Syllabus

UNE Summer Session

SOC 355: Medical Sociology – 6 Weeks

Credits - 3

Description

 

Illness and death are not random occurrences, but, rather, they occur in specific societal, historical, and cultural contexts. Different cultures and societies, in other words, produce different patterns of death and illness, demonstrating that illness/wellness cannot be reduced to individual pathology or misfortune, but are in part social and cultural phenomena.  Sociological inquiry considers the importance of social and cultural factors in determining health, and, using a range of methodologies (including comparative, epidemiological, narrative, etcetera) investigate how social and cultural forces have concrete consequences for everyday people; including: their health, their sense of self, their understanding and experiencing of their bodies, their interactions with healthcare systems, and more. 

 

Thus, this course on the sociology of medicine is not confined to the narrow examination of the formal institution of ‘medicine’, but is concerned with all those cultural and societal aspects of life which impinge upon well-being through the life course. Throughout this course we will examine how specific cultural and social arrangements can make us sicker, we’ll explore how increased social capital and social cohesion increase health, and we will consider the consequences of a dominant biomedical model of medicine which dominates in the industrial world. In addition, we will examine how discourses of health and wellness shape our attitudes toward our bodies and selves, how these narratives also impact our routine behaviors, from what we eat to where we choose to go when we are sick, and will also explore how other social institutions and globalizing processes may be changing the way we approach and practice healthcare.

Materials

Weitz, R. (2017) The Sociology of Health, Illness, and Health Care. Centage Learning

Learning Objectives and Outcomes

This course is designated as an Advanced (ADV) course as part of the core curriculum. 

 

  • To identify and apply central theories, concepts and methods integral to the sociology of medicine

 

  • To analyze the role of culture and social structures of race, class, and gender on health 

 

  • To describe and apply social epidemiology to understand patterns of morbidity and mortality 

To analyze some of the consequences of increased medicalization within society.

Assignments

Assessment

Essay 25 points

Journal 25 points

Exam One 20 points

Exam Two 15 points

Class Participation 15 points

Grade Scale

Grade Points Grade Point Average (GPA)
A 93 – 100% 4.00
A- 90 – 92.9% 3.75
B+ 87 – 89.9% 3.50
B 83 – 86.9% 3.00
B- 80 – 82.9% 2.75
C+ 77 – 79.9% 2.50
C 73 – 76.9% 2.00
C- 70 – 72.9% 1.75
D 60 – 69.9% 1.00
F 00 – 59.9% 0.00

Schedule

Course Schedule:

Summer Session A: Monday  – Sunday

Week 1: May 18 – May 24
Week 2: May 25 – May 31
Week 3: Jun 1 – Jun 7
Week 4: Jun 8 – Jun 14
Week 5: Jun 15 – Jun 21
Week 6: Jun 22 – Jun 26 <<Friday

Part One: Concepts, Contexts, and Culture

Week One  

  • Introduction: introduce yourselves on the discussion forum!

  • Leading Causes of Death in the USA 

Read articles on Leading Cause of Death

Review brief power point slides

Read the following article, ‘Live free and die?’ The sad state of U.S. life expectancy from NPR and listen to the short radio clip Scientists warned a decade ago American lives were shortening. Then it got worse: Shots – Health News from NPR.

Journal Prompt: Personal reflection what is most noteworthy from the article and radio clip? Can you connect any of what is discussed to your own lives/experiences?

 

  • The Body in Context: the biological consequences of the social

Read articles on Fetal Origins Research and Leukemia 

Review and respond to questions – sharing answers to the discussion board

Week Two 

  • Race, Health, and Medicine 

Read articles related to race, gender, health, and medicine 

Formal Journal Prompt: How does race and racism impact Covid-19?  

  • Themes and Perspectives on the Sociology of Health and Illness: (Weitz: Chapter 1; Nettleton: Chapter 1).

Watch documentary Unnatural Causes 

Review Power Point Presentation

Informal Journal Prompt: How does culture impact health/perceptions of health?


