Helana Darwin | Ph.D. Sociology | Social Inequalities



Instructor: Helana DarwinEmail address: helana.darwin@Electronic Office Hours: M-F 10-2Sociology of Health and the BodyCOURSE DESCRIPTIONIn order to give you a substantial education within this six-week window, this will be an accelerated course. Each of the six weeks includes two stand-alone units, or “modules.” The weeks with big deadlines (midterm project and final project) will only include one substantive module plus a “dummy” module to ensure that you have sufficient time to finish your projects. Each substantive module will introduce you to foundational concepts that you will need as you move forward as a sociologist of the body, health, or medicine. This course will also challenge you to think critically about how inequality operates within our society along race, gender, sexuality, and class lines, with direct repercussions for people’s bodies and health. LEARNING OBJECTIVESThrough this course, you will develop your “sociological imagination” and learn to think critically about how dominant ideologies mutually reinforce one another within society to reinforce the status quo. You will begin to see the flaws in taken-for-granted social categorization schemas. You will also develop an ability to identify the structural forces that influence people’s experiences of their bodies, the medical system, aging, and even dying. TEACHING PHILOSOPHYThere is a reason behind everything you are reading and producing in this course. I respect you too much to assign you busy work and I know from my Psychology background that quizzes provide an inaccurate reflection of knowledge retention. I do not want you to focus on memorizing jargon that you will forget within a year—I want you to critically engage with the key concepts that I am teaching you. In order to make sure that you are completing the modules and thinking while you do so, I assign module reflections instead of quizzes. I understand that people have different interests and learning styles. If you have an easier time communicating your thoughts by speaking than writing, you are welcome to submit video clips instead of text. I also provide several options for the final project besides research papers. If there is a different type of project you would like to do that is not on the list, please consult with me via email.REQUIRED READINGSAll required readings will be posted to Blackboard under the corresponding module. You are expected to watch any videos that are included in the module folders as well as reading all text files.NAVIGATING THE COURSE WEBSITEThe course content can be found under the following links in the right-hand margin:Syllabus- An updated word document version of the course syllabusModules- This link brings you to folders for each of the twelve course modules. Within each folder, you will find detailed instructions about what I expect from you, along with summaries and contextualizing information to help you understand the readings. You will also find links to all videos, blogs, and/or articles that I have assigned to you. Each module will take 2-3 hours to complete and there are two per week—please budget your time accordingly. You may work ahead, but you must finish each module within half a week at the longest. This might seem like a big time commitment, but it is actually comparable to six weeks in an offline course. Offline courses include three hours of class time per week plus outside reading and assignments and meet for 14 weeks instead of six weeks. In order to make sure you get your money’s worth in this class, you will need to commit at least five hours per week to the modules and assignments. I will know if you rushed through the modules because your reflection will not be nearly as thorough or thoughtful as it should be.Reflections are due roughly every other weekday by 11:59 PM. Please consult the detailed assignment guide below for exact dates. These reflections are the one measure of accountability that I have in place to make sure you are completing the modules and I take them very seriously. Discussion- This link displays “threads” where you will type your module reflections and discussion question. Please type in the text box so it will be easier for your classmates to read (or copy and paste it into the text box). I will also include a discussion thread for introductions here as well as the final wrap-up reflection. Assignments- This link contains three threads: one for midterm projects, one for final projects, and one for extra credit. Please upload your assignments to the appropriate thread by 11:59 PM on the day of the deadlineCalendar- This link will bring you to a Google calendar that lists all of the course’s deadlines.CLASS MODULES***************PLEASE READ EACH MODULE’S INSTRUCTIONS*****************I have significantly reduced the amount of reading that I would have liked to assign you, in order to ensure that you engage with the material that I have assigned carefully and thoughtfully. I have supplemented these articles with multi-media material such as video clips and Ted Talks, in an effort to round out your education. You may work ahead and turn assignments in early, but you will lose points if you submit assignments late. Please take note of the deadlines for your introduction, the module reflections, the Final Post, and the Final Project.GRADING/ASSIGNMENTS***Please