Mar 13 Social Media and Medicine Forum 8
9 Mar 20 Social Media and Parenting Forum 9
10 Mar 27 The Social Dilemma Forum 10
Apr 3 Group Presentations Due Online
TBA Episodes 1-9 Final Exam

Course/University Policies

1. The website for Registrar Services is http://www.registrar.uwo.ca.

In accordance with policy, the centrally administered e-mail account provided to

students will be considered the individual’s official university e-mail address. It is the
responsibility of the account holder to ensure that e-mail received from the University at
his/her official university address is attended to in a timely manner.

2. Academic Offences
Scholastic offences are taken seriously and students are directed to read the
appropriate policy, specifically, the definition of what constitutes a Scholastic Offence, in
the Academic Calendar (westerncalendar.uwo.ca).

Plagiarism
Student work is expected to be original. Plagiarism is a serious academic offence
and could lead to a zero on the assignment in question, a zero in this course, or
your expulsion from the university. You are plagiarizing if you insert a phrase,
sentence or paragraph taken directly from another author without acknowledging
that the work belongs to him/her. Similarly, you are plagiarizing if you paraphrase
or summarize another author’s ideas without acknowledging that the ideas
belong to someone else. All papers may be subject to submission for textual
similarity review to the commercial plagiarism detection software under license to
the University for the detection of plagiarism. All papers submitted will be
included as source documents in the reference database for the purpose of
detecting plagiarism of papers subsequently submitted to the system. Use of the
service is subject to the licensing agreement, currently between Western
University and Turnitin.com (www.turnitin.com).

Re-submission of Previously Graded Material

Without the explicit written permission of the instructor, you may not submit any
academic work for which credit has been obtained previously, or for which credit

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 is being sought, in another course or program of study in the University or
elsewhere.

Use of Statistical Pattern Recognition on Multiple Choice Exams

Computer-marked multiple-choice tests and/or exams may be subject to
submission for similarity review by software that will check for unusual
coincidences in answer patterns that may indicate cheating.

3. Use of Electronic Devices

During Exams: Unless you have medical accommodations that require you to
do so, or explicit permission from the instructor of the course, you may not use
any electronic devices during ANY tests, quizzes, midterms, examinations, or
other in-class evaluations.

During Lectures and Tutorials: Although you are welcome to use a computer
during lecture and tutorial periods, you are expected to use the computer for
scholastic purposes only, and refrain from engaging in any activities that may
distract other students from learning. From time to time, your professor may ask
the class to turn off all computers, to facilitate learning or discussion of the
material presented in a particular class. Unless explicitly noted otherwise,
you may not make audio or video recordings of lectures – nor may you edit,
re-use, distribute, or re-broadcast any of the material posted to the course
website.

Personal Response Systems (“clickers”) may be used in some classes. For

those classes in which we use this technology, it is your responsibility to ensure
that the device is activated and functional. You must speak with the course
instructor immediately, if you have any concerns about whether or not your
clicker is malfunctioning.
You must use only your own clicker. For all components of this course in which
clicker records are used to compute a portion of the grade:
• The use of somebody else’s clicker in class constitutes a scholastic offence;
• The possession of a clicker belonging to another student will be interpreted as
an attempt to commit a scholastic offense

4. Academic Considerations and Absences from Lectures and Assessments

Religious Accommodation
When a course requirement conflicts with a religious holiday that requires an
absence from the University or prohibits certain activities, students should
request (in writing) any necessary academic considerations at least two weeks
prior to the holiday to the academic counsellors in their Home Department.
Additional information is provided in the Western Multicultural Calendar.

Academic Accommodation
Please contact the course instructor if you require lecture or printed material in

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an alternate format or if any other arrangements can make this course more
accessible to you. Students with ongoing accommodation needs within this
course are also encouraged to contact Accessible Education, which provides
recommendations for accommodation based on medical documentation or
psychological and cognitive testing. The policy on Academic Accommodation
for Students with Disabilities can be found here.

Academic Consideration
The University recognizes that a student’s ability to meet their academic
responsibilities may, on occasion, be impaired by extenuating circumstances that
are medical or compassionate in nature. These extenuating circumstances may
be acute (short term), or it may be chronic (long term), or chronic with acute
episodes. In all cases, students are advised to consult with the academic
counsellors in their home units, at their earliest opportunity. Academic
counsellors may refer students to Accessible Education for ongoing academic
accommodations.

Most forms of academic consideration require documentation, and this

documentation is to be submitted to academic counsellors within five (5)
business days of their return to academic responsibilities. Any such documents
will be retained in the student’s file, and will be held in confidence in accordance
with the University’s Official Student Record Information Privacy Policy. Once the
petition and supporting documents have been received and assessed,
appropriate academic considerations shall be determined by academic
counseling, in consultation with the student’s instructor(s). Academic
considerations may include extension of deadlines, waiver of attendance
requirements for classes/labs/tutorials, arranging Special Exams or Incompletes,
re-weighting course requirements, or granting late withdrawals without academic
penalty. Academic considerations shall be granted only where the documentation
indicates that the onset, duration and severity of the illness are such that the
student could not reasonably be expected to complete their academic
responsibilities. (Note – it will not be sufficient to provide documentation
indicating simply that the student “was seen for a medical reason” or “was ill.”).

