Meanings and Culture in Health and Illness

Catalog description

In this course, students will develop a more complex and nuanced understanding of meanings, cultures, and social factors influencing health and illness. The course will explore the role culture and meanings play in the conceptualization, experience, and treatment of health and illness, as well as, healthcare interactions and outcomes. Cultural humility and respect are foundational concepts in this course. Students should expect to receive a health-focused foundational understanding of the complexity of meanings, culture, and society with an eye toward application both personally and professionally in their healthcare career. Additionally, students will expand their understanding, respect, skill, and humility in approaching individuals with different cultural frameworks from their own.