Note***I base part of your grade (for module posts, midterm/final discussion posts, final project) on your ability to write at a college-level. But I understand that for some of you, English is your second language, you might have dyslexia, etc. If you need extra help with spelling or grammar, please contact the Writing Center and/or Disability Services to make the necessary arrangements and please notify me via email at the beginning of the semester. BreakdownIntroduction (5 points)Weekly Reflection Posts (2 points each ten times = 20 points total)Weekly Reply to a Classmate’s Reflection (1 point each time = 10 points total)Midterm Project (20 points)Final Project (40 points)Final Wrap-up Reflection (5 points)Introduction (5 points)Post 3-5 sentences about yourself in the discussion thread labeled “Introductions.” Please tell us your name, your major, why you’re taking this class, whether this is your first online class, what you hope to learn, what else you’ll be up to during this six week period of summer, and anything else you want to share to help me and your classmates know you as a person as opposed to a mere username. Please take this opportunity to clarify which pronouns your classmates and I should use when referring to you since this is impossible to determine from names alone. If you are able to figure out how to upload a video of yourself for this introduction, awesome! I record my videos using Quicktime. To upload your video, act like you’re going to type a response but instead of typing in the open text box, look at the icon bar directly above it. You’ll see a red button that has a little triangle inside. That’s for uploading YouTube videos. Other videos can be uploaded by clicking the triangle icon that is three to the right, under the magnifying glass icon.Weekly Reflection Posts (20 points total)This is my only measure of accountability to ensure that you have done that module’s readings and watched the corresponding videos so I take it very seriously. That being said, I only expect you to write a paragraph or two. I envision this as your opportunity to convince me that you absorbed the material, but you don’t need to tell me what each separate item was about. Synthesize and tell me what the big takeaway points were of the module as a whole. At the end please let me and your classmates know if anything felt unanswered or confusing to you or if anything was thought-provoking and left you wondering about something related. This is your invitation to a classmate to respond, so please try to set the stage for interaction at the end of your post. Weekly Replies to a Classmate (10 points total)Pick one person, preferably one you haven’t already replied to. Feel free to skip to the end of their post where they voice their confusions or concluding thoughts and engage with them in some way about what they’re saying. Your reply doesn’t need to be more than two sentences.Midterm Project (20 points total)Pick one of the following documentaries to watch (or one that is not on the list if and only if I have approved it). I have included links to trailers for each of the documentaries under the Midterm Project Module folder. Pick whichever one tickles your fancy the most. Most are available to watch through the main streaming sites, but otherwise you might need to pay four dollars to stream it through a specialty site. Google how to stream your chosen documentary if you get confused. Options include: Sick, Sicko, Bad Blood, and How to Die in Oregon. Write a 3-5 page content analysis of the documentary, engaging course material and theoretical concepts. If you see that a later module topic corresponds with your chosen documentary, it might be smart to read ahead so you can analyze the documentary more easily. Please keep the focus of this assignment on showing off your sociological knowledge so it is not a simple plot summary. If you get stuck, remember that sociologists are always looking at race, gender, and class as axes of power and inequality. You can also pick a sociological paradigm and demonstrate your understanding of it through your content analysis. The three main paradigms are: conflict theory, structural functionalism, or symbolic interactionism. If you pick either of these approaches, you’ll easily fill the page requirement. Please cite course material in-text and in a works cited page at the end. I will grade these according to the grade rubric that I have included in the syllabus. When you have completed this assignment, please upload it under the Midterm thread in the Assignments page.Final Project (40 points)I am very flexible about what you do for this final project, so long as you have the proper methodological training and it is 5-8 pages double-spaced in the end. Those who have not taken Research Methods might want to consider writing a research paper on a relevant topic that interests you and analyze it through one of the main sociological theoretical lenses (symbolic interactionism, functionalism, conflict theory). Otherwise you can create a wikipedia page on a subject matter that does not currently have a page. Alternatively, you may create a blog series with an entry (3-paragraph essay format) for each of six modules that we’ve covered (you can pick which six). No matter which option you select, I expect you to cite your sources. For a blog, this would mean including hyperlinks to other articles, research