Students examine the social factors that influence health, illness and health care. They learn that health and illness are not entirely individual phenomena; rather, the cause, distribution and consequences of health and illness are also related to social, economic, political and environmental factors. Students explore topics such as the ways people understand and manage their illnesses; the social and cultural meanings of illness; interactions between health care providers and patients; the dynamics of class, gender, race, culture and health; the nature and organization of health care in Canada; environment, work and illness; and critical role that social movements play in what gets 'medicalized.'
Students examine the social factors that influence health, illness and health care. They learn that health and illness are not entirely individual phenomena; rather, the cause, distribution and consequences of health and illness are also related to social, economic, political and environmental factors. Students explore topics such as the ways people understand and manage their illnesses; the social and cultural meanings of illness; interactions between health care providers and patients; the dynamics of class, gender, race, culture and health; the nature and organization of health care in Canada; environment, work and illness; and critical role that social movements play in what gets 'medicalized.'
