This course covers several topics, including distributive justice in health care, the organization and politics of the health system, the correlates of health (by race, sex, class, income), pandemics (e.g., AIDS, Avian Flu and other influenzas, etc.), and the experience of illness and interactions with doctors and the medical system.

This course will introduce students to the sub-discipline of medical sociology through the following theoretical frameworks: social determinants of health, fundamental cause theory, medicalization, and biopower. Course readings will draw from multiple perspectives and fields, including sociology, anthropology, history, law, medicine, nursing, and public health. We will begin the course by reading about the U.S. health care system and how our health system compares to health systems in other nations. Next, we will study the dominant theories and concepts used by medical sociologists. We will apply these frameworks to issues and problems in the contemporary social world, such as abortion, pregnancy and maternal health, HIV/AIDS, medical school training, and clinical research. We will also borrow tools and frameworks from political sociology and political economy to critically examine contemporary health policies and practices and how racism, sexism, and other forms of systemic oppression became historically embedded within the American health care system. We will conclude the semester with an introduction to the sociology of global health. More information on the instructor can be found at www.jennifertempletondunn.com

Credit Restrictions

Students will receive no credit for Sociology C115 after taking Sociology 155, Sociology C155/Public Health C155. A deficient grade in Sociology 155 may be removed by taking Sociology C115/Public Health C155.

Repeat Rules

Course is not repeatable for credit.

Requirements class fulfills