studies, controversies, etc. that you are referencing. If you have taken Research Methods, you can also consider conducting original research. This can be an ethnography of a medical or body-oriented community, a virtual ethnography of a digital medical/health/body community, an interview series with people about their bodies or health (analyzed in a final paper format), or an online survey about a relevant matter (analyzed in a final paper format). This project is worth a lot of your grade, so I encourage people to email me your thoughts in advance, especially if there is any confusion. Final Wrap-up Post (5 points)I would like to know what you have learned in a nut-shell, what you are taking away from the course, any lingering questions that you have, or any broad observations. This post should synthesize your learning. Think of it as a final exam, or exit exam. This should be approximately one page long and uploaded under the corresponding link on the Discussion Board. Please do not type these into the textbox since I will be downloading them and reading them carefully. Alternatively, you can upload a video of yourself explaining what you have learned to me. It should be about 5 minutes long.EXTRA CREDIT (up to 10 points)I am providing an opportunity for people to earn up to 10 points in extra credit (10% of your grade), to ensure that people leave this class with a solid grade. Opportunity #1- email me an outline of your final paper/project by June 24th so I can provide critical feedback. Hopefully collectively we can make sure you get a solid grade (ideally an A). This is worth 2 pointsOpportunity #2- read one of the optional articles in the Extra Credit folder and submit a one-page reflection including a summary of the content, how it relates to other class material, and any thoughts it raised for you. This is worth 3 pointsOpportunity #3- write an autoethnography about your own experiences with health, the medical system, your body, body image, etc., linking your experiences to course materials and analyzing it through a sociological lens (drawing upon conflict theory, structural functionalism, and/or symbolic interactionism). Critically analyze your experience along race, class, gender, sexuality, religious, nationality, etc axes. This should be about 3 pages. This is worth 5 pointsGRADING RUBRIC(For Midterm Project and Final Project)AExcellent! Maximum page limit, no typos, correct grammar, paragraph structure, clear introduction and conclusion, clear and thorough application of a sociological lens BGood!Somewhere in the page range, few typos, ok grammar, paragraph structure, ok introduction and conclusion, some application of a sociological lensCOk…You tried, but not hard enough. You did not reach the minimum page limit, poor structure/ writing, very little or inaccurate application of a sociological lens. The big thing is that you did not take advantage of my electronic “office hours” to consult about your final project before the mid-term, so I am not convinced that you cared about your grade.DYou turned something in…But it was not long enough, poorly written, no application of a sociological lens FYou didn’t turn anything in!You literally didn’t do it or missed the deadline without asking for an extension (which is only granted for unforeseen debilitating reasons)MODULE CONTENT Module 1: IntroductionWatch “What is Sociology” (10 mins)Watch “Major Sociological Paradigms” (10 mins)Read “Overview of Sociology of the Body” (26 pages)____________________________________Module 2: Sociology of HealthWatch Population Health (10 mins)Watch Relating Social Theories to Medicine (9 mins)Watch Minority Health Discrepancies (5 mins)Watch Health and Medicine (10 mins)Read Introduction to Medical Sociology (22 pages)____________________________________Module 3: Health Diffs bts Cismen and CiswomenWatch “What is the diff btw sex and gender” (4 mins)Read (Cis)gender and Health (24 pages)Watch “Sexism and Diagnoses” (14 mins)Watch “Why do (cis)women live longer than (cis)men? (14 mins)____________________________________Module 4: RaceWatch What is Race (10 mins)Watch What is Environmental Racism (10 mins)Watch What is Environmental Justice (3 mins)Read Black-White Health diffs (21 pages)____________________________________Module 5: Fat/Thin StudiesRead Moralizing the “Obesity Epidemic” (32 pages)Read Fat rdgs (10 pages)Watch What is a Food Desert (2 mins)Watch Fat Camp (10 mins)CORRESPONDING ASSIGNMENT5/29 11:59 PM- Post Introduction of self on Discussion thread (video or text)Post to Discussion threadComment on a classmate’s post____________________________________5/31 11:59 PM- Post to Discussion threadComment on a classmate’s postEmail me your thoughts on your midterm project____________________________________6/4 11:59 PM- Post to Discussion threadComment on a classmate’s post____________________________________6/7 11:59 PM- Post to Discussion threadComment on a classmate’s post____________________________________6/11 11:59 PM- Post to Discussion threadComment on a classmate’s postMODULE CONTENTModule 6: Finish Midterm Project____________________________________Module 7: Disability StudiesRead Theorizing Disability and Chronic Illness (20 pages)Watch Introduction to Disability Studies (9 mins)Watch Disability rdgs (11 pages)Watch Americans with Disabilities Act (17 mins)____________________________________Module 8: