SOC 4120 - Health and Social Context

(SCD-AS, SDS-AS) (D-AG, OPHLS-AG)

Fall, Summer. 3 credits. Letter grades only.

Fall: J. Budnick; Summer: Staff.

What is health? What does it mean to be “healthy” (or not) in today’s world? How does health (or illness) shape an individual’s identity and relationship to other people and institutions? This course grapples with the social underpinnings of health and has two main components: substantive and practice. First (substantive), we will explore core concepts and methods from the research areas of medical sociology and population health. We will read a wide range of qualitative and quantitative research on topics such as disease, reproductive health, sexuality, public health, medicalization, inequality, and activism. These readings spread across 3 thematic units: (1) what is health?, (2) health disparities, and (3) politics of health. Second (practice), we will focus on research design and writing. You will develop your own research question about the relationship between social context and health and will spend the semester collecting and analyzing data, drafting and revising your results, and polishing and presenting your social science research. This course is supported by Cornell’s John S. Knight Institute for Writing in the Disciplines as a “Writing in the Majors (WIM)” course. As such, our aim is to integrate learning about our topic and developing our skills as writers in advanced undergraduate courses across the College of Arts & Sciences.