Psychological and Social Determinants of Health Disparities

Catalog description

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Examine psychological, social, cultural and societal contributors to health disparities in the United States. Analyze how macrosocial factors — such as socioeconomic status, discrimination, gender, religion and geography — affect physical and mental health through mechanisms like stress, healthcare access and cultural inputs. Explore historical and contemporary patterns of morbidity and mortality using interdisciplinary research from psychology, sociology, public health and behavioral science. Strengthen critical thinking and scientific writing while evaluating conceptual models and empirical evidence. Topics and focal groups will vary by instructor. Prerequisite: Junior or senior classification.