Week Three

Share responses after watching Unnatural Causes on the Discussion Board

Paper on Social and Cultural Forces Due

  • Social Epidemiology and the limits of biomedicine (Weitz: pgs 19-25) 
  • Health Disparities and The Embodiment of Inequality: Fundamental Cause Theory and The Spirit Level (Weitz: Chapter 3; Nettleton: Chapter 7; Phelan et al, on Brightspace)

Review slides and view zoom lecture

Watch TedTalk related to the Spirit Level https://www.ted.com/talks/richard_wilkinson_how_economic_inequality_harms_societies?language=en 

  • Food Distribution and Consumption (Freund: Chapter 3; articles on Bright Space) 

Review slides and view zoom lecture


Part Two: Health and Illness in Social Contexts

Week Four

  • The Environment and Health (Brown in Bird et al: Chapter 10; Freund: Chapter 3 continued). 

Review slides

Watch Documentary: Place Matters

Review and respond to questions on the documentary – share answers to the discussion board. 

Formal Prompt: Fundamental Cause Theory, Epidemiology, and Covid-19 

 

Week Five

  • Social Stress (Simon in Bird et al: Chapter 5; Weitz: 43-48).

Review slides and view zoom lecture

Informal Journal Prompt: Social Connections and Social Stress

  • Exam One

Review practice exam questions

Exam One

Part Three: The Medicalization of Society

Week Six

  • Medicine, Media, and Popular culture  (Weitz: Chapter 5). 
  • TV show: House MD 

Review articles and watch an episode of House MD

Respond to questions on House MD and popular culture: share on discussion board

  • The Social Construction of knowledge: From boisterous kids to the ADHD kid (Conrad: Chapters 1 & 3). 
  • Social Control, Technologies of the Self, and the Medicalization of Deviance

Review slides and watch zoom lecture presentations 

Review practice exam questions 

Formal Journal Prompt: Social control and Covid-19 – formal and informal mechanisms of social control

Exam 2: FINAL

Completed Journal Due 

Student Resources

Summer Session Online Student Support

Your Student Support Specialist is a resource for you. Please don't hesitate to contact them for assistance, including, but not limited to course planning, current problems or issues in a course, technology concerns, or personal emergencies. If you are a current UNE undergraduate taking online Summer Session courses, please continue to work with your Advisor and include them on your outreaches.

Questions? Email: summersessiononline@une.edu.

UNE Libraries

  • Library Access for all students: Your library login ID and password are the same as the ones you use to log into Brightspace.
  • Library Questions: Ask a librarian or phone library staff at (207) 602-2361 or (207) 221-4330.

Further Assistance and Accommodations

Your student support specialist monitors course progression and provides assistance or guidance when needed. They can assist questions regarding ordering course materials, University policies, billing, navigating the course in Brightspace, and more.

To request an accommodation a student needs to go through the process with our UNE office. If the student has a current/already established accommodation in place with UNE it is the responsibility of the student to notify the program at summersessiononline@une.edu to ensure it is applied properly.

If you need to inquire about a possible accommodation, please reach out to the Student Access Center by calling 207-221-4418 or send an email to pcstudentaccess@une.edu.

If you are a current UNE undergrad, please continue to work with your coordinator at bcstudentaccess@une.edu and ensure any accommodations you have in place - are put in place for your online Summer Session course(s).

Online Peer Support

Togetherall is a 24/7 communication and emotional support platform monitored by trained clinicians. It’s a safe place online to get things off your chest, have conversations, express yourself creatively, and learn how to manage your mental health. If sharing isn’t your thing, Togetherall has other tools and courses to help you look after yourself with plenty of resources to explore. Whether you’re struggling to cope, feeling low, or just need a place to talk, Togetherall can help you explore your feelings in a safe supportive environment. You can join Togetherall using your UNE email address.

Information Technology Services (ITS)

Students should notify their Student Support Specialist and instructor in the event of a problem relating to a course. This notification should occur promptly and proactively to support timely resolution.

ITS Contact: Toll-Free Help Desk 24 hours/7 days per week at 1-877-518-4673.

Instructor and Support Contact Information

Check Brightspace for specific instructor and support specialist contact information.

