| Course | HSC 210 Cultural Aspects of Health |
|---|---|
| Module | Module 7 |
| Paper type | Cultural practices presentation |
| Length | About 538 words, 4 pages |
| Format | APA 7 slide deck with speaker notes |
| School | Arizona State University |
| Program | BS in Health Sciences |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for HSC 210 Module 7
Walking in Beauty: Diné (Navajo) Health Beliefs and Practices
Student Name
BS in Health Sciences, Arizona State University
HSC 210: Cultural Aspects of Health
Instructor Name
Month Day, Year
Slide 1: Walking in Beauty
Diné (Navajo) health beliefs and practices.
Speaker notes: I chose the Diné because I grew up near the Navajo Nation and have friends who move between traditional and Western care every day. I am not Diné, so I relied on Diné scholars and published research.
Slide 2: The Diné People Today
Largest reservation land base in the United States, spanning Arizona, New Mexico and Utah. Diné language, clans and kinship remain central. Health care through the Indian Health Service, tribal programs and traditional healers.
Speaker notes: The Navajo Nation covers a large, rural area, so distance to care and to grocery stores shapes health as much as culture does.
Slide 3: Hózhó: Health as Harmony
Hózhó means balance, beauty and harmony in thought, action, relationships and the natural world. Illness reflects disharmony; healing restores balance.
Speaker notes: A Diné nurse scholar describes Hózhó as a complex wellness philosophy whose principles guide thoughts, actions, behaviors and speech, and argues it fits well with whole-person, integrative care (Kahn-John & Koithan, 2015).
Slide 4: Traditional Healers and Ceremonies
Hataałii, or medicine people, lead ceremonies that can last several days. Herbalists and diagnosticians also play roles. Ceremonies involve family and community.
Speaker notes: Ceremonies are not only for the sick person; they restore relationships with family, community and the land.
Slide 5: Combining Two Systems
In one study of 300 Navajo patients at an IHS clinic: 62% had used native healers, 39% regularly. Conflict between healer and provider advice was rare.
Speaker notes: Patients used healers for arthritis, depression and diabetes as well as for bad luck, and cost was the main barrier (Kim & Kwok, 1998). Many Diné families use both systems, so providers should expect and welcome this.
Slide 6: Health Challenges
High rates of diabetes and obesity. Limited access to healthy food in remote areas. Long travel distances. Historical trauma and loss of land and language.
Speaker notes: Many of these challenges are social determinants rather than cultural choices: food deserts, distance, poverty and history, the conditions public health calls the causes of the causes (Braveman & Gottlieb, 2014).
Slide 7: Community Responses
Tribal health programs, community health representatives who visit homes, farming and traditional food revival projects, language and culture programs for youth.
Speaker notes: Community health representatives, trained tribal members who visit homes, have long linked families with clinics, and food sovereignty projects revive traditional foods.
Slide 8: Culturally Safe Care
Ask about traditional healing without judgment. Allow time for family decisions. Respect beliefs about speaking of illness or death. Use interpreters for Diné speakers. Partner with healers when patients wish.
Speaker notes: Some Diné patients may avoid speaking directly about negative outcomes, believing words can bring them about, so providers can frame risks gently and in the third person.
Slide 9: What I Learned
Health is relational and spiritual as well as physical. Cultural respect improves trust and outcomes.
Speaker notes: Studying Hózhó changed how I think about wellness. Balance in relationships and environment is part of health, not an extra.
Slide 10: Questions for You
How might your field support patients who use traditional healing? What would culturally safe care look like in your workplace?
Speaker notes: Thank you. I look forward to your feedback and to learning from your presentations.
References
Braveman, P., & Gottlieb, L. (2014). The social determinants of health: It's time to consider the causes of the causes. Public Health Reports, 129(Suppl. 2), 19-31. https://doi.org/10.1177/00333549141291S206
Kahn-John, M., & Koithan, M. (2015). Living in health, harmony, and beauty: The Diné (Navajo) Hózhó wellness philosophy. Global Advances in Health and Medicine, 4(3), 24-30. https://doi.org/10.7453/gahmj.2015.044
Kim, C., & Kwok, Y. S. (1998). Navajo use of native healers. Archives of Internal Medicine, 158(20), 2245-2249. https://doi.org/10.1001/archinte.158.20.2245
What the HSC 210 Module 7 instructions ask for
The Cultural Practices Presentation is the HSC 210 class project, worth 80 points, with 20 more points for peer and self-evaluations, and it closes the course in Module 7. Research the health and illness-related beliefs and practices of a specific cultural or subcultural group, in the United States or anywhere in the world, and present what you learned in a PowerPoint, Prezi or other accessible format, following the outline and template the instructor provides. You post it to the sharing discussion, review four randomly assigned classmates' presentations with the rubric and complete a self-evaluation. Respect is essential: rely on sources written by or with members of the culture where possible. Plan time to review your four assigned peers carefully, since those reviews are part of your grade.
Inside the HSC 210 Module 7 example
The sample's ten slides move from who the Diné are today, through the Hózhó philosophy, healers and ceremonies, to how families combine traditional and clinic care, with a study's figures. Slides on health challenges separate social conditions from culture, a community responses slide shows strengths, and a culturally safe care slide gives practical guidance. Speaker notes carry the citations and the student's honest note about being an outsider. The notes acknowledge the student's position as an outsider, rely on a Diné scholar and present both challenges and community strengths, which models respectful cultural research. A final slide of questions invites classmates into discussion. Each slide covers one idea.
Where the marks sit in the HSC 210 Module 7 rubric
The presentation is worth 80 points, and peers grade it with the rubric. Readers look for accurate, respectful information on beliefs, practices and health issues, credible sources, attention to both challenges and strengths, practical implications for health care and a clear, accessible design that follows the template. Marks drop for stereotypes, for describing a culture only through its problems, for unsourced claims, for slides crowded with text and for skipping the template's required sections. Peers using the rubric also respond well to presentations that end with questions for the audience and practical guidance they can use at work.
HSC 210 Module 7 help with common mistakes
Choose a group you can research well, ideally with sources by members of that culture. Separate beliefs and practices from social conditions such as poverty or distance. Include strengths and community responses. Give practical tips for providers. Keep slides simple and put detail in notes. Review your peers thoughtfully; their feedback counts too. If you are unsure whether your sources are respectful and credible, the desk can help evaluate them. Ask yourself whether a member of the culture would recognize your description as fair. Practice your notes aloud. Check every slide against the template so no required section is missing, and cite sources on a final slide as well as in your notes.
Write yours, or have the desk draft it
This paper is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Arizona State University document. Read it for the moves, then write your own to the instructions in your classroom. If you want one built to your exact prompt and rubric, the first custom sample is free and arrives in 24 to 48 hours.
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HSC 210 Module 7 questions, answered
Where can I find a free HSC 210 Module 7 sample paper?
The full ten-slide presentation on Diné (Navajo) health beliefs and practices is on this page.
What is the HSC 210 Cultural Practices Presentation?
A class project presenting the health and illness beliefs and practices of one cultural group to classmates.
What is Hózhó?
The Diné wellness philosophy of balance, beauty and harmony that guides thought, action and speech.
How common is use of native healers among Navajo patients?
In one clinic study, 62% had used native healers and 39% used them regularly.
How is the HSC 210 presentation graded?
Peers and the student evaluate it with a rubric, and the instructor reviews the scores.