SOCI 324 - Medical Sociology

Introduces students to the uniqueness of sociological perspectives in understanding health care, and the social factors that influence health care. Students employ several levels of analysis: social history, social interaction, work roles, organizations, organizational relationships, and social policy. The framework for this course is that of social organization to show that the social organization of a society influences, to some degree, the type and distribution of disease, illness, and death found in that society. A major focus is on social determinants of health (SDoH) and the role that different institutions (i.e pharmaceutical and insurance companies, media, and others) play on medicalization. The social organization of a society also influences, to a significant degree, how the system of medical care responds. The values and assumptions underlying the medical definition of health are not necessarily the same as those underlying the sociological definition of health. A focus of the course is to examine race, class, and gender issues that influence the delivery of healthcare in this country. Attention is given to such topics as social epidemiology, the social demography of health, social stress, and illness behavior. Students also review the sick role, doctor-patient interaction, medical health professionals, hospitals and other health care agencies, and the healthcare delivery system in the United States and other countries.

Credits: 1.00
Corequisite: None
Prerequisites:

SOCI 201

SOCI 250

Major/Minor Restrictions: None
Class Restriction: No First-year, Sophomore
Area of Inquiry: Social Relations,Inst.& Agents
Core Component: None

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