Race, Ethnicity, Class and Gender

Catalog description

This course is about the effects of race, ethnicity, class, and gender on health promotion, health equity, and social justice. Throughout the course we consider the relationship of these social categories to structural inequities, health equity and social justice. This course considers how race, ethnicity, class, and gender, with roots in historical legacies of power, privilege, and oppression, continue to be constructed in the modern world. Students are introduced to an array of theories and empirical research regarding inequity, theories of race, racism and ethnicity, class and gender. The consequences of discrimination based on race, ethnicity, class and gender are examined at the individual and societal levels. Discussion is directed at increasing the understanding of the theories of institutional oppression and exploitation. Students are exposed to the movements and social actions to dismantle institutional manifestations of race, ethnicity, class, and gender inequity. Contemporary issues like migration, climate change, movements for racial, economic and gender justice, and the Covid-19 pandemic are explored through this lens as well.