Topics include doctor-patient interactions; complementary and
alternative medicine; the training and work of physicians; the
work of allied health fields (e.g., nurses); hospitals, assisted
living facilities, and nursing homes; the problem of pricing
health care and the role of markets; and efforts to reform
health care in the United States.
Athena Title
Sociology of Health Care
Equivalent Courses
Not open to students with credit in SOCI 3110H
Prerequisite
SOCI 1101 or SOCI 1101E or SOCI 1101H or SOCI 2600 or permission of department
Semester Course Offered
Offered every year.
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Student learning Outcomes
Students will understand the role that sociological factors play in shaping health care in the United States and other countries.
Students will understand how to engage in the scholarly practices of reading, focused discussion, and writing. Mandatory writing projects place special emphasis on analysis, evidence, and argument in order to further develop the creative, analytical, and interpretive skills of students.
Students will be able to demonstrate their mastery of the course content in written work that is appropriate for an academic context.
Students will be able to demonstrate their mastery of the course content in speech that is appropriate for an academic context.
Topical Outline
1. The Significance of Clinical Encounters
2. Research on Placebos and Nocebos
3. Character and Significance of Complementary and Alternative Medicine
4. Training and Work of Physicians
5. Character and Challenges of Evidence-Based Medicine
6. Social Transformation of the Medical Profession
7. Alternative Providers and the Problem of Evidence on Risk and the Efficacy of Care Formats
8. Health Care Settings: Hospitals, Assisted Living, Nursing Homes, and Hospice
9. Medical Sociology and Technology
10. The Problem of Pricing Health Care: Ambiguity, Variability, and Wonder