Whenever possible, students who require academic considerations should

provide notification and documentation in advance of due dates, examinations,
etc. Under no circumstances are students expected to submit rationales for (or
documentation of) any absences, to course instructors. Students are, however,
required to follow-up with course instructors, in a timely fashion, to identify the
ways in which the academic consideration will be implemented.

Examination Conflicts
A student completing tests or examinations with flexible submission times (e.g.,
where one or more evaluation is a take-home assessment) cannot request
alternative arrangements unless a conflict cannot be avoided by rescheduling
writing the exam to a different time within the window specified by the instructor.
This applies to direct conflicts as well as “heavy load” conflicts (e.g., three exams
within a 23-hour period). The student should discuss any concerns about a
potential conflict and/or request academic considerations with their academic
counselling unit prior to the deadline to drop a course without academic penalty

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 In the case of online tests and examinations, use of a “Conflict Room,” wherein
student can write two proctored exams concurrently, will be interpreted as
arrangements for continuous proctoring.

5. Contingency Plan for an In-Person Class Pivoting to 100% Online Learning

In the event of a situation that requires this course to pivot to online content delivery, all
remaining course content will be delivered entirely online, either synchronously (i.e., at
the times indicated in the timetable) or asynchronously (e.g., posted on OWL for
students to view at their convenience). The grading scheme will not change. Any
remaining assessments will also be conducted online as determined by the course
instructor

Note that disruptive behaviour of any type during online classes, including inappropriate use of the
chat function, is unacceptable. Students found guilty of Zoom-bombing a class or of other serious
online offenses may be subject to disciplinary measures under the Code of Student Conduct.

6. Online Proctoring
Tests and examinations in this course may be conducted using a remote
proctoring service. By taking this course, you are consenting to the use of this
software and acknowledge that you will be required to provide personal
information (including some biometric data) and the session will be recorded.
Completion of this course will require you to have a reliable internet connection
and a device that meets the technical requirements for this service. More
information about this remote proctoring service, including technical requirements,
is available on Western’s Remote Proctoring website at:
https://remoteproctoring.uwo.ca.

7. Grades
Where possible assignment objectives and rubrics will be posted on OWL.
Generally, students can expect some form of feedback on their performance in a course before the
drop date.
□ November 13th, 2023 (for first term half-courses)
□ November 30th, 2023 (for full-year courses)
□ March 7th, 2024 (for second term half-or full year courses)

A+ 90-100 One could scarcely expect better from a student at this level
A 80-89 Superior work that is clearly above average
B 70-79 Good work, meeting all requirements and eminently
satisfactory
C 60-69 Competent work, meeting requirements
D 50-59 Fair work, minimally acceptable.
F below 50 Fail

Rounding of Grades (for example, bumping a 79 to 80%):

This is a practice some students request. The final grade documented is the grade that you
have achieved. There is no rounding to the next grade level, or ‘giving away’ of marks. Please
don’t ask me to do this for you; the response will be “please review the course outline where
this is presented”.

Appealing a Grade Within this Course

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 You have the right to appeal any grade within this course. The grounds for a
grade appeal may be one or more of: medical or compassionate circumstances,
extenuating circumstances beyond the student’s control, bias, inaccuracy, or
unfairness. All grounds advanced in a request for relief must be supported by a
clear and detailed explanation of the reasons for the request together with all
supporting documentation.

Appeals generally proceed in this order:

1. Course instructor (informal consultation)

2. Department Chair (submission of written request)
3. The Dean of the Faculty (submission of written request)

In the case of perceived procedural unfairness, steps 2 and 3 are carried out within
the Department and Faculty offering the course. In the case of extenuating
medical or compassionate circumstances that impact on a grade, steps 2 and 3
are carried out within a student’s Home Department and Faculty.

A request for relief against a mark or grade must be initiated with the instructor as
soon as possible after the mark is issued. In the event that the instructor is not
available to the student, or fails to act, or if the matter is not resolved satisfactorily
with the instructor, a written request for relief must be submitted to the Chair of the
Department within three weeks of the date that the mark was issued. In the case of
a final grade in a course, the written request for relief must be submitted to the
Chair of the department by January 31st (for first-term half courses) or June 30th
(for second-term half courses or full-year courses

8. Support Services
Health and Wellness:
Information regarding health and wellness-related services available to students may be found
at http://www.health.uwo.ca/.

Students who are in emotional/mental distress should refer to Mental Health@Western

(http://www.health.uwo.ca/) for a complete list of options about how to obtain help.

There are various support services around campus and these include, but are not limited to:
Student Development Centre -- http://www.sdc.uwo.ca/ssd/
Ombudsperson Office -- http://www.uwo.ca/ombuds/

9. Student Code of Conduct

The purpose of the Code of Student Conduct is to define the general standard of conduct expected
of students registered at Western University, provide examples of behaviour that constitutes a
breach of this standard of conduct, provide examples of sanctions that may be imposed and set out
the disciplinary procedures that the University will follow. For more information, visit
https://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/board/code.pdf