SOAN 290 - Special Topics in Sociology

Credits: 3 in Fall or Winter, 4 in Spring
Planned Offering: Offered when interest is expressed and departmental resources permit.

A discussion of a series of topics of sociological concern. May be repeated for degree credit if the topics are different.

Spring 2015 topics:

SOAN 290A: Polish Politics, Society and Culture (4). Prerequisite: Instructor consent required. This study abroad program in Poland will examine the contemporary cultural, social, and political issues of this nation. Poland will be examined here as a test case of a rapid social, political, and economic change, which characterizes the recent historical developments in the entire East Central Europe. The chief educational objective of the course is demonstrate to American students that the rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness can be achieved (1) despite major historical, cultural, and geopolitical adversities, and (2) within a framework of political, social, and economic institutions that are markedly different from those they have known in the United States.

SOAN 290B: Medical Sociology (4). No prerequisite. SOC 102 recommended. The course introduces the sociological perspectives of health and medicine. The class will explore the underlying premise that social factors, not just biological ones, influence health outcomes and the practice of medicine. We cover how our everyday environments can affect our health, both through macro-level institutions (e.g., the shape our healthcare system) to micro-level interactions (e.g., doctor-patient interactions). In doing so, we consider the social organization of health, illness and medicine that go beyond differential access to medical care. Some questions we address include: How is the medical profession changing? What are the pros and cons of market-driven medicine? Does class have an enduring impact on health outcomes? Are we what our friends eat? Can unconscious biases affect the quality of care for people of different ethnicities? Chin