Georgetown University

This course in medical sociology examines the social forces that influence how health, illness, and medical care is understood and experienced. We will explore how social, cultural, economic, and environmental factors affect the health of individuals and communities. Topics may include doctor-patient communication, medicalization and “big pharma”, inequality and health disparities, death and dying, and health care policy in the US and abroad. Through news media, academic scholarship, and in-class exercises, students will delve into selected contemporary debates and controversies.