IllnessRead The Social Meanings of Sickness (22 pages)Watch Living with Chronic Illness (13 mins)Read Cystic Fibrosis (18 pages)____________________________________Module 9: Sexual and Reproductive HealthRead Childbirth as Case of Risk (20 pages)Read Racial Disparities in pregnancy-related deaths (3 pages)Read Racism and Black Women’s Reproductive Health (9 pages)Watch Reproductive Health Disparities among LGBTQ Youth (3 mins)____________________________________Module 10: LGBTQIA+ HealthWatch What is LGBTQIA+ (4 mins)Watch LGBTQ Health Disparities (6 mins)Watch Transgender Health Care Horror Stories (6 mins)Read Medical Model of Transgender (12 pages)Read LGBTQIA+ rgds (14 pages)Watch Trans Man at the Dr.’s Office (5 mins)CORRESPONDING ASSIGNMENT6/14 11:59 PM- Submit Midterm Project____________________________________6/18 11:59 PM- Post to Discussion threadComment on a classmate’s post____________________________________6/21 11:59 PM- Post to Discussion threadComment on a classmate’s post____________________________________6/25 11:59 PM- Post to Discussion threadComment on a classmate’s post____________________________________6/28 11:59 PM- Post to Discussion threadComment on a classmate’s postComplete course review (you will be emailed a link. If you do not receive it, please notify me)MODULE CONTENTModule 11: Death and DyingRead Who Gets Sick and Dies (35 pages)Read Hospice Care (8 pages)Watch We’re Doing Dying Wrong (15 mins)____________________________________Module 12: Finish Final ProjectCORRESPONDING ASSIGNMENT7/2 11:59 PM- Post to Discussion threadComment on a classmate’s post____________________________________7/6 11:59 PM- Submit Final ProjectUpload final wrap-up post to Discussion threadSubmit extra creditCLASSROOM ETIQUETTEIt is easy to misunderstand people when you only interact through online posts. Please assume the best of one another and ask for clarification if you don’t understand what someone is saying. Be respectful of one another and absolutely NO TROLLING. That is, no intentionally provocative posts that escalate tension for the sake of upsetting the other individual. If I witness disrespectful conduct or insults, I will email the individual with a warning. If it continues after the warning, I will decrease the individual’s Discussion Post grade component, which is worth 40/100 total points in total (because this is a participation grade as much as anything)—disruptive behavior that negatively impacts the classroom environment constitutes poor participation. Particularly offensive language/behavior that persists after a warning will result in 0 points for this component, making it difficult for the individual to score higher than a D as a final grade. No space is ever truly a “safe space,” but I am doing my best to foster a “safer space” in this virtual community. ACADEMIC INTEGRITY STATEMENTEach student must pursue his or her academic goals honestly and be personally accountable for all submitted work. Representing another person's work as your own is always wrong. Faculty are required to report any suspected instances of academic dishonesty to the Academic Judiciary. Faculty in the Health Sciences Center (School of Health Technology & Management, Nursing, Social Welfare, Dental Medicine) and School of Medicine are required to follow their school-specific procedures. For more comprehensive information on academic integrity, including categories of academic dishonesty, please refer to the academic judiciary website at Please pay attention to the section on avoiding plagiarism.DISABILITY SUPPORT SERVICES (DSS) STATEMENTIf you have a physical, psychological, medical or learning disability that may impact your course work, please contact Disability Support Services, ECC (Educational Communications Center) Building, room128, (631) 632-6748. They will determine with you what accommodations, if any, are necessary and appropriate. All information and documentation is confidential.Students who require assistance during emergency evacuation are encouraged to discuss their needs with their professors and Disability Support Services. For procedures and information go to the following website: Incident ManagementStony Brook University expects students to respect the rights, privileges, and property of other people. Faculty are required to report to the Office of Judicial Affairs any disruptive behavior that interrupts their ability to teach, compromises the safety of the learning environment, or inhibits students' ability to learn. Faculty in the HSC Schools and the School of Medicine are required to follow their school-specific procedures.WELL-BEINGSchool is important, but so are you. If anything that we discuss in class is difficult for you, please reach out to the appropriate resource below:Counseling and Psychological Services2nd Floor Student Health Services Building(631) 632-6720Sexual Assault Prevention and Outreach216 Stony Brook Union(631)-632-1623Alcohol and Other Drug Prevention and OutreachStudent Health Center(631)-632-6720The Wo/Men’s CenterStony Brook Union, Room 216(631) 632-9666LGBTQ* Services222 Student Activities Center(631) 632-2941Interfaith CenterUnion Bldg. 2nd floor(631)-632-6565Multicultural Affairs222 Student Activities Center(631)-632-9392Questions? Feel free to contact me via email. Please allow up to 24 hours for a reply. ................
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