Policies

Summer Session & Academic Engagement Policy

Online students are required to submit a graded assignment/discussion prior to Sunday evening at 11:59 pm EDT of the first week of the term. If a student does not submit a posting to the graded assignment/discussion by 11:59 pm EDT on Sunday of the first week, the student will be automatically dropped from the course for non-participation.

Proctored Examinations

Your course may have proctored exams. For all proctored exams, an external camera is required. Please see the course for the exact exam requirements, test-taker guidance, proctoring format, and allowances (such as calculators or whiteboards, as indicated in the course). https://success.une.edu/science-prerequisites/honorlock/ 

Information about exam attempts can be found in your course.

Course Length

A schedule of lectures and assignments is included in this syllabus.

Courses in the program are equivalent to one-semester courses designed to be completed in 6 or 12 weeks.

  1. Enrollment in the course begins the day your section opens which is listed in the Academic Calendar. Students in online Summer Session courses will have early access the Saturday prior to the course start date to review course content as needed.
  2. Course due dates, start and end dates are in respect to Eastern Time.

Technology Requirements

Please review the technical requirements for UNE Online Programs: Technical Requirements.

Withdrawal and Refund Policies

Please review the policies in your confirmation email. Contact summersessiononline@une.edu with any questions.

Grade Policy

Students are expected to attempt and complete all graded assignments and proctored exams by the end date of the course.

Late Policy

Unless stated otherwise by your faculty: Late assignments will be accepted up to 3 days late; however, there is a 10% grade reduction (from the total points) for the late submission. After three days, the assignment will not be accepted. Discussion posts: If the initial post is submitted late, but still within the discussion board week, there will be a 10% grade reduction from the total discussion grade (e.g., a 3-point discussion will be reduced by 0.3 points). Any posts submitted after the end of the Discussion Board week will not be graded. Please make every effort ahead of time to contact your instructor if you are not able to meet an assignment deadline. Arrangements for extenuating circumstances may be considered by faculty.

Transcripts

Due to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, only the student may request official transcripts. This may be done online by going to the University of New England Registrar website and following the directions on the page.

Academic Integrity

The University of New England values academic integrity in all aspects of the educational experience. Academic dishonesty in any form undermines this standard and devalues the original contributions of others. It is the responsibility of all members of the University community to actively uphold the integrity of the academy; failure to act, for any reason, is not acceptable.

Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to the following:

  1. Cheating, copying, or the offering or receiving of unauthorized assistance or information.
  2. Fabrication or falsification of data, results, or sources for papers or reports.
  3. Action which destroys or alters the work of another student.
  4. Multiple submission of the same paper or report for assignments in more than one course without permission of each instructor.
  5. Plagiarism, the appropriation of records, research, materials, ideas, or the language of other persons or writers and the submission of them as one's own.

Charges of academic dishonesty will be reviewed by the College. Penalties for students found responsible for violations may depend upon the seriousness and circumstances of the violation, the degree of premeditation involved, and/or the student’s previous record of violations. Appeal of a decision may be made to the Dean whose decision will be final. Student appeals will take place through the grievance process outlined in the student handbook.

Using Generative AI When Completing Coursework

Generative AI (GenAI) applications (like ChatGPT) have proven to be powerful and effective tools, and students are encouraged to become familiar with and use them. However, as with any tool, students must use GenAI in ways that support learning, not replace it. Learning to use AI responsibly and ethically is an important skill in today’s society.

In their courses, students are not allowed to use advanced automated tools, such as generative AI tools, on assignments unless explicitly directed to do so. Each student is expected to complete each assignment, including labs and quizzes as applicable, without substantive assistance from others, including automated tools.

Using AI-content generators to complete assignments without proper attribution violates academic integrity. By submitting assignments in UNE courses, you pledge to affirm that they are your own work and you attribute use of any and all tools and sources.

Unauthorized Use

Unauthorized use of AI is treated as a violation of academic integrity.

Citing AI Use

If permitted, students should indicate and cite any use of AI tools. 

Instructor Responsibility

Instructors should clearly reiterate, using UNE AI Use Policy, how students can use AI tools in their courses, and communicate this policy to students at the beginning of the semester.

Student Responsibility

Students must follow the academic integrity policy of the University of New England.