SOC 369 - Medical Sociology (1)

This course explores the social construction of health, illness, and medicine in the contemporary United States. Using a sociological perspective, we examine the social, political, economic, and cultural forces in which health, illness, and medicine are produced and understood, focusing on the medicalization of American society and the relationships between medicine, health, and social inequality as it relates to class, gender, and race. We approach health and illness as social, rather than biological, endeavors, questioning normative and biological understandings of health and illness, evaluating the social structures surrounding healthcare options, and investigating individuals’ experiences with healthcare decision-making. This course may count toward the SOC, GSS, CPH, and RES major. One of the following: SOC 101, CPH 115, or SOC 368. Alternate years.
(Social Science) (Writing Encounter)