Composing Health Literacies

This edited collection examines engagements between health literacies and undergraduate writing instruction, providing research, case studies, and practical guidance on developing an interdisciplinary writing pedagogy.

Bringing together works from scholars in rhetoric and composition, technical communication, UX, public health, nursing, and writing center administration, this collection showcases a range of evidence-based practices for composing, teaching, and assessing health literacies, which the readers can apply to their own contexts. Using non-specialist language accessible to instructors from a variety of backgrounds, the chapters consider the use of writing assignments including image analyses, public service announcements, podcasts, health education materials, illness narratives, public presentations, research proposals, and journal articles. The book offers a holistic overview by profiling entire writing programs, both online and face-to-face, that teach health literacies across their curricula.

This evidence-based collection is essential reading for scholars and instructors in rhetoric and composition, writing in the health professions, technical communication, and health humanities, and can be used as a supplemental textbook for pedagogy courses in these fields.

Michael J. Madson is an Assistant Professor at Arizona State University, USA where he teaches courses in healthcare communication and user experience. He is also an adjunct Associate Professor at the Medical University of South Carolina, USA where he runs an online undergraduate writing course that explores health literacy, bioethics, and interprofessional education. He is the editor of Teaching writing in the health professions: Perspectives, problems, and practices (2022).