Culture, Social Inequity, and Community Health

Catalog description

This course, directed toward Public Health doctoral students, emphasizes the social and cultural circumstances of the health -illness continuum. The student will analyze critically the health and illness processes from the own interpretation of the individu al given the social circumstances of individuals and communities. It includes concepts such as social organization, social inequity, and the manner in which these affect the health of the individual and the community. This course will also explore the soci al and cultural context of behaviors in health and illness; accessibility to health care services; and the diverse responses to health problems taken by communities and individuals. The course includes topics such as the need for a social and cultural approach to health and illness; culture, behavior and health; social inequality and illness; health and illness in the world’s economy; social support networks; social and cultural determinants of health and illness in the different phases of human development ; health care services and the cultural and social diversity of users.