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HEALTH AND SOCIETYTuesdays and Thursdays 6:00-8:00pmINSTRUCTORS: Lilla Pivnick and Faith DeckardLEARNING LAB ASSISTANTS: Chloe Craig and Brad SilberzahnTexas Prison Education InitiativeCOURSE DESCRIPTIONSociology is the study of society, or the examination of human beings and the societies they inhabit. One distinguishing principle of sociology that differentiates it from the other social sciences is its focus on how individual lives are situated within and shaped by broader social contexts, groups, and institutions—all of which have implications for individual health and wellbeing. The purpose of this course is give future health professionals a broad overview of sociological concepts, problems, theories, and methods that are relevant to understanding patients and providing health care services. Students will—through the development of their own sociological toolkit—explore different social forces that shape who is at risk of getting sick and what this means for health professionals who provide care. COURSE GOALSUpon completion of this course, the student will be able to Recognize both upstream and downstream determinants of specific illnesses; Differentiate, compare, and contrast health profiles for different subsets of the U.S. population regarding major causes of death, co-morbidities, health behaviors, and life expectancies;Develop sociologically-informed questions that could be asked of patients in a clinical setting that may provide additional insight into their conditions. Analyze personal experiences related to health, healing, and illness from a sociologically informed perspective.COURSE FORMAT AND MATERIALSClass structure: Class will meet twice a week, with Tuesday classes led the course instructors in lecture format and Thursday classes led by Learning Lab Assistants (LLAs) in discussion format. Students are encouraged to take notes; exams cover information from both the class readings, class lectures, and discussion section activities.Weekly readings: Weekly readings, which should be completed before the Tuesday class meeting each week, will include a mix of textbook chapters, peer-reviewed journal articles, and news articles. Readings are meant to familiarize students with and encourage students to critically engage with concepts related to studying health and society from a sociological perspective. COURSE REQUIREMENTSThere will be six assignments (adding up to 500 possible points) across the semester that will help the instructors assess your mastery of the course goals. These assignments are listed in greater detail below.Class attendance and participation (100 points): Attendance and active participation at each class meeting is essential to success in this course. Students are also highly encouraged to participate in classroom discussions through the sharing of ideas, thoughts, opinions, and experiences.Weekly reflection (100 points): Each Thursday, the LLAs will ask you to complete a short “exit ticket” that will include questions that will help you reflect on that week’s class materials and how that material relates to your own health-related experiences. Exit tickets are to be completed and turned in at the end of class on Thursdays. Exams (100 points each, 2 exams total): 20 multiple choice questions worth 2 points apiece, 5 short answers worth 12 points apiece. Exams will cover material from textbooks and lectures. Exams are scheduled for Thursday, April 2 and Tuesday, May 12.Health Profiles Project (25 points): Using population level data from the Center for Disease Control provided by the instructors, compare and contrast health profiles for three Texas cities of your choosing regarding major causes of death, disease prevalence, health behaviors, and life expectancies. This assignment is due Thursday, February 27.Social Determinants of Health Project (25 points): Given two patient case studies, develop a list of three sociologically informed questions per patient that you might ask to help determine their diagnoses. Provide one paragraph per question explaining why you asked those specific questions. This assignment is due Thursday, April 23.Health Autobiography (50 points): Reflect on a few poignant experiences you have had with health, illness and healthcare throughout your life (e.g., chronic illness, acute illness, death of a loved one, birth, doctor’s visit, experience with insurance, avoidance of doctors). These experiences can be about your own health or the health of a family member or friend. Describe how the experience impacted you and how you felt about the experience. How does your experience reflect or not reflect at least 3 topics we have learned about in class? This final paper should be between 6-7 pages. This assignment is due Thursday, May 7.CLASSROOM POLICIESGrades. A+ = 98-100; A = 93-97; A- = 90-92; B+ = 88-89; B = 83-87; B- = 80-82; C+ = 78-79; C = 73-77; C- = 70-72; D+ = 68-69; D = 63-67; D- = 60-62; F = 59 or below. If you believe there has been a mistake on the grading of an assignment and would like to have the grade reviewed, you will have one week after the work has been returned to provide the instructors with a one-page summary detailing the error/inconsistency. Upon that review, your grade is subject to either increase or decrease. Late assignments. All assignments must be turned in on or before the class meeting on the day the assignment is due. For each class period that your assignment is late, we will deduct 10 points from your final grade on that assignment, unless students have made prior arrangements with me. Academic integrity. Students who violate university rules on