As misinformation permeates the web, one Family Science class is gearing up to combat it by building a factual, nonpartisan election guide to key public health-related ballot initiatives across the country.
“Our guide always focuses on those issues that have a family connection. The guide is for everyone: Students, families – and we sometimes circulate it across professional organizations,” said Dr. Christine Pegorarro Schull, principal lecturer for FMSC 750: Family and Health Policy. “Policies determine how programs are implemented and funded. When they involve any kind of human service, they impact families.”
Topics in the guide include many of today’s most hotly contested issues, including housing, firearms, voting rights, abortion and immigration. The class uses a framework from the National Council on Family Relations to consider the impact of policy aiming to address these topics impacts families.
Building a reputable source to help people distinguish fact from misinformation is a key goal for family science students like Imani Sykes and Anahita Kamrani. “With social media, there’s a lot of misinformation on bills and things that are being passed. Being able to rely on reputable sources that talk about family health and health disparities or inequities is extremely important given the current climate,” said Sykes. “Politics and research actually go hand-in-hand, so this class has been super informative for me.”
During class, the graduate students talk through images, to avoid photos that might sway a reader towards one decision. The idea is that people using the guide get the facts to make their own decisions.
“My hope is that FMSC 750 students will leave the class with the ability to see how their subject matter expertise matches up with policy endeavors,” Schull said.
Professionals in family science need to understand how policy affects program and funding. They may help lawmakers better understand policy implications on families, she said. “Sometimes participating in the policy process can mean advocating for families when there is a gap or noticing an unintended consequence. Knowing how to engage in the policy process gives us that ability to support families.
The process itself has helped the students broaden their perspectives.
“This is a good way for us to kind of see both sides to things,” said Kamrani, a Family Science doctoral student, of the class’ research process. “I think people tend to be very narrow-minded in politics, and so it’s important to take both sides into consideration and actually educate yourself about it.”