Abstract
The purpose of this article is to demonstrate how the documentary film When the Levees Broke can be used to initiate discussions about health disparities in an undergraduate health education course. In the fall semester of 2014, the documentary When the Levees Broke and the companion curriculum Teaching the Levees were used to initiate discussion of health disparities in a health education methods course. Specific units from the Teaching the Levees curriculum were selected for relevance to the training of entry-level health education specialists and the potential for generating meaningful class discussion. Questions from the following units within the Teaching the Levees curriculum were selected due to their relevance to the study of health disparities: Citizenship, Economics, Geography. Two additional novel sets of questions were added that related to Community and the Synergistic Effects of Poverty. Over a 3-week period, students watched the film, completed questions in a written format, and engaged in lengthy discussion during the class period about the lessons learned relative to health education practice. Quotes were compiled and selected to illustrate the discussions that took place. Implications for the training of entry-level health education specialists in recognizing and addressing health disparities are discussed.
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