Sociology of Health and Illness
Curriculum guideline
The course will employ a variety of instructional methods to accomplish its objectives, including some of the following: lectures, audio visual materials (including overheads, films), small group discussions, oral presentations (discussion seminars) and specialist guest speakers.
- Introduction
- Overview of course
- A brief introduction to sociological approaches to health & illness
- Social structure, social organization, sociological method
- Sociological theories as applied to health & illness topics
- Sociology of Health and Illness
- Social definition of health
- Objective definition of disease & illness
- Subjective definitions of illness
- Demography and Epidemiology
- Understanding epidemiology
- Health status of Canadian population
- Mortality and life expectancy
- Inequalities in Health and Illness and Health Care Utilization
- Gender, social class, race and ethnicity, and age
- Help Seeking and Experiential Dimensions of Illness
- Seeking medical help
- Social support
- Effects of stress
- Social meanings & experiential aspects of disease
- Medicalization
- Historical development of medicalization
- Moral dimensions of medical diagnosis/labeling
- Social and economic significance of medicalization
- Health Care Professionals
- Social organization of health care: the professions
- Contemporary issues
- Nursing
- Contemporary issues in nursing
- Education and work
- Medicare and Health Care Policy
- Historical development of Medicare
- Medicare in Canada, past, present & future prospects
- Issues in the Medical Care System
- Racism
- The drug industry
- Ethics
- Politics of disease
- Environment and Health
- Environment/disease relationships
- Balancing economy and health
At the conclusion of the course the successful student will be able to:
- Describe some of the ways in which social and cultural factors affect illness outcomes and health care practices.
- Describe and evaluate social structural conditions associated with health and illness issues.
- Critically evaluate the political and economic contexts relating to health and illness outcomes.
- Describe the roles of health care practitioners and the institutional context of health care delivery.
- Apply sociological perspective(s) to a range of health, illness, and medical issues.
- Critically evaluate significant social issues relating to the organization of health and illness as these pertain to contemporary Canadian society.
Course evaluation is based on formative and summative elements and is in accord with the Douglas College Evaluation policy.
Specific components of evaluation will include some of the following: exams made up of multiple choice, true/false, short answer, and short essay questions; essay assignment; oral presentation; and participation in class discussions, student presentations, and group discussions.
Specific evaluation criteria will be provided by the instructor at the beginning of the semester. Instructors may use a student’s record of attendance and/or level of active participation in the course as part of the student’s graded performance. Where this occurs, expectations and grade calculations regarding class attendance and participation will be clearly defined in the Instructor Course Outline.
An example of one evaluation scheme would be:
| Midterm exam | 20% |
| Essay/written assignment | 25% |
| Final exam | 25% |
| Oral presentation | 15% |
| Participation | 15% |
| Total |
100% |
Textbooks and Materials to be Purchased by Students:
Texts will be updated periodically. Typical examples are:
Singh, B. and Dickinson, H. (2009). Health, Illness, and Health Care in Canada. Toronto: Nelson Education Canada.
Clarke, J. (2008). Health, Illness, and Medicine in Canada. Toronto: Oxford University Press Canada.