academic dishonesty are subject to disciplinary penalties, including the possibility of failure in the course.Absences. The only absences that will be considered excused are those that are university-excused (i.e., religious holidays, extenuating circumstances due to an illness or emergency). If you plan to miss class due to observance of a religious holiday, please let me know at least two weeks in advance. You will not be penalized for this absence, although you will still be responsible for any work you will miss on that day if applicable. If you have to be absent, use your resources wisely. Ask your classmates to get notes on any lessons you miss. If you find there are topics that we covered while you were gone that raise questions, you may discuss these issues with the instructors or LLAs.Your success in this class is important to us. If there are aspects of this course that prevent you from learning or exclude you, please let me know as soon as possible. Together we’ll develop strategies to meet both your needs and the requirements of the course.COURSE OUTLINE AND READING LISTWeek 1(2/4, 2/6)Introduction to the CourseChapter 1: A Brief Introduction to the Sociology of Health, Healing, and IllnessBonus material: Chapter 2: The Development of Scientific Medicine in The Sociology of Health, Healing, and Illness (You will not be tested on the material in Chapter 2)Week 2(2/11, 2/13)Social Epidemiology: An Overview Jones, Podolsky, and Greene. 2012. “The Burden of Disease and the Changing Task of Medicine.” The New England Journal of Medicine 366(25): 2333-2338.Chapter 3: Social Epidemiology in The Sociology of Health, Healing, and IllnessMcNeil. 2017. “Deadly, Drug-Resistant ‘Superbugs’ Pose Huge Threat, W.H.O. Says.” New York Times.Week 3(2/18, 2/20)Disease and Illness in the U.S. Population: An Overview Chapter 4: Society, Disease, and Illness in The Sociology of Health, Healing, and Illness Avendano and Kawachi. 2014. “Why do Americans have Shorter Life Expectancy and Worse Health Than Do People in Other High-Income Countries?” Annual Review of Public Health 35:307-25.Week 4 (2/25, 2/27)Social Construction of Disease Conrad and Barker. 2010. “The Social Construction of Illness: Key Insights and Policy Implications.”Moynihan. 2003. “The Making of a Disease: Female Sexual Dysfunction.” British Medical Journal 326:45-47.Pollack. 2015. “F.D.A. Approves Addyi, A Libido Pill for Women.”Health Profiles Project due Thursday.Week 5 (3/3, 3/5)Social Stress Chapter 5: Social Stress in The Sociology of Health, Healing, and Illness Hatzenbuehler, Phelan, and Link. 2013. “Stigma as a fundamental cause of population health inequalities.” American Journal of Public Health 103: 813-821.Week 6 (3/10, 3/12)Sex/Gender, Sexuality, Relationships, and Health Courtenay. 2000. “Constructions of Masculinity and Their Influence on Men’s Well-being: A Theory of Gender and Health.” Social Science & Medicine 50:1385-1401.Umberson and Karas Montez. 2010. “Social Relationships and Health: A Flashpoint for Social Policy.” Journal of Health and Social Behavior 51(S):S54-66.Paine. 2018. “Embodied disruption: “Sorting out” Gender and Nonconformity in the Doctor’s Office” Social Science & Medicine 211:352-358.Week 7 (3/17, 3/19)Spring BreakNo classes will be held on Tuesday or Thursday.Week 8 (3/24, 3/26)Race/Ethnicity, Nativity, and Health Williams and Sternthal. 2010. “Understanding Racial/ethnic Disparities in Health: Sociological Contributions.” Journal of Health and Social Behavior 51(S):S15-27.Samari. 2016. “Islamophobia and Public Health in the United States.” American Journal of Public Health 106(11): 1920-1925.Silverstein. 2013. “How Racism is Bad for Our Bodies.” The Atlantic.Kolata. 2018. “The Secret to Keeping Black Men Healthy? Maybe Black Doctors.” The New York Times.Exam Review passed out on Thursday.Week 9 (3/31, 4/2)Exam WeekExam Review on Tuesday.Exam on Thursday.Week 10(4/7, 4/9) Social Class, Education, and Health Link and Phelan. 1995. “Social Conditions as Fundamental Causes of Disease.” Journal of Health and Social Behavior. Chetty et al. 2016. “The Association Between Income and Life Expectancy in the United States.” Income and Life Expectancy in the United States: Executive Summary. Center on Society and Health. 2014. “Why Education Matters to Health: Exploring the Causes.” Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.Scutchfield and William. 2017. “Deaths of Despair: Why? What to do?” American Journal of Public Health.Week 11 (4/14, 4/16)Criminal Justice System and HealthMassoglia and Pridemore. 2015. “Incarceration and Health” Annual Review of SociologySemeza and Link. 2019. “How does reentry get under the skin? Cumulative reintegration barriers and health in a sample of recently incarcerated men.” Social Science & Medicine Week 12(4/21, 4/23) Culture, Religion, and HealthGuest. 2014. “Health and Illness.” Cultural Anthropology: A Toolkit for a Global Age.Fadiman. 1997. Chapter 3: The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down. Social Determinants of Health Project Due Thursday.Week 13 (4/28, 4/30)Medical Ethics and New Health Technologies Chapter 16: Social Implications of Advanced Health Care Technologies in The Sociology of Health, Healing, and Illness “The ‘Immortal’ Story of One Woman’s Cells.” 2010. National Public Radio.Exam Review passed out on Thursday.Week 14 (5/5, 5/7)U.S. Health Care SystemChapter 14: The Health Care System of the United States in The Sociology of Health, Healing, and Illness Exam Review on Thursday.Health Autobiography due Thursday.Week 15 (5/12)Exam weekExam on Tuesday. ................
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