PH 360 Social Determinants and Health

Fall and Spring

In this course we will examine the social nature of health, illness, and medicine. Focus will be on how a person’s life shapes their likelihood of achieving good health and susceptibility to illness and understanding the social factors that shape health. Exploration of the social patterning of health, longevity, and disease in the US with in the context of: Who avoids illness and who does not? Who is at increased risk of dying prematurely? Exploration of social and environmental factors shaping public health with in the context of: How does the context of a person’s life (where they live, who they are friends with, if they are married, if they work, their gender and sexual orientation) shape health?

3 credit hours